Will Ripley
@willripleycnn
CNN Senior International Correspondent. Cat Dad. Based in Taiwan.
BREAKING: Taiwan begins its first-ever drill deliberately slowing mobile internet, simulating disruptions from a cyberattack, natural disaster or potential Chinese attack. Today’s drill is in central Taiwan. On Thursday, it moves to northern Taiwan, including Taipei.
A rare tornado formed just outside of Taipei as Typhoon Dolphin churned hundreds of miles north of Taiwan
Taiwan is rehearsing one of its most sensitive wartime scenarios: keeping the government functioning after a simulated Chinese “decapitation strike” targeting the island’s leadership.
New surveillance video shows the arrest of a Malaysia Airlines pilot accused of smuggling 14 packages containing 70,000 ecstasy pills—roughly 26kg of MDMA—into Indonesia. Police say they’re now pursuing what they describe as a wider international drug trafficking network.
A deadly heatwave is gripping the Korean Peninsula. North Korean state TV is airing footage of Kim Jong Un’s seaside resort while releasing little information about the heatwave’s human and economic toll.
Join me in Bangkok! #CNNGlobalPerspectives is bringing CNN’s journalism to Bangkok for the event series’ first stop in Asia on October 14. Alongside world leaders, CEOs and cultural visionaries, we’ll explore a world in transition. Request an invitation today: CNNICEvents.cnn.com/gpbangkok/WR
Emirates has apologized after passengers in China were stuck on a plane for ten hours without working air conditioning. Their flight was diverted from Shanghai to Hangzhou due to bad weather and further delayed by a technical issue that grounded the Airbus A380.
A 12-foot commercial sea drone captured rare close-up footage of what CNN identified as a Chinese Type 052D guided-missile destroyer during a test mission in the strategically important Bashi Channel between Taiwan and the Philippines.
A power bank burst into flames on a China Eastern Airlines flight after landing at Guiyang Longdongbao Airport. “Thermal runaway” in lithium-ion power banks can go unnoticed in overhead compartments.
Japan’s 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck just 4 miles beneath Kumamoto, producing intense shaking and widespread destruction. It also damaged the historic Kumamoto Castle, a landmark still recovering from the devastating 2016 earthquakes.
Ukraine’s President warns Russia wants Kim Jong Un to send another 30,000 North Korean troops to fight on the frontline. Putin apparently facing the reality that the average lifespan of a Russian soldier from training to combat is reportedly only 10 days to three weeks.
Italian students who behaved badly on a train in Bangkok, Thailand apologize & pay fines after saying “We’re sorry for bringing money to your country” and making obscene gesture during viral confrontation with Thai local.
Two Dutch organizers of a Bali run club are banned from re-entering Indonesia by immigration. Allegations surfaced online the club excluded local Indonesians from some events. Authorities are investigating. The club apologized & blamed errors in its automatic approval process.
A video of a tourist being confronted for allegedly dropping litter has gone viral, sparking debate over whether the response went too far. What do you think?
Hundreds of Russian and Chinese students are attending North Korea’s Songdowon International Children’s Camp this year, state media reports. The UK sanctioned the controversial camp, located in the coastal city of Wonsan.
A dramatic crosswind approach in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, ended with a textbook go-around maneuver before the aircraft landed safely on its second attempt. Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration had issued a Yellow Strong Wind Advisory for southern coastal areas, including Kaohsiung.
A US warship in the middle of a Chinese desert? Some things have to be seen to be believed.
Typhoon Bavi is lashing Taiwan with torrential rain, flooding, and landslide risks. Thousands have evacuated and flights are canceled. Stay indoors, avoid flood-prone areas, and follow official alerts. Stay safe!
‘Catastrophic’ Super Typhoon Bavi is slamming US Pacific territories Guam & the Northern Mariana Islands and could hit Taiwan next. It’s a monster, with a cloud shield stretching 1,029 miles across the Pacific—roughly the distance from New York to Miami. www.cnn.com/2026/07/05/a...
One year after a humiliating launch failure left a similar warship partially capsized, Kim Jong Un has commissioned the 5,000-ton Choe Hyon. North Korea says it built its biggest-ever destroyer entirely on its own. But did it? www.cnn.com/2026/06/26/w...
Kim Jong Un just commissioned the largest warship in North Korean history, the 5,000 ton Choe Hyon. Kim says it’s the start of a nuclear capable navy. Questions are growing about whether Russia helped make it possible. edition.cnn.com/2026/06/24/a...
Taiwan’s military showed off three types of robot patrol dogs at a media event and suggested they could be used in Taiwan and on islands controlled by Taipei in the disputed South China Sea.
North Korea’s women’s club-level regional champions were nearly emotionless while competing in South Korea. But after returning home and meeting Kim Jong Un, many were seen crying, jumping, and wiping away tears.
Laos cave survivor Mee “Ee” Singfamalai tells CNN how he survived 11 days inside a cave, what daily life was like inside, and the moment he and the others crawled their way to freedom. edition.cnn.com/2026/05/31/a...
“Secretary of Everything” Marco Rubio is breaking the internet in Beijing. Which is awkward because China technically still has him sanctioned and blacklisted over comments he made in 2020 as a US senator.
Taiwan hoping for “no surprises” at Trump-Xi summit with a $14B US arms sale still pending. KMT calls for more dialogue with Beijing; ruling DPP says it also wants talks, but China refuses to engage. edition.cnn.com/politics/liv...
Viral videos of rats inside Taipei shopping malls, markets and train stations are fueling public anxiety after Taiwan recorded its first hantavirus death in 25 years. As rat sightings spread across social media, city officials are ramping up rat eradication campaigns across Taiwan’s capital.
