News : France24

FRANCE 24 spoke to Marzieh Hamidi, a former taekwondo champion for Afghanistan who has been a refugee in France since 2021, when the Taliban returned to power. In late August of this year, she posted a video on social media denouncing "gender apartheid"

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In the footsteps of Mao Zedong: Chinese authorities encourage 'Red Tourism'

Pacific Asia • 10:53 AM

1 min

Exactly 75 years ago, Mao Zedong proclaimed the foundation of the People's Republic of China in front of crowds gathered in Beijing's Tiananmen Square. Ever since, October 1 has been a national holiday in China. To mark this anniversary, some Chinese peo

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Japan's new PM, Shigeru Ishiba, forms cabinet with emphasis on defence

Pacific Asia • 12:42 AM

1 min

Japan's newly elected Prime Minister took office on Tuesday and formed a cabinet made up of numerous security and defence experts in line with his calls to strengthen regional military alliances. The majority of cabinet members are relative unknowns, mar

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Japanese former boxer hails acquittal ‘victory’ after four decades on death row

Pacific Asia • 5:19 AM

1 min

The world's longest-serving death row inmate hailed his historic acquittal as a "complete victory" on Sunday, just days after a Japanese court declared Iwao Hakamada innocent of a 1966 quadruple murder. The 88-year-old former boxer spent 46 years on deat

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Nepal shuts schools as floods and landslides kill more than 150

Pacific Asia • 8:56 AM

1 min

The death toll from flooding and landslides caused by heavy rains in Nepal has reached at least 151, with dozens of people still missing, officials said Sunday, warning that the toll was expected to rise further as reports come in from villages across th

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Jammu and Kashmir elections: Diplomats in, foreign journalists stay out

Pacific Asia • 2:03 PM

1 min

On this week's Access Asia, we focus on the elections underway in Indian-administered Kashmir. It’s the first vote to take place in the region in a decade. New Delhi has allowed diplomats to observe the polls, however foreign journalists were kept out. W

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War over water in Central Asia's Ferghana Valley

Pacific Asia • 10:25 AM

1 min

In the Ferghana Valley of Central Asia, neighbouring Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan are at loggerheads over crucial water resources. This territorial dispute is exacerbated by climate change and the gradual melting of glaciers in the region. Is the future of

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Former Defense Minister Ishiba chosen to lead Japan's ruling party, to become PM next week

Pacific Asia • 8:54 AM

1 min

Japan’s ruling party on Friday picked former defense minister Shigeru Ishiba as leader, setting him up to become prime minister next week.

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Peace with Azerbaijan 'within reach', says Armenian PM

Pacific Asia • 3:24 AM

1 min

Armenia says peace with Azerbaijan is 'within reach', according to its prime minister Nikol Pashinyan. He made the comments during his address to the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Thursday.

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One year on, Baku seeks to erase Armenian past of Nagorno-Karabakh

Pacific Asia • 12:26 AM

1 min

One year after Azerbaijan conquered the Armenian enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh, the authorities in Baku are busy erasing all traces of the region's Armenian and Christian past. No journalists are allowed in, but our France 2 colleagues have analysed videos

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Former defence minister Ishiba to become Japan's PM after winning ruling party vote

Pacific Asia • 11:45 PM

1 min

Former defence minister Shigeru Ishiba is set to become Japan's next prime minister after emerging triumphant from the final round of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's leadership vote Friday. Ishiba narrowly edged out former prime minister Shinzo Abe

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Japanese court acquits longest-serving death row prisoner

Pacific Asia • 1:49 PM

1 min

The world's longest-serving death row prisoner was acquitted on Thursday, more than half a century after his murder conviction, when a Japanese court ruled that evidence had been fabricated. Ailing health prevented 88-year-old former boxer Iwao Hakamata

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Taiwan detects dozens of Chinese military aircraft, ships as Japanese warship cruises past island

Pacific Asia • 3:32 AM

1 min

Taiwan's defence ministry said Thursday that 29 more Chinese fighter jets and drones were detected around the democratic island, following a 24-hour period that saw a surge in military movement by Beijing's forces. The incursions came as for the first ti

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Japan acquits longest-serving death row inmate 56 years after murder conviction

Pacific Asia • 9:01 PM

1 min

A court in Japan has acquitted 88-year-old former boxer Iwao Hakamata, the world's longest-serving death row prisoner, ending a protracted legal saga that has gripped the country and sparked scrutiny of its justice system.

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Jammu and Kashmir local elections: Separatists turn to mainstream politics

Pacific Asia • 10:03 AM

1 min

Voting continues in India's contested province of Jammu and Kashmir, with the second phase of the election to renew the 90 seats of the legislature. This is the first vote since Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government revoked the region's semi-autonomo

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China fires intercontinental missile into Pacific Ocean in rare test

Pacific Asia • 4:43 AM

1 min

China said on Wednesday that it successfully conducted a rare launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile into the Pacific Ocean, a move likely to raise international concerns about the country's nuclear build-up.

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Sri Lanka's new leader dissolves parliament, calls for election to solidify mandate

Pacific Asia • 12:55 AM

1 min

Anura Kumara Dissanayake has dissolved Sri Lanka's parliament and called for an election on 14 November. The country's new leader, fresh off a weekend presidential victory, hopes this election will consolidate his power.

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'Monumental step': Thai king signs same-sex marriage into law, a first in Southeast Asia

Pacific Asia • 2:53 PM

1 min

Thailand on Tuesday became the first country in Southeast Asia to legalise same-sex union after King Maha Vajiralongkorn signed a historic marriage equality law. Thai activists have been pushing for same-sex marriage rights for more than a decade, with t

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Floods kill at least six in central Japan region recently hit by earthquake

Pacific Asia • 4:25 AM

1 min

Nine months after a magnitude-7.5 earthquake killed at least 374 people in the Ishikawa region on New Years Day, "unprecedented" rains caused floods that killed at least six people, blocked over 100 areas, and cut power to 4,000 households.

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Marxist lawmaker Anura Dissanayake elected president in Sri Lanka says victory 'belongs to all'

Pacific Asia • 2:28 PM

1 min

Sri Lanka elected Marxist-leaning Anura Kumara Dissanayake as its new president on Sunday, putting faith in the 55-year-old's pledge to fight corruption and bolster a fragile economic recovery following its worst financial crisis in decades. Story by Mat

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Marxist-leaning Anura Dissanayake leads vote count in Sri Lanka's presidential election

Pacific Asia • 9:12 AM

1 min

Marxist lawmaker Anura Kumara Dissanayake was leading Sri Lanka’s presidential election after knocking out the incumbent liberal President Ranil Wickremesinghe from the race, as officials on Sunday began a second round of vote counting for the first time

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Marxist-leaning Dissanayaka becomes Sri Lanka's next president

Pacific Asia • 3:15 AM

1 min

Marxist lawmaker Anura Kumara Dissanayake defeated opposition leader Sajith Premadasa and incumbent Ranil Wickremesinghe to become Sri Lanka’s next president on Sunday, according to the country's election commission.

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Sri Lankans vote in crucial presidential election

Pacific Asia • 10:14 AM

1 min

Sri Lanka began voting on Saturday (September 21) in its first presidential election since the country's economic collapse, with the unpopular IMF austerity plan at the forefront of voters' minds. For more analysis, FRANCE 24's Yinka Oyetade is joined by

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Sri Lanka's exodus of caregivers sends healthcare system into freefall

Pacific Asia • 8:00 AM

1 min

In 2022, Sri Lanka faced an unprecedented economic crisis that brought the country to a standstill. The once-strong healthcare system was on the brink of collapse, with patients facing a lack of medicines, equipment and power shortages. Providing consist

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US soldier who entered North Korea walks free after guilty plea

Pacific Asia • 6:02 AM

1 min

US soldier Travis King, who crossed into North Korea in July 2023, pleaded guilty to desertion and other charges as part of a plea deal and was sentenced to a year of confinement on Friday. With time served and credit for good behavior, King has been rel

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Polls close in Sri Lanka's first election since economic collapse

Pacific Asia • 5:48 AM

1 min

Sri Lankans voted on Saturday in the country's first presidential election since its economic collapse, with the unpopular IMF austerity plan at the forefront of voters' minds. President Ranil Wickremesinghe faces tough opposition as his economic reforms

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Taiwan tries to curb deadly addiction to betel nut

Pacific Asia • 11:45 AM

1 min

It’s known as “Taiwan's chewing gum”. Betel, a nut as hated as it is loved, occupies a special place in the island's culture. This stimulant is consumed by hundreds of thousands of people, mainly from working-class backgrounds, and supports just as many

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Taiwan questions two in probe into Lebanon pager attack

Pacific Asia • 7:27 AM

1 min

Taiwan said on Friday that hundreds of pagers that exploded in Lebanon on Tuesday were not made in Taiwan after prosecutors questioned two people associated with Gold Apollo, the Taiwanese company that produced the communication devices.

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China's 'full-time dads' challenge patriarchal norms

Pacific Asia • 4:03 PM

1 min

Cooking, cleaning, and caring for the kids during the day, Chen Hualiang takes on household tasks many Chinese fathers tend to leave to their wives, bucking a deep-rooted patriarchal tradition and even inspiring a hit TV show. The former project manager

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Sri Lanka to vote in first poll since economic collapse

Pacific Asia • 1:36 PM

1 min

Cash-strapped Sri Lanka will vote for its next president Saturday in an effective referendum on an unpopular International Monetary Fund austerity plan enacted after the island nation's unprecedented financial crisis.

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Man killed during French security forces operation in New Caledonia

Pacific Asia • 11:24 PM

1 min

A man was killed during a French security forces operation in New Caledonia overnight, raising the death toll to 12 after four months of unrest. Clashes continue in Saint Louis, a stronghold of the independence movement south of Noumea, as tensions persi

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Indian-administered Kashmir holds first local election after losing autonomy

Pacific Asia • 1:41 PM

1 min

Five years after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government stripped Jammu and Kashmir of its statehood, the northern Indian region voted Wednesday in its first local election in a decade. The disputed Kashmir Valley has experienced profound change

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Mumbai's dabbawalas, a centuries-old food delivery service for Indian workers

Pacific Asia • 10:59 AM

1 min

Food delivery services are now a $150 billion industry worldwide. The rise of user-friendly apps has led to these services becoming ubiquitous in many countries. But before Uber Eats or Deliveroo, there were dabbawalas. In the Indian city of Mumbai, they

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North Korea launches second set of short-range ballistic missiles in a week

Pacific Asia • 4:24 AM

1 min

North Korea continued a series of provocative maneuvers early Wednesday when, for the second time since Thursday, it fired a second round of short ballistic missiles – a move experts say could be linked to the isolated country's suspected illicit supplyi

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Two years after the death of Mahsa Amini, a ‘quiet revolution’ is still under way in Iran

Pacific Asia • 2:13 PM

1 min

The scale of the protest movement that erupted after the 2022 death of Mahsa Amini and the brutal repression of those demonstrations have left an indelible mark on Iranian society. More and more women are flouting the veil requirement when out in public

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Beijing frees US pastor imprisoned in China for almost 20 years

Pacific Asia • 8:42 AM

1 min

David Lin, a US pastor jailed in China since 2006 on charges of contract fraud, has been released, the State Department said Sunday. Washington has for years urged Beijing to release Lin, who the US maintains was wrongfully detained.

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Shanghai hit by strongest typhoon in more than 70 years as Bebinca makes landfall

Pacific Asia • 2:33 AM

1 min

Typhoon Bebinca, the strongest storm to hit Shanghai in 70 years, made landfall on Monday, state media reported. Flights were canceled, highways closed, and coastal residents evacuated as the city grappled with strong winds and heavy rain. A red alert re

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Two years after Mahsa Amini's death in Iran, protest movement endures harsh persecution

Pacific Asia • 2:15 AM

1 min

Two years have gone by since a massive protest movement erupted in Iran following the death in custody of Mahsa Amini after she was detained for allegedly violating the dress code for women. Dozens of women prisoners went on hunger strike to mark the ann

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More than 226 die in Myanmar floods, landslides caused by Typhoon Yagi

Pacific Asia • 1:59 AM

1 min

At least 226 people have been killed in Myanmar in the wake of Typhoon Yagi, Asia's most powerful storm this year, state media reported on Monday. Remote areas reported increasing numbers of missing people, although information has been limited by downed

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Southeast Asia ravaged by deadly floods, landslides after Typhoon Yagi

Pacific Asia • 3:26 PM

1 min

Hundreds of villagers in Myanmar waded or swam through chin-high waters, fleeing severe floods around the remote capital Naypyidaw on Friday, while Vietnam began clearing up after deadly Typhoon Yagi. People in parts of Vietnam, Laos, Thailand and Myanma

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Myanmar junta requests aid after deadly floods: 'They use aid for weapons'

Pacific Asia • 11:41 AM

1 min

Myanmar's junta chief made a rare request Saturday for foreign aid to cope with deadly floods that have displaced hundreds of thousands of people who have already endured three years of war. The request, however, is unlikely to be sincere according to Dr

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Iran says research satellite successfully launched into orbit

Pacific Asia • 10:29 AM

1 min

Iran successfully launched its new research satellite Chamran-1 into orbit on Saturday, according to state media. Despite Tehran's insistence that its space activities are solely for peaceful and defence purposes, Western governments have repeatedly warn

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China accuses Germany of raising 'security risks' by sending military ships through Taiwan strait

Pacific Asia • 5:41 AM

1 min

China criticised Germany on Saturday for increasing security risks after two German naval vessels passed through the Taiwan Strait, a key waterway that Beijing claims as its territory. German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius defended the move, stating th

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Comoros president wounded in a knife attack, the president's office says

Pacific Asia • 7:21 PM

1 min

Comoros President Azali Assoumani, 65, was "slightly wounded" in a knife attack on Friday while attending a funeral, the president's office said in a statement. “His injuries are not serious, and he has returned home," the statement added. Azali, a forme

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North Korea reveals images of uranium enrichment facility for the first time

Pacific Asia • 2:51 AM

1 min

North Korea released images of its uranium enrichment facility on Friday, showing leader Kim Jong Un touring the site. Kim called for an increase in centrifuges to boost the country's nuclear arsenal for "self-defence," state media reported.

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Musk slams Australia as ‘fascists’ over anti-misinformation bill aimed at social platforms

Pacific Asia • 12:43 AM

1 min

Elon Musk has slammed Australia as "fascists" in response to proposed laws aimed at fining social media platforms for failing to curb misinformation. The "combating misinformation" bill, introduced Thursday, grants authorities powers to fine tech giants

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Are relations between Dhaka and New Delhi starting to cool?

Pacific Asia • 12:10 AM

1 min

In this week's show: Bangladesh's International Crime Tribunal says it's begun the process to request the extradition of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina from India. While Dhaka and New Delhi enjoyed warm relations under Hasina's watch, we ask if rela

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IS group claims deadly attack in central Afghanistan

Pacific Asia • 8:32 PM

1 min

An attack that killed at least 14 Shiite Muslims in central Afghanistan was claimed by the local chapter of the Islamic State (IS) group, the group's Amaq media wing said in a statement. The regional chapter of IS group, a rival of the Taliban, has a his

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China will ‘crush hostile encroachment’ in South China Sea, senior military official says

Pacific Asia • 4:55 AM

1 min

A senior Chinese military official on Thursday said Beijing will “crush” any foreign incursion into the South China Sea, which it considers its territory despite an international court ruling the assertion has no legal basis. Chinese vessels have recentl

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Millions in Southeast Asia struggle with floods, power cuts as Typhoon Yagi death toll passes 250

Pacific Asia • 3:49 AM

1 min

Landslides and floods triggered by Typhoon Yagi have killed more than 250 people in Southeast Asia. The most powerful storm recorded in the region this year slammed Vietnam at the weekend, wreaking havoc on homes and factories and bringing heavy rainfall

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North Korea launches ballistic missiles off Korean peninsula, Seoul says

Pacific Asia • 3:44 AM

1 min

After months of trading provocations with South Korea and a recently renewed vow to keep growing its nuclear arsenal, North Korea sent its most aggressive message yet when it fired multiple ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan on Wednesday, as report

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Super Typhoon Yagi kills at least 197 in Vietnam, forces evacuations in Hanoi

Pacific Asia • 9:17 AM

1 min

Thousands of people living along the Red River in Vietnam's capital Hanoi were evacuated on Wednesday, as floods and landslides caused by Asia's most powerful storm this year killed at least 197 people in the country's north. Typhoon Yagi also wreaked ha

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New Silk Road: Laos border town of Boten becomes Chinese enclave

Pacific Asia • 8:24 AM

1 min

In April 2023, the Boten-Vientiane line in Laos welcomed its first passengers. This high-speed train, a symbol of Beijing’s New Silk Road initiative, connects the Laotian capital Vientiane to southern China in just a few hours. A vital commercial artery,

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Russia launches largest navy drills of post-Soviet era alongside China in Sea of Japan

Pacific Asia • 12:11 AM

1 min

Russia launched its largest navy drills of the post-Soviet era on Tuesday alongside Chinese warships, the latest sign of deepening military cooperation between the two global powers. The drills will continue until September 16 and will involve more than

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More than 50 killed in Vietnam after Typhoon Yagi triggers floods, landslides

Pacific Asia • 2:56 PM

1 min

Dozens of people have been killed in northern Vietnam after Asia's most powerful storm this year triggered floods and landslides on its way west. Typhoon Yagi cut power to millions of homes and companies, with factories across the country's northeast rep

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Pope Francis speaks out against ‘every kind of abuse’ of children in East Timor visit

Pacific Asia • 4:03 AM

1 min

Pope Francis spoke out against child sexual abuse during his visit to East Timor on Monday, indirectly acknowledging a long-running abuse scandal involving independence hero Bishop Carlos Ximenes Belo. Thousands of devotees journeyed from remote areas an

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Sporting a feathered headdress, Pope Francis finds 'Eden' in Papua New Guinea

Pacific Asia • 7:25 AM

1 min

Pope Francis traveled to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea on Sunday to celebrate the Catholic Church of the peripheries. While 90 percent of Papua New Guinea's 12 million residents call themselves Christian, religion sits longside a panoply of loca

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Super Typhoon Yagi hits Vietnam after leaving deadly trail in China, Philippines

Pacific Asia • 7:35 AM

1 min

The death toll in Vietnam rose to at least four after Super Typhoon Yagi made landfall on Saturday with winds exceeding 149 kilometres (92 miles) an hour. More than a dozen others have so far been reported missing. Yagi earlier pummelled southern China a

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Fugitive former mayor and alleged China spy deported back to Philippines

Pacific Asia • 1:55 PM

1 min

It's a story that has gripped the Philippines for months. Alice Guo, the fugitive former mayor of the city of Bamban, has been deported back home after being caught in Indonesia. She faces accusations ranging from shady business dealings involving illega

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India’s media wars: Press freedom in crisis

Pacific Asia • 9:10 AM

1 min

Press freedom is in crisis in the "world's largest democracy" with attacks against journalists, concentration of media ownership, pro-government bias and expulsions of foreign reporters. Since India's Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi came t

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