Opinion

January 6, 2026 12:13 PM

Global oil markets show muted reaction to Venezuela political upheaval

Two days after U.S. forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in a surprise operation in Caracas, global energy markets opened to cautious trading, with oil prices showing only modest movement despite the geopolitical shock. Futures briefly firmed in Asian trade on Monday, but analysts sa...

January 4, 2026 12:48 PM

Was the US capture of Venezuela’s president legal?

The U.S. captured Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro in a military operation early on Saturday morning, culminating a months-long pressure campaign by President Donald Trump's administration that drew condemnation from some international leaders. Maduro was on a warship bound for New York to face...

January 4, 2026 12:49 PM

No quick wins in tapping Venezuela’s oil reserves

Venezuela is unlikely to see any meaningful boost to crude output for years even if U.S. oil majors do invest the billions of dollars in the country that President Donald Trump promised just hours following Nicolás Maduro's capture by U.S. forces. The South American country may have the world's la...

December 15, 2025 10:20 AM

Beachside shooting throws Australia’s gun control regime into question

After Australia's worst mass shooting in 1996, it took the government 12 days to ban semi-automatic weapons, organise a gun buyback scheme and introduce a licensing system to weed out people considered unfit to carry a weapon. Sunday's shooting at a Jewish celebration in Sydney's Bondi Beach, which...