Tag - east

 
 

EAST

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.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi with Ramos-Horta during a meeting in Dili, East Timor, in June 2022
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 29, 2023
Timor president says China military cooperation 'never discussed'
China's increased efforts to form security ties with developing countries in close proximity to Australia have raised alarm bells in Canberra.
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.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (center) arrives for a trilateral summit at Camp David, Maryland, on Aug. 18.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 3, 2023
Deterrence is not enough in Northeast Asia
Forging closer ties with Japan is crucial for Yoon to achieve his foreign-policy goal of making South Korea a pivotal global player.
Rough guidelines on gifting cash at a Japanese wedding recommended between ¥10,000 and ¥50,000, depending on your own financial standing and your relationship to the married couple.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Sep 2, 2023
The unwritten rules around cash at Asian weddings
Should a gift reflect the cost of your banquet meal? How do you put a numerical value on a friendship?
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.
Walter F. Hatch sheds light on how Japan's actions during World War II continue to haunt the country in "Ghosts in the Neighborhood."
CULTURE / Books
Aug 27, 2023
‘Ghosts in the Neighborhood’ illuminates a path to reconciliation
Asian politics expert Walter F. Hatch sheds light on the role multilateral institutions can play in Japan coming to terms with its World War II past.
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.
A Russian IL-38 information-gathering aircraft flies between the Sea of Japan and the East China Sea in a photo taken by the Air Self-Defense Force on Friday.
JAPAN
Aug 18, 2023
Japan scrambles jets amid Russian and Chinese naval patrol
Russian and Chinese navy ships have been jointly patrolling the Pacific Ocean and holding naval exercises in the East China Sea.
U.S. President Joe Biden, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean leader Yoon Suk-yeol meet during the Group of Seven summit in Hiroshima in May.
EDITORIALS
Aug 18, 2023
A trilateral summit to reshape Northeast Asia
The summit follows years of hard work to overcome bitter historical legacies, most stemming from Japan’s colonization of the Korean Peninsula.
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
JAPAN
Jul 13, 2023
Shinkansen trains gearing up for driverless operations
As testing of systems progresses, the differing goals of two JR companies have become apparent, reflecting the characteristics of the routes and the level of cost-cutting targeted.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 12, 2023
Are they Asian values or just Chinese dreams?
Beijing is pushing for so-called Asian values in the region — but how that should work differs with each country.

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