By Gerald Bannon In 2012, just before the Olympics arrived in London, England, Uber received a private-hire license to run its ride-hailing operation in and around the city. In the five years since, to say that Uber has faced its fair share of controversy would be an understatement. From strict regulations telling drivers where they can and cannot pick up passengers to disputes with black-cab drivers claiming that Uber is hurting their business, the company has spent the better part of its time in London proving to regulators why its license should not be revoked. Unfortunately, just days ago Uber lost this battle as Transport for London (TfL, the main…

By Zachary Perdek The Rohignya have been described as “the world’s most persecuted minority.” They are an ethic group of about 1.1 million who have lived in Myanmar for centuries. They speak a distinct dialect, are majority Muslim, are not considered citizens, and are not recognized as one of the 135 official ethnic groups of Myanmar. On September 11, 2017 the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said that the current situation of the Rohingya in Myanmar, “seems a textbook example of ethnic cleansing,” and the actions of the Myanma government are “without regard for the basic principles of international law.” So, how did we get here, what textbook…

By Sean Assad In response to the prospect of increased economic sanctions from the US, Russia has ordered the US to cut their diplomatic staff by 755. In addition, Russia has said that it will block access to two American diplomatic properties: a warehouse in Moscow and a bucolic picnic ground along the Moscow River. If this sounds somewhat familiar, it is as the US had seized two of Russia’s diplomatic properties in the US last year and 35 Russian diplomats to leave the US. Although, a big difference is that the properties the US seized were used for intelligence gathering, while the properties Russia is threatening to seize are merely…

By Sean Assad The South China Sea is an important and strategic area as well as one of the most tense areas of the world. It sees $5 trillion in shipborne trade every year, and also has major fishing and energy resources. China claims most of this territory despite parts of the the sea being claimed by Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam, which has led to intense territorial disputes. These disputes garnered intense international attention in 2016 when the a decision was made in the Philippines’ 2013 case against China by the Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA). China had claimed historic rights to the territory but they were only valid if they accorded with…