CNN – Asia/Pacific

By Masrur Jamaluddin, Atika Shubert and Julia Hollingsworth, CNN The last time Aris Suharyanto saw his wife was through a hospital window. He never got to meet their newborn baby. When Suharyanto’s pregnant wife Rina Ismawati and two of their three children fell ill last month, he initially thought it was a common cold. But

By Tara John and Nectar Gan, CNN More than a year and a half into the coronavirus pandemic, the world’s rich nations are beginning to accept that Covid-19 is not going away — despite high vaccination rates drastically cutting the number of hospitalizations and deaths. But while they may agree that the virus is here

By Jessie Yeung, CNN Cannabis’ earliest roots may have stemmed from northwestern China — not South Asia as commonly believed, according to a study published on Friday. Researchers found the Cannabis sativa species — the “much beloved and maligned plant” widely used as a recreational drug — likely emerged from the region by Neolithic times

By Nectar Gan, CNN Days after entering its second century, the Chinese Communist Party has set out its priority for the new era — tightening ideological control over 1.4 billion Chinese people. This week, the party released a new guideline on ideological and political work, which targets not only its members but also “all of

By Brad Lendon, CNN The United States Air Force is sending more than two dozen F-22 stealth fighters to an exercise in the western Pacific this month, an unusually large deployment of the powerful jets that analysts say sends a strong message to a possible adversary in China. Pacific Air Forces in Hawaii this week

By Ben Westcott and CNN staff Unvaccinated residents in parts of China will be banned from accessing public services including hospitals, schools and nursing homes, as the country targets an inoculation rate of at least 80% against Covid-19. Over the past week, dozens of county-level governments in at least eight provinces have published notices warning

CNN Editorial Research 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: Waikato University,

By Masrur Jamaluddin and Joshua Berlinger, CNN Indonesia reported 54,517 new cases of Covid-19, authorities said Wednesday, a single-day national record and dire warning sign for the world’s fourth-most populous country. The island nation — home to about 270 million people — is now reporting more cases a day than hard-hit India, making Indonesia the

By Sophia Saifi, CNN At least 10 people have died after a bus carrying Chinese engineers in northern Pakistan fell into a ditch following a “fiery explosion,” according to local police. Arif Khan, deputy commissioner of police for the Upper Kohistan region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, told CNN that of the 10 dead, six were

By Jessie Yeung, CNN The abduction of 2-year-old Guo Xinzhen in eastern China in 1997 sparked a desperate, seemingly never-ending nationwide search by his parents that inspired filmmakers to bring their story to the big screen. But this week — 24 years after his disappearance — the search for Guo finally came to an end.

By Ben Westcott, CNN One is a government accused of detaining more than 1 million Muslims in a vast system of internment camps. The other is one of the world’s strictest Islamist militant groups. Yet despite their differences, the Chinese Communist Party and the Taliban may soon find themselves working together, at least tentatively. Following

By Amy Sood, CNN Nearly half of Jakarta’s residents may have contracted Covid-19, according to a health survey — more than 12 times the number of cases officially recorded in the Indonesian capital at the time when the research was carried out. The survey, published July 10, tested for coronavirus antibodies in the blood of

By Gawon Bae, Yoonjung Seo and Jessie Yeung, CNN Gyms in the South Korean capital are about to adopt an unusual Covid prevention strategy: play slower music. The Health Ministry is implementing a number of new measures as the country continues battling a coronavirus outbreak that has seen daily cases climb steeply since late June.

By Anna Coren, Sandi Sidhu, Tim Lister and Abdul Basir Bina, CNN Over clear but unsteady video, the words ring out: “Surrender, commandos, surrender.” Several men emerge from a building; they are clearly unarmed. Gunfire erupts. At least a dozen men are seen shot to death amid cries of “Allahu Akhbar” — God is Great.

By Esha Mitra and Jack Guy, CNN At least 65 people were killed by lightning strikes and thunderstorms in the north Indian states of Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh on Sunday, authorities said. In the city of Jaipur in Rajasthan, 23 died after lightning hit Amer Fort — a popular tourist spot on the outskirts of

By Nectar Gan, CNN Editor’s note: CNN has launched the Meanwhile in China newsletter, a three-times-a-week update exploring what you need to know about the country’s rise and how it impacts the world. Sign up here. One of China’s wandering elephants has finally made it home. The herd of wild Asian elephants shot to fame

By Jennifer Hansler and Brad Lendon, CNN United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken has reaffirmed the US’ commitment to defend the Philippines’ armed forces from attack in the South China Sea, under a 70-year-old mutual defense treaty. Blinken made the comments Sunday, in a statement marking the fifth anniversary of a ruling by an

CNN Editorial Research Here’s a look at the life of Asif Ali Zardari, former president of Pakistan. Personal Birth date: July 26, 1956 Birth place: Karachi, Sindh province, Pakistan Father: Hakim Ali Zardari, politician and businessman Mother: Bilquis Zardari Marriage: Benazir Bhutto (December 18, 1987-December 27, 2007, her death) Children: Bilawal, Bakhtawar and Aseefa Religion:

By Jessie Yeung, CNN Antonette Acupinpin was 7 when the sexual abuse started. She had already endured years of beating and physical violence from her mother and stepfather, she said — but then he took it a step further. He would put a long knife near her face during the abuse, and threaten to kill

By Salman Saeed, Sophie Jeong, Elaine Ly and Heather Law, CNN The owner of a factory where at least 52 people died in a blaze in Bangladesh has been arrested along with seven other people. “Among the 8, one of them is the owner of the factory and his staff,” Zaidul Alam, the Police Superintendent

By Joshua Berlinger, Lauren Lau and Julia Hollingsworth, CNN They came with white flowers to honor a man accused of attempted murder. His victim was a seemingly random police officer — and for some in Hong Kong, that not only justified the violence, it was cause for commemoration. Over the past week, a steady trail

By Salman Saeed, Sophie Jeong and Amy Woodyatt, CNN At least 52 people were killed when a massive fire ripped through a juice factory in Bangladesh, officials said Friday. The fire started Thursday afternoon on the ground floor of a six-story Hashem Foods Ltd. factory in Rupganj, east of the capital Dhaka, Debashis Bardhan, deputy

By Rob Picheta, CNN Giant pandas are no longer endangered, Chinese officials have said, after decades of work to save the creatures helped drive their population in the wild up to 1,800. The species will be re-classified as vulnerable, Cui Shuhong, director of the Department of Natural Ecological Protection of the Ministry of Ecology and

By Jake Kwon and Angus Watson, CNN The capital of South Korea and Australia’s largest city announced Friday they would increase their Covid-19 prevention measures to combat growing outbreaks of the Delta variant in both cities. Seoul will raise its distancing measures to its highest level ever to counter surging Covid-19 numbers, Prime Minister Kim

By Martin Goillandeau, Jake Kwon and Gawon Bae, CNN Belgium is recalling its ambassador to Seoul “without further delay,” after the envoy’s wife was accused of getting into a second physical altercation in four months. Ambassador Peter Lescouhier had been recalled in late May following an incident in April in which his wife, Xiang Xueqiu,

By Junko Ogura, Chie Kobayashi and Nectar Gan, CNN The pandemic-delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympics will take place under a coronavirus state of emergency, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshide Suga confirmed Thursday. Speaking at the start of the government’s Covid-19 task force meeting, Suga said he had decided to declare a new state of emergency for the

Exclusive by Sam Kiley, CNN Full-throated they belt out songs of victory, their boots adding the drumbeat as ranks of new recruits jog in formation through their jungle training camp. There’s no doubting the shining eyes of these young people united by an ideal — freedom from the junta that’s smothered democracy in Myanmar. Nor,

CNN Editorial Research Here is a look at the life of Aung San Suu Kyi, Burmese activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner. Personal Birth date: June 19, 1945 Birth place: Rangoon (Yangon), Burma (Myanmar) Birth name: Aung San Suu Kyi Father: Aung San, commander of the Burma Independence Army. Helped negotiate Burma’s independence from Britain.

By Ben Westcott and Jessie Yeung, CNN Editor’s note: CNN has launched the Meanwhile in China newsletter, a three-times-a-week update exploring what you need to know about the country’s rise and how it impacts the world. Sign up here. For Chinese diplomats, attack remains the best form of defense. Faced with a rising barrage of

By Joshua Berlinger and Lauren Lau, CNN Hong Kong authorities said they have thwarted an alleged plot to bomb train stations, court buildings and tunnels organized by advocates for the city’s independence from China. Steve Li, the senior superintendent of the police’s National Security Department, said Tuesday nine people between the ages of 15 and

By Nectar Gan and Jessie Yeung, CNN Editor’s note: CNN has launched the Meanwhile in China newsletter, a three-times-a-week update exploring what you need to know about the country’s rise and how it impacts the world. Sign up here. As China celebrated the success of its first spacewalk outside the new Tiangong space station on

By Emiko Jozuka, Junko Ogura and Blake Essig, CNN Japanese rescue workers continued to search for survivors Tuesday, three days after a devastating “tsunami” of mud swept through a coastal city, killing at least four people and leaving two dozen others missing. Torrential rains triggered the powerful mudslide in Atami, Shizuoka prefecture, about 90 kilometers

By Sophie Jeong and Yasmin Coles, CNN Fifty people were killed when a Philippine Air Force plane crashed in the southern Philippines on Sunday, the country’s worst military air disaster in decades. The C-130 military plane was transporting troops from Cagayan de Oro, in Mindanao, to Sulu province when it missed the runway on the

By Selina Wang, Junko Ogura and Emiko Jozuka, CNN At least two people are dead and some 20 people are missing after a mudslide swept across a seaside city around 60 miles southwest of Tokyo, sweeping away homes amid Japan’s rainy season. Footage posted on social media showed the powerful black mudslide shoot down a

By Julia Hollingsworth, Saruul Enkhbold and Amy Sood, CNN In Mongolia, hospitals are overwhelmed. In the tiny archipelago of Seychelles, more than 100 new Covid-19 cases are being reported each day. And in Chile, a nationwide lockdown was lifted this week — but the country is still reporting thousands of daily cases. What links these

By Brad Lendon, CNN China is building a sprawling network of what appear to be intercontinental ballistic missile silos in its western desert that analysts say could change the equation for US military planners in Asia. The likely missile field, comprising 120 silos that could potentially house weapons capable of reaching the United States mainland,

By Brad Lendon, CNN China is building a sprawling network of what appear to be intercontinental ballistic missile silos in its western desert that analysts say could change the equation for US military planners in Asia. The likely missile field, comprising 120 silos that could potentially house weapons capable of reaching the United States mainland,

The “Disco Duck” has competition with Spot the dancing robo dog.

By Jessie Yeung and Zixu Wang, CNN Though all dogs are good boys (and girls), not all are suited for a job in law enforcement. A police academy in China’s northeastern Liaoning province is auctioning off dogs that failed to qualify in their police dog training program, according to a statement on its website. The

By Jessie Yeung and Zixu Wang, CNN Though all dogs are good boys (and girls), not all are suited for a job in law enforcement. A police academy in China’s northeastern Liaoning province is auctioning off dogs that failed to qualify in their police dog training program, according to a statement on its website. The

By Jessie Yeung, CNN A hate speech debate turned heated in New Zealand’s Parliament on Wednesday when Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern suggested the country’s opposition leader was a “Karen.” The insult, popularized last year by an internet meme, broadly refers to an entitled White woman who is unafraid to use her privilege to make unreasonable

A hate speech debate turned heated in New Zealand’s Parliament when Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern suggested the country’s opposition leader was a “Karen.” The insult, popularized last year by an internet meme, broadly refers to an entitled White woman who is unafraid to use her privilege to make unreasonable demands.

By Ben Westcott and Steven Jiang, CNN China’s rise is a “historical inevitability” and it will no longer be “bullied, oppressed or subjugated” by foreign countries, its leader, Xi Jinping, said Thursday during an event commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party. “Anyone who dares to try, will find their heads bashed bloody

By Steven Jiang and Jessie Yeung, CNN For a decidedly atheist political organization, China’s ruling Communist Party is fond of talking about its origins in religious terms. In party literature and state media, former revolutionary bases are labeled “holy sites,” and the almost obligatory visits to such locations by the rank and file are meant

As China’s Communist Party marks the 100th anniversary of its founding, “red tourism” — field trips to sites of historical significance to the party — is booming. CNN’s David Culver reports from one such site, Yan’an in Shaanxi Province.

By Steven Jiang and Jessie Yeung, CNN For a decidedly atheist political organization, China’s ruling Communist Party is fond of talking about its origins in religious terms. In party literature and state media, former revolutionary bases are labeled “holy sites,” and the almost obligatory visits to such locations by the rank and file are meant

By Jessie Yeung, CNN The World Health Organization declared China officially malaria-free on Wednesday — making it the first country in the Western Pacific region to eliminate the life-threatening disease in more than 30 years. Malaria, a parasitic disease transmitted through the bite of a female mosquito, kills 400,000 people a year worldwide, the majority

By Jessie Yeung, CNN The World Health Organization declared China officially malaria-free on Wednesday — making it the first country in the Western Pacific region to eliminate the life-threatening disease in more than 30 years. Malaria, a parasitic disease transmitted through the bite of a female mosquito, kills 400,000 people a year worldwide, the majority

By Jessie Yeung, CNN A hate speech debate turned heated in New Zealand’s Parliament on Wednesday when Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern suggested the country’s opposition leader was a “Karen.” The insult, popularized last year by an internet meme, broadly refers to an entitled White woman who is unafraid to use her privilege to make unreasonable

The Chinese Communist Party marks its 100th anniversary with celebrations across the country. CNN’s Steven Jiang reports from the Tiananmen Square in Beijing.

By Ben Westcott and Steven Jiang, CNN In an event commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party Thursday, President Xi Jinping claimed that only the party could ensure China’s continued assent and stability, and any attempt to divide the party from the country would fail. “Without the Communist Party, there will be no

By Helen Regan, CNN Myanmar’s military has such strong control over the country’s jade trade that it would be “nearly impossible” to buy the gemstone without enriching the generals and their allies, a new report said Tuesday. Myanmar produces about 70% of the world’s jade, worth billions of dollars and fueled in large part by

By Yoonjung Seo, Jake Kwon and Joshua Berlinger, CNN Kim Jong Un fired several senior officials who failed to enforce North Korea’s stringent Covid-19 prevention, a dereliction of duty which the young dictator said will have “grave consequences” for the impoverished and isolated nation, state media reported Wednesday. It is unclear who or exactly how

By Jessie Yeung and Junko Ogura, CNN Japan’s Supreme Court has upheld a death sentence given to a 74-year-old serial killer, known as the “Black Widow,” for the murder of three men, including her husband, and the attempted murder of a fourth. Chisako Kakehi, reportedly received large insurance payouts after poisoning her victims with cyanide,

Police in Japan are questioning a wealthy widow about the mysterious deaths of her past partners.

By Jessie Yeung and Junko Ogura, CNN Japan’s Supreme Court has upheld a death sentence given to a 74-year-old serial killer, known as the “Black Widow,” for the murder of three men, including her husband, and the attempted murder of a fourth. Chisako Kakehi, reportedly received large insurance payouts after poisoning her victims with cyanide,

By Ben Westcott, CNN Editor’s note: CNN has launched the Meanwhile in China newsletter, a three-times-a-week update exploring what you need to know about the country’s rise and how it impacts the world. Sign up here. One hundred years ago this July, in a small brick house in Shanghai’s former French Concession, Mao Zedong and

By Ben Westcott, CNN One hundred years ago this July, in a small brick house in Shanghai’s former French Concession, Mao Zedong and around a dozen other delegates gathered together in secret to form a new political party. Much has changed since 1921, but the Chinese Communist Party, which today boasts more than 95 million

By Yoonjung Seo, Jake Kwon and Joshua Berlinger, CNN Kim Jong Un fired several senior officials who failed to enforce North Korea’s stringent Covid-19 prevention, a dereliction of duty which the young dictator said will have “grave consequences” for the impoverished and isolated nation, state media reported Wednesday. It is unclear who or exactly how

By Jessie Yeung, CNN It was approaching midnight on June 30, 2020, when news broke that Beijing had promulgated a national security law in Hong Kong, effective immediately. Since China’s rubber-stamp parliament revealed its plans for such legislation the month before, Hong Kongers had been nervously awaiting the details of a law that would reshape

By Jessie Yeung, CNN It was approaching midnight on June 30, 2020, when news broke that Beijing had promulgated a national security law in Hong Kong, effective immediately. Since China’s rubber-stamp parliament revealed its plans for such legislation the month before, Hong Kongers had been nervously awaiting the details of a law that would reshape

By Helen Regan, CNN Myanmar’s military has such strong control over the country’s jade trade that it would be “nearly impossible” to buy the gemstone without enriching the generals and their allies, a new report said Tuesday. Myanmar produces about 70% of the world’s jade, worth billions of dollars and fueled in large part by

By Caitlin Hu, Julia Hollingsworth, Eliza Mackintosh and Helen Regan, CNN In a beige stone townhouse on a leafy New York street, a political coup thousands of miles away has split an office in two. Downstairs in the dimly lit building, staffers at Myanmar’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations receive orders from the military

By Caitlin Hu, Julia Hollingsworth, Eliza Mackintosh and Helen Regan, CNN In a beige stone townhouse on a leafy New York street, a political coup thousands of miles away has split an office in two. Downstairs in the dimly lit building, staffers at Myanmar’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations receive orders from the military

By Zamira Rahim and Jessie Yeung, CNN China’s National Space Administration (CNSA) has released new images of Mars from its landmark Tianwen-1 probe. Tianwen-1, whose name means “quest for heavenly truth,” is made up of an orbiter, lander and a six-wheeled rover carrying scientific instruments. It successfully entered Mars’ orbit in February, having spent seven

By Nectar Gan, CNN Editor’s note: CNN has launched the Meanwhile in China newsletter, a three-times-a-week update exploring what you need to know about the country’s rise and how it impacts the world. Sign up here. The partial collapse of a residential building in Surfside, Florida has garnered widespread attention in China, where images of

Rescue efforts continue for a 5th day amid the rubble of the collpased Floridia condo. Darryl Forges reports.

By Zamira Rahim and Jessie Yeung, CNN China’s National Space Administration (CNSA) has released new images of Mars from its landmark Tianwen-1 probe. Tianwen-1, whose name means “quest for heavenly truth,” is made up of an orbiter, lander and a six-wheeled rover carrying scientific instruments. It successfully entered Mars’ orbit in February, having spent seven

By Jack Guy, CNN A young male lion has been seized in Cambodia after its owner posted videos of the animal on TikTok. The lion is 1.5 years old and weighs 154 pounds, according to the NGO Wildlife Alliance, which carried out the joint operation on Sunday along with local authorities in the Cambodian capital,

By Jack Guy, CNN A young male lion has been seized in Cambodia after its owner posted videos of the animal on TikTok. The lion is 1.5 years old and weighs 154 pounds, according to the NGO Wildlife Alliance, which carried out the joint operation on Sunday along with local authorities in the Cambodian capital,

By Yoonjung Seo and Joshua Berlinger, CNN North Korean state television aired an unusual interview Friday in which a Pyongyang resident said he and others living in the capital were “heartbroken” to see how much weight the country’s leader Kim Jong Un had lost. Kim has been shown in North Korean state media looking noticeably

North Korean state television aired an unusual interview in which a Pyongyang resident said he and others living in the capital were “heartbroken” over Kim Jong Un’s weight loss. CNN’s Paula Hancocks reports.

By Yoonjung Seo and Joshua Berlinger, CNN North Korean state television aired an unusual interview Friday in which a Pyongyang resident said he and others living in the capital were “heartbroken” to see how much weight the country’s leader Kim Jong Un had lost. Kim has been shown in North Korean state media looking noticeably

By Nectar Gan, CNN Editor’s note: CNN has launched the Meanwhile in China newsletter, a three-times-a-week update exploring what you need to know about the country’s rise and how it impacts the world. Sign up here. The partial collapse of a residential building in Surfside, Florida has garnered widespread attention in China, where images of

By Kevin Schoenmakers, CNN In 2001, when their old home was demolished to make way for a new thoroughfare, Wang Zhenyuan and his wife didn’t mind that their replacement apartment was a seventh-floor walkup. They were in their fifties and fit. But 20 years later, the former silk factory workers feel differently. “Our legs aren’t

By Kevin Schoenmakers, CNN In 2001, when their old home was demolished to make way for a new thoroughfare, Wang Zhenyuan and his wife didn’t mind that their replacement apartment was a seventh-floor walkup. They were in their fifties and fit. But 20 years later, the former silk factory workers feel differently. “Our legs aren’t

By Katie Hunt, CNN A cranium hidden at the bottom of a well in northeastern China for more than 80 years may belong to a new species of early human that researchers have called “dragon man.” The exciting discovery is the latest addition to a human family tree that is rapidly growing and shifting, thanks

By Katie Hunt, CNN A cranium hidden at the bottom of a well in northeastern China for more than 80 years may belong to a new species of early human that researchers have called “dragon man.” The exciting discovery is the latest addition to a human family tree that is rapidly growing and shifting, thanks

By Rebecca Wright, Ivan Watson and Ben Westcott, CNN Newlyweds Mehray Mezensof and Mirzat Taher were two days from leaving Xinjiang to start a new life in Australia when Chinese police knocked on their door in April 2017, seized Taher’s passport and threw him into detention. During the next four years, Taher was imprisoned in

By Rebecca Wright, Ivan Watson and Ben Westcott, CNN Newlyweds Mehray Mezensof and Mirzat Taher were two days from leaving Xinjiang to start a new life in Australia when Chinese police knocked on their door in April 2017, seized Taher’s passport and threw him into detention. During the next four years, Taher was imprisoned in

The Chinese government is accused of detaining Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities in extralegal detention centers, which it claims are reeducation centers designed to prevent separatism and religious extremism. Researchers say there’s also evidence of a growing number of Uyghurs being jailed in formal prisons with lengthy sentences. CNN’s Ivan Watson speaks to families whose loved ones have been sentenced to long-term imprisonment.