CNN – Asia/Pacific

By Jessie Yeung and Kathleen Magramo, CNN One of the last major international cities requiring face coverings on Tuesday announced it will end its controversial Covid mask mandate nearly three years after it was enacted to prevent the spread of the virus. Hong Kong’s mandate, enforced through fines that could reach more than $1,000, had

By Kathleen Magramo, CNN Four members of the same family charged in connection with the gruesome killing of Hong Kong model Abby Choi appeared in court Monday, after police said they found what are believed to be parts of her dismembered body, public broadcaster RTHK reported. Choi’s ex-husband Alex Kwong, 28, his brother Anthony, 31,

By Angus Watson and Jake Kwon, CNN A group of hostages being held for ransom by armed criminals in a remote region of Papua New Guinea have all now been freed, the country’s Prime Minister James Marape said Sunday. “We apologize to the families of those taken as hostages for ransom, it took us a

By Nectar Gan, CNN Want to send your faraway lover a kiss? A Chinese contraption with warm, moving silicon “lips” appears to have just the answer. The device, advertised as a way to let long-distance couples share “real” physical intimacy, is causing a buzz among Chinese social media users, who have reacted with both intrigue

By Kathleen Magramo, Wayne Chang, Jake Kwon and Tara Subramaniam, CNN Police in Hong Kong say they have arrested the ex-husband of model and influencer Abby Choi, following the discovery of parts of her dismembered body at a rental unit in the north of the city. Choi, 28, was reported missing on Wednesday, and pieces

By Manveena Suri and Alex Stambaugh, CNN A senior member of India’s main opposition Congress party has been arrested for allegedly insulting Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Pawan Khera was arrested at Delhi Airport, where he was forced off a plane on Thursday alongside other party members, after he called Modi “Narendra Gautamdas Modi” – an

By Kathleen Magramo, CNN All four people aboard a light aircraft that crashed in the Philippines at the weekend have been confirmed dead, authorities in the Southeast Asian country said Thursday, following a treacherous search mission atop a restive volcano. The bodies of pilot Rufino James Crisostomo Jr., crew member Joel Martin, and Australian technical

By Xiaofei Xu and Irene Nasser, CNN Search and rescue operations continued in northern China Thursday, after a collapsed coal mine left at least five dead and dozens trapped. Chinese state media reported that six were injured and 48 people remain missing as of Thursday evening. The incident took place Wednesday in Alxa League in

By Jessie Yeung and Gawon Bae, CNN South Korea’s fertility rate, already the world’s lowest, has dropped yet again in the latest setback to the country’s efforts to boost its declining population. The national statistics body reported Wednesday that the fertility rate, or the average number of children expected per woman, fell to 0.78 in

By Nectar Gan and Simone McCarthy, CNN Russian President Vladimir Putin said relations between his country and China are “reaching new milestones” as Beijing’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, wrapped up a visit to Moscow on Wednesday. “Russian-Chinese relations are developing as we planned in previous years. Everything is moving forward and developing,” Putin told reporters

By Brad Lendon and Haley Britzky, CNN China’s navy has significant advantages over its US rival, including a bigger fleet and greater shipbuilding capacity, as Beijing seeks to project its power across the oceans, the head of the United States Navy said Tuesday. Speaking at the National Press Club in Washington, DC, US Navy Secretary

By Simone McCarthy, CNN’s Beijing bureau, Anna Chernova and Uliana Pavlova China’s top diplomat Wang Yi arrived in Moscow on Tuesday, in the first visit to Russia by a Chinese official in that role since the Kremlin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began nearly a year ago. Wang, who was named Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s top