Rubber producers must develop specific risk management strategies, which cover market risks and product legality, in order to avoid getting hurt by the current US-China trade tensions, according to To Xuan Phuc, a senior policy analyst from Forest Trends. SEE MORE A meeting in Brussels next week will discuss whether four chemical compounds irreplaceable in the production of lead batteries should be banned, effectively spelling the end for the technology in the region. SEE MORE Oil edged above $80 a barrel on Monday, lifted by nervousness over a worsening diplomatic crisis between Saudi Arabia and the West, just two weeks before U.S. sanctions potentially choke off Iranian crude supplies. SEE MORE Germany’s BASF and Russia’s Norilsk Nickel (Nornickel) have signed a nickel and cobalt supply deal to address growing demand for batteries to power electric vehicles, they said on Monday. SEE MORE The United States is requesting a World Trade Organization dispute resolution panel to arbitrate a dispute over international retaliation against US tariffs on steel and aluminum, while China has also requested that a panel of experts be created in the WTO to resolve disagreements. SEE MORE