Tag - iran

 
 

IRAN

Tourists on the beach in Mirissa, Sri Lanka in 2022. Some hotels in South Asia have seen a sharp drop in occupancy.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 21, 2026
The forces of scarcity hitting Asia may soon spread across the world
Many countries across the region are experiencing sudden jolts of disruption that they are struggling to manage.
A tanker unloads crude oil in Qingdao, in China's eastern Shandong province, on April 7. The divided oil market is showing high costs now but lower prices later.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 21, 2026
So what is the real oil price right now?
Be wary of anyone saying one particular oil-price gauge matters more than the others.
Attendees at the Canton Fair in Guangzhou, China, take pictures of various service robots on display.
BUSINESS / Tech
Apr 21, 2026
China flashes new tech swagger to world markets convulsed by war
The world’s factory floor is increasingly getting retrofitted for a new era of artificial intelligence and robotics, churning out technological innovation the world craves.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi enters the Prime Minister's Office on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 21, 2026
Takaichi marks six months in office as prime minister
The leader’s administration will now face issues that could cause controversy, such as the criminalizing of acts to damage the national flag.
U.S. President Donald Trump may try to use war with Iran and escalating crises as a pretext to cancel or overturn elections, invoking emergency powers or even staging a false flag operation to remain in power.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 21, 2026
Trump’s wartime strategy sparks coup concerns
Trump’s chief concern is preserving his own comfort and power, much of which will be lost if the Democrats retake control of the House of Representatives.
Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi (right) and his British counterpart, Yvette Cooper, at a strategic dialogue meeting on Monday at the Iikura Guest House in Tokyo
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 21, 2026
Japanese and British officials reaffirm ties and cooperation over Middle East conflict
Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi stressed that the importance of cooperation with Britain is growing at a time when the international order is being shaken.
Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways aircraft at Haneda Airport. The two airlines will double their fuel surcharges for international flights booked in May and June.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 21, 2026
JAL and ANA to double fuel surcharges in May
The airlines initially planned to raise the surcharges in June but will now move up the increases.
Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis (left) visits the scene after four ambulances belonging to Hatzola, a Jewish community organization, were set on fire in an incident that police say is being treated as an antisemitic hate crime, in northwest London on March 23.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Apr 21, 2026
U.K. police arrest two teens over ‘thugs for hire’ Jewish site attack
London’s police force has been probing whether recent attacks have been instigated by Iranian proxies.
Iranians ride past a large billboard depicting Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei on a street in Tehran on Monday.
WORLD / ANALYSIS
Apr 21, 2026
Gulf worries U.S.-Iran talks may cement Tehran’s ‘golden’ grip on Hormuz
Diplomacy appears now centered less on rolling back Iran’s missile program and more on enrichment levels and tacitly accepting Tehran’s leverage over Hormuz.
People pass a street mural in Tehran on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 21, 2026
Fate of Iran peace talks uncertain as deadline approaches for end of ceasefire
The two-week ceasefire in a conflict that has killed thousands and roiled the global economy, particularly energy markets, is set to expire this week.
The Iran ceasefire has exposed the limits of American power, as the Trump administration was forced to rely on others to contain a crisis of its own making.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 20, 2026
The world is learning how to work around America
The Iran ceasefire has exposed the limits of American power, as the United States was forced to rely on others to contain a crisis of its own making.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi greets members of British rock band Deep Purple, Ian Paice (left), Ian Gillan (center) and Roger Glover at the Prime Minister’s Office in Tokyo on April 10.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 20, 2026
Iran risks are smoke on the water for Takaichi
Japan gets some 94% of its oil imports via the Strait of Hormuz. The lack of panic so far has been thanks to a preparedness that comes from past bitter experience.
U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks at an event in Las Vegas, on Thursday.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 20, 2026
U.S. seizes first Iranian ship in blockade, imperiling talks
The waterway is just one of the unresolved issues, which also include Iran’s nuclear capabilities and Israel’s ongoing invasion of Lebanon.
Ethane is a natural gas liquid primarily used to produce ethylene, a building block for plastics.
BUSINESS
Apr 20, 2026
Iran war deepens China’s dependence on the U.S. for niche gas
Shipments of U.S. ethane are expected to rise to an all-time high of 800,000 tons in April, around 60% higher than the monthly average.
 Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi arrives to a news conference at the Prime Minister's Office last week.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 20, 2026
Takaichi’s ratings stay high with some wavering amid Iran impact
Polls conducted by the Mainichi Shimbun and Yomiuri Shimbun show 5-point declines in the prime minister’s approval rates.
Field Marshal Asim Munir (left), Pakistan's military chief, meets Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf in Tehran on April 16.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 20, 2026
Pakistan’s military chief takes lead on U.S.-Iran talks in diplomatic blitz
Field Marshal Asim Munir, who has built a close relationship with U.S. President Donald Trump, is described as “the only person who can convince Iranians for a deal.”
Dunes of low-grade coal are seen near a coal mine in Ruzhou, in China's Henan province, in 2021.
BUSINESS
Apr 20, 2026
China revives coal-to-gas projects as energy security frays
The government is looking to tap cheap domestic coal to limit its exposure to natural gas imports.
A coal mine in Candiota, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, in 2025
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Apr 20, 2026
Nations gather for first-ever conference on fossil fuel exit
Concerns over energy security are expected to shape the high-level discussions over April 28 and 29 as much as climate priorities.
A worker handles aluminum extrusions at the Kato Light Metal Industry factory in Kanie, Aichi Prefecture.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 20, 2026
Japanese manufacturers hurt most by aluminum shortage from Iran war
Domestic carmakers get about 70% of their aluminum imports from the Middle East, according to the nation’s top auto lobby.
A residential building damaged during a March 4 strike in Tehran on April 14
WORLD / Politics
Apr 20, 2026
Allies fear a rushed U.S.-Iran framework deal could backfire, leaving technical deadlock
Mistrust and different negotiating styles raise the risk of a fragile framework neither side can sustain politically, diplomats with past experience dealing with Tehran said.

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