CNN – Asia/Pacific

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 Philip Wang, CNN Thich Nhat Hanh, a prominent Vietnamese Buddhist monk, peace activist and leading voice in opposition to the Vietnam War, has died at Tu Hieu Temple in Hue, Vietnam. He was 95. The monastic organization that he founded, Plum Village, announced the news on its website. Plum Village said Thich Nhat Hanh

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 Katie Hunt, CNN A previously unknown type of tarantula has been discovered in Thailand, and it lives exclusively in the hollowed stems of bamboo plants, surprising scientists. “These animals are truly remarkable; they are the first known tarantulas ever with a bamboo-based ecology,” said Narin Chomphuphuang, a researcher at Khon Kaen University’s department of

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

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

By Helen Regan, CNN The eruption of an underwater volcano near Tonga on Saturday was likely the biggest recorded anywhere on the planet in more than 30 years, according to experts. Dramatic images from space captured the eruption in real time, as a huge plume of ash, gas and steam was spewed up to 20

By Jessie Yeung and CNN’s Beijing Bureau At an office building in China’s capital on Sunday, masked Covid control personnel lugged boxes of pillows and bedding through the closely guarded entrance for white collar workers stuck inside, preparing for what may be days of lockdown as Beijing rushes to prevent the spread of Omicron ahead

By Brad Lendon, CNN One of the most powerful weapons in the US Navy’s arsenal made a rare port call in Guam over the weekend, sending a message to allies and foes amid increasing tensions in the Indo-Pacific, analysts said. The USS Nevada, an Ohio-class nuclear-powered submarine carrying 20 Trident ballistic missiles and dozens of

By Gawon Bae and Junko Ogura, CNN North Korea conducted its fourth missile test of the year on Monday, firing two projectiles into the ocean off the east coast of the Korean Peninsula, according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff. North Korea said Tuesday it was test-firing “tactical guided missiles,” which are short-range ballistic