Asia

Travelers declare their health information after checking in at the Beijing Capital International Airport

China to reopen to tourists, resume all visas Wednesday

China had stuck to a harsh "zero-COVID" strategy involving sudden lockdowns and daily COVID-19 testing to try to stop the virus.

 | AP

Kartiki Gonsalves, left, and Guneet Monga pose with Oscar awards

Indian documentary 'The Elephant Whisperers' wins at Oscars

Indian film 'The Elephant Whisperers' won the Oscar for best documentary short, to the elation of many.

 | Scripps News Staff

Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Xi awarded 3rd term as China's president, extending rule

The vote for Xi was 2,952 to 0 by the National People's Congress, members of which are appointed by the ruling Communist Party.

 | AP

Iran and Saudi Arabia flags waving.

Iran, Saudi Arabia agree to resume ties, with China's help

The joint statement calls for the reestablishing of ties and the reopening of embassies to happen “within a maximum period of two months.”

 | AP

A TV screen shows footage of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

North Korea fires ballistic missile toward sea, Seoul says

The launch came after the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un warned that her country is ready to take action against the U.S. and South Korea.

 | AP

U.S. President Joe Biden, right, stands with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

China accuses US of trying to block its development

China's Foreign Minister Qin Gang sharpened the warning, saying Washington faces possible "conflict and confrontation" if it fails to change course.

 | AP

Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un

Kim Jong Un's sister warns North Korea ready to act against US, SKorea

The warning came after U.S.-South Korean training on Monday involving a B-52 bomber over the Korean Peninsula.

 | AP

Rescuers search for victims at the site where a landslide hit a village in Indonesia

Indonesia landslides kill 10, rescuers search for 42 missing

The landslides displaced more than 1,200 people who were taken to evacuation centers and other shelters.

 | AP

A pet macaque stands on its owner's motorbike as people inspect the damages from a fuel depot fire in Indonesia.

Indonesia fuel depot fire kills 18, over dozen missing

Hundreds of people ran in panic as thick plumes of black smoke and orange flames filled the sky.

 | AP

An island off of Aharen Beach in Tokashiki, Okinawa, Japan.

Japan discovers more than 7,000 islands that were unaccounted for

Japan used digital mapping to determine it had a total of 14,125 islands in its territory.

 | Gage Jackson

Commuters wearing face masks browse their smartphones as they ride on a subway train in Hong Kong

Hong Kong to lift COVID-19 mask mandate

For most of the pandemic, people in Hong Kong have been required to wear masks in indoor and outdoor public areas, with possible fines for violators.

 | AP

Health worker takes a throat swab sample of a resident at a coronavirus testing site in Beijing, China.

Report: COVID origin linked to China lab leak

The U.S. Energy Department has joined the FBI in concluding that COVID-19 likely originated from a lab leak in Wuhan, China.

 | Scripps News Staff

China's President Xi Jinping.

CIA chief: China has some doubt on ability to invade Taiwan

Taiwan and China split in 1949 after a civil war that ended with the Communist Party in control of the mainland.

 | AP

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

China calls for Russia-Ukraine cease-fire, peace talks

The plan released Friday by China's Foreign Ministry mainly reiterated long-held positions, and analysts said Beijing would be an unlikely broker.

 | AP and Scripps News Staff

A U.S. bomber and fighter aircraft over South Korea

N. Korea makes fresh threats, US bombers fly after ICBM test

Saturday’s ICBM test signals that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is using his rivals’ drills as a chance to expand his country's nuclear arsenal.

 | AP

A TV shows North Korea's missile launch during a news program.

North Korea fires missile as US, S. Korea prepare for drills

North Korea's Foreign Ministry threatened strong action against its rivals after South Korea announced a series of military exercises with the U.S.

 | AP

Fake people, real threat: How AI is being used to spread propaganda

A new report highlights how life-like, AI-generated influencers are being used to promote Chinese propaganda and discredit American ideals online.

 | Scripps News Staff

An MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter lands aboard the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz in the South China Sea

US holds drills in South China Sea amid tensions with China

Drills in the South China Sea come at a time of heightened tensions with Beijing over the shooting down of a suspected Chinese spy balloon.

 | AP

A green military-grade laser light from a Chinese coast guard ship in the disputed South China Sea.

Philippines says China ship used laser against coast guard

The Philippines has filed nearly 200 diplomatic protests against China's aggressive actions in the disputed waters in 2022 alone.

 | AP

FBI special agents assigned to the evidence response team process material recovered from the high altitude balloon.

US blacklists 6 Chinese entities over balloon program

The economic restrictions followed the Biden administration's pledge to consider broader efforts to address Chinese surveillance activities.

 | AP

Outside picture of Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan, a hot spring hotel in Hayakawa, Yamanashi

The world's oldest hotel opened in Japan in the year 705

The Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan is about three hours southwest of Tokyo and two hours from Mount Fuji.

 | Simplemost and Anna Weaver

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning

Beijing calls US claims over balloon 'information warfare'

China maintains the balloon was a civilian meteorological airship that was blown off course and that the U.S. "overreacted" by shooting it down.

 | AP

President Joe Biden delivers the State of the Union address.

China says it was smeared in Biden's State of the Union speech

China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning called out the U.S. in a briefing following President Joe Biden's State of the Union address.

 | AP

a large balloon drifts above the Atlantic Ocean, just off the coast of the Carolinas

President Biden defends his decision on China balloon incident

The balloon hovered over several states — including Montana, Missouri and Illinois — before it was brought down on Saturday by a single missile.

 | Haley Bull and Briana Koeneman

Copies of the Chinese Daily News newspaper.

China accuses US of indiscriminate use of force over balloon

Vice Foreign Minister Xie Feng said he lodged a formal complaint with the U.S. Embassy over a "U.S. attack" on the unmanned Chinese airship.

 | AP and Scripps News Staff

Members of a South Korean rescue team search for people from a capsized boat.

9 missing after fishing boat capsizes in South Korea

Survivors said the boat’s engine room had quickly filled with water before the 24-ton vessel tipped over.

 | AP

A large balloon drifts in the sky.

US downs Chinese balloon over ocean, moves to recover debris

While the US has its suspicions, China has continued to claim that the balloon is merely a weather research "airship" that had been blown off course.

 | AP and Scripps News Staff

Dennis Miralis, lawyer for former U.S. military pilot Daniel Duggan, speaks to the media

Why China allegedly sought help from former Marine Daniel Duggan

In a 2017 indictment recently unsealed, U.S. prosecutors accuse Duggan of secretly using his expertise to teach Chinese fighter pilots.

 | Sasha Ingber

Military personnel stand next to anti-ship missiles and a U.S. F-16V fighter jet.

US Air Force general warns of potential war with China in 2025

In a leaked memo, U.S. Air Force Gen. Mike Minihan said "my gut tells me we will fight in 2025."

 | Scripps News Staff

Members of South Korea coast guard conduct a search operation.

Ship sinks between South Korea and Japan; 2 dead, 8 missing

The Hong Kong-registered cargo ship sank about 100 miles southwest of Nagasaki, Japan, and about 93 miles south of South Korea's Jeju Island.

 | AP