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PODCAST

Access Asia

FRANCE 24 English

Exclusive reports, features and analysis of political and social events from across the Asian continent. Friday at 3:45pm Paris time.

news & politics

All Episodes

00:11:19

Inspiration behind the ‘Squid Game’ doll explained

Access Asia ·

2025/01/24

We begin in Thailand where a law legalising same-sex marriage has taken effect. Thousands marked the occasion by formally registering their unions on the first day. We also speak to a father who took his employer to court over his right to paternity leave. Glen Wood explains his decade-long fight for a better workplace for parents in Japan. Finally, we meet the creator of Young-hee, the killer doll in “Squid Game.” Production designer Chae Kyoung-Sun said the giant robot was inspired by her own

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00:12:28

Maha Kumbh Mela festival: India's soft power on display

Access Asia ·

2025/01/17

The Maha Kumbh Mela has got underway in northern India, with organisers expecting over 400 million visitors throughout the festival. In this week's show, we speak to India's permanent representative to UNESCO, who discusses how the Hindu festival is being used as a soft-power tool by New Delhi. Plus, we bring you a report on how Afghan migrants in Pakistan fear deportation. Finally, we see how the political chaos in South Korea is driving young women and men apart.

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00:13:01

'Stop the steal': Understanding MAGA-style protests...

Access Asia ·

2025/01/10

This week, as South Korea's impeached president Yoon Suk Yeol remained holed up in his presidential compound, thousands of his supporters guarding the site against attempts to arrest him held up US flags and banners saying "Stop the Steal" in English. That phrase was used by Donald Trump's supporters after the 2020 US presidential election. FRANCE 24's Yuka Royer and Yena Lee take a closer look at Yoon's ties with South Korea's far right.

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00:12:29

Bhopal gas tragedy, 40 years on: Indian authorities...

Access Asia ·

2025/01/03

Forty years and one month after a deadly gas leak at a pesticide plant killed thousands in Bhopal, India, authorities say the last remaining toxic waste has been removed from the site. Activists say not enough measures are being taken to protect the environment and the population. Four decades after one of the world's worst industrial disasters, new generations of people are still grappling with its fallout and are demanding justice. Our correspondents report.

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00:12:06

Indian Ocean tsunami, 20 years on: Trauma still...

Access Asia ·

2024/12/20

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 since the tragedy, the trauma of the disaster on December 26, 2004 still haunts survivors.

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00:12:43

Bashar al-Assad's downfall: What's next for Syria's...

Access Asia ·

2024/12/13

The dramatic turn of events in Syria could reshape the balance of power in the Middle East and have far-reaching repercussions. FRANCE 24's Yuka Royer and Luke Shrago discuss what's at stake for Bashar al-Assad's allies in Asia – China, India and North Korea.

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00:12:34

Trump 2.0: What's in store for Asia's strongmen?

Access Asia ·

2024/11/08

On this week's Access Asia we speak to Steve Tsang, Director of the SOAS China Institute, who tells us what officials in Beijing really think of Donald Trump's US presidential victory. He discusses the risk of a full-blown trade war erupting. We also get a check on how New Delhi is reacting. Former Indian ambassador to France, Dr Mohan Kuman, tells us that India hopes the US president-elect can bring the wars in Ukraine and Gaza to an end.

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00:12:31

FRANCE 24 speaks to sister of Japanese man acquitted...

Access Asia ·

2024/10/11

An 88-year-old Japanese man who had fought to overturn a murder conviction for decades has finally been acquitted. Iwao Hakamata was arrested in 1966 and spent 46 years on death row. In a landmark retrial, a court declared him innocent in late September, and while rejecting the verdict, the prosecution this week announced it would not file an appeal. "I’m so happy, it's as if the past 58 years have just blown away," Hakamata's sister Hideko tells FRANCE 24's Yuka Royer, adding that she'll keep on

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00:12:40

Jammu and Kashmir elections: Diplomats in, foreign...

Access Asia ·

2024/09/27

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. We speak to Anuradha Bhasin, Managing Editor of the Kashmir Times, to find out more about the vote and the climate the elections are taking place in.

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00:12:31

Rising coffee prices: Drought in Asia put bean...

Access Asia ·

2024/09/20

Global coffee prices are soaring to record levels but in Vietnam, one of the largest coffee producers, many farmers are switching to other – and more heat-resilient – crops. Yuka Royer speaks with Fairtrade International's Monika Firl. Also, regional elections are underway in Indian-administered Kashmir for the first time since the territory lost its semi-autonomous status in 2019. And we'll visit Indonesia's "Forgotten Island", a hidden gem in the Indian Ocean that's still untouched by mass tourism

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00:11:47

Are relations between Dhaka and New Delhi starting to...

Access Asia ·

2024/09/13

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 relations between the two neighbours have now started to cool since her ouster in August.

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00:12:19

Taliban seek to further erase Afghan women from...

Access Asia ·

2024/08/30

It's been three years since the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan. Their policies have rolled back women’s rights. Newly enforced laws require women to veil their faces in public. They are also now prohibited from singing or raising their voices. Afghan artist and activist Fatimah Hossaini reacts to the devastating new laws.

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00:12:25

'Laapataa (Lost) Ladies': Feminist messages behind...

Access Asia ·

2024/07/19

On the show this week, we speak to Kiran Rao, director of "Laapataa Ladies," a film set in rural India and packed with subtle feminist messages. She tells us what inspired her to make the movie and how comedy was used as a tool to talk about female experiences. She argues the men portrayed in the film aren't meek, but empathetic. We also look at a new controversial canal project in Cambodia and head to Thailand, where the "Boys' Love" TV drama is making a splash.

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00:12:30

What caused the deadly stampede in India?

Access Asia ·

2024/07/05

Authorities in India have arrested six people following a deadly stampede in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh. 121 women and children were killed at a religious event where nearly 250,000 had gathered to listen to a guru. To understand what caused this human tragedy, we talk to Sanjay Srivastava, professor of Anthropology at SOAS University of London.

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00:11:31

Award-winning Indian author Arundhati Roy risks...

Access Asia ·

2024/06/21

Will India's democratic backsliding continue? Following recent elections which weakened Prime Minister Narendra Modi, FRANCE 24 discusses the latest foreign journalist forced to leave, as well as the prosecution of author Arundhati Roy, with author and professor Alpa Shah.

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00:12:10

India election outcome: Is Modi still a strongman or...

Access Asia ·

2024/06/07

In this edition of Access Asia we're dissecting the results of the world's largest election. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has won a historic third term in office. However, things will be markedly different this time around as he finds himself with his wings clipped. Modi has been forced into a coalition after his BJP party failed to win an absolute majority for the first time in a decade. FRANCE 24's Delano D'Souza is joined by social activist and lawyer Trisha Shetty and Ashutosh Varshney,

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00:12:29

From refugee to tech success story: Afghan...

Access Asia ·

2024/05/24

As more and more countries around the world seek to close their borders to asylum seekers, we speak to the founder of an online language platform designed for refugees. She tells us how she hopes Chatterbox will redress the demeaning manner in which she feels refugees from around the world are received. But first, we look at the ongoing Indian elections. The campaign rhetoric remains feisty in the final stretch, and the ruling BJP is banking on influencers to boost the youth vote. We finish with a

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00:11:34

Vladimir Putin's state visit to China: Deepening...

Access Asia ·

2024/05/17

Russian President Vladimir Putin has wrapped up his two-day visit to China, where he and his counterpart Xi Jinping pledged a "new era of strategic partnership". The two leaders had tea together and celebrated 75 years of diplomatic relations at a gala, with the Chinese leader giving his guest a warm hug. Moscow has increasingly turned to Beijing for support in the face of Western sanctions and the trip aimed at deepening their military and economic ties.

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00:12:57

India's Modi accused of targeting Muslims as election...

Access Asia ·

2024/05/10

As India's marathon election rolls on, FRANCE 24 speaks to expert Mitali Mukherjee, who tells us that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling BJP is running its campaign on anti-Muslim rhetoric. Also, Thailand's opposition leader speaks about his efforts to reform lese majeste laws. And we bring you the latest on the heatwave that has broken temperature records across Asia, from India to the Philippines.

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00:12:45

Sell off or shut down: TikTok faces US ban

Access Asia ·

2024/04/26

US President Joe Biden has signed into law a bill that targets TikTok. The popular social media app's Chinese owner ByteDance has been given about nine months to either sell its business or face a ban in the United States. The company has vowed to take the battle to the courts. FRANCE 24's Tech Editor Peter O'Brien explains.

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