Economy

The Port of Karachi is Pakistan's largest port, located across the Arabian Sea from the United Arab Emirates. (Karachi Port Trust handout via Reuters)
International relations

Cash-strapped Pakistan in talks to transfer largest port to UAE

Deepening economic crisis has government scrambling for money

22 June 2023
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks at the presidential palace in Ankara on May 29. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Economy

Turkey's new cabinet hints at less unorthodox Erdoganomics

Spymaster becomes foreign minister, likely to continue autonomous diplomacy

5 June 2023
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan waves to voters at the presidential palace in Ankara on the night of May 28. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Turkey elections

Erdogan leaned into defense, religion to win tight Turkish election

Unorthodox monetary policy, Russia-friendly foreign policy expected to continue

30 May 2023
Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, left, meets with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on May 18 in Pishin on the two countries' border.
Energy

Militant attacks threaten cash-strapped Pakistan's energy plans

Forex crisis pushes Islamabad to eye local currency imports from neighbor Iran

29 May 2023
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, left, is battling his toughest re-election campaign against Kemal Kilicdaroglu. (Source photos by Reuters) 
Turkey elections

Turkey's Erdogan trails rival in toughest re-election battle yet

Too early to write off longtime leader after past victories, observers caution

13 May 2023
Some 64 million Turks are eligible to vote on Sunday, with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, left, vying to beat key rival Kemal Kilicdaroglu. (Source photos by Reuters)
Turkey elections

Turkey heads to polls in landmark elections: 5 things to know

President Erdogan faces toughest battle of 20-year rule in tight leadership race

12 May 2023
Kemal Kilicdaroglu, presidential candidate of Turkey's main opposition alliance, addresses supporters in Izmir on April 30. (Handout via Reuters)
Opinion

Economic turmoil has created an opening for Turkey's opposition

Nation Alliance needs to convince voters it has better solutions than Erdogan

2 May 2023
Turkey will hold parliamentary and presidential elections in May.
Turkey elections

Turkey elections spur renewed interest from foreign investors

Opposition parties vow no state meddling in markets, return to economic orthodoxy

29 March 2023
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has ruled Turkey for more than two decades and the country is now facing the deepest cost-of-living crisis under his watch.
Economy

Turkish opposition pledges to reverse Erdogan's economic policies

Next administration will have to deal with high inflation, earthquake fallout

28 March 2023
Emrah Turkmen searches for hard-disks inside the rubble in the Antakya district of Hatay, Turkey. (Photo by Sinan Tavsan)
7 March 2023
Women walk near rubble of a collapsed building in Antakya, Turkey.
Economy

Earthquake-hit Turkey cuts interest rates to boost economy ahead of elections

Inflation simmers, but central bank says disaster won't have impact beyond short term

24 February 2023
A view of residential areas in the Asian side of Istanbul, Turkey. The city is known to be earthquake prone.
Natural disasters

Turkey earthquake raises questions on megacity Istanbul's readiness

Houses built in cheap, quick and unsafe fashion at risk of collapse

14 February 2023
Rescue workers search through rubble in Diyarbakir, Turkey, on Feb. 6. Countries around the world, many of them in Asia, have pledged to send assistance.
Natural disasters

Turkey earthquake prompts outpouring of aid from Asia-Pacific

Governments across region pledge rescue teams, search dogs, medical supplies

7 February 2023
Syrian civilians and emergency personnel conduct search and rescue operations in the rubble of a collapsed building in Harem, Syria on Feb. 6.
Natural disasters

In pictures: Devastation in Turkey and Syria

Massive earthquake shatters towns and lives across two countries

7 February 2023
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, center, during his trip to the United Arab Emirates on Jan. 15, with South Korean first lady Kim Keon-hee and UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. (Courtesy of UAE presidential court/Reuters)
International relations

Yoon pursues commercial diplomacy as South Korea's top salesman

President spearheads drive to export more nuclear power facilities and arms

4 February 2023
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis takes part in an interview on Jan. 31 in Tokyo. (Photo by Yuki Kohara)
Interview

Greek PM slams Turkey for 'sitting on the fence' over Ukraine war

Mitsotakis aims to tap Japan, India for investment after 'turning page' on debt

31 January 2023
South Korea, China and Japan all saw drops in their foreign exchange reserves last year as the dollar strengthened.
Currencies

Global foreign reserves dwindle as countries counter dollar's rise

Japan's holdings sink 13%, sharpest on record; China falls short of IMF benchmark

12 January 2023
The economic crisis in Pakistan likely prompted army chief Lt. Gen. Syed Asim Munir to directly ask wealthy Saudi Arabia and the UAE for new monetary assistance. (Nikkei montage/AP)
International relations

Pakistan army chief assumes loan diplomacy role amid forex crisis

Munir's Saudi Arabia, UAE trips likely timed to avert Islamabad debt default

11 January 2023
Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi discussed the proposed trade corridor in July 2022.
International relations

Russia and Iran eye trade route with India to bypass sanctions

Project, two decades in the making, would bypass Europe as tensions mount

11 January 2023
Containers at Khalifa Port, Abu Dhabi. An uptick in political engagement between key Asian and Gulf economies noted by experts is expected to result in tangible deals that will drive trade growth.
Trade

Saudi and Gulf state trade with emerging Asia to rise 60% by 2030

U.K. think tank says 'uptick in political engagement' boosts economic ties

7 November 2022
Many OPEC members rely heavily on revenue from oil exports.
Commodities

Line in the sand: OPEC+ defends $80 oil price floor with output cut

Anticipated drop in demand puts budgets at risk for Saudi Arabia and UAE

6 October 2022
The U.S. had pushed OPEC not to proceed with the cuts, arguing that fundamentals don't support them, a source familiar with the matter said.
Commodities

OPEC+ agrees to cut output 2m barrels a day despite U.S. pressure

Saudi Arabia and other group members have said they seek to prevent volatility

6 October 2022
A booth promoting digital yuan during the China International Fair for Trade in Services in Beijing on Sept. 1: The People's Bank of China has declared that the digital currency is technically ready for cross-border use.
Opinion

China and Gulf states share interest in taking digital yuan global

Both see value in developing alternative to dollar-centered financial system

5 October 2022
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, right, and Central Bank Gov. Sahap Kavcioglu in Ankara on June 8: Kavcioglu has embraced Erdogan's ideas.
Opinion

Turkey's monetary experiment holds lessons for Asia's central banks

Blindly following the Federal Reserve's rate moves brings risks to region

3 October 2022
Residents of Riyadh dressed as anime and movie characters walk along a street, as they take part in a two-day costume event in the Saudi capital in March 2022. 
Comment

Can Gulf oil producers turn boom into new riches?

Countries face last chance to leverage fuel reserves amid decarbonization

28 September 2022