CNN – Asia/Pacific

By Tara John, Nectar Gan and Steve George, CNN A London-based independent tribunal has ruled that China committed genocide against Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities in its western Xinjiang region, accusing China’s senior leadership including President Xi Jinping of “primary responsibility” for acts perpetrated against Muslim minority groups. “The tribunal is satisfied that the PRC

CNN Editorial Research Here is a look at the life of Hu Jintao, former president of the People’s Republic of China. Personal Birth date: December 21, 1942 Birth place: Jixi, Anhui Province, China Birth name: Hu Jintao Father: Hu Jingzhi, a merchant Mother: Li Wenrui Marriage: Liu Yongqing Children: Hu Haifeng; Hu Haiqing Education: Tsinghua

By Angela Dewan and Masrur Jamaluddin, CNN Indonesians are used to dealing with natural disasters. Their country sits on the Ring of Fire, a band around the Pacific Ocean that sets off frequent earthquakes and volcanic activity. But Mount Semeru’s eruption on the island of Java Saturday was different. Days of heavy rain had gradually

By Cheryl Ho, CNN A couple in southern China were reunited with their missing teenage son in an emotional ceremony on Monday, ending their 14-year-search which inspired a hit movie. Sun Zhuo, 18, was abducted in the city of Shenzhen in 2007 at age 4, but his parents never gave up hope they would see

By Nectar Gan, CNN China has threatened the Biden administration with retaliation over its decision to impose a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, warning the move could harm bilateral relations. The Biden administration said Monday it would not send an official United States delegation to the Beijing Winter Games as a

By Masrur Jamaluddin, Mochamad Andri and Rhea Mogul, CNN Rescue workers in Indonesia continued to dig through thick layers of hot ash and debris Tuesday to find survivors of a volcanic eruption that left dozens of people dead and thousands displaced in the country’s East Java province, even as the volcano continued to erupt ash.

By Helen Regan, CNN Myanmar’s deposed civilian leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, faces two years in jail after her sentence was halved by the country’s military, state media MRTV reported on Monday. Earlier in the day, Suu Kyi was sentenced to four years in prison on charges of incitement and breaking Covid-19 rules, in the

By Helen Regan, CNN Little is known about the potential dangers posed by the Omicron coronavirus variant but concern over its spread is already threatening to wreck reopening plans in Asia-Pacific. After more than 20 months of strict border controls and restrictions on daily life, many countries in the region had tentatively started to loosen

By Pierre Meilhan and Cape Diamond, CNN At least five people were killed in Myanmar when a vehicle plowed into anti-junta protesters this weekend, according to local media. The attack took place in a Yangon township, news outlet Myanmar Now reported Sunday, citing protesters and eyewitnesses. One reporter who witnessed the incident told CNN that

By Greg Clary, CNN More than 20 countries, including the United States, issued a joint statement Saturday expressing deep concern over allegations of extra-judicial killings and disappearances of former member of former security forces in Afghanistan. The statement comes after a report was released by Human Rights Watch on Tuesday alleging more than a hundred

By Emiko Jozuka, CNN As a child, Wishma Rathnayake was fascinated with “Oshin,” a popular 1980s’ television drama about a young girl who rises from poverty to head a Japanese supermarket chain. Urged by her father to emulate her hero, Rathnayake started learning Japanese with a dream of one day moving to Japan from the

By Masrur Jamaluddin and Radina Gigova, CNN At least 14 people are dead and hundreds are displaced after Mount Semeru, a volcano in Indonesia’s East Java province, erupted on Saturday, authorities said. Indonesia’s National Board for Disaster Management (BNPB) said in a statement Sunday the eruption had wounded 56 others, with 35 people in serious

By Radina Gigova and Rob Picheta, CNN The Taliban executed dozens of members of the Afghan security forces after they surrendered following the militants’ seizure of Afghanistan in late summer, new research released by Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Tuesday alleges. The HRW report detailed “the summary execution or enforced disappearance” of 47 former members

By Cheryl Ho, CNN A North Korean defector who escaped from prison in northeast China has been recaptured by authorities, after more than 40 days on the run in the biting winter cold. The 39-year-old, identified by Chinese authorities as Zhu Xianjian, was just two years short of completing his sentence, when he staged an

By Kara Fox, CNN Tropical cyclones in Asia could have double the destructive power by the end of the century, according to new research, as scientists say the human-made climate crisis is already making them stronger. Using data from nearly four decades from 1979 to 2016, researchers found that the destructive power of tropical cyclones

By Wayne Chang and Jonny Hallam, CNN Three charred bodies have been found in a burned out building in the Chinatown district of the Solomon Islands’ capital, Honiara — the first reported fatalities after three days of violent protests that saw more than 100 people arrested. Police are investigating the cause of their death and

By Elizabeth Osifelo, Helen Regan, Lizzy Yee and Teele Rebane, CNN The Solomon Islands government has declared a nightly curfew and advised all public servants to stay at home as violent protests continued for a third day on Friday, with crowds gathering at the Prime Minister’s residence. Honiara, the Solomon Islands capital, has been hit

By Nectar Gan and Steve George, CNN Before retiring as vice premier, Zhang Gaoli was the face of China’s organizing efforts ahead of the 2022 Winter Olympics. As the head of a government working group on the Beijing Games, Zhang inspected venue construction sites, visited athletes, unveiled official emblems, and held meeting after meeting to

By Helen Regan, CNN China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Tuesday the government hoped “malicious speculation” about tennis star Peng Shuai’s well-being and whereabouts would stop, and that her case should not be politicized. Zhao Lijian, spokesperson for China’s Foreign Ministry, declined to comment on whether the Chinese government will launch an investigation into

By Wayne Chang, CNN Three construction workers have died after scaffolding collapsed in northern Taiwan on Saturday, Taiwan’s official Central News Agency (CNA) reported. The incident, which left two others injured with leg fractures, occurred at a metro construction site in Sanxia, New Taipei City, according to CNA. The report did not say what caused

By Esha Mitra, CNN Photographs by Saumya Khandelwal for CNN The Child Marriage Restraint Act (CMRA) of 1929 set out to “eradicate the evil of child marriage” in India. Almost a century later, the south Asian nation remains home to a third of the world’s child brides. As of 2017, 223 million girls and women

By Eric Cheung and Will Ripley, CNN Taiwan on Thursday showed off its newest military hardware — upgraded F-16 fighter jets that would be at the heart of the island’s defense in the event of an air attack from China. The F-16s screamed across the sky at Chiayi Air Base on the island’s southwestern coast

By Erin Burnett, Rhea Mogul, Helen Regan and Nectar Gan, CNN China is facing pressure from the United Nations over Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai’s whereabouts as the organization called for an investigation into her allegations of sexual assault. Peng, who is one of China’s most recognizable sports stars, has not been seen in public

By Sophia Saifi, CNN Sex offenders convicted of multiple rapes could face chemical castration in Pakistan after lawmakers on Wednesday passed new anti-rape legislation that aims to speed up convictions and impose tougher sentences. It comes in response to a mass public outcry over a recent surge in rapes against women and children in the

By Rhea Mogul and Nectar Gan, CNN The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) on Sunday called on the Chinese government to investigate allegations of sexual assault made by Peng Shuai against a former state leader, insisting the former top-ranked doubles player should be “heard, not censored.” Peng, one of China’s most recognizable tennis stars, accused former

CNN Editorial Research Here’s a look at the 2008 terror attacks in Mumbai, India, which took place November 26-29, 2008. Facts Ten Pakistani men associated with the terror group Lashkar-e-Tayyiba stormed buildings in Mumbai, killing 164 people. Nine of the gunmen were killed during the attacks, one survived. Mohammed Ajmal Kasab, the lone surviving gunman,

By Arpit Goel and Ally Barnard, CNN Schools in India’s capital Delhi — often ranked as one of the world’s most polluted capitals — will be physically closed for a week from Monday as severe air pollution blankets the city, the chief minister of the National Capital Territory of Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal, said Saturday. “Virtual

By Chandler Thornton and Jinky Jorgio, CNN Sara Duterte-Carpio, the eldest daughter of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, filed her candidacy for vice president on Saturday, according to a party statement. Duterte-Carpio, 43, who replaced her father as mayor of Davao City and belongs to a different political party, had previously given mixed messages about running,

By Ehsan Popalzai, CNN An explosion took place during Friday prayers inside a mosque in eastern Afghanistan, a local journalist told CNN on Friday. Security officials said at least 15 people including the mullah of the mosque were wounded in the blast, which occurred in the Spin Ghar district of Nangarhar province, the journalist said.

By Amy Woodyatt, CNN New Zealand’s Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, was faced with unexpected comments as she addressed the nation — not from the opposition, or from an angry citizen, but from her daughter, who interrupted her during a Facebook livestream. Ardern was midway through updating viewers on the country’s Covid-19 response when she was

By David Culver, Yong Xiong and Nectar Gan, CNN China is ready to manage differences with the United States, the country’s leader Xi Jinping said on Tuesday, ahead of a planned virtual meeting with US President Joe Biden. The meeting, the first since Biden became President earlier this year, will be held as early as

By Katie Hunt, CNN When a pack of giant hornets attacks a honeybee hive, the slaughter is brutal and quick. They descend en masse after a scout has identified the target hive, killing the defending adult bees, occupying their nest and harvesting the bees’ brood to feed to their own young. The marauders can decimate

By Ben Westcott, CNN A new Chinese aircraft carrier with technology nearly equaling the capabilities of its US counterparts could be launched as soon as February next year, according to an analysis of satellite imagery by a Washington-based think tank. In images provided by Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), the carrier — known

By Sophia Saifi and Helen Regan, CNN The Pakistani government and the armed militant group the Pakistani Taliban have agreed to a one-month ceasefire while negotiations get underway to end years of bloodshed. Pakistan’s Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry announced Monday a “complete ceasefire” was agreed with the group, known as the Tehreek e Taliban Pakistan

By Rhea Mogul, CNN Singapore is lifting its controversial ban on music in restaurants and bars as part of an easing of coronavirus restrictions — but authorities have warned business owners they must still keep the noise down. From Wednesday, food and beverage establishments can play “soft recorded music,” Finance Minister Lawrence Wong said at

By AnneClaire Stapleton, Hannah Ritchie and Mitch McCluskey, CNN China’s military has constructed mockups in the shape of a US Navy aircraft carrier and US warships, possibly for target practice, according to Maxar satellite images reviewed by the independent United States Naval Institute (USNI). Satellite images from China’s northwest Xinjiang region appear to show a

By Helen Regan, CNN Campaigners are making a last ditch effort to save a man with intellectual disabilities from execution in Singapore, in a case that has been described a “sickening” and a “systemic failure,” and put the city-state’s zero-tolerance drug laws back under scrutiny. Nagaenthran K Dharmalingam, a 33-year-old Malaysian man, was arrested in

By Jessie Yeung, CNN Chinese astronaut Wang Yaping made history Sunday when she became the country’s first woman to conduct a spacewalk, according to the national space agency. Wang and fellow astronaut Zhai Zhigang, two of the three-member team currently at China’s new Tiangong space station, successfully completed the 6.5 hour spacewalk in the early

By Jessie Yeung, CNN China is scrambling to contain its most widespread Covid-19 outbreak since the first wave of infections that began in Wuhan in 2019. Though subsequent flare-ups have seen higher total case numbers, this outbreak has spread the furthest, with 19 of China’s 31 provinces — more than half the country — reporting

By Kocha Olarn, Tim Lister, Scott McLean and Florence Davey-Attlee, CNN The CEO of a Thai company at the heart of a CNN investigation into fake and used medical gloves has been arrested in Bangkok. Thailand’s Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) told CNN Tuesday that Kampee Kampeerayannon, CEO of a company called SkyMed and a former

By Ehsan Popalzai, Mahsoud Popalzai, Mia Alberti and Reuters At least 20 people were killed and 30 wounded in blasts at Afghanistan’s biggest military hospital on Tuesday, according to officials. Gunfire followed the explosions at the entrance of Kabul’s Daoud Khan Military hospital, a 400-bed teaching facility near the capital’s former diplomatic quarter. IS Khorasan

By Jessie Yeung and Yong Xiong, CNN A man in China was reportedly detained for nine days after sending a meme to a group chat that was deemed offensive to police in an incident that has gone viral on Chinese social media. The man, identified only by his surname Li, allegedly sent the meme on

By Helen Regan, CNN The South Pacific island nation of Tonga went into lockdown on Tuesday, following the discovery of the country’s first Covid case since the start of the pandemic. The Tongan government ordered a weeklong lockdown for the main island Tongatapu, which includes an 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew with residents told

By Anna Coren, Jessie Yeung and Abdul Basir Bina, CNN Parwana Malik, a 9-year-old girl with dark eyes and rosy cheeks, giggles with her friends as they play jump rope in a dusty clearing. But Parwana’s laughter disappears as she returns home, a small hut with dirt walls, where she’s reminded of her fate: she’s

By Junko Ogura, CNN A 24-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder in the Japanese capital Tokyo after a knife attack on a train left at least 17 people injured Sunday evening, police told CNN, as many people were streaming into the city center to celebrate Halloween. Witnesses say the suspect was