Middle East

As the West pushes to decarbonize, a lack of investment in fossil fuel production and exploration threatens a supply squeeze, with alternative energy struggling to fill the gap.
Datawatch

Global energy shortage looms as investment in fossil fuels slides

Decarbonization push may cut oil output 73% by 2050 despite lack of alternatives

21 September 2021
The new Turkevi, or Turkish House, sits across from United Nations headquarters in New York. (Anadolu Agency)
21 September 2021
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, left, speaks with Tajik President Emomali Rahmon while attending the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Dushanbe on Sept. 17.
International relations

Iran to gain Central Asia clout with entry into SCO security club

China and Russia-led group expands amid fear of radical spillover from Afghanistan

17 September 2021
Commuters in Jakarta: Ooredoo and CK Hutchison seek greater scale for their Indonesia wireless carrier.
Business deals

Indonesia's No. 2 telecom emerges in Qatar-Hong Kong deal

Ooredoo and CK Hutchison seek greater scale in nation of 195m mobile users

17 September 2021
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is welcomed in Dakar, Senegal, on Jan. 28, 2020. (Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Indo-Pacific

Turkey's push into Africa has China looking over its shoulder

Powered by direct flights and 43 embassies, Ankara expands its sphere of influence

15 September 2021
The Taliban's actions have raised skepticism about its promises to respect women's rights. (West Asia News Agency via Reuters)
Afghanistan turmoil

Aid for Taliban-led Afghanistan poses dilemma for West

Economic paralysis since takeover seen plunging 97% into poverty

15 September 2021
Stream article image
Datawatch

U.S. freed from burden of high crude oil prices

Washington to reduce Middle East involvement even further

14 September 2021
Carlos Ghosn, pictured in Beirut on June 14: he is a complicated combination of the concerns many foreign CEOs harbor about Japan's legal system.
Opinion

How Carlos Ghosn could help enliven Japan's election

Extending aid to Lebanon in return for former Nissan CEO is a tempting possibility

13 September 2021
A nurse prepares a dose of the Sinovac's CoronaVac COVID-19 vaccine at the Sancaktepe Sehit Dr. Ilhan Varank Training and Research Hospital in Istanbul, Turkey.
Coronavirus

Booster shot cuts hospitalizations 6 to 7-fold: Turkish minister

Health chief calls China's Sinovac effective, but urges people to get 3rd dose

10 September 2021
A female taxi driver transports a passenger in Tehran in August 2011. About 500 women drive for the Women's Taxi company, which serves only female passengers. In Iran, women are playing an increasing role in society.
20 years after 9/11

Keiko Sakai sees Islam, democracy as compatible

Expert says deep understanding of each country's culture and traditions needed

8 September 2021
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani arrive for a joint news conference in Doha onn Tuesday. 
Afghanistan turmoil

Blinken says Taliban agreed to let people leave Afghanistan

In Doha talks, top US diplomat says Washington will hold group to its word

7 September 2021
Industry insiders say the head of Myanmar's junta, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, may reject Telenor's exit plan. (Nikkei montage/Reuters/Getty Images)
Myanmar Crisis

Telenor's Myanmar sell-off mired in uncertainty

Alibaba's pullout from stake purchase of payments service clouds picture

7 September 2021
Siblings who arrived from Afghanistan with their families are seen in Pakistan on Sept. 1. Thousands, if not millions, of people are expected to attempt to escape Afghanistan, leaving nations in the region anxious about a flood of refugees coming in. 
Asia Insight

Turkey, Iran and Pakistan raise entry bars for Afghan refugees

Nations across region worry influx could exacerbate political and social problems

7 September 2021
Fourier's robots are designed to help patients regain function after strokes or accidents. (Photo by Noriyuki Doi)
China tech

Chinese rehabilitation robot maker backed by Aramco eyes global push

Fourier Intelligence targets Saudi Arabia along with fast-growing home physical therapy market

7 September 2021
A health worker conducts drive-through testing for COVID-19 in Petah Tikva, Israel. The country has seen cases return to record highs.
Coronavirus

Israel COVID resurgence offers lessons in adaptation for Asia

Other well-vaccinated nations like Singapore watch as booster debate heats up

3 September 2021
Indonesia's President Joko Widodo and Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan hold a pitcher as they plant a tree during a welcoming ceremony at the presidential palace in Bogor, Indonesia on July 24, 2019.
Trade

Indonesia and UAE begin talks on trade and investment pact

Jakarta wants to use CEPA to access African and other Gulf markets

2 September 2021
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks at the groundbreaking ceremony for a new defense ministry building in Ankara on Aug. 30. (Anadolu Agency)
Politics

Turkish Pentagon: Erdogan breaks ground on crescent defense complex

President says new headquarters will 'strike fear in enemies' but embolden friends

1 September 2021
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu meets with his German counterpart Heiko Maas in Antalya, Turkey Aug. 29.
Afghanistan turmoil

Turkey cannot take new refugee burden, foreign minister says

Already hosts 3.7 million Syrian refugees in addition to around 300,000 Afghans

30 August 2021
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan and his government have launched an ambitious diplomatic campaign aimed at stabilizing the region around Afghanistan. (Source photo by Reuters)
Afghanistan turmoil

Pakistan lobbies neighbors to push for inclusive Afghan government

Islamabad ready to offer recognition if Taliban forms multiethnic regime

26 August 2021
The evacuation of Turkish Armed Forces serving at Hamid Karzai Airport in Afghanistan has begun, Ankara announced. The troops are "returning to our homeland with the pride of successfully fulfilling this task," the Defense Ministry said in a statement. (Photo courtesy of the Turkey Ministry of National Defense)
Afghanistan turmoil

Turkish military to pull out of Afghanistan

Taliban requests tech support for airport, but says no to presence of troops

26 August 2021
As a former director of the Mossad, Yossi Cohen is expected to bring his connections and his cybersecurity expertise to the SoftBank Vision Fund.
SoftBank

Most wanted: SoftBank enlists ex-Mossad chief as investment adviser

Yossi Cohen brings Vision Fund his connections to Israel's tech scene

25 August 2021
Iran and Saudi Arabia are trying to bridge their longtime hostilities following the Taliban's takeover in Afghanistan. (Nikkei montage/AP)
Afghanistan turmoil

Taliban's rise pressures Iran and Saudi Arabia to bury the hatchet

As US exits Afghanistan, rivals band together to face common threat

19 August 2021
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu speaks to Nikkei in an interview in Ankara on Aug. 18. (Photo courtesy of the Foreign Ministry)
19 August 2021
On Afghanistan, "we should act together as an international community, both the Muslim and non-Muslim world," Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu tells Nikkei. (Photo courtesy the Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
Interview

Turkey to decide on Taliban recognition after government forms: foreign minister

Cavusoglu warns nation 'cannot shoulder wave of refugees,' calls for EU cooperation

19 August 2021
A sales assistant shows off K-beauty products at a Watsons store. The Hong Kong-based drugstore chain has a dedicated section for South Korean cosmetics at most of its outlets in Turkey. (Photo by Sinan Tavsan)
18 August 2021