Middle East

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida stopped short of calling the Hamas attacks "terrorism" in his first comments on the violence. (Photo by Uichiro Kasai)
Middle East crisis

Japan tries for balanced diplomatic response to Israel-Hamas war

With Middle East largest source of oil imports, PM Kishida urges restraint

11 October 2023
Some 20 million barrels of crude oil and petroleum products passes through the Strait of Hormuz every day.
Commodities

Israel-Hamas war rattles oil market on fears of escalation

Suspicion of Iran involvement raises specter of U.S. sanctions, Hormuz closure

11 October 2023
A "shelter" sign is displayed as people arrive in Israel overlooking others waiting to board flights at Ben Gurion Airport on Oct. 9 in Lod, Israel.
Middle East crisis

Thailand and Philippines scramble to safeguard citizens in Israel

Deaths reported among Southeast Asian workers after Hamas attack

10 October 2023
Taghi Ramahi, husband of jailed women's rights advocate Narges Mohammadi, poses with an undated photo of himself and his wife in Paris on Oct. 6.
International relations

Nobel Peace Prize leaves bittersweet taste for Iranian women

Skeptics doubt Narges Mohammadi's award will have a tangible impact

10 October 2023
The White House is lit with the colors of the Israeli flag in Washington D.C. on Oct. 9.
Middle East crisis

U.S. should support both Israel and Ukraine: Army secretary

Commitment to two fronts raises questions about capacity to defend Taiwan

10 October 2023
An Israeli airstrike hits Gaza on Oct. 8, the day after the Palestinian group Hamas launched a deadly surprise attack on Israel.
Middle East crisis

China hedges on Israel-Hamas war as U.S. urges stronger stance

Conflict poses new obstacle to Beijing's ambitions in Middle East

10 October 2023
The aftermath of a Hamas attack in Sderot, Israel on Oct. 8: The war is just getting started.
Opinion

Hamas-Israel conflict is likely to spill over to many nations

By design or not, war will end reconciliation drive that almost enmeshed Riyadh

9 October 2023
Smoke rises in the distance outside Sderot in southern Israel on Oct. 7. Two Thais have been killed in Israel's most intense fighting in decades.
Middle East crisis

Thailand readies Israel evacuation as 12 nationals killed

PM Srettha condemns Hamas attack, says he ordered air force to get planes ready

9 October 2023
A tanker unloads its cargo of imported oil at Yantai, China in June: The country is the world's largest net buyer of crude. (FeatureChina via AP Images)
Opinion

OPEC+ should know high prices will test Asia's oil appetite

Producers group ought to respond quickly to signs of supply-demand imbalance

9 October 2023
Israel's Iron Dome anti-missile system intercepts rockets launched from the Gaza Strip on Oct. 8.
Middle East crisis

Israel-Gaza conflict: Japanese companies hunker down, seek info

Trading houses Mitsubishi, Mitsui and Sumitomo all have Israeli presence

9 October 2023
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Most read in 2023

Israel crisis sparks worry in Asia, from India to Thailand

Hamas attack met with widespread condemnation amid fears of escalation

8 October 2023
A tourist dressed in a traditional Thai costume visits Wat Arun temple in Bangkok.
Travel & Leisure

Pre-pandemic levels in sight for global foreign tourist numbers

Middle East leads in recovery, while Asian countries lag behind

4 October 2023
Saudi Arabia's first robot, Sara, on display in Riyadh in February: The country is pivoting to reduce its heavy reliance on petroleum exports. 
Opinion

A real economic transformation is underway in Saudi Arabia

'Vision 2030' is reducing country's dependence on oil exports

2 October 2023
Saudi Arabia has reduced oil production since July, while Russia began curbing exports in August.
Commodities

Unexpected China demand, output cuts behind surge in oil prices

Inflation fears grow as futures flirt with $100 per barrel

29 September 2023
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Sept. 11: A "fourth pole" on the geopolitical landscape could be emerging.
Opinion

Working with Gulf states, India can build a new center of power

'IMEC' could point the way forward for emergence of world's 'fourth pole'

28 September 2023
Royal Air Force Typhoons are parked at in Linconshire, U.K. The U.K., Italy and Japan are jointly developing next-generation fighter jets for delivery in 2035.
Defense

U.K. 'exploring' Saudi entry to fighter jet project with Italy and Japan

British GCAP point man urges deal this year to launch 3-way government body

24 September 2023
Orca AI's system displays icons and text when it detects obstacles such as other vessels. (Photo courtesy of Orca AI)
Technology

AI camera steers ships away from collisions in fog and darkness

Japan's Marubeni teams with Israeli startup Orca AI to market SeaPod system

23 September 2023
Police officers try to block an entrance of the government building during a protest against Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, demanding that authorities defend ethnic Armenians in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, in Yerevan on Sept. 20. (Photolure via AP)
International relations

Azerbaijan claims full control over the Nagorno-Karabakh region

Armenian forces agree to disarm after latest outbreak of decades-old conflict

21 September 2023
Russia's state owned company Rosatom is now building four nuclear reactors in Mersin, Turkey. (Anadolu Agency photo)
Energy

Turkey close to deal with China on nuclear power plant

Energy minister says finalization likely in 'a few months' after years of talks

15 September 2023
Jebel Ali Port in Dubai, United Arab Emirates: The UAE would be part of an envisioned transport corridor stretching from India to Europe.
Interview

India-Middle East-Europe Corridor shows global shifts: UAE minister

'We are in the business of redesigning supply chains,' economy chief Al Marri says

15 September 2023
The Belt and Road summit in Hong Kong includes booths encouraging activity in the Middle East. (Photo by Kensaku Ihara)
Belt and Road

Hong Kong uses Belt and Road summit to kindle Middle East ties

Territory follows Beijing in seeking new friends amid chilly relations with West

14 September 2023
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan attends a press conference on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in New Delhi on Sept. 10.
G20 Summit

Erdogan says isolating Russia will fail, eyes Black Sea grain revival

Turkish president vows 'firm diplomacy' to ensure food supplies for Africa

10 September 2023
U.S. President Joe Biden greets Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during a July 2022 meeting in Saudi Arabia.
G20 Summit

U.S. seeks India-Middle East transport network deal at G20

Washington envisions railways and sea lanes to counter China's Belt and Road

9 September 2023
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi at the BRICS Summit in Johannesburg on Aug. 24: The new membership fits into Teheran's policy of deepening ties with nonwestern nations. (Pool via Reuters)
Opinion

Iran's new club memberships still leave it out in the cold

Accession to BRICS, SCO will reduce isolation but not solve financial challenge

7 September 2023
Shihab Alfaheem, the United Arab Emirates' ambassador to Japan, speaks to Nikkei Asia in Tokyo on Aug. 28. His country is gearing up to hold the COP28 summit. (Nikkei montage/Source photo by Sayumi Take and Reuters) 
Interview

COP28 host UAE says fossil fuels needed in energy transition: envoy

Petrostate's preparations alarm observers seeking shift from oil, coal and gas

5 September 2023