Asia News Feeds

It’s the first-ever visit to China by a reigning Thai monarch, amid warming bilateral ties.

Some 28kg of ketamine have been found washed up on the island’s beaches in the past two months.

South Korea’s national college entry exam is notoriously hard – but blind students face unique challenges.

The Indian government said its treating the explosion outside the capital’s historic Red Fort a “terrorist incident”, after at least 12 people were killed and scores more wounded. But visuals purporting to show the blast online are being misrepresented, often using old and unrelated images from elsewhere. It’s a move often seen during tragedies due to panic and to drum up engagement. Vedika Bahl explains in Truth or Fake.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cabinet on Wednesday called this week’s car explosion near New Delhi’s historic Red Fort a “heinous terror incident” conducted by “anti-national forces”. While authorities did not release any evidence linked to the blast, the classification gives investigators sweeping powers to arrest people and prolong detentions.  

India’s government says it unequivocally condemns the “dastardly and cowardly act” that killed eight people.

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) says each restriction “translates into delayed or denied medical care”.

NewJeans has been locked in a legal battle with Ador, accusing the agencyof mistreatment and manipulation, which it denies.

The deadly car explosion tore through the capital city during evening rush hour on Monday.

As rich nations drag their feet, India’s role is pivotal in bringing together the Global North and South on climate action.

Pakistan is one of the worst affected countries by period poverty. According to UNICEF, nearly 44 percent of girls lack access to the minimum resources needed to manage their periods, whether at home, at school or at work. Limited access to menstrual hygiene products, clean water and sanitation facilities, coupled with a lack of information, has serious consequences, preventing many girls and women from attending school or work. Our correspondents report.

A suicide bombing outside a district court in Islamabad killed at least 12 people and injured dozens, with the Pakistani Taliban (TTP) claiming responsibility. Pakistan accuses Afghan Taliban support in the attack, raising tensions between the two countries amid a fragile ceasefire. Despite fears, lawyers and citizens continue their work, refusing to be intimidated by terrorism.

Taiwan has evacuated over 8,300 people ahead of Typhoon Fung-wong’s arrival. The storm, expected to hit on Wednesday, has already brought record rain and flooding to the island’s east coast. At least 51 people have been injured, and over 1,000 homes were flooded in Suao, which saw 648 mm of rainfall, a record for November. FRANCE 24’s Jan Camenzind Broomby has the latest.

Pakistan opened a probe Wednesday into the suicide bombing outside an Islamabad district court that left 12 dead the day before, underscoring the challenges facing the government as it struggles with militant attacks, border tensions and a fragile ceasefire with Afghanistan. FRANCE 24’s Rochelle Ferguson Bouyahi has the analysis.

Andy McDonald recalls moment he encountered a shark while windsurfing in Western Australia this week.

The leaders of Australia and Indonesia have announced that they are close to signing a new bilateral defense pact. The regional neighbors have had a checkered security history.

She Zhijiang is one of the biggest figures linked to South East Asia’s cyberscam operations.

Fung-wong has brought heavy rains and triggered floods in Taiwan, with water rising above waist level in several parts of the country.

Delhi’s air quality has deteriorated to “severe” levels, which can seriously impact those with existing diseases.

Mike Burgess says state-linked hackers have tried to access water, transport and energy networks.

Scientists say the crocodiles hunted like leopards by climbing trees and killing prey below.

Start-up fundraising has raised uncomfortable questions about valuations, but signals a maturing ecosystem.

Economic uncertainty is encouraging some young people to cut back on their spending.

Sanae Takaichi drew fire after suggesting Tokyo could take military action if Beijing attacked Taiwan.

Roya Karimi is getting ready to compete in the world bodybuilding championships, 15 years after fleeing Afghanistan.

The outcome of Bihar Legislative Assembly elections could reflect Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s popularity and his alliance’s influence in the key state.

Mohsin Naqvi says the bomber tried to gain entry to a court complex but was unable to get inside.

Turkish prosecutors on Tuesday charged Istanbul’s jailed opposition mayor Ekrem Imamoglu with 142 charges that could amount to up to 2,352 in prison, court documents showed. The nearly 4,000-page indictment charges Imamoglu, who was arrested in March, with offences including running a criminal organisation, bribery, embezzlement, money laundering, extortion and tender rigging.

Qian Zhimin bought cryptocurrency using funds stolen from thousands of Chinese pensioners, say police.

In an interview with FRANCE 24, Kim Aris, the son of Myanmar’s imprisoned former leader Aung San Suu Kyi, expressed grave concern for his mother’s health. Suu Kyi, 80, has been jailed since the military overthrew her government in 2021 and is serving a 27-year sentence. “Her health is deteriorating. Her heart condition is getting worse,” Aris said, adding: “I can only hope that she will survive. All I want is for her to be moved to house arrest and to be getting the care that she needs.”

India’s young, tech-savvy population has already made it a leading country in AI adoption. When setting rules for artificial intelligence, New Delhi is taking a different approach compared to the EU, China and the US.

A suicide bomber has killed at least 12 people outside a court in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said Tuesday (November 11). At least 27 people were wounded in the attack. FRANCE 24’s Shahzaib Wahlah tells us more.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday (November 11) called a deadly car explosion in the heart of the capital that killed at least eight people a “conspiracy”, vowing those responsible will face justice.

A suicide bomber has killed at least 12 people outside a court in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said Tuesday. The Pakistani Taliban militant group claimed responsibility for the attack, which wounded at least 27 people were wounded in the attack. 

A new species of bee bearing devilish horns has been discovered in Western Australia, Curtin University announced Tuesday. Although all flowering plants rely on wild pollinators such as bees for survival, climate change and habitat loss has driven many species to the edge of extinction.

The interior minister said a dozen people have been killed in a suicide attack outside a district court in the Pakistani capital.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said those responsible for a deadly explosion in the heart of the Indian capital "will not be spared." An investigation is ongoing.

Typhoon Fung-wong lashed Taiwan with harsh rains Tuesday after killing at least 25 people and displacing some 1.4 million people across the Philippines. The weakening tropical storm is expected to make landfall in Taiwan on Wednesday.

At least eight people were killed and 19 others injured when a car exploded near New Delhi’s historic Red Fort on Monday, police said. The cause of the blast is still being investigated. According to local media, a former owner of the car has been arrested.

Navodita Kumari, our correspondant in India, has more.

One of the year’s most powerful storms in the Philippines, Super Typhoon Fung-wong has killed four people, authorities said on Monday, as they began assessing damage after its fury abated, though no reports of major destruction have flowed in yet.

Indian police detained dozens of people during a rare protest at the famed India Gate monument in New Delhi demanding action to curb an annual scourge of toxic air swathing the capital and its surrounding region.

The Philippines evacuated hundreds of thousands of people on Sunday as a super typhoon Fung-wong moved west towards the archipelago nation. The storm is set to bring wind and heavy rain to broad swathes of the country just one week after another typhoon, Kalmaegi, killed hundreds of people in the Philippines.

North Korea’s young female footballers have won back-to-back U17 World Cups. Why is the isolated state so good at the game?

The Philippines evacuated more than a million people on Sunday and at least two people died as super typhoon Fung-wong moved west towards the archipelago nation. The storm is set to bring wind and heavy rain to broad swathes of the country just one week after another typhoon, Kalmaegi, killed hundreds of people.

Australia this week added popular forum Reddit and homegrown streaming platform Kick to its list of social media platforms that will be off-limits to children under 16 starting December 10. So just how will this unprecedented social media ban actually work?

#Typhoon #Kalmaegi has killed at least 5 in #Vietnam, after previously claiming 188 lives in the #Philippines. The storm brought flooding, landslides, and heavy rain continues in parts of the country.

Zohran Mamdani celebrated his Indian roots during his campaign for mayor of New York City. After winning the race, the 34-year-old’s victory was celebrated by Indians online – but officials in New Delhi have remained tight-lipped. In this edition of Access Asia, we find out why. Plus, Indian engineering students put their US ambitions on hold as new H-1B visa rules kick in.

PRESS REVIEW – Friday, November 7: We look at the Sudanese press as the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces agree to a temporary truce. Will the world stop a genocide in Sudan? Also: Libération reports on the PFAS pollutant crisis gripping parts of France and the Guardian looks at the planned bulldozing of one of Mumbai’s most storied slums. Plus: a solid gold toilet will go under the hammer this month for at least $10 million.

Typhoon Kalmaegi tore across Vietnam early Friday, killing at least five people after leaving a trail of destruction in the Philippines, where authorities said the death toll had climbed to at least 188 following record rains and flooding.

From the Amazon to the Congo, rain forests are vital ecosystems that have long been plundered to make way for mining or agriculture. But a new global forest fund aims to reward conservation.

China deployed its newest aircraft carrier and most advanced aircraft carrier, the Fujian, this week, state media said on Friday. The Fujian joins China’s fleet as Beijing moves to assert dominance in the Pacific and challenge a US-led alliance in the region. 

Typhoon Kalmaegi tore across Vietnam early Friday, killing at least five people after leaving a trail of destruction in the Philippines, where authorities said the death toll had climbed to at least 188 following record rains and flooding.

China is the world’s biggest emitter of greenhouse gases but it is also spearheading a clean energy revolution, with more solar and wind capacity than the rest of the world combined. Speaking on FRANCE 24, Chris Aylett, Research Fellow in the Environment and Society Centre at Chatham House, says that China is focusing on “rolling out the solutions and making the changes we need” and is becoming, albeit reluctantly, the leader in the fight against emissions.

For over three decades, the H-1B programme allowing skilled foreign workers to work in the U.S. has been a lifeline for Indian professionals, especially in IT, and a pathway for Indian students, the largest foreign student group with over 330,000 enrolled, to enter the U.S. job market. Trump’s decision to raise the application fee to a staggering $100,000 which is a fifty-fold hike, has hit students hard, particularly those in engineering.

Philippines President has declared a state of calamity after Typhoon Kalmaegi wreaked havoc on the country. Leaving at least 142 dead, and another 127 people missing, making it the deadliest typhoon so far of 2025. The region is no stranger to typhoons: the Philippines has seen around 20 this season and could face 3 or 5 more by the end of 2025. Another, potentially even stronger typhoon, Tropical Storm Fung-wong is advancing on the country.