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Judith landed in India
— July 23, 2016

Judith D’Souza, an Indian woman kidnapped last month from Kabul in Afghanistan, has landed in India after being rescued. “I am happy to inform you that Judith D’Souza has been rescued,” Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj tweeted this morning. 40-year-old Judith, who works for the Aga Khan Development Network as a senior technical adviser, was kidnapped on…
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Judith D’Souza rescued in Kabul
— July 23, 2016

LOOKEAST REPORT The family of Indian aid worker Judith D’Souza, who was rescued following her abduction in Kabul in June, expressed gratitude to the Indian government. Judith will reach New Delhi by this evening, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said. “We are thankful to the Indian government for getting my sister back. We are also…
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Not Possible To Give Up Arms – AA
— July 23, 2016

HTET KHAUNG LINN The Arakan Army (AA) was formed in 2009 in the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) stronghold of Laiza, on Myanmar’s northern border with China, where the Arakan ethnic rebels received training and arms. They have fought alongside the KIA, the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) and the Kokang’s Myanmar National Democratic Alliance (MNDAA)…
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Arabisation of Islam in Asia: A clash within civilization
— July 22, 2016

BALADAS GHOSHAL The spate of terrorist attacks and the attendant violence witnessed in the last couple of months, including the recent attacks in Dhaka, Kishoreganj and Ektarpur in Bangladesh, and Nice in France, brings home the truth that something perverse is happening within Islam and Muslims alone can fight that scourge. Analysts attribute the growth…
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AN-32 missing in the Bay of Bengal
— July 22, 2016

An Indian air force plane carrying 29 people went missing on Friday on a flight to a remote island chain in the Bay of Bengal, the defence ministry said. The Russian made AN-32 was on its way to Port Blair, the capital of India’s Andaman and Nicobar chain of islands, from the southeast city of Chennai…
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Petrapole ICP Operationalised
— July 21, 2016

LOOKEAST REPORT Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina jointly dedicated the Petrapole Integrated Check Post through video-conferencing on Thursday afternoon. The Chief Minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee also joined in the video-conference from Kolkata. Petrapole-Benapole is an important land border crossing for India-Bangladesh trade. More than 50% of the…
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Petrapole ICP Operationalised
— July 21, 2016

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina jointly dedicated the Petrapole Integrated Check Post through video-conferencing on Thursday afternoon. The Chief Minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee also joined in the video-conference from Kolkata. Petrapole-Benapole is an important land border crossing for India-Bangladesh trade. More than 50% of the India-Bangladesh trade…
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Bangladesh: Islamist Militancy, the Road Ahead
— July 21, 2016

ALI RIAZ At least 49 people have been killed in the past 17 months in Bangladesh. The government has denied the existence of transnational ‘terrorist’ groups. Attacks have increased whilst the main opposition party is in disarray, democratic space has shrunk and freedom of expression has come under attack. Abstract Bangladesh has been featured prominently…
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Dhaka hostage crisis: it’s domestic political angst, not the IS
— July 20, 2016

SUBIR BHAUMIK For those jumping to conclusions about the perpetrator of the Dhaka terror attacks, here is a reality check. On Saturday, I battled a whole army of Indian TV anchors, journalists and commentators on several national channels, challenging their repeated assertions that either the ISIS or the Al Qaeda was behind the Friday night attack on the Dhaka…
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NADI Declaration for better river transport
— July 20, 2016

SUBIR BHAUMIK return from Shillong The NADI Festival 2016 that brought together participants from five countries has pitched for developing river transport in a big way. Participants from India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Myanmar joined the two-day festival ended in Shillong. The 149-member Bangladesh delegation to the event was led by Tourism and Civil Aviation…
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