Middle East

An Iranian flag waves at the headquarters of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna.
International relations

Prospect of revived Iran nuclear deal spurs diplomatic push

U.K. debt and assets in South Korea spotlighted with possible easing of sanctions

19 February 2022
Iran insists its aims are wholly peaceful and its nuclear technology will have solely civil uses.
International relations

Iran nuclear deal draft lays out phases of mutual steps: diplomats

Releasing prisoners, lowering uranium enrichment to come before waivers on oil sanctions

18 February 2022
Ex-Goldman Sachs banker Roger Ng arrives for his criminal trial at U.S. federal court in Brooklyn on Feb. 16.
Finance

Ex-Goldman banker outlines scheme to bribe Malaysian, Abu Dhabi officials

Bank's former Southeast Asia chair testifies in trial over 1MDB scandal

17 February 2022
Tanks and tankers: Ukraine's military conducts exercises, top, and LNG is loaded on a ship in Qatar. (Source photos by AP and Ukrainian Armed Forces Press Service/Reuters) 
Market Spotlight

Qatar's Asian gas contracts hamper Ukraine planning

U.S. pursues alternative LNG supplies for Europe if Russian cuts flow

14 February 2022
Chinese President Xi Jinping attends the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics on Feb. 4.
International relations

Xi's Olympics diplomacy stumbles as leaders avoid Beijing Games

Saudi Arabia and India's delegations cancel at last minute

13 February 2022
A wheat field in the Stavropol region of Russia, the world's top exporter of the grain.
Ukraine war

Ukraine crisis sends grain prices soaring, threatens food security

Wheat and corn costs approach levels seen during Arab Spring unrest

12 February 2022
Higher energy prices are feeding through to the cost of other commodities, such as aluminum and grain. (Source photos by AP and Reuters) 
Commodities

Global commodity prices soar 50%, fastest pace in 27 years

Fears grow inflation could become source of political instability worldwide

10 February 2022
"Red Sands," Caroline Eden's travelogue-cum-cookbook focused on Central Asia, is elevated by her passion for her subject, a strong reportorial eye and arresting photography. (Nikkei montage; source photos courtesy of Quadrille Publishing) 
Arts

Books: Central Asian travelogue courts foodies and adventurers

Despite its title, 'Red Sands' is less about deserts than desserts

9 February 2022
Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and U.S. President Joe Biden meet in the White House on Jan. 31. (Photo courtesy of the Amiri Diwan)
Indo-Pacific

Biden's elevation of energy-rich Qatar stuns Japan

Tokyo haunted by private-sector decision not to extend LNG contract with Doha

9 February 2022
A sign in a Kabul cafe explains the new rule: compulsory beards for men and hijabs for women -- but not everybody complies. (Sara Perria) 
Life

Professional women of Kabul rail against Taliban-imposed restrictions

Burqas remain scarce, for now, but female workers are largely stuck at home

4 February 2022
Turkish Finance Minister Nureddin Nebati believes the country's inflation rate will reach its peak in April. (Photo by Momoko Kidera) 
Interview

Turkish finance minister expects inflation to peak in April

Nureddin Nebati tells Nikkei he is confident the lira will stabilize in 2022

3 February 2022
Fumio Kishida and Scott Morrison attend a video signing ceremony of the Reciprocal Access Agreement on Jan. 6: Japan needs to adopt fresh thinking.
Opinion

Japan's Middle East policy needs fresh thinking

New Asian defense pacts can help set a new tone from the Indo-Pacific to the Gulf

28 January 2022
Thailand Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, left, and Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman. The two countries have taken steps together to revitalize their economies. (Source photos by Akira Kodaka and Reuters)
International relations

Thai PM visits Saudi to mend ties broken by Blue Diamond Affair

After 30-year freeze, both sides focus on trade and COVID recovery

25 January 2022
South Korean President Moon Jae-in, left, meets with Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in Cairo on Jan. 20.
International relations

South Korea inks deal to lend Egypt $1bn for infrastructure

With Moon in Cairo, leaders also discuss sale of self-propelled howitzers

21 January 2022
The Israel pavilion at the Dubai Expo hands out fruit as part of a celebration on Jan. 17. (Photo by Nesreen Bakheit)
International relations

Gulf warms to Israel as attack on UAE underscores common threats

Sprouting seeds of Abraham Accords contrast with fears of rising antisemitism elsewhere

19 January 2022
Kashmiri workers pack apples into boxes to be sold in markets across India. (Photo by Kaleem Geelani)
Trade

Kashmir's apple growers demand action against Iranian imports

Protests mount as prices plunge and unsold produce piles up

17 January 2022
Economists have diverging views on whether the Turkish central bank and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan can stick to a strategy of loosening policy in the face of rocketing prices. Annual inflation in December hit 36%. (Source photos by Reuters) 
Market Spotlight

'Let's pray it holds': Turkey's lira gamble keeps investors guessing

New devaluation-protected savings products halt decline but inflation still a menace

17 January 2022
Collective Security Treaty Organization peacekeepers guard an area in Almaty, Kazakhstan on Jan. 11. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)
12 January 2022
A man uses his smartphone flashlight to light up his bowl of noodles at a restaurant during a blackout in Shenyang in September 2021: China is not the only one capable of making mistakes.
Opinion

World needs a long-term plan to avoid repeat energy crises

Counterproductive short-term fixes will only lead to more economic pain

7 January 2022
IHH Healthcare CEO Kelvin Loh and Mount Elizabeth Novena hospital. The Malaysian health care group is expecting medical tourism to bounce back from pandemic travel restrictions. (Source photos by Kentaro Iwamoto and AP)
Interview

Malaysia's IHH says medical tourism to grow past pre-COVID levels

Hospital chain looks to M&As as Asia's aging population fuels health care demand

6 January 2022
Workers stand at the entrance to a university's residential area under lockdown in Xi'an, China, on Dec. 20. The government maintains a zero-tolerance approach to containing COVID-19.
Politics

China's zero-COVID policy tops risk list for 2022: Eurasia Group

Big tech companies' dominance, U.S. midterms also on consultancy's warning radar

4 January 2022
People stand in front of the spice market also known as the Egyptian Bazaar in Istanbul, Turkey.
Interview

Turkey weighs inflation-protected lira bonds to bolster currency

Bank deposit guarantee will attract $16bn in 1st month, Erdogan's financial adviser says

1 January 2022
Turkish chef Musa Dagdeviren joins local women in Senkoy, a town in Hatay province in Turkey's southeast, who bake bread similar to pita in a tandoor. (Photo by Engin Tokur)
Life

Saving Turkey's lost cultures, forgotten tastes and abandoned people

Culinary anthropologist Musa Dagdeviren on giving hope to the vulnerable

1 January 2022
Air quality in Basra, Iraq is extremely poor as oil refineries continuously flare toxic gas.
Climate Change

Divestment in oil industry adding to global pollution problems

Transfer of green tech to sector slows as Chinese, Russian firms takeover

30 December 2021
Although the U.S. Federal Reserve is starting to tighten its grip on credit, other central banks continue their shift to gold, reflecting global concerns about the dollar-based monetary regime.
Datawatch

Central banks accelerate shift from dollar to gold worldwide

More resilient to upcoming rate hikes, holdings rose to a 31-year high in 2021

29 December 2021