In The News

The News: The Voice of the Voiceless

Kamila Hyat February 19, 2018
The Federally Administered Tribal Areas are a semiautonomous region in Northwest Pakistan, long labeled as a source of security concerns for the entire region. Pashtun tribal people are engaging in peaceful protests, demanding more control, rights and services including schools and educators, hospitals and health providers. The compounding needs and complaints is a “dangerous trend in the current...

BBC News: Maldives ex-President Nasheed Seeks Help From India and US

February 6, 2018
Maldives is in turmoil after the current president defied a court order and refused to release political prisoners. The government declared a state of emergency with at least two judges detained and the president suggesting a coup was being planned. The government also threatened to block television and media sites that released reports criticizing the government. Former president Mohamed Nasheed...

The Irrawaddy: Army Admits Security Officials, Villagers Executed 10 ARSA-Linked Rohingya

January 10, 2018
A Myanmar Army investigation has found a mass grave of 10 Rohingya in Rakhine State, and determined they were killed by villagers and security forces in retaliation for attacks on security outposts. The determination was based on interviews with army witnesses, border police, security officials, villagers and government employees. The 10 Rohingya were arrested and accused of a series of attacks...

The Diplomat: How South Asia Is Failing Its Rohingya Challenge

Angel Sharma December 4, 2017
Myanmar’s military operations against the Rohingya people in Rakhine state has driven more than 500,000 refugees to Bangladesh and at least 40,000 each to India and Pakistan. The countries of South Asia are poor and overpopulated and the refugee crisis could destabilize any the countries. Angel Sharma, writing for the Diplomat, urges comprehensive region-wide policies to prevent waves of illegal...

BBC: India Net Neutrality Rules Could Be World's Strongest

Prasanto K Roy November 30, 2017
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India issued recommendations in strong support for net neutrality, prohibiting discrimination and ensuring equal internet access for all. The recommendations are unlike efforts in the United States to reverse net neutrality rules and allow internet providers to set limits and impose differential pricing for access. Reversing the US protections will mean the...

Asian Banking & Finance: New Way of Banking Taking Over India, Indonesia

October 16, 2017
India pulled its largest banknotes from circulation in November 2016, an effort to stop corruption and money laundering. “But in the run up and the immediate aftermath of the policy’s implementation, something noteworthy happened in the digital space: more people started using digital modes of payments including mobile and internet banking,” reports Asian Banking & Finance. “Digibank, in a...

Asia Sentinel: Pakistan’s Costly Plunge Into China Debt

Salman Rafi Sheikh October 4, 2017
The Asian International Investment Bank and other Chinese banks finance One Belt One Road projects in developing nations – with more funding than from the World Bank or the Asian Development Bank combined. “While Pakistan has been receiving Chinese capital in the form of aid and loans for quite some time, the speed and scale have both increased in the wake of implementation of the China-Pakistan...