Opinion Analysis by Camille Heneine, Staff Writer

Since the Sino-British joint agreement of 1985, Hong Kong has had a very special status compared to other Chinese regions. The British agreed to give it back to China on the sole condition that the city keeps its autonomy, freedoms and that the PRC will not impose its communist principles upon its citizens. Since then both operated following the ideology “one country, two systems”

Opinion Analysis by Taleen Gharib, Staff Writer

A new trend has been circulating on social media for the past week and it purports to be about ‘female empowerment’, with several women, including celebrities, taking part. Black-and-white, filtered pictures have filled Instagram feeds and nominations to contribute to the trend have been passed around. However, the true purpose behind the #ChallengeAccepted campaign has been ‘lost in translation’, and many are unaware of the story behind the campaign. More than 450 women were killed last year in Turkey.

Security Analysis by Francesco Pitzalis, Staff Writer

Investigating the intersectionalities of violent extremism, antiracism and climate change, it is argued that the international community fails to acknowledge the cost of global warming amongst developing countries, particularly those of colour. Therefore, an antiracist approach to climate change would illuminate the environmental struggles of black and ethnic minorities and enable long term solutions for the global climate. The use of force is no longer sufficient to resolve conflicts that are rooted in environmental disruption. Yes, we all want to save the polar bears, but neglecting Africa in environmental discourse is highly detrimental to global efforts in the fight against climate change.

Opinion Analysis by Sarah Yehya, Staff Writer

Behind every successful man is a woman, and behind every first-world country are years of colonization and oppression against the minorities. We grow up idolizing the west, from their eloquent languages to the promising lives their citizens lead. We thus continue being held in a container of glorification for the western civilizations; however, failing to recognize that all was achieved at the diabolic expense of other cultures. This article will cover the Canadian Government’s superiority complex in the past, and the enforced cultural genocide on the First Peoples of Canada.

Opinion Analysis by Mounia El Khawand, Staff Writer

On July 6, 2020, international students attending colleges and universities in the United States under an F-1 or M-1 visa spent their day staring in shock at their screens. Cellphones would not stop buzzing from the surge of frantic group chats notifications or Twitter updates, and academic advisors and administrative employees saw their inbox flooded with emails from panicked students, seeking to make sense of the situation.

Opinion Analysis by Layan Eissa, Contributor

The world has been periodically engulfed with injustice, mainly inflicted on certain area; some we know of and others, unfortunately, we dont. Slavery, in this current century, is somewhat a taboo in which it is believed to have been put to an end; however, it still very much exists. People are still suffering, with their rights being taken away from them by those that simply view themselves as their superiors, depriving them of their basic human needs. Even the simplest form of awareness could help at least one person and this article is simply a small percentage of what people might be going through. We all need a wake-up call and this could be it for you!

Opinion Analysis by Francesco Pitzalis, Staff Writer

"Boris Johnson’s rise to the top of British politics demonstrates how such unscrupulous prejudices are given a free pass. In comparison, Johnson’s former socialist adversary, Jeremy Corbyn, was stained by accusations of antisemitism in the run-up to last year’s general election. The question is not whether one form of discrimination is more shameful than the other but rather if all forms of discrimination should be penalised equally...."

Opinion analysis by Tala Karkanawi, Staff Writer

“It has been a long and a hard journey, it's time after all these years to bring our people back home” said Trump in an interview at the White House. A deal has been made on the 29th of February 2020 with President Trump and the Taliban negotiating the end to a disastrous 18 year long war. A list of demands was released from the US with the Taliban agreeing on the terms. However multiple reports from the UN are quite pessimistic with how things turned out to be. Will this deal cause more damage than good?

Opinion news piece by Rhea Haddad, Staff Writer

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is famous for saying “If we lose Istanbul, we loseTurkey.” Currently, he is attempting to reverse his declining popularity by advocating a religious fundamentalism that threatens Turkey’s minorities, the country’s secular identity, and the historical status of Istanbul as a multicultural metropolis where Muslim, Christian, and Jewish faiths have coexisted for centuries. Greece has responded.

Policy analysis by Jana Al Hassanieh, Staff Writer

Amidst alarming spikes of COVID-19 infections and fatalities in U.S.A., President Trump has decided to pull out U.S.A. from the World Health Organization (WHO), consequently cutting out a yearly 450 million dollar funding. Was Trump’s withdrawal an act of blame-shifting from his mishandling of COVID-19 in America onto the WHO? Or does the organization actually need to be reformed as requested by Trump who has voiced his concerns of corruption and lack of transparency? And how can the World Health Organization demand global solidarity while it is still denying Taiwan’s sovereignty and inclusion?

Policy analysis by Farah Termos, Staff Writer

The israeli Annexation, a cornered take-over of the many lands of the already occupied Palestinian territory, has commemorated itself as a deterioration of international law and an indicted testimony of modern colonization. However, Despite the annexation representing a formal barricade to UN principles, israel was determined to go forth with full support from administrations in the west. Yet, with israeli allies commemorating the very unanticipated move – representatives of the European Union came forward to reject this scheme: a move that created a one-of-its-kind opposition to the “state” of israel's summer plans.

Opinion analysis by Tala Al Otaibi, Staff Writer

Sexual assault and sexual harassment, unfortunately, are things that occur in many settings, regardless of age, race, or gender. In order to tackle such problems, universities must implement stricter rules and repercussions in order to protect all of their students and ensure that their education will not be hindered.

Opinion News analysis by Annabelle Ghanem

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has released a shocking decree to turn Hagia Sophia into a fully operating mosque for the Islamic public by the end of July, igniting a loud international reaction. People across the globe can’t help but question why this is happening, considering that President Erdogan himself has put forth great efforts over the years to expand Turkey’s international relations as a representative of a secular democratic state. For that reason, the initiative set to annul former President Ataturk’s decision, that turned Hagia Sophia into a museum, came as a complete surprise.

Opinion Analysis by Roa Daher, Staff Writer

Discussing climate change the public tends to flock around ideas involving changing patterns of consumption by doing things like buying fair trade coffee or electric cars. Although this is a critical aspect, there is a conversation to be had about how the prevalent consumerist culture contributes to climate change and other devastating environmental effects. There seems to be a missing link between the idea of climate change and consumption that makes people think that consuming differently rather than consuming less is the answer.

Analysis by Clara Mendelek, Contributor

“Slavery did not end in 1865. It evolved.” Bryan Stevenson. After the ramification of the Thirteenth Amendment in 1865, slavery was presumed abolished. However, the prison system in the US has been argued to present a modern form of enslavement, using this very amendment in the Constitution. It has led to mass incarceration, blatantly targeting African Americans.

News analysis by Albert, Staff Writer

The Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP), a division of Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) announced, on Monday July 6, 2020, that “...The U.S. Department of State will not issue visas to students enrolled in schools and/or programs that are fully online for the fall semester nor will U.S. Customs and Border Protection permit these students to enter the United States… If not, they may face immigration consequences including, but not limited to, the initiation of removal proceedings.”

Analysis by Rhea Haddad, Staff Writer

On the 15th of June, India and China engaged in their first violent confrontation in at least 45 years, resulting in 20 Indian fatalities including that of a commanding officer, and possibly 43 Chinese casualties, bringing the bilateral ties between the two nuclear powers to an all-time low. The skirmish goes back to at least 1914, when Britain and Tibet reached an agreement to establish the McMahon Line, the line-drawing between the two countries.

Analysis by Jana Al Hassanieh, Staff Writer

The COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to a new source of unrest and instability for the Arab Region that frankly cannot handle any further tension and conflicts. War-bombed Syria, conflict-hit Yemen, and corruption-led Lebanon are sheer examples of Arab countries suffering from jeopardized livelihoods, each country in its own way and magnitude. In 2020, the UN ESCWA reported that the Arab Region is the only region in the world that has witnessed an increase in extreme poverty from 2010 levels.

Opinion piece by Tarek Eid, Staff Writer

What do Donald Trump, Jair Bolsonaro and Boris Johnson have in common? They have all underestimated and minimized the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on their largely populated countries. How can their actions and reactions (which sometimes defy logic and reason) be explained? Is it the fear of looking weak? Or a complete mistrust of science? Or even a disproportioned ego which led them to believe their countries and people would be invincible and untouchable?

Policy Analysis by Jana Al Hassanieh, Staff Writer

Trump’s rollbacks of environmental protection policies not only have negative impacts on the environment, yet further they threaten human rights and social justice. They are short-sighted restrictive actions that benefit only a few at the expense of the environment and public health. Other than filing lawsuits, American’s conscious voting is the major action that will make a massive difference for the near future.