Luke Ryan

Three men were kidnapped and shot dead in a car on Thursday, in Kabul, Afghanistan. They were Indian, Macedonian and Malaysian, and Afghan authorities have stated that they worked for Sodexo, a French food services and facilities management company — one of the largest multinational corporations in the world. The men were en route to […]

Caskets draped in American flags arrived onto U.S. soil on Wednesday, the remains of those who fell during the Korean War and have been lost ever since — until now. North Korea and the United States have worked together to transport the fallen service members home for the first time since they departed for the […]

Reports have been coming in of in-person discussions between U.S. officials and the Taliban. These talks have been in the works for a while now — the Taliban has historically said they would not talk peace with anyone but the United States. They see the Afghan government as a “puppet” government, and therefore not worth […]

Kuwait, 1990 — Four divisions of the Iraqi Republican Guard and Iraqi Army SF units flood into Kuwait. Airports are seized, fighters are screaming overhead, and Kuwait forces are quickly overwhelmed. Kuwait aircraft are shot from the sky, and almost their entire Navy is sunk. Some Kuwaiti forces have more success than others in delaying […]

Monsoons have struck Myanmar/Burma, pouring relentless rain and causing massive flooding all across the country. Reports indicate that approximately 120,000 people have been displaced, driven from their homes in hopes of seeking shelter elsewhere; so far 11 people have been confirmed dead as a result of the flooding. I spoke to several aid workers in […]

If you haven’t seen the movie, don’t spoil it here — watch it first, then come back. There are a substantial amount of films with the same rough outline: a protagonist is caught up in some violent conflict, is forced to stay or live among a more “tribal” people, and learns that what many consider […]

War, corruption, and poverty have plagued Afghanistan for generations. These have generally led to a myriad of exacerbating issues like a lack of healthcare infrastructure, education, and political unification. Now another devastating obstacle has struck the country: the worst drought in decades. Droughts of this magnitude are going to affect any country severely, but this one […]

In contrast to the devastating drought in Afghanistan, Myanmar/Burma has been experiencing intensely heavy monsoons recently. The rainy season comes every year around this time, and every once in a while it is particularly bad — in 2015, 100 people were killed, and 330,000 people were driven from their homes. This year, so far approximately […]

The U.S. Secretary of Defense, Jim Mattis, recently met with the Omani Foreign Minister, Yusuf bin Alawi, at the Pentagon recently. They primarily discussed security concerns, such as the ongoing conflict in Yemen — Mattis also conducts these meetings frequently with politicians from around the world to bolster their relationships with the United States. Pentagon […]

California has been suffering from severe wildfires which have claimed countless structures and several lives. Thousands upon thousands have been evacuated — the Carr Fire alone has driven almost 40,000 people out of their homes and has killed a grandmother and her two grandchildren, as well as two firefighters. The fires are also prevalent in […]

People are far more likely to become victims of human trafficking when they are at their most vulnerable. This is why instances of the crime generally skyrocket during times of mass upheaval — a large hurricane, refugee crisis or armed conflict can all be catalysts for instances of trafficking. Children in foster care, for example, […]

Edgewood, WA — A 2-year-old boy, Thorin Hess, was wondering about and stepped on the cover of a septic tank which gave way. He fell inside — down 10 feet — and his mother and sister ran to the tank to rescue him. After locating the boy they attempted to pull him out, the boy’s […]