CNN – Asia/Pacific

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