By Heather Chen, CNN The Thai government will distribute one million free cannabis plants to households across the nation in June to mark a new rule allowing people to grow cannabis at home, its health minister has said. Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul announced the move in a Facebook post on May 8 in which he
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By Nectar Gan, CNN The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) is being censored on China’s internet after questioning the sustainability of the country’s zero-Covid policy. The censorship on Weibo and WeChat, China’s two largest social media platforms, targets WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus’ comments that expressed rare disagreement with Beijing’s policies. “When we
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By Iqbal Athas and Rhea Mogul, CNN Protesters in Sri Lanka have burned down homes belonging to 38 politicians as the crisis-hit country plunged further into chaos, with the government ordering troops to “shoot on sight.” Police in the island nation said Tuesday that in addition to the destroyed homes, 75 others have been damaged
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CNN Editorial Research Here is some information about the events in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square on June 3-4, 1989. Facts Tiananmen Square is located in the center of Beijing, the capital of China. Tiananmen means “gate of heavenly peace.” In 1989, after several weeks of demonstrations, Chinese troops entered Tiananmen Square on June 4 and fired
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By Iqbal Athas, Hannah Ritchie and Rhea Mogul, CNN Sri Lanka’s outgoing Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa was rescued in a pre-dawn military operation Tuesday, hours after his resignation, as violent clashes between pro and anti-government protesters left several people dead and hundreds injured. The military were called to the Prime Minister’s ‘Temple Trees’ compound after
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By Jessie Yeung and Gawon Bae, CNN South Korea’s new President Yoon Suk Yeol promised an “audacious plan” to strengthen North Korea’s economy in exchange for denuclearization in his inauguration speech Tuesday. Yoon, a conservative from the People Power Party, gave the remarks after being sworn in as the country’s newest leader in a ceremony
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By Helen Regan, CNN Ferdinand Marcos Jr, the son and namesake of the late dictator, is on the cusp of winning the Philippines presidential election by a landslide, according to preliminary and unofficial results, potentially returning the Marcos dynasty to the Malacañang Palace 36 years after the family fled a mass uprising. With more than
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By Helen Regan and Yasmin Coles, CNN Polls closed on Monday in a pivotal election in the Philippines that could see the son of a late dictator elected to the country’s highest office. About 65.7 million registered voters across the country cast their ballots to replace populist leader Rodrigo Duterte, who steps down after six
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By Iqbal Athas, CNN and Reuters Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister, Mahinda Rajapaksa, resigned on Monday, following weeks of protests against his government. The country has been rocked by civil unrest since March, with demonstrations at times turning violent as anger builds over the government’s apparent mishandling of Sri Lanka’s worst economic crisis since declaring independence
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By Nectar Gan and CNN’s Beijing bureau Shanghai officials on Tuesday said they had achieved “zero-Covid at the community level” in what appeared to be a turning point in a heavy-handed and costly campaign to tame an Omicron outbreak — but many residents remain skeptical the city will reopen anytime soon. “Zero-Covid at the community
Continue Reading By Nectar Gan, CNN The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) is being censored on China’s internet after questioning the sustainability of the country’s zero-Covid policy. The censorship on Weibo and WeChat, China’s two largest social media platforms, targets WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus’ comments that expressed rare disagreement with Beijing’s policies. “When we
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By Nectar Gan and CNN’s Beijing Bureau Shanghai is further tightening its stringent lockdown measures after China’s top leader Xi Jinping pledged to “unswervingly” double down on the country’s controversial zero-Covid policy, leaving millions confined to their homes with no end in sight. Over the weekend, videos showing Shanghai residents arguing or scuffling with hazmat
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By Jessie Yeung, CNN As night fell, chaos erupted when crowds of protesters outside Hong Kong’s legislative building hurled bottles at police, who fired pepper spray and swung batons, dragging some people to the ground. It was a shocking descent into violence from what began as a peaceful march, attended by more than a million
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By Ehsan Popalzai and Irene Nasser, CNN Women in Afghanistan must cover their faces in public, according to a decree issued by the Taliban on Saturday. The new rules say women must cover their faces, ideally wearing the traditional burqa, according to a statement from the General Directorate of Administrative Affairs. If a woman does
Continue Reading By Ehsan Popalzai and Irene Nasser, CNN Women in Afghanistan must cover their faces in public, according to a decree issued by the Taliban on Saturday. The new rules say women must cover their faces, ideally wearing the traditional burqa, according to a statement from the General Directorate of Administrative Affairs. If a woman does
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By Gawon Bae, Junko Ogura, Mayumi Maruyama and Jessie Yeung, CNN A short-range ballistic missile fired by North Korea Saturday reached an altitude of about 37 miles (60 kilometers) over its 373-mile (600km) trajectory, according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missile was fired, likely from
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By Iqbal Athas, CNN Sri Lanka’s President Gotabaya Rajapaksa declared a state of emergency on Friday, after prolonged protests and a general strike shuttered schools, businesses, and transport services. The state of emergency will allow for the arrest of protesters blocking roads. The measure must be approved by Sri Lanka’s parliament within 14 days. The
Continue Reading By Helen Regan, CNN Ferdinand Marcos Jr, the son and namesake of the late dictator, is on the cusp of winning the Philippines presidential election by a landslide, according to preliminary and unofficial results, potentially returning the Marcos dynasty to the Malacañang Palace 36 years after the family fled a mass uprising. With more than
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By Helen Regan and Yasmin Coles, CNN Photographs by Veejay Villafranca for CNN Six years after losing the race for vice president, the son of Philippines’ dictator Ferdinand Marcos is taking on his old rival Leni Robredo — and this time they’re both aiming for the presidency. A win for Ferdinand Marcos Jr on May
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By Nectar Gan, CNN China’s top leader Xi Jinping has issued the strongest warning yet against anyone who questions the country’s zero-Covid policy, as stringent, frequent lockdowns fuel public discontent and deal a devastating blow to the Chinese economy. At a meeting chaired by Xi on Thursday, the ruling Communist Party’s supreme Politburo Standing Committee
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