Leela Jacinto is an award-winning international news reporter who has doggedly pursued stories across the globe. Along the way, she has harangued some officials, wined and dined with others, but has always kept her eyes on what’s in it for ordinary folks. A graduate of New York University, Leela has previously worked for ABC News in New York before joining FRANCE 24. In this blog, she provides insights on things you don’t necessarily see in the news bytes.
Tue, 03/20/2012 - 20:26

Does a US-born jihadist’s video revelation point to divisions in the ranks or that he’s just insufferable?

In a new video statement, by US-born al Shabaab militant Abu Mansoor al Amriki said his life was threatened by fellow militants. But does that point to divisions in the Somali Islamist group’s ranks or that al Amriki is just an insufferable blowhard?
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Wed, 12/21/2011 - 15:48

On Afghan Child Brides, Drug Lords and Chatting With One Insanely Courageous Reporter

When it comes to the Afghan drug business, there are plenty of statistics and reports. But few have managed to paint a human face of the multibillion dollar drug trade the way Fariba Nawa has done in her new book, “Opium Nation”.
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Wed, 11/23/2011 - 19:08

Goodbye Haqqani, Hello Rehman, Pakistan’s New Woman on the Job

There are two men at the center of Pakistan’s “memogate” scandal: the whistleblower and the victim. They come from the opposite ends of the credibility spectrum. Now one man’s gone and there’s a woman replacing him. End of story? Oh no.
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Sat, 11/12/2011 - 12:05

Keeping the ‘mzungu’ safe from kidnappers in Kenya's Lamu

Walking down Kenya’s Lamu Island’s waterfront with my local guide, a young man mutters something as he passes us.
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Mon, 10/24/2011 - 17:59

No Surprises: An Islamic State in the Country of Men

When Libya’s top leader said the country would follow Islamic law, some experts were shocked. But in the country of men, this has been coming for the past eight months.
Fri, 10/21/2011 - 17:32

Gaddafi’s gone and Libyans must come together – but how?

Okay, it’s the end of the long, loud road to revolution. Muammar Gaddafi is dead and now we start the longer, laborious road to democracy – or some form of it – in Libya.
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Wed, 10/19/2011 - 12:46

Killing, resurrecting, capturing or ‘un-capturing’ a Gaddafi son: Let confusion reign…

Mutassim Gaddafi has been captured. No, he’s not. He’s free. No he isn’t. Khamis Gaddafi is dead. No, he’s not. He’s alive. No, he’s not alive. But he’s not not-dead. Half-dead then? Or half-alive?
Wed, 10/19/2011 - 12:27

The Burma Conspiracy: Sanctions Debate Intensifies

The signs were clear the night I took my first stroll through the then Burmese capital of Rangoon – and they were in red.
Wed, 09/21/2011 - 21:09

In death, as in life, Rabbani fails to bring peace

Burhanuddin Rabbani, the man who oversaw Afghanistan’s descent into a brutal civil war, was killed while trying to make peace with an old enemy. But whoever thought the canny septuagenarian could have brought peace in the first place?
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Wed, 06/29/2011 - 18:10

Welcome to the Hotel Intercontinental, Where the Past Is Another Country

For decades, Kabul’s Intercontinental Hotel has seen it all – invasions, coups, wars, as well as the major milestones in the lives of ordinary people. Like the name and the city it overlooks, the Intercontinental will survive.
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Fri, 06/24/2011 - 22:06

Withdrawal Symptoms: Afghans Anxious Over Obama’s Out of Afghanistan Plan

US President Barack Obama has finally set out a troop pullout plan for Afghanistan. But amid rumors of businesses shutting down and talk of a likely civil war, many Afghans are wary of what the future holds.
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Mon, 06/20/2011 - 21:17

US Ambassador Slams Karzai’s ‘Hurtful and Inappropriate’ Remarks

Diplomats rarely get emotional – at least not in public and certainly not on the job. But in his latest address to a group of university students and faculty members, US Ambassador to Afghanistan Karl Eikenberry did just that.
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Thu, 06/02/2011 - 14:17

Another Pakistani reporter killed and this time, all eyes are on the ISI

Last year, when Pakistani journalist Saleem Shahzad published an incriminating story, he was summoned for “a discussion” by the ISI. Now with the news of his gruesome killing, all eyes are on the ISI.
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Fri, 05/27/2011 - 16:02

Stone-faced Clinton pays Pakistan a frosty visit

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton can be a charm powerhouse on the road. But on her latest trip to Pakistan, the most senior US official to visit the country since Osama bin Laden's death, she looked so grim, you could feel the chill.
Thu, 05/05/2011 - 11:29

Osama’s gone, Pakistan drones on and Afghanistan is the biggest loser

Osama bin Laden’s death exposed the trust deficit in US-Pakistani relations. But the US will continue to trust Pakistan with billions of dollars of aid while withdrawing troops from Afghanistan. The losers? Afghanistan once again.
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Tue, 02/15/2011 - 19:29

Battered, bruised, now threatened by new Afghan plan for women’s shelters

Urged by Afghanistan's answer to Rush Limbaugh, the Afghan government’s new move to take over the operations of women's shelters threatens the safety of women and girls in Afghanistan.
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Thu, 01/06/2011 - 23:00

Silencing the Silent: Taseer’s Murder Exposes Pakistan’s Deep Divide

The murder of Punjab Governor Salman Taseer by his own bodyguard has exposed the deep divides within Pakistani society and threatens to further silence the country’s already beleaguered liberals.
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Tue, 01/04/2011 - 23:05

Pakistan’s ‘Last Man Standing’ Against Blasphemy Laws Becomes Its Latest Victim

In a recent tweet, the late Punjab Governor Salman Taseer vowed to be “the last man standing” against Pakistan’s infamous blasphemy laws. With his horrific murder, Pakistan has lost one of the most vocal critics of one of its most criticized laws.
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Sat, 12/11/2010 - 18:23

Faking WikiLeak-ed Cables for Propaganda or How to Beat ‘The Onion’ at Farce

They have since been retracted, but how many still believe stories on fake WikiLeaks cables published in many Pakistani dailies? They’re also a good source to figure how Pakistani intelligence officials think.
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Sat, 12/11/2010 - 14:08

Another video, another Christmas in captivity?

Last Christmas, the Taliban released a video featuring captured US soldier Bowe Bergdahl pleading for his life. The latest video clip provides few clues of his whereabouts, but the unscripted “backstory” is more enlightening – and frightening.
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