Politics

Global tensions unpacked: Venezuela, Iran, China & Australia’s Bondi Commission

Professor Tim Harcourt analyzes Venezuela’s geopolitical shifts post-U.S. military operation, affecting oil markets and global alliances.

Published

4 hours ago

January 12, 2026

Harvey Vargas

Professor Tim Harcourt analyzes Venezuela’s geopolitical shifts post-U.S. military operation, affecting oil markets and global alliances.

Professor Tim Harcourt from UTS breaks down the rapidly shifting geopolitical landscape in 2026, focusing on the dramatic situation in Venezuela and its ripple effects across global power plays. We explore how the United States’ recent military operation and capture of Nicolás Maduro have reshaped Venezuelan politics, oil markets, and strategic alliances, especially with China, Russia, and Iran.

With Venezuela sitting on nearly 20% of the world’s proven oil reserves, the stakes are enormous, and Harcourt helps unpack the economic and political drivers behind U.S. intervention and China’s response.

We also delve into how the U.S. actions in Venezuela tie into broader geopolitical frictions — particularly Washington’s efforts to curb Chinese influence in Latin America, even as Beijing denounces the operation as a violation of sovereignty and frames its position in multilateral fora. The conversation peels back the layers of how energy, economics, and security intersect in one of the most consequential flashpoints this year.

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#Geopolitics #Venezuela #USForeignPolicy #ChinaRelations #OilPolitics #InternationalRelations #TimHarcourt

Politics

Albanese announces royal commission into Bondi terror attack

PM Albanese announces royal commission into Bondi terror attack to promote healing and investigate anti-Semitism, amid public pressure.

Published

3 days ago

January 9, 2026

Harvey Vargas

PM Albanese announces royal commission into Bondi terror attack to promote healing and investigate anti-Semitism, amid public pressure.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced a royal commission into the Bondi terror attack, responding to mounting public pressure. The inquiry aims to help the nation heal and learn from the tragedy that claimed 15 lives.

The royal commission will replace a state-led investigation and be chaired by former High Court judge Virginia Bell. Albanese confirmed the inquiry could examine government decision-making and promised full cooperation with requests for evidence.

While the announcement was welcomed by advocacy groups, some families of the victims expressed disappointment over the lack of prior consultation. The terms of reference will prioritise tackling anti-Semitism while also leaving space to investigate other forms of hate, including Islamophobia.

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#BondiAttack #RoyalCommission #AnthonyAlbanese #AustraliaNews #TerrorAttack #AntiSemitism #Islamophobia #TickerNews

Politics

Trump administration courts U.S. oil giants over Venezuela’s future

Trump administration to discuss US oil firms’ re-entry into Venezuela amid changing political landscape and oil production concerns.

Published

6 days ago

January 6, 2026

Harvey Vargas

Trump administration to discuss US oil firms’ re-entry into Venezuela amid changing political landscape and oil production concerns.

The Trump administration is preparing to meet with senior executives from major US oil companies this week, with Venezuelan oil production firmly on the agenda. The talks aim to encourage American energy giants to re-enter Venezuela following the removal of former President Nicolas Maduro.

Despite expectations of renewed engagement, industry executives say formal discussions about restarting Venezuelan operations have not yet taken place with the White House. That gap has raised questions about how quickly any policy shift could translate into real investment.

Venezuela’s vast oil reserves remain a strategic prize, but the path back for US firms is far from straightforward.

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#Trump #Venezuela #OilPolitics #EnergyNews #USOil #Geopolitics #TickerNews #Markets

Politics

Nigeria disputes Trump’s genocide claims amid airstrikes

Nigeria dismisses Trump’s genocide claim, emphasising equal impact of violence on Muslims and Christians amid complex security crisis

Published

2 weeks ago

December 29, 2025

Harvey Vargas

Nigeria dismisses Trump’s genocide claim, emphasising equal impact of violence on Muslims and Christians amid complex security crisis

In Short:
– Nigerian officials refute Trump’s claims about U.S. airstrikes, emphasising that violence affects both Christians and Muslims equally.
– Data shows the narrative of Christian genocide in Nigeria misrepresents reality, with most victims having no tracked affiliations.

Nigeria has strongly rejected President Donald Trump’s claim that U.S. airstrikes in the country were necessary to stop a genocide targeting Christians. Nigerian officials insist the violence in northwestern Nigeria affects both Muslim and Christian communities and is driven by complex security and ethnic challenges rather than religion.

Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar told the BBC that the attacks are about “protecting Nigerians and innocent lives, whether Nigerian or non-Nigerian,” emphasizing that the strikes, which targeted ISIS-affiliated militants in Sokoto State on Christmas Day, were part of broader efforts to combat terrorism. Trump had claimed that militants were primarily killing Christians at “levels not seen for many years, and even centuries,” but Nigerian authorities reject this characterization.

Data from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project shows that more Muslims than Christians have been killed in targeted attacks between January 2020 and September 2025, casting doubt on claims of a systematic Christian genocide. Bulama Bukarti, a Nigerian human rights advocate, highlighted that in Sokoto State, attacks such as suicide bombings often kill civilians indiscriminately, impacting both Muslim and Christian populations.

Security crisis

Analysts stress that Nigeria’s security crisis is multifaceted, involving extremist groups like Boko Haram, Islamic State West Africa Province, and others, as well as longstanding ethnic and resource-based conflicts between predominantly Muslim herders and Christian farming communities. Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah, who leads a diocese in the affected area, also confirmed that the region “does not have a problem with persecution” of Christians.

The Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterated that terrorist violence against any community is unacceptable and that the government remains committed to protecting all Nigerians, regardless of religion. Officials warn that framing the crisis through a simplistic religious lens risks deepening sectarian divisions and undermining local efforts to address the broader security threats.