News : France24

Iran and Russia signed a $25 billion deal to build nuclear power plants in the Islamic republic, IRNA news agency reported Friday, with sweeping UN sanctions on Iran likely to return.

Read the article

Ancient skull from China redraws human family tree, researchers say

Pacific Asia • 8:40 PM

1 min

A newly reconstructed 1-million-year-old skull from central China may rewrite key chapters of human evolution. Researchers say the fossil, Yunxian 2, represents the earliest known member of a lineage that includes the Denisovans – suggesting our species

Read the article

Seoul says North Korea holds up to two tonnes of weapons-grade uranium

Pacific Asia • 5:24 AM

1 min

South Korea said Thursday that North Korea may possess up to two tonnes of highly enriched uranium, enough to build a large number of nuclear weapons, despite years of sanctions.

Read the article

China announces plans to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions

Pacific Asia • 5:04 AM

1 min

At a climate leaders' summit at the United Nations on Wednesday, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced that China would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 7-10% and increase consumption of non-fossil fuels domestically. Xi discouraged developed nations

Read the article

China announces plans to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions

Pacific Asia • 10:09 PM

1 min

At a climate leaders' summit at the United Nations on Wednesday, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced that China would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 7-10%, and increase consumption of non-fossil fuels domestically. Xi discouraged developed nations

Read the article

Asia's Gen Z uprising: Youth reject 'corrupt, out-of-touch' ruling class sporting lavish lifestyles

Pacific Asia • 9:47 AM

1 min

From Kathmandu to Jakarta, all the way to Manila, young educated voices have been taking to the streets to voice their anger and fractured hopes. In our wide‑ranging interview with David Camroux, we trace the "underlying causes" fuelling widespread unres

Read the article

Typhoon Ragasa slams southern China and Hong Kong after killing several in Taiwan

Pacific Asia • 1:40 AM

1 min

Early Wednesday, Typhoon Ragasa shut down Hong Kong as it tore through southern China after wreaking havoc in the Philippines and Taiwan. The powerful storm has displaced more than 17,500 people and caused dozens of deaths.

Read the article

Typhoon Ragasa batters Hong Kong and south China after Taiwan and Philippines

Pacific Asia • 12:16 AM

1 min

Typhoon Ragasa, one of the strongest in years, whipped waves taller than lampposts onto Hong Kong promenades and turned seas rough on the southern Chinese coast on Wednesday after leaving deadly destruction in Taiwan and the Philippines.

Read the article

Iran’s Khamenei rejects direct talks with US over nuclear programme

Pacific Asia • 7:31 PM

1 min

Iran’s supreme leader on Tuesday ruled out direct talks with the United States over the country’s nuclear programme, a move seen as closing off a final chance to avert the reimposition of UN sanctions on Tehran.

Read the article

Pakistan-India: In Punjab, flooding sparks anger among residents

Pacific Asia • 11:31 AM

1 min

Since late June, unusually heavy monsoon rains have hit northern India and Pakistan, killing hundreds of people. The worst-hit province is Punjab, where nearly 4 million people have been displaced. Climate change is mainly to blame. But the floods have a

Read the article

Typhoon Ragasa ravages Philippines, threatens southern China

Pacific Asia • 11:05 AM

1 min

After a devastating passage through the #Philippines and #Taiwan, super typhoon #Ragasa is now heading towards #HongKong and southern #China, with gusts exceeding 215 km/h.

Read the article

Outrage after Covid-era Chinese journalist Zhang sentenced to prison for second time

Pacific Asia • 9:58 AM

1 min

PRESS REVIEW – Tuesday, September 23: Human rights groups condemn the ruling against Zhang Zhan, a Chinese citizen journalist facing a second four-year prison term for her reporting on Covid in 2020. In Egypt, a prominent political prisoner has been pard

Read the article

China evacuates 400,000 as Super Typhoon Ragasa approaches after slamming Philippines

Pacific Asia • 9:40 AM

1 min

Super Typhoon Ragasa hit the northern Philippines on Monday with winds of up to 215 kilometres per hour, tearing off roofs and toppling trees as tens of thousands sought shelter. The storm is now moving toward southern China, where authorities in Shenzhe

Read the article

Philippines: Super Typhoon Ragasa hits the country, thousands evacuated

Pacific Asia • 9:03 AM

1 min

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr placed the Philippines' disaster response agency on full alert and ordered the mobilisation of all government bodies as Super Typhoon Ragasa approached the northern region, triggering storm warnings across East and Southeast

Read the article

Nepal’s Gen Z demands change: Aftermath of a youth uprising

Pacific Asia • 10:11 AM

1 min

After Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, Nepal has become the latest South Asian country to witness its own “Generation Z revolution”. In just three years, it's the third government in the region to fall under pressure from youth-led protests. Each movement was t

Read the article

China evacuates 400,000 as Super Typhoon Ragasa approaches after slamming Philippines

Pacific Asia • 4:45 AM

1 min

Super Typhoon Ragasa hit the northern Philippines on Monday with winds of up to 215 kilometres per hour, tearing off roofs and toppling trees as tens of thousands sought shelter. The storm is now moving toward southern China, where authorities in Shenzhe

Read the article

North Korea says dialogue with US possible if denuclearisation demands dropped

Pacific Asia • 12:35 AM

1 min

North Korea's leader, who has been building the country's nuclear programme despite economic sanctions and arms embargoes from the UN Security Council, has stated that he would be open to dialogue with the US should President Donald Trump rescind his den

Read the article

Afghanistan refuses deal to give Bagram base back to US after Trump comments

Pacific Asia • 10:13 AM

1 min

An Afghan Taliban official said Sunday that a deal to hand Bagram air base back to the US was "not possible" after US President Donald Trump threatened unspecified punishment against Afghanistan if the base north of Kabul was not returned – four years af

Read the article

Philippines: Thousands march in Manila protesting corruption, clashing with authorities

Pacific Asia • 12:07 AM

1 min

Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of Manila to protest a corruption scandal involving flood control projects worth billions of dollars, leading to scattered clashes with police. With organizers aiming for one of the largest anti-corruption

Read the article

Donald Trump–Xi Jinping: The complicated sale of TikTok to American investors

Pacific Asia • 10:54 AM

1 min

Following a call with Xi Jinping, Donald Trump stated on Friday that finalizing an agreement on TikTok could now be a “simple formality” and confirmed his plans to visit China, though Beijing offered a much more measured account of the talks. Vedika Bahl

Read the article

The Bright Side: 'KPop Demon Hunters' drone show delights fans in Seoul

Pacific Asia • 12:47 AM

1 min

Fans of the hit animated musical "KPop Demon Hunters", Netflix’s most-watched movie ever, enjoyed a spectacular drone show over Seoul on Sunday, where 1,200 drones illuminated the night sky with images of beloved characters and iconic South Korean landma

Read the article

'I dissected 300 humans': Former Unit 731 members expose Japan's wartime atrocities

Pacific Asia • 4:33 PM

1 min

"Evil Unbound", a new film depicting the horrors of the Imperial Japanese Army’s Unit 731 and its germ warfare programme, has hit cinemas across China and beyond. As the latest in a wave of patriotic films to find success at home, it sheds light on one o

Read the article

Taliban release elderly British couple after months of detention in Afghanistan

Pacific Asia • 11:29 AM

1 min

The Taliban on Friday released a British couple held in Afghanistan for nearly eight months on undisclosed charges. Peter Reynolds, 80, and his wife Barbara, 76, had an emotional reunion in Doha with their family members, who thanked Qatari officials for

Read the article

Inside Thailand’s ‘little Burma’, a refuge for Myanmar’s exiles

Pacific Asia • 9:49 AM

1 min

Myanmar is once again in the grip of civil war. Since the 2021 military coup that ousted the civilian government of Aung San Suu Kyi, hundreds of thousands of Burmese have fled to Thailand to escape escalating violence and a collapsing economy. Thai auth

Read the article

Modi's firm approach to punitive US tariffs could turn the tables on Trump

Pacific Asia • 9:16 AM

1 min

New negotiations are set to begin this week between Washington and New Delhi on the Trump administration’s steep tariffs on imports from India. So far, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi has refused to bow to US economic pressure, counting on his count

Read the article

UN Security Council votes to reimpose Iran nuclear sanctions, Tehran blasts ‘illegal’ move

Pacific Asia • 10:29 PM

1 min

A UN Security Council resolution aimed at halting the reimposition of sanctions on Iran over its nuclear programme failed Friday after weeks of last-ditch diplomatic talks appeared to break down. France, Germany and Britain have moved to trigger the “sna

Read the article

Shifting gears: Malaysia bets on indigenous plant for EV future

Pacific Asia • 10:08 AM

1 min

Malaysia was once a leader in Southeast Asia’s automotive sector, even producing the region’s first national car. But in recent years, it has struggled to keep pace with neighbours like Thailand and Indonesia, who are rapidly advancing in the electric ve

Read the article

In historic first, 'Nepal has a 'female PM working with the young generation and all Nepalese'

Pacific Asia • 5:57 AM

1 min

Protests that toppled Nepal's government last week echo uprisings across parts of Asia, where angry, unemployed young people are rising against entrenched elites. From Sri Lanka's 2022 economic revolt to Bangladesh's student-led 2024 uprising, Nepal's tu

Read the article

Afghanistan's Taliban regime is waging 'war on all forms of secular education'

Pacific Asia • 10:40 AM

1 min

PRESS REVIEW – Monday, September 15: While the US and the Taliban are developping "bilateral relations", papers report on the regime's "war" on secular education. Also: after pro-Palestinian protests cut the Vuelta cycling race short, an opinion piece sa

Read the article

How Nepalese police shot at protesters with ‘military-grade ammunition’

Pacific Asia • 12:50 AM

1 min

The Nepalese police used lethal weapons against protesters gathered on September 8 to protest government corruption. At least 19 people were killed and more than 300 were wounded on that day, according to an official count. Our Observers describe unprece

Read the article

Tens of thousands join Ankara protest against legal crackdown on Turkey's main opposition party

Pacific Asia • 6:30 PM

1 min

At least 50,000 people rallied in Ankara's vast Tandogan Square Sunday to protest against a year-long legal crackdown on members of Turkey's main opposition party, organisers said. The protest comes ahead of a court decision Monday that could invalidate

Read the article

Nepal’s new PM says will only serve for 6 months, urges 'cooperation' after deadly protests

Pacific Asia • 8:33 AM

1 min

Nepal’s first female prime minister, Sushila Karki, took office on Sunday and vowed to only stay in the role for the next six months. She replaces Khadga Prasad Oli, who was forced to resign and flee his official residence amid violent youth protests ove

Read the article

Australia to invest $8 billion in nuclear sub shipyard

Pacific Asia • 2:29 AM

1 min

Australia is investing Aus$12 billion (US$8 billion) over the next 10 years to transform a shipyard in Western Australia into a nuclear submarine service facility. The project is part of a major military overhaul aimed at strengthening Australia’s defenc

Read the article

From 8-bit to 3D: Nintendo's iconic 'Mario' games turn 40

Pacific Asia • 9:00 AM

1 min

Surrounded by thousands of objects bearing the likeness of Nintendo's moustachioed plumber, 40-year-old Kikai reflects that his "life would be totally different without Mario" who also marks four decades this week. The colourful "Super Mario Bros.", rele

Read the article

Nepal sets March elections after naming interim prime minister

Pacific Asia • 6:59 AM

1 min

Nepal's former chief justice Sushila Karki was sworn in Friday as the country's prime minister to lead a six-month transition to elections, after deadly anti-corruption protests ousted the government. The previous prime minister quit Tuesday as parliamen

Read the article

Nepal appoints first female PM as interim leader following deadly protests

Pacific Asia • 5:23 PM

1 min

Nepal appointed former chief justice Sushila Karki interim prime minister on Friday in a bid to appease student protesters whose deadly anti-corruption rallies toppled the previous government. Karki was known as an anti-corruption crusader in government

Read the article

The Kabul hospital that still treats Afghan women

Pacific Asia • 2:05 PM

1 min

As Taliban restrictions leave Afghan women without medical care after a deadly earthquake, we have a report from one rare hospital in Kabul where women are still able to access treatment. Also, at least nine French families are suing the government over

Read the article

'No thanks': Raided South Korean workers leave US despite Trump's offer to let them stay

Pacific Asia • 1:55 PM

1 min

More than 300 South Koreans detained in the US after a massive immigration raid on a Hyundai-LG factory have returned home, despite the Trump administration's offer to let them stay. As he marked 100 days since he took over a country in crisis, President

Read the article

In Indonesia, addiction to smoking starts in childhood

Pacific Asia • 12:38 AM

1 min

Considered one of the world's largest producers and consumers of tobacco, Indonesia is seeing a devastating scourge amongst its youth: some 40 percent of teenagers aged 13 to 15 smoke, and one in five smokers today lit their first cigarette before the ag

Read the article

Nepal ex-chief justice tipped to lead transition as talks between army and demonstrators continue

Pacific Asia • 9:16 AM

1 min

Nepal's army will resume talks on Thursday with "Gen Z" protesters to decide a new interim leader for the Himalayan nation, an army spokesperson said, after angry demonstrations that killed 30 and forced the prime minister to resign. Meanwhile former chi

Read the article

Leaderless but determined: Youth-driven protests erupt amid deep distrust in Nepal’s ruling class

Pacific Asia • 8:21 AM

1 min

Nepal’s Gen Z–led protests have thrown support behind former Chief Justice Sushila Karki, urging her to take the helm as interim leader after deadly unrest forced the prime minister’s resignation. Karki, 73, who made history in 2016 as Nepal’s first fema

Read the article

Nepal deploys army as protesters look for interim leader

Pacific Asia • 8:18 AM

1 min

Nepal's army was set to resume talks on Thursday with "Gen Z" protesters to pick an interim leader for the Himalayan nation, an army spokesperson said, after angry demonstrations that killed 30 and forced the prime minister to resign.

Read the article

Nepal deploys army as protesters look for interim leader

Pacific Asia • 1:30 AM

1 min

Troops patrolled Kathmandu on Wednesday, ordering residents to stay home after two days of violent protests over a social media ban forced Nepal’s prime minister to resign, left 25 people dead, and pushed demonstrators to press the military for a transit

Read the article

Nepal protest movement 'hijacked by different interest groups', political scientist says

Pacific Asia • 7:35 PM

1 min

Nepal's army took back control of Kathmandu on Wednesday after the worst violence in two decades ousted the prime minister and left the parliament ablaze, enforcing a curfew and starting talks with protest leaders. Speaking on FRANCE 24 from Kathmandu, P

Read the article

Fancy a move to the countryside? Japan seeks to curb rural exodus

Pacific Asia • 11:46 AM

1 min

Reviving Japan's countryside is a topic that's close to the heart of Shigeru Ishiba, the country's outgoing prime minister. Ishiba hails from a remote part of Japan and owes his political career to support from rural voters. This year, he doubled subsidi

Read the article

'Years of frustration' caused Nepal unrest: Papers react to Gen Z protests

Pacific Asia • 9:57 AM

1 min

PRESS REVIEW – Wednesday, September 10: Nepal's Gen Z protests cause several Nepali news sites to be inaccessible. But first: the French papers react to their new prime minister. Also, the inside pages in France attempt to understand this Wednesday's "Bl

Read the article

Nepal: PM resigns after deadly protests

Pacific Asia • 2:10 PM

1 min

Protests in Nepal have already left 19 people dead and at least 90 injured, as the unrest entered its second day and Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli resigned from office.

Read the article

Nepal's parliament burns as PM gives in to protesters' call to resign

Pacific Asia • 3:23 AM

1 min

Nepal’s prime minister stepped down Tuesday amid escalating protests sparked by a short-lived social media ban, which quickly grew into widespread unrest targeting his government and allegations of corruption within the country’s political elite. Furious

Read the article

Australia's triple 'mushroom murderer' jailed for life with 33 years non-parole

Pacific Asia • 3:10 AM

1 min

An Australian judge on Monday sentenced Erin Patterson to life in prison with parole after 33 years for murdering three people with toxic mushrooms, ending a trial that drew global attention. She was convicted in July of serving the lethal meal at a 2023

Read the article

Japan's Shigeru Ishiba resigns after his party suffered a historic defeat in a summer election

Pacific Asia • 3:30 PM

1 min

Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba announced Sunday that he will resign, following growing calls from within his party to take responsibility for a historic defeat in July’s parliamentary election. Story by Catherine Viette.

Read the article

Embattled Japanese PM Shigeru Ishiba to resign, media report

Pacific Asia • 8:26 AM

1 min

Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has decided to step down, local media reported on Sunday, as members of his ruling party seek to hold a new leadership race following disastrous upper house elections. James Simms, a freelance journalist based in Tok

Read the article

Japan’s embattled Prime Minister Ishiba resigns after election debacle

Pacific Asia • 7:27 AM

1 min

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba resigned on Sunday following calls to take responsibility for his party's historic defeat in July's parliamentary election.

Read the article

The Bright Side: Australia bans logging in eastern woodland to protect koalas

Pacific Asia • 12:05 AM

1 min

Australia's eastern New South Wales state government has imposed a ban on logging across 435,000 acres of forest to create a Great Koala National Park. The furry marsupials are at risk of extinction in the wild across the state due to deforestation, drou

Read the article

Thailand’s political crisis: What you need to know

Pacific Asia • 11:36 AM

1 min

🇹🇭 What’s happening in Thailand? 🗳️Construction tycoon Anutin Charnvirakul was elected prime minister on Friday after breezing through a parliamentary vote. ✈️ But on Thursday, former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra suddenly left the country. The

Read the article

Japanese prince comes of age, delaying the male-only succession debate

Pacific Asia • 2:55 AM

1 min

Japan’s Prince Hisahito, the nephew of Emperor Naruhito, received a traditional black silk and lacquer crown to mark his 19th birthday Saturday. His birth in 2006 marked an end to a brief debate on the country's male-only succession rule since the empero

Read the article

China & the 'axis of upheaval’, Brazil's Bolsonaro case & Europe's migration debate

Pacific Asia • 7:04 PM

1 min

In this edition of The World This Week: China's military parade to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II sees President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korea's Kim Jong Un side by side; former Brazilian president Jai

Read the article

‘It’s feminist and it’s badass’: the Iranian women taking up pole dancing and aerial dance

Pacific Asia • 3:45 PM

1 min

Hanging from a rope, a harness or a hoop, Iranian women are flocking to gyms to perform aerial dance and sharing videos of their routines on social media. Others are quietly practising another form of self-expression – pole-dancing – in underground venue

Read the article

Challenging Western hegemony: China demonstrates its vision in a big way

Pacific Asia • 2:29 PM

1 min

This week, China showed off its military and diplomatic prowess at a giant Victory Day parade, with dozens of world leaders – but few from the West – in attendance. President Xi Jinping stood shoulder to shoulder with Russia's Vladimir Putin and North Ko

Read the article

Philippines: Ten years after Duterte's war on drugs, families fight for justice

Pacific Asia • 2:04 PM

1 min

It was a campaign promise with deadly consequences. In the Philippines, the war on drugs led by former president Rodrigo Duterte resulted in over 30,000 deaths, according to international organisations. It also left behind broken families who are fightin

Read the article

Thailand’s Anutin elected PM in parliamentary vote, Thaksin leaves country

Pacific Asia • 6:51 AM

1 min

Thailand's Anutin Charnvirakul was elected prime minister on Friday after breezing through a parliamentary vote which came hours after former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra suddenly left the country on his private jet for Dubai. A Thai court last week

Read the article