FRANCE 24’s coverage of political, social and geostrategic issues across Asia and the Pacific, including those affecting China, Japan, South Korea, North Korea, India, Pakistan and Australia.
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The founder of China Evergrande Group, the world's most-indebted property developer, was sentenced to life in prison by a Chinese court on Thursday, five years after the firm's collapse shook the nation's economy and financial markets.
US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he would meet Kim Jong Un later this year, seeking to revive the bond he claims to have forged with the leader of nuclear-armed North Korea in his first term. FRANCE 24’s Monte Francis brings us more with this report.
South Korea and the US will cut the duration of their annual joint military drills to five days from 11 and scale back some field training, the allies said on Wednesday, after President Donald Trump ordered a substantial reduction in US participation. Trump's move could reflect his hopes to re-engage with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Parkour may conjure images of rowdy teenagers swinging from building to building in urban landscapes, but since 2017, coach Tan Shie Boon has been using these techniques to improve Singaporean seniors’ strength and agility. Tan’s Movement Singapore classes have gone viral online, showing people in their 60s and 70s climbing structures, vaulting over railings, rolling down slanted surfaces and…
A Pakistani court ordered former prime minister Imran Khan to be moved from prison to a hospital over claims of poor health. The 73-year-old cricket star and his wife were sentenced to 17 years of jail last year after facing several graft legal cases.
The United States and North Korea could be edging back toward direct communication, while creating separation with South Korea by cutting down on joint military exercises. US President Donald Trump announced on Monday that Kim Jong Un had responded to his recent diplomatic outreach, marking what would be their first engagement since Trump's first term. Story by Caitlin Brown.
The Chinese government announced new border regulations in late July in a move seen as expanding state control over its citizens. The new rules, which come into effect on September 15, tighten checks on travellers and provide new grounds for restricting Chinese citizens from leaving the country, including exit bans of up to three years in some cases.
As an earthquake tore apart homes, buildings and bridges in eastern Indonesia on Saturday, Maria Florida Nogo Kelen was giving birth to her daughter. The 39-year-old went in for emergency surgery during the quake that killed 68 people.
Joint military drills between South Korea and US troops went ahead as planned on Monday despite US President Donald Trump's statement that he had ordered them to be scaled back out of respect for North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
A 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck Indonesia last week, killing dozens, injuring hundreds and damaging more than 900 buildings. Nearly 13,000 people have been displaced, with many still sheltering in tents as rescue efforts continue and hospitals treat the wounded.
US President Donald Trump called for US-South Korean military drills to be scaled back just hours before they were due to begin, describing North Korea as 'unthreatening and respectful'. South Korea said it hoped Trump’s personal relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un could help bring Pyongyang back to the negotiating table. FRANCE 24’s Chloé Borgnon examines the real threat posed by…
US and South Korean forces began on Monday joint military drills as planned, despite Donald Trump calling for them to be scaled back. Trump said the exercises were too costly and hostile toward North Korea, while critics warned reducing them could weaken South Korea’s security. The drills are set to continue until August 28.
More than 12,000 people displaced by a deadly 7.7-magnitude earthquake in eastern Indonesia were awaiting urgent aid on Monday as they sheltered at schools, police stations and government offices, while many remained stranded outside.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi put young people at the heart of his development agenda in a speech marking India’s Independence Day on Saturday. He announced free online coaching for competitive exams and plans to train 10 million young people in artificial intelligence over the next year. The speech comes amid growing criticism of Modi’s Hindu nationalist policies and recent youth-led…
At least 47 people have been killed after a powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck eastern Indonesia, triggering hundreds of aftershocks, widespread destruction and landslides. Rescue operations are underway as remote villages remain difficult to reach and the death toll is expected to rise.
Thousands of evacuees on Indonesia's Flores island began receiving aid on Sunday after a 7.7-magnitude quake killed at least 53 people, injured dozens and damaged hundreds of houses and buildings. Some 5,000 people fled their homes and in some areas people were left without electricity and telecommunications.
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung proposed on Saturday that Pyongyang engage in dialogue to formally end the Korean War, which has technically been ongoing for more than 70 years due to the lack of a peace treaty.
A French family was rescued after drifting for more than 16 hours off the coast of the Thai island of Koh Samui, where their jet ski had capsized, a local official told AFP on Saturday.
Fresh back from Indonesia, FRANCE 24 journalist Jamie Smith-Maillet assesses the damage caused by the 7.7-magnitude earthquake that struck the Flores region. Rescue teams are working to pull survivors from the rubble, while an aftershock has hit the area, raising fears of further casualties.
A powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck off Indonesia’s Flores region, killing at least 38 people and injuring six, while rescuers search through collapsed buildings for survivors. Aftershocks, power outages and widespread destruction are hampering rescue efforts, highlighting the persistent seismic risk faced by Indonesia, which lies on the Pacific Ring of Fire.
Five years into Taliban rule in Afghanistan, women have been particularly affected by the government’s restrictions. They are banned from public places including parks and excluded from most jobs, while girls are barred from education beyond the age of 12. FRANCE 24’s Peter O’Brien spoke to independent researcher Melissa Cornet from Kabul.
Five years after seizing Kabul and returning to power, the Taliban is celebrating what it calls a more secure and "free" Afghanistan. But its anniversary comes amid mounting criticism over sweeping restrictions on women and girls, economic hardship and continued international isolation.
A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck Indonesia's western Sumatra island late on Saturday, the US Geological Survey said. The quake followed a powerful 7.7 magnitude quake that hit the country's eastern Flores island earlier the same day, leaving at least 47 people dead and several others trapped beneath collapsed buildings.
Over the past five decades, Nepal has established itself as a model for wildlife conservation. Nearly 20 percent of the country’s territory has been designated as protected areas. An effective anti-poaching policy has helped save iconic species such as the one-horned rhinoceros and the gharial crocodile, which were once on the brink of extinction. But this success also comes with tragic…
Japan’s foreign minister summoned the Russian ambassador in Tokyo to lodge a “strong protest” against President Vladimir Putin’s surprise visit to the Kuril islands on Thursday. Tokyo maintains its claim to the disputed islands near Japan's northernmost Hokkaido island since they were seized by the Soviet Union in 1945.
Vietnam, a country of more than 100 million people, is facing a sharp decline in its birthrate. Once known for large families, the nation's fertility rate has fallen to just 1.9 children per woman. This figure worries the government, which for decades was obsessed with controlling population growth. For more than 40 years, a two-child policy was the norm in Vietnam – a restriction that was only…
North Korea fired a ballistic missile Wednesday, its second test in less than a week, as Seoul and Washington prepare to begin annual military drills. The launches appear to signal Pyongyang’s opposition to the exercises, which it views as a rehearsal for an invasion.
Since they seized power in Afghanistan five years ago, the Taliban have succeeded in expanding their diplomatic and economic ties with countries around the world. But Afghanistan remains largely isolated due to a widespread refusal to formally recognise the Taliban government over human rights abuses.
The spread of hostile content on social media in Malaysia has intensified tensions towards the Rohingya refugee community, leading to the eviction of more than 100 people from their village and the temporary closure of schools attended by refugee children.
🇮🇳 Thousands of students and unemployed young people have been protesting in Jharkhand since late July, demanding reforms to the state’s recruitment exam system. The unrest comes after weeks of demonstrations in Delhi that led to the resignation of India’s education minister last month.
China's National Meteorological Centre on Sunday issued a red typhoon alert, its most severe warning, as Typhoon Dolphin made landfall in Yuhuan in the southeastern Zhejiang province. Flights in and out of China's densely populated eastern coast were cancelled and nearly 100,000 people were relocated to less risky areas, authorities said.
Japan's Nagasaki on Sunday marked the 81st anniversary of the US atomic bombing at the close of World War II with a ceremony at the Peace Park memorial. It came as Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi opened debate on the country's postwar non-nuclear principles amid increasing doubts over the reliability of the US security umbrella as China flexes its military muscles in the region.
The indigenous Hmong people have lived in a mountainous region of northern Vietnam for centuries. But today, these farming communities are on the front line of the climate crisis. Rising temperatures, unpredictable rainfall and landslides are now part of their daily life. The terraced rice paddies tended by generations of villagers are struggling to cope, while important medicinal plants are…
A deadly shooting spree at a school outside Bangkok has ended after police said the suspected gunman, a 14-year-old student, killed himself. Authorities say the teenager began the rampage at home, where he shot his grandparents, before heading to the school. Police say the gun belonged to his grandfather and that the teenager fired 26 rounds, with another 34 rounds of ammunition found on him. No…
A student opened fire at a high school outside Bangkok on Friday, killing at least five people and then taking his own life, according to authorities. The 14-year-old also appeared to have killed his two grandparents at the family home earlier in the morning. Thailand has one of the highest rates of gun ownership in the region, and recent vows to tighten gun laws have not prevented repeated…
In the 1930s, Japan found itself battling against the spread of leprosy. Faced with the infectious disease, which attacks the nerves and deforms the body, the authorities confined leprosy patients to sanatoriums – some of them on the island of Nagashima. Even after the first treatments appeared in the late 1940s, it would take until 1996 for the government to end the forced confinement of patients…
In July, China implemented a new Ethnic Unity Law, which aims to strengthen patriotism across all regions of the country, including those populated by peoples who are not part of China's dominant Han ethnic group. One such region is Tibet, where Mandarin has become increasingly visible as Han Chinese settlement has risen. Beijing says the law will improve national integration, but for Tibetan…
