Tag - middle-east

 
 

MIDDLE EAST

A rocket is fired from Gaza toward Israel on Saturday
WORLD / Politics
Oct 9, 2023
How Israel was duped as Hamas planned devastating assault
While Israel was led to believe it was containing war-weary forces, Hamas fighters were being trained and drilled, often in plain sight.
Israeli soldiers examine the remains of a police station where a battle took place following a mass infiltration by Hamas gunmen from the Gaza Strip in Sderot, Israel, on Sunday.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 8, 2023
Hamas torches Biden’s deal to remake the Middle East
In a surprise attack, Hamas fired thousands of rockets from Gaza into Israel, killing dozens and and leaving some areas looking like war-torn Ukraine.
A man stands in front of a damaged shop in Tel Aviv after it was hit by a rocket fired by Palestinian militants from the Gaza Strip on Saturday.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Oct 8, 2023
In attack, Hamas strikes Israel and regional security realignment
Saturday's assault coincides with U.S.-backed moves to push Saudi Arabia toward normalizing ties with Israel.
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, on Saturday, as Secretary of State Antony Blinken listens.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Oct 8, 2023
Biden’s hopes for the Middle East imperiled by eruption of violence
The Hamas attack on Israel could narrow the chances of Saudi Arabia and Israel normalizing relations — and a new alignment in the region.
A woman walks past a market in the southern Lebanese city of Sidon. Lebanon is one of nine Arab nations using an algorithm-powered poverty assessment formula funded by the World Bank that ranks welfare applicants according to dozens of different data points.
WORLD / Society
Oct 5, 2023
In Middle East, poor excluded from welfare by 'faulty' algorithms
Around the world, 40 countries use an algorithm-powered poverty assessment formula funded by the World Bank to rank welfare applicants.
The Jumeirah Beach district of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. San Francisco-based Vesta wants to dump ground-up olivine on beaches and into seawater in an attempt to speed up the ocean’s natural ability to remove carbon dioxide.
ENVIRONMENT / Oceans
Sep 29, 2023
How seeding the oceans with minerals could help slow climate change
Techniques to remove carbon from the atmosphere run into the hundreds or even thousands of dollars per ton.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (center) leaves after the state commemoration ceremony for fallen soldiers on the 50th anniversary of the 1973 Arab-Israeli war, at the Memorial Hall on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Sep 27, 2023
Amid optimism for Saudi-Israeli pact, lingering obstacles remain
U.S. President Joe Biden, whose aides are driving the push, is said to be seeking a deal before his re-election campaign next year.
The U.S. is expanding import restrictions for Nvidia AI chips to include some countries in the Middle East, the firm has said.
WORLD / Politics
Aug 31, 2023
U.S. curbs AI chip exports from Nvidia to parts of Middle East
A similar move announced last year signaled an escalation of the U.S. crackdown on China's technological capabilities.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida shakes hands with Gulf Cooperation Council Secretary-General Jasem al-Budaiwi before their talks in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on July 16.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 21, 2023
Japan eyes foreign ministers meeting with six Gulf nations
The move comes as Japan aims to strengthen relations with oil-producing countries in the Middle East to ensure a stable energy supply.
Fake oranges filled with captagon pills, intercepted by the customs and the anti-drug brigade at Beirut port, Lebanon, in 2021.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Aug 18, 2023
‘Poor man’s cocaine’ costing $3 a pill threatens to proliferate
Selling for around $3 to $25 per tablet, experts say captagon is primarily produced and trafficked by groups tied to Syrian President Bashar Assad.
U.S. President Joe Biden and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in July 2022
WORLD / Politics
Jul 30, 2023
Biden presses ahead with effort to broker Israeli-Saudi rapprochement
The fact that U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan returned to Jeddah so soon after his last visit suggests prospects for an accord.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is greeted by Abdulla bin Touq Al Mari, the UAE's minister of economy, during a reception in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on Monday.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 20, 2023
Kishida's Middle East visit creates an opportunity for Japan
Kishida visit shows Japan's policy vis-a-vis the Middle East is shifting from the traditional energy-securing economic diplomacy to a more strategic foreign policy.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida meets with Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and other officials in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Sunday.
EDITORIALS
Jul 21, 2023
Kishida takes ‘global green’ initiative to the Middle East
Middle East countries are keen to diversify their economies, reducing their reliance on oil and gas for revenue. Japan hopes to assist in that transition.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 20, 2023
Kishida’s Middle East visit creates a great opportunity for Japan
Kishida visit shows Japan's policy vis-a-vis the Middle East is shifting from the traditional energy-securing economic diplomacy to a more strategic foreign policy.
Japan Times
JAPAN / FOCUS
Jul 19, 2023
Kishida tries to diversify ties with Middle East
The Middle East, which accounts for more than 90% of Japan's total crude oil imports, is stepping up efforts to diversify its industries while working to reduce its dependence on oil.
Japan Times
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
Jul 14, 2023
Energy diplomacy kicks into high gear as Kishida heads to Middle East
Despite the government's ambitious goal to reach net zero by 2050, Tokyo remains heavily dependent on fossil fuels and imports 90% of its oil supplies from the Middle East.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 7, 2023
Tips for better diplomatic commentary
As I grow older and wiser, here are seven lessons I have learned as a career Japanese diplomat.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jul 5, 2023
Abraham Accord Arab states likely to stick with Israel despite Jenin violence
Analysts say economic and trade interests are likely to trump any moral outrage felt in the four Arab states that have signed peace pacts with Israel.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 21, 2023
The post-American Middle East
The recent cease-fire between Israel and Islamic Jihad, the detente between Iran and Saudi Arabia and the de-escalation in Yemen have all been accomplished with minimal Western involvement.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Jun 18, 2023
Iran and Saudi Arabia move further toward reconciliation
Iran and Saudi Arabia took a further step Saturday to seal their reconciliation as Riyadh's top diplomat made a landmark visit to the Islamic Republic following a seven-year rupture.

Longform

Traditional folk rituals like Mizudome-no-mai (dance to stop the rain) provide a sense of agency to a population that feels largely powerless in the face of the climate crisis.
As climate extremes intensify, Japan embraces ancient weather rituals