Middle East

In five minutes, the blast left behind the kind of destruction that Lebanon's civil war needed 15 years to produce.
Politics

Beirut explosion: I saw 'Apocalypse Now' brought to life

A local reporter explains how the blast has fueled public anger

12 August 2020
Zafer Sonmez, chief executive of the Turkey Wealth Fund, sees promise in China's Belt and Road Initiative. (Anatolian News Agency)
Interview

Turkish sovereign wealth fund courts China's Belt and Road

As relations with the West suffer, Chinese initiative is more enticing

12 August 2020
Boris Prokoshev, right, captain of the cargo vessel Rhosus, and boatswain Boris Musinchak, pose next to a freight hold loaded with ammonium nitrate in the port of Beirut, in a summer 2014 photograph. 
Opinion

Beirut explosion casts harsh light on international shipping rules

Murky story of a ship called the Rhosus, which began life as a Japanese dredger

10 August 2020
Prime Minister Imran Khan meets with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in September 2019, a time when Saudi Arabia was seen as something of a white knight in Pakistan. (Photo courtesy of Pakistan's Press Information Department)
International relations

Saudi Arabia pulls support for Pakistan as Kashmir tiff widens

As Riyadh takes India's side, China comes through with $1bn for Islamabad

10 August 2020
At left, pilgrims walk around the Kaaba at the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, on July 31. At right, pilgrims circle the Kaaba in 2019. (Source photos by Saudi Ministry of Media/AP and AP)
Coronavirus

COVID-19 empties Saudi holy city of Muslim pilgrims

Health Ministry says no cases confirmed during drastically scaled down Hajj

4 August 2020
Turkish games developer Masomo, which was acquired by Tencent last year, is currently developing a basketball game for mobile phones. (Photo courtesy of Masomo) 
Media & Entertainment

Turkish game developers attract interest from Tencent and Zynga

Agile companies such as Peak and Masomo coveted for strength in Asian market

3 August 2020
Japan's H2A rocket carrying the UAE's Hope probe takes off on July 20: the Emiratis are basking in their status as the Arab world's space leader.
Opinion

India and Elon Musk show Asia the way in discount race to Mars

US caps record month for Red Planet missions with launch of $2.7bn Perseverance rover

31 July 2020
Worshippers attend prayers Friday at the Hagia Sophia, now a grand mosque after having served 86 years as a museum.
International relations

Hagia Sophia holds first Friday prayers since conversion into mosque

Erdogan recites scripture to the faithful in face of international criticism

25 July 2020
Tugboats dock an oil tanker carrying crude oil from Iran at the port of Zhoushan in March 2018: China could look to ramp up imports from the petroliferous country.
Opinion

New China-Iran partnership would heap more uncertainty on oil markets

New Delhi has a wary eye on Beijing's latest move for influence

24 July 2020
A man in Dubai records the launch broadcast of the UAE's Mars mission from Japan on July 20.
Politics

UAE looks to diversify oil-dependent economy with Mars mission

Knowledge-based economy seen as key as global decarbonization gains traction

23 July 2020
Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz seen delivering a televised speech regarding COVID-19 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on March 19. 
Politics

Saudi King Salman chairs cabinet meeting from hospital

Soundless video of event is broadcast on state TV

22 July 2020
A proposed $400 billion economic partnership between China and Iran has some experts questioning the value of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. (Source photo by Reuters) 
Belt and Road

China-Iran deal overshadows Pakistan Belt and Road project

Beijing's plan to invest in Tehran's Hormuz port threatens Islamabad's value

21 July 2020
Turkey has emerged as the world's largest buyer of gold for central-bank reserves this year.
Commodities

Turkey scrambles for gold, overtaking Russia as top buyer

Ankara's frictions with Washington fuel mad dash for the dollar alternative

21 July 2020
Muslims gather for evening prayers in front of the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey, July 10.
International relations

Turkish plan to make Hagia Sophia a mosque splits friends and foes

Ankara leans on Pakistan, Malaysia and Indonesia with Arab ties at low point

17 July 2020
The UAE's Mars probe Hope is expected to blast off from Japan by Aug. 13 after weather conditions forced the scrub of the first launch date. (Photo courtesy of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre)
Aerospace & Defense Industries

Japan launch of UAE Mars probe is rehearsal for own 2024 mission

Mitsubishi Heavy's rockets boast above-average success rate of 98%

17 July 2020
Investors at the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange, which hopes companies can attract more capital from Asia.
Markets

Abu Dhabi stock exchange woos Asian investors

CEO urges all listed companies to ease restrictions on foreign investment

16 July 2020
Hagia Sophia's interior is decorated with both Islamic calligraphy and Christian paintings, reflecting the structure's complex history.
Politics

Hagia Sophia to cover Christian mosaics and scrap fees as mosque

Turkey's conversion of monument raises questions on balancing history and faith

15 July 2020
Huangzeshan oil storage and transportation base, pictured on May 12: China does not seem likely to share details of its strategic stockpiles.
Opinion

Asia should prepare for the next energy crisis

Continent-wide stockpile would prevent oil shortage when geopolitics cut off supply

13 July 2020
Migrant workers, mostly from Bangladesh, line up to collect free masks and have their temperatures taken in Singapore in February.
Economy

Bangladesh weighs paying for infrastructure with remittances

Migrant workers build record foreign reserves, but IMF urges caution

13 July 2020
The Hagia Sophia will hold its first Friday prayer on July 24.
Interview

Hagia Sophia conversion blow to 'secular pride,' Orhan Pamuk says

Nobel laureate criticizes Erdogan's decision to revert UNESCO site to mosque

12 July 2020
Kansai Paint will reduce its presence in Africa and the Middle East. (Photo courtesy of Kansai Paint)
Companies

Japan's Kansai Paint pivots from Africa to India as sales slow

Economic pressures drive coating maker to recalibrate strategy

11 July 2020
Former Nissan Chairman Carlos Ghosn gestures during a news conference at the Lebanese Press Syndicate in Beirut on Jan. 8. 
Society

Ghosn wired $860,000 to alleged escape helper, say prosecutors

Ex-Green Beret and his son arrested in US seek to gain their release on bail

8 July 2020
Ghosn skipped bail while awaiting trial in Japan late last year. 
Nissan's Ghosn crisis

Pilots on trial over Ghosn escape released from Turkish jail

Hearings resume in December, with two attendants facing lesser charges

4 July 2020
Foreign workers queue outside a corner store in the Al Quoz industrial district of Dubai in April. The region is now on the verge of an exodus of migrant labor.
Economy

Over 1m migrants flee Middle East, hitting Asian economies

Host countries lose cheap labor as home countries miss remittances

1 July 2020
The Turkish lira lost around 10% of its value against the dollar since January. (Nikkei montage/Reuters)
Datawatch

Coronavirus triggers dollar drain in big emerging markets

Plunging foreign reserves in Turkey, Indonesia threaten global crisis

28 June 2020