-
TOPIC COLLECTION

Chemicals

Included topics:
Mexico’s Manzanillo seaport, a critical gateway for trade between Asia and the Americas, is seen in May last year after its expansion. Photo: Reuters
Donald Trump

Diversify or die: Asian firms face trade uncertainty amid Trump’s Mexico threats

The president’s call for strikes against drug cartels in Mexico and Colombia will add to the cost of trading with the US, analysts say.

videocam
Americas and the Caribbean

Guatemala declares 30-day state of emergency after gangs kill 8 police officers

Myanmar

Video | Police find village-sized meth labs in Myanmar jungle

Trump prevails in US Senate showdown over Venezuela war powers

A 51–50 vote kills war powers resolution after Trump pressure flips two key Republican defectors.

US fighter jets parked on the apron at the former Roosevelt Roads naval base in Ceiba, Puerto Rico. Photo: Reuters

China’s weight-loss drug war: prices slashed up to 80% as obesity crisis worsens

Foreign, local firms fight for market share as number of overweight or obese adults could top 630 million by 2050, from 400 million in 2021.

Sheinbaum tells Trump US military intervention in Mexico ‘unnecessary’

Mexico’s president said she rejected Trump’s offer of sending the US military after the cartels in her country.

5
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

Malaysian man who used home labs to brew drug drinks worth US$246,000 arrested

The suspect was using residences to process and store drug-laced soft drinks with a street value of up to US$75 per bottle, police say.

KL police display drug laced drinks seized in a 2023 raid. Photo: The Star

Hong Kong stocks rise on tech, health as mainland China turnover hits record

Alibaba Health soars over paediatric drug deal as trading volume on Shanghai and Shenzhen exchanges tops US$513 billion.

Trump says Colombia’s Petro to visit US, in U-turn from threats to diplomacy

Just days ago, Trump had issued a warning to the South American leader for criticising the US attack that removed Venezuela’s Maduro.

China’s Sinopec, CNAF to undergo consolidation, creating energy powerhouse

State Council approves reorganisation between Sinopec and China National Aviation Fuel Group, state asset regulator says.

A Sinopec worker walks past LNG storage tanks in Tianjin, China. Photo: Reuters

Hong Kong customs seizes HK$18 million of suspected ketamine in baby car seats

Syndicate employed ‘ingenious’ methods to hide drugs in car seats shipped in two containers from Netherlands and Spain, officers say.

Customs officers found 36.2kg of suspected narcotics while inspecting two seaborne consolidated containers in December. Photo: Handout

Trump invites Colombia’s president to White House after threat of military strike

Invitation comes days after Trump accused Colombia’s Gustavo Petro of ‘making cocaine’ and warning of US intervention.

videocam
7

Malaysian rapper Namewee defies scandals to release Lunar New Year single

Namewee is still helping police in an investigation over the death of a Taiwanese influencer and faces a drug possession charge.

videocam

Hong Kong stocks’ strong 2026 start fizzles on rising China-Japan tensions

Beijing has banned exports of goods to Japan with potential military use, with the possibility of additional measures.

videocam
A man walks past an electronic board showing the Nikkei 225 index in Tokyo. Photo: AFP

Meow or never: China’s pudgy pets spark race for weight-loss drugs

Fosun and Huadong biotech labs eye feline obesity drugs as owners weigh cuteness against health risks.

The total pet population in China reached 430 million in 2024, with nearly one-third of urban cats classified as obese, according to the China Pet Industry Association. Photo: Shutterstock

As I see it | Monroe Doctrine 2.0 portends the end of the US empire

The eerie return of the 19th century foreign policy doctrine indicates a declining empire seeking to consolidate power in its own backyard.

videocam
25

Opinion | The US now owns more than just Venezuela’s oil

A hard lesson in foreign policy comes to mind: if you break it, you own it. America is now responsible for Venezuela’s failures, factions and future grievances.

videocam
6
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

Thailand tightens cannabis sales as dispensaries face closure ahead of election

Thailand, the first country in Asia to decriminalise cannabis in 2022, tightens rules to appeal to conservative voters ahead of pivotal election.

A staff member prepares a cannabis flower for a customer in Bangkok in June 2025, after Thailand banned sales without a prescription. Photo: AP

Editorial | US strike on Venezuela signals worrying return to gunboat diplomacy

One big concern for China is that America’s actions can create even more uncertainties than Trump’s tariff and trade policies.

US ousting of Maduro prompts region to reassess China – and Trump’s next move

Trump hints at wider action as Latin American governments weigh sovereignty, China ties and US dominance.

videocam
36

‘Shocked’ China demands immediate release of Nicolas Maduro

At an ‘emergency’ meeting of the UN Security Council, Chinese envoy Sun Lei says Beijing ‘strongly condemns’ Maduro’s capture by US.

videocam
39
Sun Lei, deputy permanent representative of China to the UN, addresses the UN Security Council on Monday in New York. Photo: AP

Maduro says he is ‘innocent’ in court, declaring himself Venezuela’s president

Abducted strongman was indicted on narcoterrorism and weapons charges after being taken into US custody in Caracas.

videocam
100
Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, are seen in handcuffs after landing at a Manhattan helipad, escorted by heavily armed US agents as they make their way into an armoured car en route to a federal courthouse in Manhattan on Monday. Photo: XNY/Star Max/GC Images

After Venezuela takeover, Chinese investors brace for era of regional anxiety

Washington’s moves to assert dominance in the western hemisphere could see tighter restrictions to curb Beijing’s growing footprint.

videocam
9

Power vacuum in Caracas? Venezuelans wonder who’s in charge after US operation

Nicolas Maduro’s deputy granted temporary presidential powers, but it is unclear who is running Venezuela.

videocam
4

Explainer | Was the US capture of Venezuela’s President Maduro legal?

Nicolas Maduro to face charges in New York - but experts question the legality of the US operation and plans to ‘run’ Venezuela.

videocam
48
Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro in custody at the offices of the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in New York City. Photo: @RapidResponse47 via Reuters

Inside the US operation in Venezuela to capture President Maduro

Elite US troops seized the Venezuelan leader and his wife in a predawn assault involving 150 aircraft, in a mission that was months in the making.

videocam
12
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on board the USS Iwo Jima after his capture. Photo: @realDonaldTrump via Reuters

Explainer | US interventions in Latin America: a history of coups and conflicts

From the Bay of Pigs to Operation Condor to Venezuela in 2026: A look at the legacy of CIA-backed coups and US military action in Latin America.

20

China decries ‘brazen use of force’ as US attacks Venezuela

Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro and his wife will face charges in New York; US President Donald Trump says ‘much larger attack’ still possible.

479
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Help preserve 120 years of quality journalism.
SUPPORT NOW
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Chemicals
The latest news on chemicals and chemical manufacturing. Includes news on agricultural pesticides and herbicides, plus chemical compounds, plastic waste, chemical research and recycling.