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A satellite image shows the Skipper tanker and another vessel off Port Jose, Venezuela, on November 18, 2025. Photo: Planet Labs PBC via Reuters
Americas and the Caribbean

Tensions rise as US prepares to seize more tankers with Venezuelan oil

Seizure off Venezuela signals a crackdown on a shadow fleet of tankers and financially squeezing the Maduro government.

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Americas and the Caribbean

Tanker seized off Venezuela to be taken to US port, as threat of war grows

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Americas and the Caribbean

Explainer | US-Venezuela tensions: how far will Trump go?

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United States

Forget the war on drugs. The US has gone to war on a font

The US State Department is ditching Calibri font, to restore ‘decorum and professionalism’.

The US State Department building in Washington. Photo: Reuters
China-Latin America relations

US senators warn of China-cartel links forming a global ‘Silk Road of crime’

At a Senate hearing, officials described Chinese money brokers as key to laundering cartel funds and fuelling the illicit fentanyl trade.

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Indonesia

Video | Indonesia sends home Dutch death row convict

Two Dutch nationals convicted of drug offences returned home after more than a decade in prison a week after Indonesia and the Netherlands signed a repatriation deal.

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Singapore

Myanmar teen to be first foreigner deported under Singapore’s new Kpod law

As of September 1, foreigners with Kpods or testing positive for etomidate may be deported and banned from re-entering Singapore.

A teenager was found to be in possession of an e-vaporiser pod containing etomidate during a routine check by police. Photo: Shutterstock
Crime in Hong Kong

Hong Kong police arrest 2 over possession of suspected dangerous drugs

Man, 55, and woman, 49, stopped in Cheung Sha Wan with officers seizing cartridges and packets of suspected etomidate and methamphetamine.

Fame and celebrity

US actress Tara Reid seen downing wine in footage from night of alleged drugging

The ‘American Pie’ star accused a YouTuber of spiking her drink, but he denies it and authorities say the video is clear.

Americas and the Caribbean

US admiral denies ‘kill them all’ order in Caribbean boat strike

Admiral Frank Bradley briefs US lawmakers on the September 2 Caribbean attack that did not initially kill all on an alleged drug boat.

US Navy Admiral Frank ‘Mitch’ Bradley at Capitol Hill in Washington. Photo: Reuters
India

Opinion | Not just China: India also a piece of the US opioid puzzle

Like China, India has a large pharmaceutical sector that provides precursor chemicals. But it lacks China’s drug policy control.

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Tricia Theriault, from New Hampshire, reacts during the Fourth Annual National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day event in Times Square, New York City, US, on August 21. Photo: Reuters
China-Latin America relations

China says it is working ‘with all parties’ to prevent escalation in Venezuela

Beijing’s outreach comes amid a US naval build-up and a rare phone call between Trump and Maduro.

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Americas and the Caribbean

With US warships near, Venezuela’s Maduro describes call with Trump

Phone call occurred amid a massive US military build-up in the region and deadly strikes on alleged drug vessels.

China economy

Opinion | How China engineered the rapid rise of its drug innovation industry

A market once dominated by generics is now an AI-powered pharmaceutical hub drawing billion-dollar investments from the likes of Pfizer and GSK.

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A worker checks the position of a feeding tray in a pharmaceutical manufacturing facility at the Hengrui Biomedical Industrial Park in Lianyungang in Jiangsu province, on December 13, 2021. Photo: Getty Images
Fame and celebrity

Doctor who sold ketamine to Friends star Matthew Perry gets 2½ years in prison

Salvador Plasencia did not provide the drugs that killed the actor, the judge says, but he exploited Perry’s addiction for his own profit.

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Salvador Plasencia arrives for his sentencing on charges of supplying ketamine to actor Matthew Perry in Los Angeles on Wednesday. Photo: AFP
China-Latin America relations

China unlikely to aid Maduro if US acts, but may benefit from fallout: analysts

Beijing condemns US pressure on Caracas but offers limited support, prioritising its economic interests and long-term gains.

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United States

Hegseth’s Signal use posed risk to US forces, Pentagon review finds

White House ‘stands by’ Pentagon chief Hegseth, who is also under intensifying scrutiny over US strikes in the Caribbean.

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Myanmar

Myanmar’s opium poppy growing at 10-year high amid civil war, turmoil

Myanmar has overtaken Afghanistan as the world’s main known source of illicit opium.

Myanmar residents displaced by conflict work in an illegal poppy field in February. Photo: AFP
United States

Trump’s defence chief says he didn’t see survivors or watch second boat strike

A lethal follow-up attack on an alleged drug-carrying vessel has sparked concern about the legality of the strikes.

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Donald Trump

Trump says any country trafficking drugs into US could be attacked

In response to the threat, Colombia’s Petro says his nation destroys drug labs ‘without missiles’ and warns Trump not to ‘awake the Jaguar’.

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Americas and the Caribbean

Pope Leo urges Trump not to attempt military ousting of Venezuela’s Maduro

The first US pontiff spent long years as a cleric in Peru and is familiar with Latin America.

Pope Leo speaks to journalists aboard a flight to Rome on Tuesday. Photo: AFP
Americas and the Caribbean

Ex-Honduran president freed from US prison after Trump pardon for drug crimes

While in prison, Hernandez wrote to Trump calling him ‘Your Excellency’ and referring to their ‘shared values’.

Juan Orlando Hernandez being escorted by Honduran police officers in 2022. Photo: AFP
Americas and the Caribbean

White House defends ‘double-tap’ US attack on alleged drug boat as lawful

US military operation on September 2 killed 11 people, including those who survived the initial strike, raising accusations of a possible war crime.

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Hong Kong stock market

China’s 3SBio seeks US$400 million in Hong Kong to boost drug pipeline

Share placement to help Shenyang-based firm advance clinical research in China and the US, expand reach of cancer and hair-loss drugs.

Americas and the Caribbean

Trump confirms call with Venezuela’s Maduro as US military piles pressure

The revelation of the phone call comes as the Trump administration weighs its next steps in the Caribbean.

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Skydivers get revved to perform in the Industrial Aviation Expo in Maracay, Venezuela on Saturday. Photo: AP
Americas and the Caribbean

Trump interference in Honduran election stokes division, voters say

Trump endorsed the conservative candidate and then announced the pardon of an ex-president sentenced to 45 years in a US prison for cocaine smuggling.

Honduran presidential candidates Nasry Asfura of the the conservative National Party (PN) endorsed by US President Donald Trump (left), Rixi Moncada of the left-wing LIBRE (centre), and Salvador Nasralla of the Liberal Party. Photo: Reuters
Wellness

Could magic mushrooms help us live longer? What Bryan Johnson’s test showed

Johnson’s conclusions after taking magic mushrooms are backed by findings that psychedelics could extend life by rewiring the brain and more.

Americas and the Caribbean

Venezuela airspace should be considered ‘closed in its entirety’, Trump says

The South American nation slammed the US president’s ‘colonialist threat’, and said his comments were incompatible with international law.

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