At 87 years old, Iwao Hakamada is on the verge of finding true freedom, more than 50 years after being sentenced to death for murders he says he did not commit. Tokyo's high court ordered a retrial this month, acknowledging that key evidence that led to his conviction had likely been fabricated by investigators. Along with the US, Japan is one of the few developed countries that maintain capital punishment. For more, we speak to Chiara Sangiorgio, death penalty advisor at Amnesty International.

A massive defence deal unveiled this week in San Diego saw Australia, the UK and the US strengthen their alliance and revealed that the multi-decade military partnership is chiefly concerned about China. Under the so-called AUKUS defence pact, Australia will acquire up to eight nuclear-powered submarines costing up to $368 billion between now and the 2050s. Analysts say this next phase of the AUKUS pact is a direct response to growing assertiveness by Beijing. FRANCE 24's Nicholas Rushworth tells us more.

A Thai court has sentenced a 26-year-old man to two years in jail for selling satirical calendars featuring rubber ducks, which authorities said insulted the king. Inflatable yellow ducks were used as a symbol during pro-democracy protests in 2020. The sentencing comes as two women were rushed to hospital after staging a weeks-long hunger strike demanding the release of those arrested under Thailand's draconian lèse majesté law. For more, we talk to Sunai Phasuk, a senior researcher at Human Rights Watch.

The Chinese-owned video-based app TikTok faces bans from several Western governments, who say the platform poses a national security risk. FRANCE 24's Technology Editor Peter O'Brien tells us what this could mean for the future of TikTok, which has more than one billion users worldwide.

A year after Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the conflict continues with no end in sight. China claims to have a neutral stance, but has so far refused to call the war Russia's invasion, and has declared unlimited friendship with Moscow. One year into the war, the Beijing government has now announced a 12-point document stating its position and called for peace talks between Ukraine and Russia to achieve a "comprehensive ceasefire". For more on what Beijing is trying to do, we speak to Anna Ashton, the director of China Corporate Affairs and US-China at the US think tank Eurasia Group.

Cambodia's strongman leader has ordered the shutdown of one of the country's few remaining local independent media outlets. One of the world's longest-serving leaders, Prime Minister Hun Sen has increasingly cracked down on any opposition as he prepares for elections later this year. We take a closer look.

They’ve come to be known as the Hong Kong 47. A group of prominent activists, former lawmakers and student leaders went on trial this week, accused of trying to topple the pro-Beijing government. Most of them, including Benny Tai and Joshua Wong, have been detained since their arrests two years ago. They have pleaded guilty in pre-trial proceedings to avoid long prison sentences that could carry up to life in jail. We take a closer look.

This week, a major upheaval hit one of India’s top business empires. Adani Group has operations in everything from coal mining to telecoms. Its seven main units were recently worth an estimated $220 billion. But a blistering report by an American investor research firm accusing the conglomerate of massive fraud and market manipulation has sent its stock price plummeting, along with the personal fortune of billionaire founder Gautam Adani. Bryan Quinn, from FRANCE 24's business desk, explains.

Japan faces an existential threat with its birth rate at an all-time low, yet the island nation has still to fully embrace immigration as a solution to the population decline. To tackle the problem, the government has slowly turned to bringing in foreign workers. We take a closer look.

The Lunar New Year is a huge holiday in China, but also in other Asian countries like Korea and Vietnam. More than one billion people will be celebrating the event, which begins on January 22. For most, it's the Year of the Rabbit but in Vietnam, people will mark the Year of the Cat. Celebrations this year are particularly welcome, as Covid restrictions have finally been eased in China. But there are fears that another wave of infections is approaching. We take a closer look in this special edition.