CNN – Asia/Pacific

By Jessie Yeung and CNN’s Beijing bureau (CNN) — At least 31 people are dead and seven injured in the Chinese city of Yinchuan, in northwest Ningxia region, after a gas explosion at a barbecue restaurant Wednesday night, according to state media. The explosion was caused by a leak of a liquified gas tank inside

By Jack Guy and Eric Cheung, CNN (CNN) — Parents of children allegedly given sedatives by staff at a preschool in Taiwan have been protesting the government’s slow response to the incident. On Sunday, hundreds of people gathered in New Taipei City to criticize the fact that it took weeks for local authorities to carry

By Nectar Gan, CNN Hong Kong (CNN) — A strange object found in a school meal in China was the head of a rat, Chinese authorities have concluded, overturning previous official reassurances that it was duck neck in the latest twist to a food safety scandal that gripped the nation for weeks. The furore has

By Tatiana Arias, CNN At least six people have reportedly died after a fire erupted inside a hostel in New Zealand’s capital city of Wellington early Tuesday local time. “I have had varying reports, I understand six confirmed previously and it looks like there are likely to be more,” New Zealand’s Prime Minister Chris Hipkins

By Rhea Mogul, CNN One of the strongest cyclones to ever hit Myanmar has cut communications to coastal areas as aid groups warn that early reports suggest the damage is “extensive.” Cyclone Mocha slammed into northwestern Myanmar coast, off the Bay of Bengal, with wind gusts of over 200 kilometers per hour (195 mph) on

By Nectar Gan, CNN A 78-year-old American citizen has been sentenced to life in prison by a Chinese court on spying charges. John Shing-Wan Leung, who is also a Hong Kong permanent resident, was convicted of espionage and given a life sentence Monday by the Intermediate People’s Court in the eastern city of Suzhou, according

By Mariya Knight, Sugam Pokharel and Brad Lendon, CNN Two senior Russian military officers have been killed in eastern Ukraine, the Russian Defense Ministry said Sunday, the latest high-profile losses for Moscow in a grinding war with its western neighbor. The ministry said the two officers — Col. Vyacheslav Makarov and Col. Yevgeny Brovko —

By Kocha Olarn, Helen Regan and Jennifer Hauser, CNN Thai opposition parties swept the board in Sunday’s nationwide election as voters delivered a powerful rebuke of the military-backed establishment that has ruled since a 2014 coup, capping years of rising anger over how conservative cliques have governed the kingdom. Turnout was at a record high

By Angus Watson, Chris Lau and Laura Paddison, CNN Western Myanmar is being battered by strong winds and heavy rain after Cyclone Mocha made landfall on the Bay of Bengal coastline Sunday. The cyclone brought wind speeds of over 200 kilometers per hour (195 mph), blowing roofs off buildings and bringing down powerlines, video footage

By Barbie Latza Nadeau, Heather Chen, Yulia Kesaieva and Delia Gallagher, CNN Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday said “the first important steps” of a highly-anticipated military counteroffensive against Russian forces “would be taken soon” as he met with European partners providing his country with weapons. Speaking to reporters in Rome after meetings with his

By Heather Chen and Kocha Olarn, CNN Millions of Thais headed to the polls on Sunday for a general election where opposition parties are hoping to ride a wave of frustration over the military’s stranglehold on the levers of power and its handling of the economy. The election is the first since youth-led mass pro-democracy

By Chris Lau and Laura Paddison, CNN Powerful Cyclone Mocha made landfall on Myanmar’s west coast Sunday and is barreling toward millions of vulnerable people with winds equivalent to a Category 5 Atlantic hurricane as aid agencies warn of the potential for a major disaster. Since forming in the Bay of Bengal early Thursday, the

By Nectar Gan and Wayne Chang, CNN Former NBA player Dwight Howard has become the latest international sports star to be caught in the crosshairs of Chinese nationalist wrath after he referred to Taiwan as a “country” in a promotional video alongside the democratic island’s vice president. The 37-year-old eight-time NBA All-Star has enjoyed huge

By Sophia Saifi, Azaz Syed and Rhea Mogul, CNN Pakistan’s former prime minister, Imran Khan, has been granted bail by the Islamabad High Court, days after his dramatic arrest over corruption charges set off a deadly outpouring of anger against the country’s military. Khan left the court on Friday under police protection to return to

By Kathleen Magramo, CNN A Philippine court has dismissed a drug charge against Leila De Lima, a former senator who has spent the past six years in detention and is one of the most vocal critics of ex-President Rodrigo Duterte’s bloody “war on drugs.” The court on Friday acquitted De Lima, 63, on one of

By Helen Regan and Allison Chinchar, CNN A tropical cyclone is strengthening in the Bay of Bengal and is on course to hit western Myanmar and Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar, where around 1 million people live in flimsy shelters in what many consider to be the world’s largest refugee camp. Cyclone Mocha is the first to

By Brad Lendon and Junko Ogura, CNN A Chinese naval flotilla led by a powerful destroyer has been on a 12-day circumnavigation of Japan’s main islands in a display of military power as tensions simmer over Taiwan and as Japan prepares to host G7 leaders next week. Japan’s Defense Ministry on Thursday released a map

By Helen Regan and Kocha Olarn, CNN As Thailand heads to the polls on Sunday a “lost generation” of young voters fired up by a yearning for change are keeping alive previously taboo topics, including the military’s stranglehold on the levers of power — and even royal reform. The May 14 poll is the first

By Sophia Saifi, CNN Pakistan’s Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that the arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan was unlawful, two days after his detention sparked nationwide protests and deadly clashes. One of Khan’s aides said he remained in the custody of the Supreme Court for his own safety and will make another appearance

By Rhea Mogul and Sophia Saifi, CNN Pakistan is teetering after former Prime Minister Imran Khan was dramatically arrested by paramilitary troops on corruption charges, sparking a deadly outpouring of anger against the powerful military that has put the country on edge. Unrest has spread across multiple major cities, resulting in unprecedented scenes of defiant

By Heather Chen, CNN It was a late night joyride that thankfully ended without anyone getting seriously hurt. Two brothers, ages 6 and 3, took their parents’ car for a spin late Wednesday night on the Malaysian island of Langkawi, where they were picked up by local police after losing control and crashing into a

By Sophia Saifi, Rhea Mogul and Azaz Syed, CNN Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan has appeared in court to answer corruption charges, a day after he was dramatically arrested by paramilitary troops, sparking nationwide clashes. The charge relates to the sale of gifts sent to him by foreign leaders while in office. His lawyer

By Jessie Yeung and Marc Stewart, CNN Japan is in talks to open a NATO liaison office, the first of its kind in Asia, the country’s foreign minister told CNN in an exclusive interview on Wednesday, saying Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has made the world less stable. “We are already in discussions, but no details

By Brad Lendon, CNN The United States opened an embassy in the Pacific island nation of Tonga on Tuesday, Washington’s latest move to broaden its diplomatic footprint in a region where China has been increasing its influence in recent years. The announcement came the same day the White House confirmed President Joe Biden will travel

By Sophia Saifi and Jerome Taylor, CNN Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan was arrested on Tuesday by paramilitary troops who smashed their way into a courthouse in Islamabad to detain him on multiple corruption charges. The dramatic and sudden arrest of the former cricket star turned leader is the latest chapter in months of

By Tara Subramaniam and Hilary Whiteman, CNN Rescue workers trying to locate a high school student who went missing in a flooded cave system after a school trip during heavy rain on New Zealand’s North Island, have found a body, according to a statement released Wednesday morning local time from police superintendent Tony Hill, a

By Jessie Yeung, CNN Friends and family of Australian television anchor Cheng Lei renewed calls for her release from detention in China, 1,000 days after she was taken into custody on espionage charges — a move that has cast a black mark on the two countries’ already tense relationship. Cheng, a former business anchor for

By Nectar Gan and Mengchen Zhang, CNN China’s foreign minister said Monday a “series of erroneous words and deeds” by the United States had placed relations between the two superpowers on “cold ice,” but stabilizing ties is a “top priority.” Qin Gang made the comments during a meeting in Beijing with US ambassador Nicholas Burns,

By Tara Subramaniam, CNN Temperature records tumbled across Southeast Asia over the weekend as the region swelters under a weekslong heat wave that has brought misery to millions. All-time highs were recorded in Vietnam, Laos and Thailand’s capital, where the heat has been compounded by an intense smoggy season that has caused pollution levels to

By Heather Chen, CNN An Australian man arrested in a conservative area of Indonesia over an alleged violent rampage faces the possibility of prison time and a public flogging, authorities have said. Bodhi Mani Risby-Jones, 23, from Noosa in southern Queensland, was arrested after allegedly attacking and injuring a local fisherman while drunk. Wearing an

By Chris Lau When a tourist at a Tibetan hotel noticed a foul smell in his room and asked to move, little could he have guessed he would get caught up in a murder investigation. The traveler spent half a day in the room wondering where the smell was coming from and initially suspected either

By Jake Kwon, CNN A US F-16 fighter jet crashed during training on Saturday near a major US military base in South Korea, the US military has said. The jet, which was assigned to the 8th Fighter Wing, “crashed in an agricultural area near Osan Air Base at about 9:45 a.m.” local time, the US

By Jessie Yeung and Gawon Bae, CNN For years, South Korea’s biggest annual LGBTQ pride celebration has been held in the same grassy square in central Seoul, which fills up with performers and joyful participants decked out in rainbow costumes. But this year, the Seoul Queer Culture Festival (SQCF) has been turned away from the

By Junko Ogura, CNN A police officer was found dead in the grounds of the Japanese Prime Minister’s official residence early Friday morning, according to Tokyo Metropolitan Police, who are investigating the incident as a possible suicide. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was not at the residence when a fellow police officer found the 25-year-old man

By Sophia Saifi, CNN An attack by unknown gunmen at a school in Pakistan‘s northern province of Khyber Pakhtunkwa has left eight school staff dead and two others injured. The attack took place after exams at a local high school. According to district police officer Muhammad Imran, the dead include five schoolteachers and three members

By Simone McCarthy and Juliana Liu, CNN Fang Bin, a retailer turned citizen journalist who documented the early outbreak of Covid-19 in Wuhan, has been released after more than three years’ detention in China, a family member told CNN. Fang disappeared after sharing videos showing the on-the-ground situation in the central Chinese city, the epicenter

By Manveena Suri, Sugam Pokharel and Caolán Magee, CNN A US climber has died on his way to scale Mount Everest on Monday, according to an expedition organizer. “Jonathan Sugarman died at Camp 2 after he began to feel unwell,” Pasang Sherpa told CNN on Tuesday. Seattle-based Sugarman was part of an expedition arranged by

By Heather Chen, Irene Nasser and Teele Rebane, CNN Search efforts are underway for three missing crew members after a Gabon-registered oil tanker caught fire off the coast of southern Malaysia, Malaysian maritime authorities said in a statement. The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) said it had received an alert at 4pm local time Monday

By Sophie Tanno, CNN The influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has hit back at a key agreement made between the US and South Korea, claiming it will only serve to worsen security. Washington and Seoul made a pact at the White House on Wednesday that aims to deter North Korean aggression,

By Tara Subramaniam and Kocha Olarn, CNN Thai police say they are investigating whether a woman arrested this week on suspicion of murdering her friend with cyanide may have done the same to at least 12 other victims in a spate of killings that has transfixed the kingdom. The suspect, who police have identified only

By Jessie Yeung, CNN American singer songwriter Don McLean joked on Thursday that he was planning to sing his iconic “American Pie” with the South Korean president, after the leader entertained US President Joe Biden with a karaoke rendition of the song. The two leaders met Wednesday at the White House state dinner, a glamorous

By Kathleen Magramo, CNN Sandwiched between two Pacific superpowers, the Philippines has long had to tread delicately when it comes to dealing with Beijing and Washington’s competing interests, a complex juggling act that has been on vivid display in recent weeks. April has been a particularly busy month for Philippine diplomacy with the country hosting

By Brad Lendon, CNN When the presidents of the United States and South Korea this week announced a landmark deal to deter North Korean aggression, one element of the pact stood out. Plans to deploy a US nuclear-armed submarine to South Korea for the first time since 1981 were the headline act in the unveiling

By Nectar Gan and Wayne Chang, CNN A Taiwan-based book publisher has been placed under investigation in China on suspicion of “endangering state security,” Beijing said Tuesday amid mounting concern over his disappearance. Li Yanhe, better known by his pen-name Fu Cha, was reportedly detained by police in Shanghai in March, shortly after he arrived

By Tara Subramaniam and Kocha Olarn, CNN Thailand’s conservative Democrat Party has come up with a novel strategy to try and win votes ahead of next month’s national elections — a campaign pledge to make sex toys legal should they win power. Ratchada Thanadirek, executive member of the Democrat Party, said the party plans to

By Brad Lendon, CNN United States and Philippine forces fired on a mock enemy warship in the South China Sea on Wednesday, the latest display of American firepower in Asia as tensions with China continue to rise. The exercise, watched live by Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, was part of the annual Balikatan drills, which

By Jessie Yeung, CNN After stepping down as leader of New Zealand earlier this year, Jacinda Ardern has revealed that she is swapping the rough and tumble of politics for a stint of quiet reflection within academia overseas, heading to Harvard University this fall under two fellowships. She was appointed to dual fellowships at the

By Nectar Gan and Wayne Chang, CNN A Taiwan political activist has been formally arrested on suspicion of “secession” in China, more than eight months after he was detained amid heightened tensions across the Taiwan Strait. Yang Chih-yuan, a democracy campaigner and pro-independence politician, was detained by Chinese state security in Wenzhou in Zhejiang province

By Chris Lau, CNN Video game maker Nintendo has announced it has changed the Japanese name of Spike, the foreman who appears in “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” in advance of the film’s release in Japan later this month. The character, who first appeared as an enemy of Mario in the 1980s game “Wrecking Crew,”

By Jessie Yeung and Eru Ishikawa, CNN Move over, boomers and older millennials — Japan’s young people are stepping into office. The country’s by-elections this week have seen a number of diverse new faces thrust into the national spotlight — which supporters have celebrated as a welcome change to the country’s government, mostly run by

By Jessie Yeung and Eru Ishikawa, CNN A panel in Japan’s health ministry has approved the country’s first abortion pill, in a major step for reproductive rights decades after other countries made abortion medication widely available. The ministry’s pharmaceutical board granted approval on Friday to the MeFeego Pack, an abortion pill manufactured by British pharmaceutical

By Simone McCarthy European countries are demanding answers from Beijing after its top diplomat in Paris questioned the sovereignty of former Soviet republics, in comments that could undermine China’s efforts to be seen as a potential mediator between Russia and Ukraine. The remarks by China’s ambassador to France Lu Shaye, who said during a television

By Chris Lau and Manveena Suri, CNN A cheetah from Africa has died two months after being reintroduced to India as part of an intercontinental effort to revive the big cat in the country, the second animal from the program to have passed away in less than a month. India’s wildlife department said the male,

By Sandi Sidhu, CNN Police in India say they have arrested alleged Sikh separatist leader Amritpal Singh, bringing to an end a massive months-long manhunt. The news was announced in a tweet on Punjab Police India’s official Twitter account. Singh was arrested in Moga, Punjab, in the northwest of India, but will be taken to

By Alex Hardie, Sugam Pokharel and Ivana Kottasová, CNN A 17-year-old critically ill elephant called Noor Jehan has died at Pakistan’s Karachi Zoo, with the animal welfare charity that had been treating her calling for the zoo’s closure. The elephant was suffering from preexisting serious ailments before falling in a pond last week, Four Paws

By Junko Ogura Japan says it is prepared to shoot down a North Korean spy satellite rocket if it needs to. Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada told the Japanese military on Saturday to make the “necessary preparations,” as he could potentially “order the destruction of ballistic missiles.” The news follows an announcement by North Korea on

By Heather Law A Japanese merchant ship that sank during World War II while carrying over 1,000 prisoners of war in Australia’s largest loss of life at sea has been found. The Montevideo Maru was discovered off the northwest coast of the Philippines’ Luzon island at a depth of more than 4,000 meters (13,000ft) in

By Jessie Yeung and Mayumi Maruyama, CNN In the five months since its launch, ChatGPT has been used to generate student essays, write wedding vows, and compose rousing sermons for pastors and rabbis. Now, a Japanese city is turning to the AI chatbot for something else: helping to run the government. Yokosuka City, in Japan’s

By Simone McCarthy and Nectar Gan, CNN A young Chinese woman who was arrested after attending a peaceful protest against Covid-19 restrictions in Beijing last year has been released alongside several of her friends after four months in police custody, according to a source familiar with their situation. Cao Zhixin, a 26-year-old publishing house editor,

By Sophia Saifi and Azaz Syed CNN Pakistan’s Foreign Minister will travel to India next month, the most senior-level visit in seven years in what is an opportunity for two nuclear-armed neighbors with a long history of fractious relations to break the ice. Bilawal Bhutto Zardari will attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s (SCO) foreign ministers

By Helen Regan, CNN Deadly heat waves fueled by climate change are threatening India’s development and risk reversing its progress on poverty alleviation, health and economic growth, a new study has found. Heat waves have already critically impacted the country, leading to power outages, increased dust and air pollution, and accelerated glacial melt in the

By Yoonjung Seo, Gawon Bae, Sophie Jeong, Kathleen Magramo and Jake Kwon, CNN Global fans reacted with shock and grief over the death of 25-year-old K-pop star Moon Bin, a member of the popular boy band Astro. His music label, Fantagio, confirmed Moon Bin’s death Thursday, and said he has “suddenly left us and became