Politics

Visitors wear masks during the coronavirus outbreak at the Badaling section of the Great Wall in Beijing.
22 November 2020
An F-35 fighter jet pilot and crew prepare for a mission at Al-Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates.
International relations

Pompeo checks off Taiwan talks and UAE F-35s from to-do list

Secretary of state plans seven-nation trip to spotlight Trump's achievements

11 November 2020
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev spoke in an interview with Nikkei in Baku on Oct. 21.
Interview

Q&A with Azerbaijan President Aliyev: peace with Armenia 'remote'

But leader remains open to three-way meeting with Yerevan and Moscow

22 October 2020
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said Armenians "must make a strong commitment that they will liberate" the contested region of Nagorno-Karabakh in an interview with Nikkei. (Photo courtesy of the presidency)
Interview

Azerbaijan's president calls on Armenia to return land for peace

Exclusive: Aliyev says cease-fire in Nagorno-Karabakh has 'failed'

22 October 2020
The blast site hit by a rocket in Ganja, Nagorno-Karabakh region, pictured on Oct. 11: in a hyper-nationalistic world the danger of smaller conflicts fueling regional wars is much greater.
Opinion

Turkey's disruptive Caucasus power play risks regional war

Three big reasons why the world should care about the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict

15 October 2020
A photo of Japanese journalist Kenji Goto is shown on TV in February 2015 in Tokyo. Goto was killed by ISIS in Syria. (Photo by Kaisuke Ohta) 
Terrorism

ISIS militants linked to slaying of 2 Japanese are indicted by US

Ex-Brits, accomplices of 'Jihadi John,' face up to life imprisonment

8 October 2020
U.S. President Donald Trump, left, and former Vice President Joe Biden are both keen on securing rare-earth metals. (Nikkei montage/AP/Reuters)
Commodities

Trump vs. Biden buffets oil, gold and rare-earth markets

President's hospitalization led to sharp move in commodity prices

8 October 2020
A Turkish military drone at the 2019 Paris Airshow: Turkey's defense companies are challenging established drone makers from China, Israel and the U.S.
International relations

Turkey begins to rival China in military drones

Rising exports to Middle East and Caucasus shake regional power balance

7 October 2020
Israeli flag carrier El Al's plane is seen after landing at Abu Dhabi on Aug. 31. Saudi Arabia's decision to grant overflight permission could make it easier for Israelis to do business in Asia.
International relations

UAE-Israel deal's reverberations extend to Asia ahead of signing

Investors abuzz over tech, trade and travel as China watches closely

10 September 2020
An Israel El Al airlines plane is seen at Nice international airport, France. On Monday the airline will make its first flight to the United Arab Emirates.
International relations

Israel's El Al to fly first flight to UAE by commercial carrier

Maiden voyage to carry top aides to Trump who brokered accord

29 August 2020
The economic benefits of the deal have significant potential.
Opinion

Middle East must build on UAE-Israel deal by following ASEAN example

Turmoil facing region today has parallels with Southeast Asia in 1960s

21 August 2020
U.S.-developed F-35 fighters already form part of Israel's arsenal. (Photo courtesy of the U.S. Air Force)
International relations

Israel opposes F-35 sale to UAE despite diplomatic thaw

Advanced American hardware risks upset to regional power balance, Netanyahu fears

19 August 2020
Foreign workers on a construction site in Ahmadi, Kuwait, are threatened not only by COVID-19 but also potentially by unemployment in a draft law. 
International relations

Kuwaiti dream of cutting foreign workers threatens Indians most

Fewer jobs, cheaper oil and COVID-19 may reduce Filipinos and Pakistanis as well

13 August 2020
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
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
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
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
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
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