Leela Jacinto

Shhh! Algeria’s president is ill, expect no details

france24.com — The Twittersphere went berserk over the weekend amid conflicting reports on ailing Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika's health more than a month after the 76-year-old leader was last seen in public. "Bouteflika is fine. The proof: no wildlife documentaries on state TV," said one tweet in French.

Pakistan Orders New York Times Reporter Declan Walsh to Leave

nytimes.com — Pakistan's Interior Ministry has ordered the expulsion of The New York Times bureau chief in Islamabad on the eve of national elections, the newspaper reported on Friday, saying it had strongly protested the move and was seeking his reinstatement.

Nawaz Sharif: ‘Lion of Punjab’ or mere mangy cat?

france24.com — On the bloody 2013 Pakistani campaign trail, as international audiences were grappling with headlines of deadly election-related violence, residents of the eastern city of Lahore were confronted with a danger of a feline nature -- perched on a car. Making its way through the noisy streets of Lahore, a live white tigress majestically surveyed the gaping crowds.

Gunmen abduct Pakistan ex-PM Gilani's son at rally

bbc.co.uk — Pakistan's former Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani says his son has been kidnapped by unidentified gunmen during an election rally. Mr Gilani told the BBC his son Ali Haider - a candidate for the Pakistan Peoples' Party (PPP) - was seized in the central city of Multan.

Lebanese Film Banned: An Attack on ‘The Attack’

leelajacinto.blogs.france24.com — In the claustrophobic confines of a hospital morgue, a young doctor is about to identify a body - or what seems like a part of a body - obscured under a bloodied sheet. As the audio track descends to a gut-sucking silence, the camera stares unflinchingly as the badly injured remains of a young woman are revealed.

Fathers, sons and brothers: Boston suspects and the Toulouse attacker

leelajacinto.blogs.france24.com — More than 3,000 miles - including an ocean - divide Boston from the southern French city of Toulouse. Yet, I can't help noting a pattern of similarities between the young men who carried out attacks in the two cities within the span of a little over a year.