Middle East

Saudi Aramco and Japanese companies including Mitsubishi Corp. and JGC took part in a demonstration project that shipped "emissions-free" ammonia to Japan last year.
Interview

Saudi Aramco bets on ammonia-hydrogen business with Japan

Oil giant to use natural gas and carbon capture to burnish green credentials

2 February 2021
Stream article image
Coronavirus

Global COVID-19 cases top 100m as mutations multiply

12 main types of the novel coronavirus have been identified

27 January 2021
Iranian Revolutionary Guard boats escort a South Korea-flagged tanker. Iran is trying to strong-arm Joe Biden into returning to the negotiation table.
Comment

Iran challenges Biden with South Korea tanker seizure

US sanctions spark game of brinkmanship that risks spiraling out of control

24 January 2021
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu receives his second dose of the coronavirus vaccine on Jan. 9.
Coronavirus

Israel sprints ahead with COVID vaccines as Asia seeks faster jabs

World-leading pace fueled by universal care, big data and political urgency

19 January 2021
Bekir Bozdag, then Turkey’s justice minister, and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi sign the extradition treaty in May 2017, with Presidents Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Xi Jinping presiding.
International relations

Turkey accused of trading Uighurs for Chinese vaccine

Sinovac shots begin after delays, stirring suspicion of 'under the table' deal

14 January 2021
A Pakistani sentry at the Angoor Adda outpost on the border of South Waziristan with Afghanistan. 
Belt and Road

Pakistani militants against Belt and Road targeted in Afghanistan

Killings of separatist sympathizers among Baloch 'refugees' rise in Kandahar

9 January 2021
The South Korean-flagged Hankuk Chemi was seized Jan. 4 in waters off Oman with 20 crew members on board.
International relations

Iran sends warning to US friends with South Korea tanker seizure

Seoul weighs using frozen assets to purchase vaccines for Tehran

7 January 2021
The South Korean-flagged tanker seized by Iran is seen on Jan. 4 in this picture supplied by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps via Iran's West Asia News Agency.
International relations

South Korean vice minister to seek tanker's release on Iran visit

Seoul sends special forces to Strait of Hormuz amid tensions over frozen billions

5 January 2021
Human rights activist Le Van Dun, right, livestreams on Facebook in a coffee shop in Hanoi.
Technology

Asia dilemma: social networks pressed by Turkey and Vietnam to censor critics

YouTube and Facebook weigh reputation damage of bowing to repressive governments

3 January 2021
In an interview with Nikkei Asia, SOCAR's vice president said "there are no obstacles left to build new pipelines in the Caspian Sea." (Source photos by Reuters and AP)
International relations

Azerbaijan readies gas for EU as Central Asia energy hopes soar

Caspian output to reach Europe while Turkmenistan eyes supplier role, SOCAR says

30 December 2020
Pakistan's rickety old rail network, much of it dating from British colonial times, is one of the stumbling blocks to better rail connections between West and East Asia. 
Belt and Road

Turkey, Iran, Pakistan rail link to China's Belt and Road

Oriental express service for the 21st century connecting West Asia to China

29 December 2020
Former Nissan Motor chief Carlos Ghosn joins in a selfie after announcing an entrepreneurship program at a Lebanese university.
Society

Year of living defiantly: Ghosn keeps busy schedule on the run

Ex-Nissan chief to teach a college course and help film a documentary

29 December 2020
Indonesia has seen a surge in mobile data usage during the COVID-19 pandemic, with students forced to take classes online pushing up demand for streaming services.
Telecommunication

Qatari telecom and Hutchison in talks to create Indonesia's No. 2 carrier

Ooredoo aims for bigger market share in Southeast Asia's top economy

28 December 2020
A volunteer is injected with an experimental Chinese COVID-19 vaccine in Phase 3 trials at Kocaeli University Research Hospital in Turkey.
Coronavirus

Sinovac's COVID-19 vaccine has 91% efficacy, Turkey says

Health minister says early results show Chinese-developed shot is 'safe'

25 December 2020
The new plant will be able to process the equivalent of half the waste produced annually in Dubai.
Energy

Dubai plans world-class waste-to-energy plant run by Itochu

Half of the city's trash to be converted to electricity, serving 140,000 households

22 December 2020
Turkey has ordered 50 million doses of Sinovac vaccines to be delivered by the end of February. (Source photo by AP)
Coronavirus

Turkey to deploy Chinese COVID vaccine as Beijing aims for clout

Sinovac becomes a front-runner in region while Ankara seeks more doses

18 December 2020
Arcelik posted 5 billion euros ($6.1 billion) in consolidated revenue last year, with 22 factories in 8 countries. (Photo courtesy of Arcelik)
Interview

Turkey's Arcelik targets Asian growth with Hitachi deal

Appliance maker to invest in China and Thailand plants, CEO says

17 December 2020
Ali Kooli, Tunisia's minister of economy, finance and investment, said medium-income countries also need help from creditors. (Photo by Takeshi Kumon)
Interview

Tunisia finance minister urges G-20 countries to ease loan terms

Ali Kooli looks to China-led AIIB to help promote relations with Asia

16 December 2020
Hitachi is rapidly overhauling its group businesses, seeking to concentrate on core operations while shedding others. 
Business deals

Hitachi to sell overseas appliance arm to Turkish major for $300m

Japanese manufacturer to tie up with Arcelik and expand overseas sales

12 December 2020
People gather in the famous Fin Garden in Kashan, Iran.
Tea Leaves

Twilight of the West's Orientalists

Academic study of the East has changed but earlier views linger on

9 December 2020
Biden has suggested three agenda items for his summit: fighting corruption, anti-authoritarianism, and human rights.
Opinion

Asia's wise heads are wrong to dismiss Biden's big idea

President-elect's democracy push is worth considering

9 December 2020
Last year, Toyota Tsusho started commercial operation of a wind power plant on Egypt's Red Sea coast. (Photo courtesy of Toyota Tsusho)
Energy

Cairo hires Toyota Tsusho to upgrade blackout-prone power grid

$96m project will replace old equipment with Hitachi ABB smart meters

5 December 2020
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan had not earned the wrath of Gulf states when he attended this investment conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in October 2018.
International relations

Pakistanis pay price as Islamabad joins Turkey-Iran-Malaysia bloc

UAE blocks key source of income as it refuses to issue work visas to Pakistanis

4 December 2020
Tanks at Japanese refiner Eneos' Kiire storage yard in southern Japan will be used as an oil reserve. (Photo courtesy of Eneos)
Energy

Japan and Kuwait build 3m barrel oil reserve for Southeast Asia

Tanks on Japanese soil meant to keep companies running during supply disruption

2 December 2020
Police investigate the scene of the attack that killed prominent Iranian scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, outside Tehran, on Nov. 27.
International relations

Tensions rise after killing of suspected Iran nuclear mastermind

Tehran points finger at Israel and vows to 'strike as thunder' at killer

28 November 2020