News : France24

South Korean investigators on Thursday sought to execute a warrant for President Yoon Suk Yeol over his botched attempt at declaring martial law which led to his impeachment. Officers at the Corruption Investigation Office (CIO) and police were seen ente

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South Korea's impeached president Yoon defies arrest over failed martial law bid

Pacific Asia • 5:12 AM

1 min

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol continued on Thursday to resist arrest inside his residence for a third day following his impeachment over a failed martial law bid on December 3. Facing possible arrest, imprisonment, or the death penalty, Yoon remai

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Last year was China’s hottest on record, weather agency says

Pacific Asia • 3:21 AM

1 min

China's average national temperature for 2024 was 1.03 degrees higher than average, making it "the warmest year since the start of full records in 1961", China Meteorological Administration said Wednesday night. The world's largest greenhouse gas emitter

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South Korean police raid Jeju Air after fatal crash, CEO banned from leaving country

Pacific Asia • 2:31 AM

1 min

The offices of Jeju Air and the Muan airport operator were raided Thursday as South Korea conducts an investigation into the Flight 2216 crash that killed 179 people. Jeju Air chief executive officer Kim E-bae was banned from leaving South Korea during t

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Jeju Air crash black box to be sent to US for analysis, South Korea says

Pacific Asia • 7:05 AM

1 min

A damaged flight data recorder retrieved from the site of a Jeju Air crash in South Korea will be sent to the US for analysis since the data was unrecoverable domestically, South Korea’s civil aviation ministry said Wednesday. The Boeing 737-800 crash ki

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World bids farewell to 2024 and greets New Year with fireworks

Pacific Asia • 5:00 PM

1 min

The world ushered in 2025 on Tuesday, with huge crowds waving goodbye to the old year that brought Olympic glory, a dramatic Donald Trump return and turmoil in the Middle East and Ukraine. Sydney – the self-proclaimed "New Year's capital of the world" –

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Revellers across the world welcome 2025 with spectacular fireworks

Pacific Asia • 3:43 PM

1 min

Hundreds of thousands of revellers across the world watched spectacular fireworks displays while waving goodbye to a year marked by continuing turmoil in the Middle East and Ukraine, as well as Donald Trump's dramatic comeback in the US.

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More than one million to attend NYE fireworks at Sydney Harbour

Pacific Asia • 10:04 AM

1 min

In Australia, more than 1 million people are expected at Sydney Harbour for the traditional fireworks. British pop star Robbie Williams will lead a singalong and Indigenous ceremonies and performances will acknowledge the land's first people.

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South Korea to inspect all Boeing 737-800 aircraft following plane crash

Pacific Asia • 9:53 AM

1 min

South Korean officials said Monday they will conduct safety inspections of all Boeing 737-800 aircraft operated by the country's airlines, as they struggle to determine what caused a plane crash that killed 179 people a day earlier. Meanwhile the attenti

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South Korea releases first Jeju Air plane crash victims to families

Pacific Asia • 5:17 AM

1 min

South Korean authorities have identified 28 of the 179 victims that died in the Jeju Air crash on December 29, and have begun releasing their bodies to their families. Anger has been growing over the delays in identifying the passengers. The process was

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Xi pledges 'world peace' in New Year’s message to Putin

Pacific Asia • 4:41 AM

1 min

Chinese President Xi Jinping emphasized China’s commitment to "world peace and development" in a New Year’s message to Russian President Vladimir Putin, while reaffirming the strength of their partnership, Chinese state media reported Tuesday.

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South Korean court issues arrest warrant for impeached President Yoon

Pacific Asia • 2:56 AM

1 min

A South Korean court has issued an arrest warrant for suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol over his short-lived declaration of martial law, investigators said Tuesday. Yoon, who faces potential life imprisonment or the death penalty for insurrection, remain

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Taliban to close all NGOs that employ Afghan women

Pacific Asia • 9:30 PM

1 min

In the latest crackdown on women’s rights in Afghanistan, the Taliban have announced they will no longer allow any national or foreign NGOs that employ women to operate in the country. In a letter published on social platform X on Sunday night, the Econo

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South Korea orders air safety probe after country's worst aviation disaster kills 179

Pacific Asia • 3:28 AM

1 min

South Korea has ordered an air safety investigation after one of the country's worst aviation disasters. A jetliner skidded off a runway, slammed into a concrete barier and burst into flames Sunday after its landing gear apparently failed to deploy. All

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South Korea investigators request arrest warrant for impeached president Yoon

Pacific Asia • 2:50 AM

1 min

South Korean law enforcement officials on Monday requested a court warrant to detain impeached president Yoon Suk Yeol as they investigate whether his short-lived martial law decree on December 3 amounted to rebellion.

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Iran confirms arrest of Italian journalist Cecilia Sala in Tehran

Pacific Asia • 12:42 AM

1 min

Italian journalist Cecilia Sala was arrested on December 19 after travelling to Tehran to report on Iranian society. Iranian state media on Monday confirmed her detention and said Sala had "violated the law" while on the ground. Italy said efforts to fre

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Experts question bird strike as cause of S. Korea's deadly plane crash

Pacific Asia • 3:53 PM

1 min

Experts are questioning whether a collision with a bird could have caused an airliner crash that killed 179 people in South Korea on Sunday after a Boeing 737-800 belly landed at Muan International Airport before skidding down the runway and into a brick

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Jeju Air accident 'worst crash' in South Korea since 1997

Pacific Asia • 10:35 AM

1 min

Sunday's plane crash – Jeju Air Flight 7C 2216 – that killed at least 176 people on board in South Korea has become the country's worst accident since the 1997 Korean Air crash that killed more than 200, FRANCE 24's Yena Lee said.

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South Korean airliner crash kills all but two on board

Pacific Asia • 9:39 AM

1 min

A Jeju Air plane carrying 181 people from Thailand to South Korea crashed on arrival Sunday, smashing into a barrier and bursting into flames, leaving all but two feared dead. A bird strike and adverse weather conditions were cited by authorities as like

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Death toll in Jeju Air plane crash rises to 179 with only two survivors

Pacific Asia • 2:31 AM

1 min

All but two people have been killed after a Jeju Air plane carrying 181 people from Bangkok crash-landed in South Korea's Muan International Airport on Sunday. Authorities have suggested the crash may have been caused by the plane hitting birds amid bad

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Putin seeks to 'give reassurances' in apology over Azerbaijan plane crash

Pacific Asia • 4:25 PM

1 min

Vladimir Putin admitted Saturday Russian air defence was working when an Azerbaijani Airlines plane tried to land in Grozny before crashing, breaking the Kremlin's silence as speculation mounted Russia may have accidentally shot the plane. Despite not ta

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Putin apologises for 'tragic incident' following crash of Azerbaijani airliner

Pacific Asia • 4:15 PM

1 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday apologised to his Azerbaijani counterpart for what he called a “tragic incident” following the crash of an Azerbaijani airliner in Kazakhstan that killed 38 people, but stopped short of acknowledging that Mosc

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Azerbaijani airliner crash may be result of weapon fire, transport minister says

Pacific Asia • 10:26 AM

1 min

Azerbaijan’s minister of digital development and transportation Rashan Nabiyev said Friday that the Azerbaijani airliner that crashed earlier this week may have been hit by a weapon while outside aviation experts blamed the crash on Russian air defense s

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Afghan Taliban forces hit 'several points' in Pakistan in response to air strikes, Kabul says

Pacific Asia • 10:01 AM

1 min

Afghanistan's Taliban has targeted a number of points in neighbouring Pakistan, Kabul's defence ministry said Saturday, in what seems to be a response to an aerial bombardment carried out by Pakistani aircraft on Afghan territory a few days ago.

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S. Korean prosecutors say Yoon authorised soldiers to shoot during botched martial law bid

Pacific Asia • 7:51 AM

1 min

South Korea's prosecutors are alleging that suspended president Yoon Suk Yeol authorised the military to shoot if needed to enter parliament during his short-lived attempt to impose martial law, according to a report shared with the media.

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France asks Indonesia to transfer death row prisoner Serge Atlaoui

Pacific Asia • 2:55 AM

1 min

France has requested that Indonesia transfer Serge Atlaoui, a 61-year-old French national on death row who has spent nearly 20 years behind bars in the Southeast Asian country on drug charges.

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Detention of Italian journalist in Iran's Evin prison 'unacceptable', says Italy

Pacific Asia • 6:10 PM

1 min

An Italian journalist has been held in Iran for more than a week, Italy's government said Friday, describing Cecilia Clara's detention as "unacceptable". Cecilia Sala, 29, who works for Il Foglio newspaper and podcast company Chora Media, is being held i

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Azerbaijan's flag carrier suspends flights to more Russian cities following crash that killed 38

Pacific Asia • 4:16 PM

1 min

Azerbaijan's flag carrier announced Friday that it will suspend flights to several Russian airports, citing potential flight safety risks after a crash of one of its planes that many experts blamed on Russian air defense fire. Analysis by former FRANCE 2

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Airline blames 'physical and technical interference' for Azerbaijani plane crash

Pacific Asia • 2:46 PM

1 min

Azerbaijan Airlines said Friday that the preliminary results of an investigation into the plane that crashed in Kazakhstan pointed to "physical and technical external interference", amid growing speculation it was hit by a Russian air defence system. Rus

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What to know about South Korean acting President Han's impeachment

Pacific Asia • 2:42 PM

1 min

The impeachment of South Korea's acting President Han Duck-soo Friday has plunged the country into further political turmoil, coming less than two weeks after lawmakers impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol. Details by Eliza Herbert.

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Ukraine says Russia 'must be held responsible' for Azerbaijan plane crash

Pacific Asia • 2:38 PM

1 min

Ukraine's presidency said Russia should be held accountable for the deadly crash of an Azerbaijani passenger plane, after reports the jet was shot at by a Russian air defence missile. Story by Luke Shrago.

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India announces state funeral for former PM Manmohan Singh

Pacific Asia • 10:26 AM

1 min

India announced seven days of state mourning on Friday after the death of former prime minister Manmohan Singh, one of the architects of the country's economic liberalisation in the early 1990s. Details by FRANCE 24 correspondent in New Delhi, Sarah Jaco

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Aviation experts say Russia's air defense fire likely caused Azerbaijan plane crash as nation mourns

Pacific Asia • 10:22 AM

1 min

Aviation experts said that Russian air defense fire was likely responsible for the Azerbaijani plane crash the day before that killed 38 people and left all 29 survivors injured. Story by Luke Shrago.

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Two killed in wild weather on Sydney-Hobart yacht race

Pacific Asia • 9:48 AM

1 min

Two sailors have been killed in separate incidents in the treacherous Sydney to Hobart yacht race, officials said on Friday, as a string of yachts retired in powerful winds and high seas. Story by Liza Kaminov.

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South Korea acting president impeached, just two weeks after Yoon Suk Yeol

Pacific Asia • 9:39 AM

1 min

South Korean lawmakers impeached the acting president on Friday, as the country struggles to shake off political turmoil sparked by his predecessor's martial law declaration that shocked the world. Details by FRANCE 24 correspondent in China, Yena Lee.

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South Korean lawmakers vote to impeach acting President Han Duck-soo

Pacific Asia • 8:09 AM

1 min

A majority of South Korean lawmakers in the country's opposition-dominated parliament voted to impeach acting President Han Duck-soo on Friday. The country's new acting president, finance minister Choi Sang-mok, said that he would do all he could to end

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India's former prime minister Manmohan Singh dies aged 92

Pacific Asia • 8:37 PM

1 min

Former Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh, whose economic reforms made his country a global powerhouse, has died at the age of 92.

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Pakistan military court sentences 60 pro-Imran Khan protesters to prison terms

Pacific Asia • 1:56 PM

1 min

Pakistan's military courts have convicted 60 people involved in demonstrations in support of former prime minister Imran Khan, authorities said Thursday. The unrest followed the ex-premier's arrest on corruption charges that supporters say are politicall

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Azerbaijan mourns 38 killed in plane crash as investigation gets underway

Pacific Asia • 11:05 AM

1 min

Azerbaijan on Thursday observed a day of mourning for the victims of a plane crash in Kazakhstan that killed 38 people and injured 29 survivors as an investigation got underway. Azerbaijan Airlines initially said a flock of birds might have caused the cr

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South Korea's opposition moves to impeach acting President Han

Pacific Asia • 6:25 AM

1 min

South Korea's main opposition party said it introduced a bill to impeach acting President Han Duck-soo on Thursday and would hold a vote on Friday, a move that could deepen the country's constitutional crisis triggered by a short-lived martial law.

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Ceremonies across Asia mark 20 years since catastrophic tsunami that killed 220,000

Pacific Asia • 3:56 AM

1 min

Tearful mourners gathered Thursday across Asia to commemorate the more than 220,000 lives lost in the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. The disaster devastated coastlines from Indonesia to Somalia and left lasting scars on affected communities.

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Afghan Taliban vow to retaliate after Pakistani air strikes kill at least 46

Pacific Asia • 9:35 AM

1 min

At least 46 people have died in a Pakistani bombardment of Afghanistan's Paktika province, the Afghan Taliban government said Wednesday, promising to retaliate. A senior Pakistani security official said the air strikes targeted "terrorist hideouts" acros

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Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash in Kazakhstan kills 38, with 29 survivors

Pacific Asia • 7:56 AM

1 min

An Azerbaijan Airlines passenger jet with 67 people on board crashed near the city of Aktau in western Kazakhstan on Wednesday, local authorities said, adding that at least 29 survivors had been rescued.

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Vietnam to enforce strict social media regulations in 'draconian' new decree

Pacific Asia • 4:00 AM

1 min

Vietnam’s new Decree 147, effective Christmas Day, mandates social media users verify their identities and allows authorities to demand user data and remove content deemed "illegal". Critics argue the law threatens freedom of expression and exposes dissi

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Indian Ocean tsunami, 20 years on: Trauma still haunts survivors

Pacific Asia • 3:27 PM

1 min

Nations around the Indian Ocean are preparing to mark 20 years since a devastating earthquake and tsunami wiped entire villages off the map and killed around 230,000 people. Even though early warning systems and preventive measures have been put in place

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Indonesia: Twenty years after tsunami, Aceh province ruled by Sharia law

Pacific Asia • 2:25 PM

1 min

Twenty years after the devastating tsunami that hit the Indonesian island of Sumatra, the province of Aceh has returned to peace after a civil war and is now living under Koranic law. Our correspondent reports.

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Malaysia to resume search for missing Flight MH370 plane – a decade after it vanished

Pacific Asia • 8:29 AM

1 min

Malaysia's government said Friday it had agreed to a proposal to launch a new search for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, which disappeared 10 years ago in one of the most mysterious disasters in aviation history.

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'It's not acceptable when half the population is silenced': CEO of Afghan media group Moby

Pacific Asia • 4:05 PM

1 min

FRANCE 24 spoke to Saad Mohseni, co-founder and CEO of Moby, Afghanistan's largest media group. His new book "Radio Free Afghanistan" chronicles the ups and downs of building a media conglomerate in the country. Mohseni lamented the fact that since the r

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Denmark will not extradite anti-whaling activist Watson to Japan

Pacific Asia • 11:38 AM

1 min

Anti-whaling activist Paul Watson was freed from prison in Denmark on Tuesday, his lawyer told AFP, and he will not be extradited to Japan. Watson was detained on a 2012 Japanese arrest warrant, which accuses him of causing damage to a whaling ship in th

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Powerful earthquake hits Pacific island of Vanuatu, bodies seen in street

Pacific Asia • 5:13 AM

1 min

A devastating 7.3-magnitude earthquake on Tuesday struck off the coast of Vanuatu's main island, Efate, severely damaging Port Vila and crushing the ground floor of a building containing US and French embassies. Casualties and extensive destruction were

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India: Forty years on, Bhopal disaster still plagues local residents

Pacific Asia • 12:44 AM

1 min

Forty years after India's Bhopal disaster, local residents are still suffering from its aftermath. The gas explosion at a chemical plant caused toxic waste to contaminate the water in nearby areas, causing locals to develop numerous health issues. Today,

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South Korea court begins review of Yoon impeachment

Pacific Asia • 1:57 PM

1 min

South Korea's Constitutional Court on Monday (December 16) began reviewing the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol over his Dec. 3 martial law proclamation, starting a process to decide if he will be removed from office, while investigators plan to qu

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South Korea's impeached president resists questioning over martial law bid

Pacific Asia • 12:23 AM

1 min

South Korea’s impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol defied requests by investigative agencies to appear for questioning over his short-lived martial law decree on Monday as the Constitutional Court began proceedings to determine whether to formally unseat or

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‘Bali Nine’ drug traffickers return to Australia after nearly 20 years in Indonesian prison

Pacific Asia • 7:09 AM

1 min

The remaining members of the so-called "Bali Nine", a group of Australians imprisoned since 2005 for trying to smuggle more than eight kilograms of heroin off the island of Bali, Indonesia, have returned to Australia. Negotiations over the group's potent

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S. Korean opposition calls for ‘swift’ removal of impeached Yoon as he defies prosecutors’ summons

Pacific Asia • 6:43 AM

1 min

South Korea's impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol refused to comply with a summons to appear before prosecutors for questioning over insurrection allegations stemming from his failed bid to impose martial law, prosecutors said Sunday. Opposition leader Lee

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South Korea's President Yoon impeached over failed martial law bid

Pacific Asia • 5:39 AM

1 min

South Korean lawmakers on Saturday voted to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol for his failed attempt to rule by martial law last week. Seoul police said at least 200,000 demonstrators had gathered outside parliament in South Korea's capital ahead of the vo

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South Korea Yoon defends martial law decision, vows to fight until 'very last minute'

Pacific Asia • 4:04 AM

1 min

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol vowed Thursday to "fight until the very last minute" amid an impeachment vote and martial law probe. Police raided his office over December's turmoil, including deploying troops to parliament. Yoon, banned from foreig

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Taiwan detects 16 Chinese warships, 34 aircraft near island

Pacific Asia • 2:55 AM

1 min

Taiwan said it detected one of the highest number of Chinese warships around the island this year early Thursday morning, along with dozens of aircraft. China has been ratcheting up military activity around Taiwain, holding its biggest maritime drills in

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Police raid South Korean president's office in martial law investigation

Pacific Asia • 5:24 AM

1 min

The investigation into South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's attempt at martial law accelerated on Wednesday, as police conducted a raid on Yoon's office and arrested a slew of officials, including the former defence minister Kim Yong-hyun.

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Taiwan says 'troublemaker' China ramps up military exercises around the island

Pacific Asia • 3:25 AM

1 min

Taiwanese authorities said it’s “troublemaker” neighbour, China, has expanded military drills around the island. A senior national security official said the massive maritime operation was meant to demonstrate that Beijing could choke off Taiwan and also

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