Tag - middle-east

 
Menu
Search
 
July 12, 2026
 

Today's print edition

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access

MIDDLE EAST

Palestinians pass by destroyed buildings during Eid.
WORLD
May 28, 2026
No feasts and no joy: Gazans mark a dark Eid
Despite a U.S.-brokered ceasefire, Israeli airstrikes are still common in Gaza, where most of the population depends on aid for basic needs, according to the United Nations.
U.S. President Donald Trump and others attend the inaugural Board of Peace meeting at the U.S. Institute of Peace in Washington on Feb. 19.
WORLD
May 28, 2026
Board of Peace official Gaza fund is empty despite pledges, source says
Since the board was set up, its fund — administered by the World Bank and endorsed by the United Nations — has received no money from donors, the source said.
Mourners carry the body of Hamas leader Mohammed Odeh and other Palestinians in a funeral procession in Gaza City on Wednesday, a day after his targeted assassination by the Israeli army.
WORLD
May 28, 2026
Palestinians mourn slain Hamas militant chief as Israel escalates Gaza attacks
The Israeli military said Mohammad Odeh was killed in a targeted attack on Tuesday night, just over a week after his predecessor was killed.
U.S. President Donald Trump during a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington on Wednesday
WORLD / Politics
May 28, 2026
Trump’s Iran bind deepens with Hormuz shut and hawks pushing war
Adding to the challenge are his own comments lambasting his predecessors for deals similar to the one that has the best chance of success.
A large political billboard along Enghelab Square in central Tehran on Tuesday
WORLD
May 27, 2026
Iran says ‘low’ possibility of return to war with U.S.
The statement came a day after Iran accused the U.S. of breaching the ceasefire in place since April.
"Japan’s experience shows that oil price shocks are never just oil price shocks. They are tests of the entire inflation regime,” Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda said Wednesday in a speech to open a two-day international banking conference in Tokyo.
BUSINESS / Economy
May 27, 2026
BOJ’s Ueda warns of oil shock’s impact on entire inflation regime
Following the outbreak of the Middle East conflict, Ueda has repeatedly said that the central bank needs to pay attention to upside inflation risks.
A man holds a photo of Mojtaba Khamenei, the new supreme leader, at a memorial ceremony for the victims of the war with the U.S. and Israel, in Tehran on Sunday.
WORLD
May 27, 2026
Iran says new U.S. strikes violate ceasefire
The war ⁠has caused an unprecedented oil supply shock, pushing up the costs of fuel, fertilizer and food.
People assess the damage to a destroyed apartment in the aftermath of an Israeli airstrike in the Burj al-Shemali village near Tyre, Lebanon, on Tuesday.
WORLD
May 27, 2026
Israel pounds Lebanon and expands ground operations past security zone
The bombing raids further strained a ceasefire announced on April 16 ​that was meant to halt fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.
Fumiya Kokubu, the former head of a major trading house, said Monday it would be "impossible” to procure alternatives for the 15 million kiloliters of naphtha a year that the country sourced from the Middle East before the war in Iran.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 26, 2026
Former Japan trading house head warns of naphtha supply crunch
Former Marubeni chair says Japan is likely to face a shortage of naphtha-derived chemical products as early as the end of June.
Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi (second right) shares a laugh with Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong (left), Indian Minister of External Affairs S. Jaishankar (second left) and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio during a "Quad" ministerial meeting at Hyderabad House in New Delhi on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
May 26, 2026
‘Quad’ diplomats tout ‘concrete’ deliverables in bid to resuscitate partnership
Officials emphasized a clear future for the four-nation grouping, announcing new initiatives on critical minerals, maritime security and energy security.
People cross a street past a billboard on the facade of a building depicting the Strait of Hormuz with a caption in Persian reading "Forever in Iran's Hand," in Tehran on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
May 26, 2026
Iran’s top envoys discussing potential peace deal with Qatar PM, official says
The talks focused primarily on the Strait of Hormuz and Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium, as well as frozen Iranian funds.
A memorial ceremony for victims of the war with the U.S. and Israel, in Tehran on Sunday
WORLD
May 26, 2026
Trump hails progress on peace as U.S. strikes Iran and Israel attacks Lebanon
American forces hit missile launch sites in Iran and boats trying to place mines, while Israel struck sites in southern Lebanon after Hezbollah drone attacks.
Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike that targeted the southern Lebanese village of Nabatieh on Monday.
WORLD
May 26, 2026
Israel will intensify Lebanon strikes amid U.S.-Iran deal talks
Iran has demanded the cessation of hostilities in Lebanon as part of any peace agreement with the U.S. that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Bahrain's Foreign Minister Abdullatif Al Zayani, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, U.S. President Donald Trump and United Arab Emirates (UAE) Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed participate in the signing of the Abraham Accords, normalizing relations between Israel and some of its Middle East neighbors in a strategic realignment of Middle Eastern countries against Iran, on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington on Sept. 15, 2020.
WORLD / Politics
May 26, 2026
Trump links Abraham Accords to any Iran deal
Public mistrust of ‌Israel ‌in Muslim nations remains high over the scale of its military offensive in Gaza.
Idemitsu Maru arrives at a sea berth off the city of Chita in Aichi Prefecture on Monday.
JAPAN / Society
May 25, 2026
Japanese tanker Idemitsu Maru arrives in Aichi after exiting Strait of Hormuz
The oil tanker is the first to return to Japan through the strait since war broke out in Iran.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to journalists before boarding his plane at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi on Monday. Rubio said Washington would give diplomacy every chance to succeed before exploring "alternatives."
WORLD
May 25, 2026
Iran and U.S. play down hopes for imminent breakthrough in war
U.S. President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social over the weekend that the U.S. blockade ​on Iran would remain “until an agreement is reached, certified, and signed.”
Pilgrims perform umrah around the Kaaba at the Grand Mosque ahead of the start of hajj in the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, on Saturday.
WORLD
May 24, 2026
Pilgrims from the West flock to hajj despite Mideast war
For many, the chance to perform the sacrosanct Muslim rite has taken precedence over the fears of instability caused by the war against Iran.
U.S. President Donald Trump leaves Marine One as he departs from Morristown, New Jersey, on Friday.
WORLD
May 24, 2026
Trump says Iran deal ‘largely negotiated’ and would reopen Strait of Hormuz
Various media in the U.S. and Iran said the memorandum that could yield an agreement lays out a phased framework ‌for ending months ‌of fighting.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters before boarding Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
May 23, 2026
Three months in, is Trump losing the Iran war?
With Iran’s grip on the Strait of Hormuz, its resistance to nuclear concessions and its government largely intact, doubts are growing that Trump can pull out a geopolitical win.
Pakistani Army chief Asim Munir (second from left) is greeted by Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni upon his arrival in Tehran as part of ongoing mediation efforts between Iran and the United States.
WORLD
May 23, 2026
Pakistan Army chief in Tehran as Iran weighs U.S. peace offer
But disagreements between Tehran and Washington remain “deep and extensive,” an Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman said.
China’s demand for Soviet-style apartments shows limits to revival
Apartments built during a Soviet Union-inspired construction drive in the 1970s and 1980s tend to suffer from poor insulation and outdated plumbing, but they are seeing a revival in interest due to their attractive locations.
Japanese scientists identify neural mechanism that may explain why we dislike people
The aggressive mouse (left) used in the experiment and a mouse defending itself
Japanese payment processor’s collapse hits banks and restaurants
Zentoshin served around 200,000 shops, many of which rely on early payments to maintain cash flow, raising concerns over their financial stability following the disruption.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
Lenders seek $700 million after Japanese payments firm’s collapse
The financial failure of Osaka-based Zentoshin has left 63 creditors with claims totaling ¥115.16 billion, according to Tokyo Shoko Research.
Japan’s largest exhibition of women photographers rights a wrong in cultural history
Miwa Yanagi’s “Elevator Girl House” series skewers the superficiality of gender roles through staged images.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
‘Princess Mononoke’ comes alive in Super Kabuki staging
The “Princess Mononoke” adaptation was created under Shochiku’s Super Kabuki initiative, a modern form of kabuki with more technology in staging and open to pop culture collaborations.
The beating heart inside ‘Human Vapor’
Different forms of love and connection form the emotional backbone of Netflix’s “Human Vapor,” says actor Shun Oguri, who plays troubled detective Kenji Okamoto.
Japan bets on character IP to drive global growth
Born on social media platforms in 2022, Opanchu Usagi has become a major hit, especially among Generation Z.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

The Terasaka Rice Terraces are seen with Mount Buko in the background.
What Yokoze can teach Japan about rural revival
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Sompo looks beyond insurance to focus on well-being
Sompo looks beyond insurance to focus on well-being

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

Read more

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER