Middle East

"The supreme leader's orders regarding the harsh punishment of Israel and revenge for the blood of martyr Ismail Haniyeh are clear and explicit," said Revolutionary Guards deputy commander Ali Fadavi.
Middle East crisis

Iran set to carry out leader's order to 'harshly punish' Israel

Guards deputy chief Fadavi says order to be implemented in "best possible way"

10 August 2024
Attendees of a peace ceremony marking the 79th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing of Nagasaki hold a moment of silence in Nagasaki on Aug. 9. (Pool photo)
International relations

Nagasaki marks 79th A-bomb anniversary as Israel snub overshadows ceremony

Envoys of several nations, including U.S., refrain from attending proceedings

9 August 2024
The head of Turkey's presidential investment office, Burak Daglioglu, speaks to Nikkei Asia in Istanbul. (Photo by Kana Watanabe)
Interview

Turkey expects more investments from Chinese EV makers

BYD's $1bn decision gives other companies 'comfort,' says investment office head

8 August 2024
U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel will no longer attend the Nagasaki peace ceremony on Friday.
International relations

U.S., Europe aired concern over no Israel at Nagasaki A-bomb event

Envoys pulling out say Israel shouldn't be put on same level as Russia, Belarus

7 August 2024
U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland testifies before a House Judiciary Committee hearing in Washington on June 4.
Crime

U.S. charges Pakistani man allegedly linked to Iran in assassination plot

Unidentified officials targeted in retaliation for 2020 killing of Soleimani, complaint says

7 August 2024
People shop at the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul. Turkey's fragile economy is suffering from high inflation and exchange rate volatility.
Opinion

Japan must wake up to the potential of boosting economic ties with Turkey

PM Kishida should use this 100th anniversary year of relations to visit Ankara

6 August 2024
Supporters of Hamas and Hezbollah take part in a protest condemning the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and Hezbollah top commander Fuad Shukr, in Sidon, Lebanon, on Aug. 2.
Middle East crisis

Israeli airstrike kills Hamas commander in West Bank: Palestinian media

Strike hits vehicle carrying fighters in city of Tulkarm; four others die

3 August 2024
Thai Vice Foreign Minister Russ Jalichandra meets Qatari Minister of State Mohammed bin Abdulaziz al-Khulaifi, a chief negotiator in the Gaza conflict, on July 25. (Thai Foreign Ministry)
Interview

Thailand laments Mideast escalation with 6 citizens in captivity

'Hard to be optimistic' about farm workers held in Gaza, says vice foreign minister

2 August 2024
Flags of participating countries are pictured ahead of the China-Arab summit in Riyadh in December 2022.
Business deals

Saudi sovereign fund PIF signs $50bn deals with Chinese banks

Pacts with 6 institutions encourage 2-way capital flows

1 August 2024
An Iranian man holds a picture of Hamas' top leader Ismail Haniyeh after he was killed in Tehran. (West Asia News Agency via Reuters)
Middle East crisis

Iran-Israel tensions escalate after Hamas chief's assassination

Iranian supreme leader promises revenge after Tehran killing

1 August 2024
Ismail Haniyeh, the head of the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, was killed in Iran on July 31. The group blamed his death on an Israeli raid.
Middle East crisis

Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh killed in Iran, Hamas says

Iranian Revolutionary Guards confirm death after president inaugurated

31 July 2024
People gather near a site hit by what security sources said was a strike on Beirut's southern suburbs on July 30.
Middle East crisis

Israel claims to kill Hezbollah senior commander in Beirut strike

Move comes in retaliation for rocket attack that killed 12 youngsters in Golan Heights

31 July 2024
Israeli officials respond after rockets were launched across Lebanon's border with Israel which killed 11 people at a soccer pitch in Majdal Shams in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights on July 27.
Middle East crisis

Israel vows response to what it says was Hezbollah rocket attack

Lebanese militant group denies responsibility for strike that killed 11 in Golan Heights

28 July 2024
Foreign ministers of Southeast Asian countries pose for a photo on the day of the 57th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting at the National Convention Centre in Vientiane on July 25.
International relations

ASEAN ministers at loggerheads over Israel-Hamas conflict

Malaysia pushes line condemning violence, as Singapore, Thailand cause 'some discord'

27 July 2024
Baoshan Iron & Steel is one of the world's largest steelmakers. (Photo by Tomoko Wakasugi)
Materials

China's Baosteel doubles investment in Saudi steel venture with Aramco

New company to supply 1.5m tons of steel plate annually to Middle East and Africa

25 July 2024
State-owned Saudi Aramco is planning major investments in the Jafurah shale gas field, the largest in the Middle East.
Energy

Saudi Arabia eyes $100bn bet on shale gas revolution at home

Oil leader looks to maintain status as energy power amid shifting landscape

24 July 2024
Left to right, Mahmoud al-Aloul, vice chairman of the Central Committee of Fatah; China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi, and Mousa Abu Marzouk, senior member of Hamas, attend an event at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing on July 23.
International relations

Palestinian factions sign reconciliation deal in China-brokered talks

Leaders of Hamas, Fatah pledge to form interim government in post-war Gaza

23 July 2024
Hong Kong's regulatory environment makes it easy for foreign nationals to create shell companies to evade sanctions.
International relations

Hong Kong plays leading role in sanctions evasion: report

New analysis spotlights Chinese city as transshipment hub of goods to sanctioned nations

22 July 2024
An Israeli Air Force F-35 fighter jet lands at an air base. 
Middle East crisis

Israeli jets strike Houthi targets in Yemen after Tel Aviv attack

Fears grow of a widening conflict throughout the Middle East

21 July 2024
Chinese investors now can put money into exchange-traded funds that track top Saudi Arabian companies such as oil giant Saudi Aramco. 
Markets

Saudi ETFs surge in China debut as financial ties deepen

Funds touch upper limit on first day of trading in Shanghai, Shenzhen

16 July 2024
Mitsui & Co. first got involved in the LNG business in the United Arab Emirates in the 1970s. (Mitsui & Co.)
Energy

Japan's Mitsui pivots back to Middle East with LNG project in UAE

Trading house makes first natural gas foray in 5 years as Russia, Mozambique plans falter

12 July 2024
Iran's President-elect Masoud Pezeshkian speaks a day after the presidential election on July 6.
Opinion

Iran's conservative-moderate tensions to return under Pezeshkian

Women's rights, social media, nuclear deal and FATF will be sources of friction

10 July 2024
BYD's Atto 3 at the Thailand International Motor Expo in Bangkok in 2022. The company sold fewer than 1,000 units of the electric vehicle in the Turkish market in 2023.
Automobiles

China's BYD to invest $1bn in Turkey for EV plant

Ankara exempts companies from additional 40% tariff if they set up local production

9 July 2024
Iranian presidential candidate Masoud Pezeshkian waves during a campaign event in Tehran on July 3. (West Asia News Agency via Reuters) 
Politics

Moderate Pezeshkian wins Iran presidential runoff election: interior ministry

Low-profile candidate beats hard-line former nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili

6 July 2024
Women vote in the run-off presidential election between Masoud Pezeshkian and Saeed Jalili in Tehran on July 5. (Majid Asgaripour/West Asia News Agency via Reuters)
Politics

Iranians vote in run-off presidential election amid widespread apathy

Poll a test of clerical rulers' popularity, but historic low turnout seen as vote of no confidence

5 July 2024