John Sparks

Asia Correspondent
John Sparks joined Channel 4 News in 1997, and is now the Asia Correspondent.
John Sparks joined Channel 4 News in 1997, and is now the Asia Correspondent.

John started as a producer, before becoming a general reporter. His stories included investigating the July 7th bomber Jamal (Germaine) Lindsey, and securing the first pictures of CIA operated aircraft, suspected of conducting 'extraordinary renditions' via UK airports.

During the recession he moved to the Business Unit, where he explored the role of investment banks during the 'credit crunch'.

Show:

post 05 May 2013
Malaysia awaits election outcome

Malaysians vote in record numbers in an election that could weaken or even end the rule of the world's longest-ruling coalition. Asia Correspondent John Sparks gives his view.

post 01 May 2013
Not on top of the world? Tensions behind Mount Everest fight

As frustrations between western climbers and Sherpas on Mount Everest boil over, one climber gives his account of what happened to John Sparks.

video 30 April 2013 India

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Sherpas fight westerners on Mount Everest - video

Police in Nepal are investigating an alleged fight between two famous European climbers and their Nepalese mountain guides on Mount Everest.

article 25 April 2013 World, Bangladesh
Nearly 200 people have been killed in Bangladesh after factories supplying Western retailers such as Primark collapsed due to cracks in the wall (Reuters)
Bangladesh building collapse: death toll likely to rise

Protests erupt in Bangladesh as the death toll from the collapse of a building supplying western retailers rises above 230. Rescuers fear many more bodies could still be trapped.

post 19 April 2013
South African surfer survives shark-infested waters for 28 hours

Sharks swirled and seagulls swooped - John Sparks reports on the remarkable survival of South African surfer Brett Archibald.

post 15 April 2013
Technology helps outside world seep into North Korea

John Sparks speaks with North Korean defectors and activists to get an understanding of the secretive regime and how technology is helping the outside world to seep across the border.

video 14 April 2013 World, North Korea

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North Koreans glimpse the outside world - video

North Koreans are managing to catch a glimpse of the outside world - from foreign soap operas on television to smuggled films on DVD. John Sparks reports on the first rumblings of change.

article 12 April 2013 World, United States
A Pentagon report says it is likely that North Korea has nuclear warheads that can be mounted on ballistic missiles, as John Kerry heads to Seoul (pictures: Reuters)
N Korea missile test would be 'huge mistake' - Kerry

US Secretary of State John Kerry raises the stakes in the war of words with North Korea, warning Pyongyang that it knew "what the outcome of the conflict would be" if America had to defend its allies.

video 10 April 2013 World, North Korea

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South Korea on heightened state of alert over missile threat

South Korea and its American allies raise their alert levels on expectation that the north is preparing a missile launch in the coming days. John Sparks reports from the border area.

video 06 April 2013 World, North Korea

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South Korean workers speak of tensions in the North

As tension remains high between Pyongyang and the west, John Sparks speaks to workers returning to South Korea after spending the last week on the northern side of the border.

post 03 April 2013
North Korea: beware of the bluster

Talk of all-consuming hell-fire and nuclear war sounds grim. But North Korea's violent sabre-rattling must be viewed in context.

post 29 March 2013
Burma and its failing leadership

When Burma elected its first democratic president, it was the dawn of a new era. But the country is in a downward spiral of ethnic violence, reports Asia Correspondent John Sparks.

post 14 March 2013
China's new president and a media-aware nation

The Pope isn't the only one with more than a billion people on his mind. Xi Jinping was officially endorsed as Chinese president today, but what kind of leader will he be?

post 01 March 2013
Air-pocalypse now: the hazardous pollution in China's cities

How bad is China's air pollution? Asia Correspondent John Sparks meets residents of an apartment block in China's most polluted city, who have found their homes enveloped in black smoke.

01 March 2013
video 28 February 2013 World, China

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Inside China's most polluted city

As Beijing residents are told to limit time outside because of pollution, some of the 10 million residents in Shinjiazhuang, China's most polluted city, are starting to fight back.

post 24 February 2013
Thai teachers risking their lives to do their job

Life as a teacher in southern Thailand is becoming increasingly perilous. Asia Correspondent John Sparks has spent time with some of the brave women risking their lives.

video 19 February 2013 UK, Thailand

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British cycling couple killed in Thailand

Peter Root and Mary Thompson were killed by a pick-up truck. The couple, both 34 years old, had already cycled through the Middle East, Central Asia and China on their round-the-world trip.

video 13 February 2013 World, Thailand

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Attack on Thai military base leaves 16 gunmen dead

Thailand's south sees its worst violence for years after 16 gunmen are shot dead trying to attack a Thai military base in an area of the country that has experienced violence by Muslim insurgents.

post 08 February 2013
Rocket attack on New York: the latest in North Korean propaganda

North Korea's latest propaganda video shows a rocket attack on New York but, as John Sparks asks, is anyone listening?