CNN – Asia/Pacific

CNN’s Beijing bureau China reported thousands of new local Covid-19 cases Sunday as the Omicron variant drove the worst outbreak in the country since Wuhan in early 2020, according to the National Health Commission (NHC). Health officials said 2,125 cases were reported across 58 cities in 19 of 31 mainland provinces, marking the fourth consecutive

By Jessie Yeung and CNN’s Beijing bureau China is fighting its biggest Covid-19 outbreak since the early days of the pandemic, with discontent spreading on social media after one university cluster left students reportedly without access to bathrooms or drinking water. The country reported 1,100 new locally-transmitted cases on Thursday — which, though nowhere near

By Rhea Mogul, Swati Gupta, Vedika Sud and Esha Mitra, CNN India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has claimed victory in four key state elections including the country’s most populous state, consolidating support for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his party’s Hindu nationalist agenda. The party won a clear majority in the most populous state

By Jessie Yeung, Yoonjung Seo and Paula Hancocks, CNN South Korea’s new president is taking power at a turbulent time for the country and the path he carves could shake up the region. Conservative Yoon Suk Yeol of the People Power Party secured the election by a razor-thin margin Wednesday, pulling ahead of rival Lee

By Simone McCarthy and CNN’s Beijing Bureau In public statements and at international summits, Chinese officials have attempted to stake out a seemingly neutral position on the war in Ukraine, neither condemning Russian actions nor ruling out the possibility Beijing could act as a mediator in a push for peace. But while its international messaging

By Yoonjung Seo and Julia Hollingsworth, CNN A furious crowd gathered in central Seoul last month to protest against the policies of a man who isn’t even in power. Waving signs and wearing white sashes emblazoned with the words “Vote for Women,” they accused presidential candidate Yoon Suk Yeol of attempting to appeal to anti-feminists

From CNN’s Beijing bureau President Xi Jinping said Tuesday that China is willing to “work actively” with the international community to mediate the war in Ukraine, but did not offer details and reiterated his opposition to Western sanctions against Russia. During a virtual call with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron, Xi

By Brad Lendon, CNN China is closely watching the events in Ukraine to evaluate its own strategy towards Taiwan, the island’s foreign minister has warned. “When we watch the events in Ukraine evolving … we are also watching very carefully what China may do to Taiwan,” Joseph Wu said during a press conference Monday. Some

By Simone McCarthy, Brad Lendon, Rhea Mogul and Julia Hollingsworth, CNN India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi called him a “dear friend.” Chinese leader Xi Jinping went a step further, calling him his “best and bosom friend.” But Russian strongman Vladimir Putin’s unprovoked assault on Ukraine has thrown Russia’s previously warm relations with the Asian powers

By Julia Hollingsworth, Wayne Chang, Elizabeth Yee, Ivan Watson and Teele Rebane, CNN Morgues are nearly at capacity, hospitals overwhelmed and, as fears grow of a citywide lockdown, panicked shoppers have stripped supermarket shelves bare. Hong Kong — once lauded as a zero-Covid success story — is now battling a deadly outbreak reminiscent of the

By Yoonjung Seo, Junko Ogura and Jessie Yeung, CNN North Korea fired a single ballistic missile into waters off the east of the Korean Peninsula on Saturday, according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), the country’s ninth such test of the year. “The South Korean military is maintaining a readiness posture by monitoring

By Brad Lendon, Emiko Jozuka, Yoonjung Seo and Gawon Bae, CNN North Korea launched a ballistic missile off the east coast of the Korean Peninsula on Sunday, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said. The missile was fired from the Sunan area of North Korea at around 7.52 a.m. local time, the Joint Chiefs said.

By Simone McCarthy and CNN’s Beijing bureau As Russian missiles flew through the Ukrainian sky Thursday and world leaders decried an invasion spreading across the country, China refused to condemn Russia’s move outright, while appearing to levy blame on the United States and its allies. Beijing finds itself in a complex position as Russia’s invasion

By Sophia Saifi, Azaz Syed and Rhea Mogul, CNN A Pakistan man has been found guilty of murdering the daughter of a distinguished diplomat in a brutal beheading case that sparked renewed calls for better protection of domestic violence victims. An Islamabad judge sentenced Zahir Jaffer to death Thursday for killing Noor Mukadam, 27, last

By Kristie Lu Stout, Jadyn Sham, Rhea Mogul, Teele Rebane and Lizzy Yee, CNN Fighting back tears, Laura and Nick struggle to comfort their sobbing 11-month-old daughter, Ava, through a phone screen. “Bubba, we love you…we’re going to come and get you darling. We will,” Laura says, in a video of a phone call with

By Simone McCarthy, CNN China’s envoy to the United Nations on Monday called for “all parties” to exercise restraint and avoid “fueling tensions” in Ukraine, but stopped short of condemning the Kremlin’s recognition of independence for two pro-Moscow regions in the east of the country. Beijing is navigating a complex position as the crisis in

By Brad Lendon, CNN Australia is demanding China investigate the alleged use of a laser to “illuminate” an Australian jet in waters off the country’s north coast in an incident that threatens to worsen relations between the two countries. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Monday he’d called on the Chinese government to explain the “dangerous”

By Angus Watson and Brad Lendon, CNN A Chinese warship allegedly used a laser to “illuminate” an Australian Air Force jet in what Canberra called a “serious safety incident” in a statement released on Saturday. “Acts like this have the potential to endanger lives,” the statement from the Australian Defence Force said, adding it strongly

By Yoonjung Seo and Julia Hollingsworth, CNN He risked his life fleeing from one of the world’s most repressive regimes, traversing a militarized stretch protected by barbed wire fences. Then a year later, he went back — the way he came. More than one month since the man crossed the demilitarized zone from South to

By Selina Wang, CNN Two months ago, I called my grandma to tell her I’d be in Beijing for the Winter Olympics. She was thrilled. But I explained that even though we’d be in the same city, I wouldn’t be able to see her. I’d be in a strict bubble, separate from the rest of

By Sophia Saifi, Azaz Syed and Rhea Mogul, CNN The brother of murdered social media star Qandeel Baloch has been freed by a Pakistan appeals court, three years after he was convicted of killing her for “bringing dishonor” to the family. Baloch’s murder in 2016 sparked a national outcry and promoted changes in the country’s

CNN Editorial Research Here’s a look at the life of Emperor Naruhito of Japan, the 126th Emperor to ascend to Japan’s Chrysanthemum Throne. Personal Birth date: February 23, 1960 Birth place: Tokyo, Japan Previous name: Hironomiya Naruhito Father: Emperor Emeritus Akihito Mother: Empress Emerita Michiko Marriage: Masako Owada (June 9, 1993-present) Children: Princess Aiko Education:

By Jeevan Ravindran, CNN New Zealand has employed an unusual tactic to disperse “Freedom Convoy” protesters on Sunday — playing the hit songs of Barry Manilow and James Blunt, as well as the Spanish dance track “Macarena” by the band Los del Río. The so-called “Freedom Convoy” rallies in several parts of the globe follow

By CNN staff In the span of a week, three American-born athletes of Chinese descent have been thrust into the spotlight at the Beijing Winter Olympics — to very different reactions in China. All three were trained in the United States and are only a few years apart in age, but their paths diverged on

By Nick Paton Walsh, Sandi Sidhu, Julia Hollingsworth, Masoud Popalzai, Sitara Zamani, Abdul Basir Bina, Katie Polglase and Gianluca Mezzofiore, CNN Newly released testimony from US military survivors of the August 26 attack at Kabul airport has cast doubt on the findings of the Pentagon’s investigation into the incident, which concluded that nobody was hit

By Philip Wang The United States has approved the possible sale to Taiwan of military equipment and services, including engineering services to support the Patriot missile defense system, for an estimated cost of $100 million, according to a statement released Monday by the Defense Department. The Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United

By Simone McCarthy and Hannah Ritchie, CNN Weeks-long isolation, repeat stints in quarantine and sub-par meals — these are conditions that some Olympic athletes snared in Beijing’s stringent system for controlling Covid-19 say they are contending with, and some are pushing back. Finnish ice hockey head coach Jukka Jalonen on Sunday accused China of “not

By Brad Lendon and Ivan Watson, CNN A video posted on social media over the weekend shows the stealth fighter that crashed on a US Navy aircraft carrier last month bursting into flames as it strikes the flight deck of the massive warship. The F-35C, the newest fighter in the Navy fleet, is seen on

By Simone McCarthy and Hannah Ritchie, CNN Olympic officials met with Chinese tennis superstar Peng Shuai over dinner on Saturday, the International Olympic Committee said — following through on a promise to hold a meeting with the athlete who has been at the center of international concern. The dinner, held on the sidelines of the

By Jessie Yeung, CNN At this year’s Beijing Winter Olympics, the face of China’s sporting dreams is undeniably American. Freestyle skier Eileen Gu’s rise to the top has been meteoric — and her popularity in China has exploded in the lead-up to the Games. “Snow princess Gu Ailing set to shine at home Olympics,” read

By Rhea Mogul, CNN Marc Lourdes, a former director of CNN Digital Worldwide for Asia-Pacific, died tragically in a motorcycle accident in Malaysia on Saturday. He was 40. Lourdes joined CNN’s Hong Kong newsroom in 2016 and soon became a valued leader and friend to colleagues across the region. He mentored many young journalists, pushing

By Nectar Gan, CNN The ice rinks have been smoothed out, the brown mountain slopes draped with artificial snow. The Olympic flame has made its final journey to the heart of Beijing, lighting up the night sky. Defying a raging pandemic and months of international controversy, the 2022 Winter Olympics officially opened as scheduled in

By Simone McCarthy and Rhea Mogul, CNN India on Thursday announced a diplomatic boycott of the Winter Olympics in Beijing after a commander involved in 2020 border clashes between the two countries appeared as an Olympic torchbearer in the customary torch relay leading up to the Games. The last-minute boycott, which will see India’s top

By Ehsan Popalzai and Hande Atay Alam, CNN Afghanistan’s public universities opened on Wednesday with female students allowed back on campus for the first time since the Taliban took over the country last year. The Taliban administration has not officially announced its plan for female university students, but education officials said women were permitted to

By Simone McCarthy, CNN When China’s leader Xi Jinping opens the Beijing Olympics on Friday he will be flanked by leaders who are unlikely to quell the chorus of concerns these Games are bolstering an authoritarian regime. Of the just over 20 presidents, prime ministers, heads of state and royalty set to attend the Opening

By Akanksha Sharma, CNN New Zealand’s Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern has entered self-isolation until Tuesday after being deemed a close contact of a positive Covid-19 case. “The exposure event took place on Saturday 22 January during flight NZ8273 from Kerikeri to Auckland,” the New Zealand government said in a press release Saturday. The statement added

By Brad Lendon, Gawon Bae, Junko Ogura and Barbara Starr, CNN North Korea fired what is presumed to be its longest range ballistic missile since 2017 on Sunday, an escalation of its weapons program and a possible sign of larger tests to come, according to South Korea’s President. Both the South Korean and Japanese governments

By David Culver and CNN staff China has touted its newly completed Olympic ski venue as an example of its commitment to making the Beijing Games the greenest and cleanest in history. But there’s just one problem — it was built in the middle of a nature reserve. Chinese organizers say the National Alpine Ski

By Brad Lendon, CNN Images have emerged of a US Navy F-35C stealth fighter crashing into the South China Sea earlier this week. The F-35C, a single-engine stealth fighter and the newest jet in the US Navy fleet, crash-landed on the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson during routine operations on Monday, the Navy said. The

By Jessie Yeung, Steven Jiang, David Culver and Jennifer Hansler, CNN The US diplomatic mission in China has formally requested the State Department grant American diplomats “authorized departure,” allowing them and their families to leave the country amid increasingly strict Covid-19 containment measures, according to two sources familiar with the matter. The request has not

By Brad Lendon, CNN The United States Navy is trying to retrieve its most advanced fighter jet from the depths of the South China Sea, an extremely complex operation that analysts say will be closely monitored by Beijing. The F-35C, a single-engine stealth fighter and the newest jet in the US Navy fleet, crash-landed on

By Rhea Mogul, CNN More than 20 Covid-19 cases have been identified aboard an Australian navy ship sailing to disaster-hit Tonga, complicating aid efforts to the virus-free Pacific island nation as Japan halted its relief mission due to a separate outbreak among crew members. Tonga has only reported a single coronavirus case since the start

By Yoonjung Seo, CNN North Korea fired two cruise missiles on Tuesday morning, according to the South Korean military. The launch is being analyzed by the intelligence authorities of South Korea and the United States. It comes as North Korea has ramped up its missile tests this month, saying it will bolster its defenses against

By Rhea Mogul and Alex Stambaugh, CNN The eruption this month of an underwater volcano near Tonga was hundreds of times more powerful than the Hiroshima atomic bomb, according to NASA. Jim Garvin, chief scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, said the eruption of the Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha’apai volcano on January 15 released “hundreds of times

By Jessie Yeung and CNN’s Beijing Bureau Dozens of Chinese officials have been punished over their response to devastating floods that killed hundreds last July, after a government investigation found authorities had under-reported deaths and deliberately withheld information. The flooding in the city of Zhengzhou, capital of central Henan province, left 398 people dead or

By Eric Cheung and Brad Lendon, CNN China sent 39 warplanes into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ) on Sunday, Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said, the largest such incursion this year. The flights by the People’s Liberation Army aircraft came a day after the United States and Japanese navies put on a massive show of force

By Philip Wang, CNN New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Sunday revealed she has canceled her wedding as the country continues to curb a new wave of Omicron cases. Speaking at a regular Covid-19 news conference, Ardern said health authorities have reported nine Omicron cases in Motueka in a single-family household. The family traveled

By Brad Lendon, CNN A United States Navy guided missile destroyer challenged Chinese claims of sovereignty in and around islands in the South China Sea on Thursday, with a Navy statement saying such claims violate international law and “pose a serious threat to the freedom of the seas.” The USS Benfold sailed around the Paracel

By Rhea Mogul, Jake Kwon, Sophie Jeong and Alex Stambaugh, CNN The first contactless aid flights arrived in disaster-hit Tonga on Thursday, as the coronavirus-free Pacific island nation takes precautions to keep the virus out of its borders in the wake of a devastating volcanic eruption and tsunami. Flights from Australia and New Zealand carrying

By Katie Hunt, CNN A previously unknown type of tarantula has been discovered in Thailand, and it lives exclusively in the hollowed stems of bamboo plants, surprising scientists. “These animals are truly remarkable; they are the first known tarantulas ever with a bamboo-based ecology,” said Narin Chomphuphuang, a researcher at Khon Kaen University’s department of

By Rhea Mogul, Teele Rebane and Eric Cheung, CNN A massive volcanic eruption and tsunami near Tonga caused “an unprecedented disaster,” the Pacific nation’s leader said Tuesday, as New Zealand warned of further eruptions that may complicate the delivery of aid to remote islands where communications are down. In its first official update since Saturday’s

By Rhea Mogul, Eric Cheung, Akanksha Sharma and Teele Rebane CNN A thick layer of ash covering entire island communities can be seen in the first images of disaster-hit Tonga to emerge following what experts believe to be the world’s biggest volcanic eruption in more than 30 years. Aerial photos released by the New Zealand