CNN – Asia/Pacific

By Yoonjung Seo, CNN North Korea fired two cruise missiles on Tuesday morning, according to the South Korean military. The launch is being analyzed by the intelligence authorities of South Korea and the United States. It comes as North Korea has ramped up its missile tests this month, saying it will bolster its defenses against

CNN By Yoonjung Seo and Brad Lendon, CNN North Korea fired what are presumed to be two short-range ballistic missiles into waters off the east coast of the Korean Peninsula on Thursday — a move believed to be its sixth missile test this month, the South Korean military said. The two projectiles were launched from

By Rhea Mogul and Alex Stambaugh, CNN The eruption this month of an underwater volcano near Tonga was hundreds of times more powerful than the Hiroshima atomic bomb, according to NASA. Jim Garvin, chief scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, said the eruption of the Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha’apai volcano on January 15 released “hundreds of times

By Jessie Yeung and CNN’s Beijing Bureau Dozens of Chinese officials have been punished over their response to devastating floods that killed hundreds last July, after a government investigation found authorities had under-reported deaths and deliberately withheld information. The flooding in the city of Zhengzhou, capital of central Henan province, left 398 people dead or

By Eric Cheung and Brad Lendon, CNN China sent 39 warplanes into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ) on Sunday, Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said, the largest such incursion this year. The flights by the People’s Liberation Army aircraft came a day after the United States and Japanese navies put on a massive show of force

CNN By Akanksha Sharma, CNN New Zealand’s Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern has entered self-isolation until Tuesday after being deemed a close contact of a positive Covid-19 case. “The exposure event took place on Saturday 22 January during flight NZ8273 from Kerikeri to Auckland,” the New Zealand government said in a press release Saturday. The statement

By Philip Wang, CNN New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Sunday revealed she has canceled her wedding as the country continues to curb a new wave of Omicron cases. Speaking at a regular Covid-19 news conference, Ardern said health authorities have reported nine Omicron cases in Motueka in a single-family household. The family traveled

By Nectar Gan and Steve George, CNN The Winter Games is just two weeks away and outside Beijing’s Olympic venues, the banners and decorations are up. But so too are long rows of metal fences and guard posts, dividing the Chinese capital and barring anyone without an official Covid-safe pass. Having been largely sealed off

By Brad Lendon, CNN A United States Navy guided missile destroyer challenged Chinese claims of sovereignty in and around islands in the South China Sea on Thursday, with a Navy statement saying such claims violate international law and “pose a serious threat to the freedom of the seas.” The USS Benfold sailed around the Paracel

By Rhea Mogul, Jake Kwon, Sophie Jeong and Alex Stambaugh, CNN The first contactless aid flights arrived in disaster-hit Tonga on Thursday, as the coronavirus-free Pacific island nation takes precautions to keep the virus out of its borders in the wake of a devastating volcanic eruption and tsunami. Flights from Australia and New Zealand carrying

By Katie Hunt, CNN Pandas are famously picky eaters. They only consume bamboo — a poor quality diet low in fat. But the creatures appear to have evolved to get the most out of what they do eat, according to a new study. Their gut bacteria changes in late spring and early summer when bamboo

By Rhea Mogul, Teele Rebane and Eric Cheung, CNN A massive volcanic eruption and tsunami near Tonga caused “an unprecedented disaster,” the Pacific nation’s leader said Tuesday, as New Zealand warned of further eruptions that may complicate the delivery of aid to remote islands where communications are down. In its first official update since Saturday’s

CNN By Rhea Mogul, Teele Rebane and Eric Cheung, CNN A massive volcanic eruption and tsunami near Tonga caused “an unprecedented disaster,” the Pacific nation’s leader said Tuesday, as New Zealand warned of further eruptions that may complicate the delivery of aid to remote islands where communications are down. In its first official update since

By Rhea Mogul, Eric Cheung, Akanksha Sharma and Teele Rebane CNN A thick layer of ash covering entire island communities can be seen in the first images of disaster-hit Tonga to emerge following what experts believe to be the world’s biggest volcanic eruption in more than 30 years. Aerial photos released by the New Zealand