CNN – Asia/Pacific

By Wayne Chang and Kathleen Magramo, CNN Taoyuan, Taiwan (CNN) — Taiwan’s Taoyuan International Airport became the scene of a simulated Chinese invasion on Wednesday for the first time ever as the island’s military conducted an anti-takeover drill to fend off any possible attack from Beijing. The drill was designed to test the Taiwanese military’s

Story by Reuters (CNN) — Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said in a speech on Wednesday he would step down, and that his son Hun Manet would take over in the coming weeks. “Hun Manet … will become the prime minister in the coming weeks,” he said, adding the new premier will be appointed on

By Wayne Chang and Jessie Yeung, CNN Taipei, Taiwan (CNN) — Two Taiwan police officers are under investigation after a botched sting operation led to a minor being sexually assaulted, prompting public uproar and an official apology from the local police department. The incident began in November 2020 when an unnamed 13-year-old girl met a

By Kathleen Magramo, CNN (CNN) — A powerful typhoon brought widespread flooding and landslides to the Philippines on Wednesday, killing at least five people, authorities in the country said. Typhoon Doksuri, known as Egay in the Philippines, has caused flooding across five regions and more than a dozen rain-induced landslides, according to the National Disaster

By Simone McCarthy Hong Kong (CNN) — China’s foreign minister Qin Gang was dramatically ousted on Tuesday after a prolonged absence from public view and replaced by his predecessor in a surprising and highly unusual shake-up of the country’s foreign policy leadership. The sudden move, approved by the top decision-making body of China’s rubber-stamp parliament,

By Andrew McNicol, CNN (CNN) — US-born basketball player Kyle Anderson will represent China at next month’s FIBA World Cup after obtaining Chinese nationality, the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) announced on Monday. The Minnesota Timberwolves forward, 29, whose Chinese name is Li Kaier, was eligible for Chinese citizenship through his maternal great-grandfather. “Welcome Anderson! Li

By Brad Lendon, CNN Seoul, South Korea (CNN) — China and Russia are both sending high level delegations to North Korea this week in a rare flurry of diplomatic activity for the secluded nation as it prepares to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of the Korean War. North Korea sealed its borders during

By Brad Lendon and Gawon Bae, CNN Seoul, South Korea (CNN) — A “conversation has commenced” with North Korea over US Army Pvt. Travis King, who crossed the border between North and South Korea last week in the demilitarized zone separating the two nations, the deputy commander of the United Nations Command (UNC) said Monday.

By Jessie Yeung, Gene Norman and Kathleen Magramo, CNN Hong Kong (CNN) — A powerful storm sweeping across the Pacific Ocean in the direction of the Philippines has intensified into a super typhoon, with forecasters warning it could hit the northern part of the country before hitting mainland China later this week. Super typhoon Doksuri

By Simone McCarthy, CNN Hong Kong (CNN) — At least eleven people are dead after the roof of a school gymnasium collapsed during a student volleyball team practice in northeastern China Sunday afternoon, according to local officials. Nineteen people were at the middle school gymnasium in Heilongjiang province’s Qiqihar city when the accident happened, including

By Heather Chen, Teele Rebane and Lauren Kent, CNN (CNN) — A music festival in Malaysia has been canceled after the lead singer of British band The 1975 Matty Healy slammed the country’s anti-LGBTQ laws and kissed a bandmate on stage. The on-stage incident at the Good Vibes Festival in Kuala Lumpur on Friday night

By Heather Chen, CNN (CNN) — One of the world’s longest serving leaders is looking to extend his iron fisted rule, running another tightly controlled election with no tangible competition as he prepares a possible power succession for his son. Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen, 70, has been in power since 1985 – only the

CNN Editorial Research (CNN) — Here’s a look at the Korean War. Although hostilities ceased in 1953, there has been no formal end to the war. Causes of the Korean War Korea was under Japanese rule before and during World War II, and was divided into two parts after the Japanese surrender. The Soviet Union

By Chris Lau, CNN Hong Kong (CNN) — Chinese engineers on Thursday broke ground on a new super deep borehole that will burrow far into the Earth’s crust as the country steps up its search for natural resources hidden tens of thousands of feet underground. The hole will eventually reach 10,520 meters (34,514 feet) into

By Nectar Gan, CNN Hong Kong (CNN) — Chinese leader Xi Jinping hailed Henry Kissinger as an “old friend” during a meeting with the 100-year-old former US Secretary of State who is in Beijing this week for a surprise visit. Xi met Kissinger at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse, a diplomatic complex in western Beijing where

By Yoonjung Seo and Ivana Kottasová, CNN Seoul (CNN) — New details have emerged about a US soldier who crossed into North Korea on Tuesday – but his exact whereabouts remain a mystery since the secretive country hasn’t said a word about the incident. Court documents showed that Private Travis King, believed to be the

By Nectar Gan, CNN (CNN) — China will follow its own path to cut carbon emissions, leader Xi Jinping vowed Tuesday, as US climate envoy John Kerry called for faster action to confront the climate crisis in a high-profile visit to Beijing. Xi told a national conference on environmental protection that China’s commitment to its

By Kocha Olarn and Duarte Mendonca, CNN (CNN) — Thailand’s parliament blocked the prime ministerial nomination of the winner of May’s nationwide elections, Pita Limjaroenrat, on Wednesday, a blow to his progressive opposition party after nearly a decade of military-backed rule. Out of the 715 members of parliament present, 395 voted to block the second

By Brad Lendon, CNN Seoul, South Korea (CNN) — For the first time in decades a US soldier is believed to be in North Korean custody. That is a scenario that could cause a diplomatic headache for the United States while it, alongside ally South Korea, tries to keep pressure on Pyongyang as the isolated

By Heather Chen and Sugam Pokharel, CNN (CNN) — Devastating floods causing havoc across northern India have reached the iconic Taj Mahal in a rare event that experts warn could become a regular occurrence as the climate crisis brings ever more extreme weather. Floodwaters from the Yamuna River lapped at the compound walls of the

By Marc Stewart, Yoonjung Seo and Mohammed Tawfeeq, CNN Tokyo (CNN) — North Korea has launched two short-range ballistic missiles, which landed in the sea between the Korean Peninsula and Japan, according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). The missiles were launched from North Korea’s Sunan area, JCS said, and were fired in

By Haley Britzky, Natasha Bertrand, Gawon Bae, Brad Lendon, Rob Picheta, Kevin Liptak, Oren Liebermann and Simone McCarthy, CNN Seoul, South Korea (CNN) — The US Army has identified a soldier who crossed the demarcation line into North Korea as Pvt. Travis King, a cavalry scout who joined the military in January 2021. King had

By Brad Lendon, Yoonjung Seo and Gawon Bae, CNN Seoul, South Korea (CNN) — For the first time in decades, a nuclear capable US Navy ballistic missile submarine has made a port call in South Korea, in a move that comes just days after North Korea test-fired what it said was a solid-fueled intercontinental ballistic

By Kathleen Magramo, CNN (CNN) — The International Criminal Court (ICC) on Tuesday rejected an appeal by the Philippine government to block an investigation by prosecutors into former President Rodrigo Duterte’s bloody “war on drugs.” ICC Judge Marc Perrin de Brichambaut said the dismissal by the Hague-based court means the Philippines has exhausted its options

By Heather Chen, CNN Hong Kong (CNN) — The world’s largest and most populous continent is reckoning with the deadly effects of extreme summer weather, as countries endure blistering heatwaves and record monsoon rainfall, with governments warning residents to prepare for more to come. This month torrential rains inundated parts of Japan, China, South Korea

By Nectar Gan, CNN Hong Kong (CNN) — China’s Foreign Minister Qin Gang has not been seen in public for three weeks, an unusually long absence during a busy period of diplomatic activity in Beijing, sparking intense speculation in a country known for its political opaqueness. Qin, 57, a career diplomat and trusted aide of

By Brad Lendon, CNN (CNN) — A record 16 Chinese warships were spotted in waters around Taiwan in a 24-hour period late last week, the island’s Defense Ministry reported, in what analysts said was the latest sign of an intimidation campaign against Taipei by China’s ruling Communist Party. The People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) activity

By Jessie Yeung and Yoonjung Seo, CNN Seoul, South Korea (CNN) — Before she left North Korea, the woman known as “C” had caught glimpses of life across the border through smuggled television shows. People caught with foreign materials like books and movies, which are banned in the hermit nation, can face severe punishment. But

By Irene Nasser, Chris Lau and Jake Kwon, CNN Hong Kong (CNN) — Twenty six people have died and thousands have evacuated their homes in South Korea due to torrential rain that has caused landslides and flash floods. Ten others remain missing, according to the country’s Ministry of the Interior and Safety, while nine have

By Jessie Yeung and Candice Zhu, CNN Hong Kong (CNN) — Chinese officials on Wednesday unveiled new details about their plans for a manned lunar mission, as China attempts to become only the second nation to put citizens on the moon. Zhang Hailian, deputy chief engineer with the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA), revealed the

By Helen Regan and Kocha Olarn, CNN (CNN) — The sole nominee to be the next prime minister of Thailand failed to secure enough parliamentary votes to form a government Thursday, a set back for the future of democracy in the country following nearly a decade of turbulent military-backed rule. The vote was seen as

By Brad Lendon and Jessie Yeung, CNN (CNN) — North Korea fired what it said was a solid-fueled intercontinental ballistic missile on Wednesday, just days after Pyongyang threatened to shoot down US military reconnaissance planes flying over nearby waters. The launch follows several other recent tests of North Korea’s intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM), which have

By Emiko Jozuka and Jessie Yeung, CNN Tokyo (CNN) — Japan’s Supreme Court handed down a landmark decision on Tuesday, ruling against a government agency that had barred a transgender employee from using the women’s bathroom, according to public broadcaster NHK. The decision was the top court’s first ruling involving the rights of sexual minorities

By Brad Lendon and Yoonjung Seo, CNN Seoul, South Korea (CNN) — North Korea said that the intercontinental ballistic missile it launched on Wednesday, which flew for more than 70 minutes, was a Hwasong-18, marking a potential new round of confrontation with Washington and its allies. The 74-minute flight time represents a marginal advancement on

By Manveena Suri and Amarachi Orie, CNN (CNN) — Six people have died in a helicopter crash in Nepal, a spokesperson for Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport said Tuesday. The Manang Air helicopter was carrying five Mexican passengers and a Nepali pilot, Teknath Sitoula told CNN. Reuters reported that Manang Air caters to tourists wanting a

By Kocha Olarn, Jake Kwon and Helen Regan, CNN (CNN) — Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha will not seek re-election and will retire from politics, his party said Tuesday. The announcement came two days before Thailand’s parliament was set to vote for a new prime minister following a May election that saw Thais overwhelmingly reject

By Sophie Jeong, CNN (CNN) — Hawaiian pro surfer Mikala Jones has died at the age of 44 following an accident while surfing in Indonesia’s Mentawai Islands on Sunday. Jones was known throughout the surfing world for his mesmerizing videos captured while riding inside of breaking waves, offering a unique first person perspective into the

By Jessie Yeung and CNN’s Beijing bureau (CNN) — Six people have been killed and one injured in an early morning knife attack outside a kindergarten in southern China, according to Lianjiang city police and Chinese state-run media. The incident took place around 7:40 a.m. on Monday in Hengshan town within Lianjiang, in Guangdong province,

By Emiko Jozuka, Marc Stewart, Junko Ogura, Moeri Karasawa and Daniel Campisi, CNN Tokyo (CNN) — Rina Gonoi is a fighter. As a former soldier, as a judo practitioner, and as a woman battling on behalf of all women to bring those who sexually abused her to account. When Gonoi served in Japan’s Self-Defense Force

By Chris Lau, CNN Hong Kong (CNN) — A restaurant in China that challenged its customers to eat more than 100 dumplings in return for a free meal has fallen foul of authorities, who are investigating whether it has violated the country’s anti-food waste law. Local authorities in Yibin city in the southwestern province of

CNN Editorial Research (CNN) — Here’s a look at the life of Jacinda Ardern, former prime minister of New Zealand. Personal Birth date: July 26, 1980 Birth place: Hamilton, New Zealand Birth name: Jacinda Kate Laurell Ardern Father: Ross Ardern, police officer Mother: Laurell Ardern, school cook Children: with Clarke Gayford: Neve Te Aroha Education:

By Helen Regan and Su Myat Mon, CNN (CNN) — The International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor told CNN Friday that efforts to bring justice for the Rohingya must be accelerated and the world cannot look away from the ongoing crisis. Chief prosecutor Karim Khan visited Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, for four days this week to hear

By Nectar Gan, CNN Hong Kong (CNN) — Beijing’s temperature soared past 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) again Thursday, as the Chinese capital grapples with what is shaping up to be one the most severe heat waves on record. Since 1951, Beijing has seen temperatures rising above 40C (104F) on 11 days – and

By Jessie Yeung, Marc Stewart and Emiko Jozuka, CNN Tokyo (CNN) — Japan’s plan to release treated radioactive water into the ocean is safe and there is no better option to deal with the massive buildup of wastewater collected since the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, the head of the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog told CNN.

By Nectar Gan, CNN (CNN) — A Chinese nationalist pundit known for his inflammatory criticism of the United States has attracted ridicule online after he was shown attending a party celebrating Independence Day at the US Embassy in Beijing – and apparently having a great time while there. Sima Nan, a 67-year-old blogger, rode the

By Chris Lau, CNN Hong Kong (CNN) — Hong Kong police have arrested five people on suspicion of financially aiding activists abroad, just days after they offered bounties for information leading to the arrest of eight pro-democracy figures living in self-imposed exile. Four, ages 26 to 28, were arrested on Wednesday for conspiracy to collude

By Nectar Gan and Candice Zhu, CNN Hong Kong (CNN) — Police in China have detained a college graduate suspected of stealing university data to create a website rating the attractiveness of his fellow students. The 25-year-old, identified by police by his surname Ma, is a graduate of the prestigious Renmin University in Beijing, according

By Hilary Whiteman, CNN (CNN) — Beauty salons in Afghanistan have been given one month to close as the country’s Taliban leaders extend their repressive rule over women, who are already largely confined to their homes with bans on most work and study. Mohammad Sidik Akif Mahajar, a spokesman for the Ministry for the Propagation

By Jessie Yeung, Wayne Chang and CNN’s Beijing bureau (CNN) — Torrential downpours and flooding have killed at least 15 people and four others remain missing in Chongqing, southwest China, state-run news agency Xinhua reported Wednesday, citing local authorities. The deaths have been recorded since Monday as heavy rains have battered southwest China, prompting four

By Jessie Yeung, Mayumi Maruyama and Emiko Jozuka, CNN (CNN) — Japan will soon begin releasing treated radioactive water into the ocean following approval from the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog for a controversial plan that comes 12 years after the Fukushima nuclear meltdown. The plan to release treated wastewater has been in the works for

By Simone McCarthy, Rhea Mogul, Nectar Gan and Alex Stambaugh, CNN Hong Kong (CNN) — Vladimir Putin sought to project an image of strength in front of a virtual gathering of Moscow-friendly leaders on Tuesday, in what was the Russian leader’s first appearance on the world stage since he faced an armed insurrection late last

By Nectar Gan, CNN Hong Kong (CNN) — China’s top diplomat has urged Japan and South Korea to foster a sense of “strategic autonomy” from the West and cooperate with Beijing to “revitalize Asia,” amid rising tensions between China and the two neighboring American allies. The comments by Wang Yi on Monday come as Japan

By Brad Lendon, CNN (CNN) — Final Jeopardy category: the American Revolutionary War. The answer is: The last battle of America’s war of independence was fought on this continent. Cue the familiar music, and write down your response. If you said “What is North America?” and wagered your entire pot, you’ve lost. At least that’s

By Nectar Gan and Jessie Yeung, CNN Hong Kong (CNN) — Hong Kong police on Monday placed HK$1 million ($127,603) bounties on eight prominent democracy activists in self-imposed exile, in a move strongly condemned by rights groups and Western governments. The activists, including former lawmakers Nathan Law, Dennis Kwok and Ted Hui, have been accused

By Asim Khan and Rhea Mogul, CNN Quetta, Balochistan (CNN) — Police in Pakistan are searching for 13 prisoners who broke out of a jail in the country’s southwestern province of Balochistan last week, in a dramatic and deadly escape that saw one inmate killed. Seventeen prisoners turned on their guards after they were taken

By Simone McCarthy, CNN Hong Kong (CNN) — He Jiankui, the Chinese scientist who sparked global outrage in 2018 when he revealed that he had created the first gene-edited children, has put forward a new proposal for modifying human embryos that he claims could help aid the “aging population.” He, who in 2019 was sentenced

By Nectar Gan, CNN Hong Kong (CNN) — China has registered the highest number of hot days over six months since records began, according to authorities, as the country confronts another record-breaking summer of blistering heat. In the first half of this year, China saw an average of 4.1 high temperature days where the maximum

By Jessie Yeung and Yoonjung Seo, CNN Seoul, South Korea (CNN) — Raising a child in South Korea is no easy task. By the time their toddlers can walk, many parents have already begun scouting out elite private preschools. Their goal? That by the time these toddlers turn 18 they will have grown into students

By Chris Lau, CNN Hong Kong (CNN) — An explosion at a chemical plant in Southeast China on Saturday sent huge billows of thick black smoke into the air. The blast took place at a plant owned by the silicon oil production company Jiangxi QianTai New Materials at around noon in the city of Guixi,

By Sandi Sidhu, CNN Hong Kong (CNN) — At least 25 people have been killed after a bus carrying a wedding party burst into flames after crashing in India’s western state of Maharashtra on Saturday. Baburao Mahamuni, Deputy Superintendent of Police in Buldhana, said the incident had taken place on the Samruddhi Mahamarg expressway, CNN’s

By Nectar Gan, CNN Hong Kong (CNN) — A series of high-profile domestic violence cases in China, including a killing carried out in broad daylight that was captured on video and circulated widely on social media, has sparked outrage – and reignited a debate among young people about the pitfalls of marriage. The killing in

By Kocha Olarn, Alex Stambaugh and Chris Lau, CNN Bangkok, Thailand (CNN) — A 57-year-old Thai woman had to have her leg amputated after she got caught up in a moving walkway at an international airport in Bangkok on Thursday in a freak accident that has yet to be fully explained by authorities. Don Mueang

By Caolán Magee, CNN (CNN) — China is on track to double its wind and solar energy capacity and hit its 2030 clean energy targets five years early, a new report has found. The country is expected to produce 1,200 gigwatts of solar and wind power by 2025 if all prospective plants are built and

By Simone McCarthy, CNN Hong Kong (CNN) — China has unveiled a sweeping foreign relations law enshrining its right to impose “countermeasures” against actions that it deems a threat – in Beijing’s latest bid to bolster its position amid strained relations with the West. The law, approved on Wednesday and entering into force July 1,

By Su Myat Mon and Helen Regan, CNN (CNN) — Ma Khin Hla and her five siblings didn’t have time to run when a fighter jet buzzed over their village in Myanmar’s central Sagaing region. “We six siblings were sitting and talking at home as our brother monk was visiting us from town,” said Ma

By Helen Regan and Kocha Olarn, CNN Bangkok, Thailand (CNN) — A Thai court on Wednesday acquitted five activists accused of obstructing the Queen’s motorcade at a protest in 2020, in a landmark judgment that ended the prospect of more severe punishment nearly three years after rare calls for reform of the powerful monarchy erupted

By Angus Watson, CNN Sydney (CNN) — An Australian physical education teacher who murdered his wife so he could start a new life with a teenage student has been found guilty of sexual abuse. Judge Sarah Huggett of the Sydney Downing Centre District Court on Wednesday convicted Chris Dawson on a charge of “carnal knowledge

By Reuters and Laura Paddison, CNN Climate change may have stimulated a plankton bloom that caused thousands of dead fish to wash up along a roughly 4 kilometer (2.5 mile) stretch of beach in Thailand’s southern Chumphon province on Thursday, an expert said. Thon Thamrongnawasawat, deputy dean of the Faculty of Fisheries at Kasetsart University,