Asia Pacific

In Japan, one of the major industrialized countries most closed to asylum seekers, public opinion demands that the country play its part in the reception of displaced Ukrainians. as reported from Tokyo,Bruno Duval Last year, Japan again rejected 90% of the asylum applications submitted: in total, almost 4,000 political refugee applicants were rejected in general indifference, without this giving rise to any particular debate. Of the more than three million Ukrainians who have already fled their country, only 47 have so…

A new attempt to purify New Delhi's notoriously polluted air will see 40 giant fans push filtered air into the heart of the Indian capital's exclusive shopping district. But the "smog tower" of 1.7 million euros is not without skeptics, who say it will not help a city known for having the most polluted air in the world. .

As the Taliban gain ground throughout Afghanistan, Afghans who worked as interpreters for foreign armies live in fear of reprisals. The Taliban are perceived as traitors and have appealed to Western nations to give them visas so that they can flee the country. Although the Taliban say no harm will be done to previous interpreters who show remorse, Afghans working for foreign forces have a hard time believing this promise. Some of them agreed to speak anonymously with FRANCE24. .

China said on Thursday that a proposal by the World Health Organization (WHO) to examine Chinese laboratories as part of the ongoing investigation into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic showed "disrespect" and "arrogance towards science". Last week, the UN health agency said a second phase of the international probe should…

Piles of cars were strewn across a central Chinese city on Thursday as shocked residents picked up debris from a historic deluge that claimed at least 33 lives, with heavy rains threatening surrounding regions. An unprecedented rainstorm hit a year of rain in just three hours in the city of Zhengzhou, weather officials say,…

Tokyo 2020's handsome Olympic mascots are dressed over the host city, but they have some serious competition in mascot-crazy Japan, where cuddly characters promote everything from prisons to health examinations. In Hello Kitty and Pokémon Land, adorable creatures give a friendly face to both private companies and public institutions, and the most successful have full celebrity status. .

The Covid-19 outbreak continues to worsen in Indonesia. Powered by the highly portable Delta variant, cases and deaths have risen across the country. Hospitals have become overwhelmed, forcing some of the newly infected to have no choice but to isolate themselves at home. We see how volunteers have helped. We also take a…

At least 12 people died in severe flooding on Tuesday in a Chinese provincial capital that caught people in subways and schools, washed away vehicles and stranded people at their workplaces overnight. The already submerged city of Zhengzhou, the capital of Henan Province, was hit by 20 centimeters (8 inches) of rain from 1 p.m.…

At least three rockets landed near the Afghan presidential palace on Tuesday as the country's leader Ashraf Ghani held outdoor prayers with top officials to mark the beginning of the Muslim Eid al-Adha holiday. Although there was no immediate claim of responsibility, it was the first rocket attack on Kabul since the Taliban…

Chinese authorities on Tuesday denied having carried out a massive hack of Microsoft's main servers, describing US allies' accusations as "baseless" and "irresponsible". The United States and several allies have publicly accused China of hacking Microsoft Exchange - an email platform used by companies around the world.In China's…