5 d. ago US action in Venezuela fuels Asia’s fears of collapsing rules

America’s capture of Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro in a special operation sent shock waves across the world. With characteristically bombastic rhetoric, US President Donald Trump hailed Operation Absolute Resolve as “an assault like people have not seen since World War II” and “one of the most stunning, effective and powerful displays of American military might” in history. His deputies were quick to add that the operation also showed the long arm of the US justice system by accusing...

Politics

6 d. ago Cuba defiant after Trump says island to receive no more Venezuelan oil or money

US President Donald Trump on Sunday said no more Venezuelan oil or money will go to Cuba and suggested the Communist-run island should strike a deal with Washington, ramping up pressure on the long-time US nemesis. Venezuela is Cuba’s biggest oil supplier, but no cargoes have departed from Venezuelan ports to the Caribbean country since the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by US forces in early January amid a strict US oil blockade on the Opec country, shipping data shows. “THERE...

Politics

6 d. ago Cuba defiant after Trump threat to cut off ‘oil and money’ lifeline

US President Donald Trump on Sunday said no more Venezuelan oil or money will go to Cuba and suggested the Communist-run island should strike a deal with Washington, ramping up pressure on the long-time US nemesis and provoking defiant words from the island’s leadership. Venezuela is Cuba’s biggest oil supplier, but no cargoes have departed from Venezuelan ports to the Caribbean country since the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by US forces in early January amid a strict US oil...

Politics

8 d. ago Top South Korean official calls Trump’s Venezuela raid ‘violent atrocity’, stirring unease

Senior officials in South Korea’s Prime Minister’s Office are voicing concern over Park Seok-woon, a committee chairman under its authority, after he joined protests criticising US President Donald Trump and his administration over American military operations in Venezuela. Park, a long-time liberal activist, took part in a rally on Monday in front of the US embassy in Seoul, following an American military operation to capture Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, who has been in power since 2013,...

Politics

9 d. ago Macron slams US for ‘breaking free’ from global rules after Maduro raid, Greenland threat

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday that the United States was “breaking free from international rules”, and “gradually turning away” from some of its allies. Macron delivered his annual speech to French ambassadors at the Elysee Palace as European powers are scrambling to come up with a coordinated response to US assertive foreign policy in the western hemisphere following Washington’s capture of Venezuela’s leader Nicolas Maduro and Donald Trump’s designs on Greenland. “The...

Politics

9 d. ago Trump calls for US$1.5 trillion in military spending, citing ‘dangerous times’

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday proposed setting military spending at US$1.5 trillion in 2027, citing “troubled and dangerous times”. Trump called for the massive surge in spending days after he ordered a US military operation to capture Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and spirit him out of the country to face drug trafficking charges in the United States. US forces continue to mass in the Caribbean Sea. The 2026 military budget is set at US$901 billion. Trump in recent days has also...

Events

1 week ago The Maduro effect: regime change fears grip Asia’s autocrats after US raid on Venezuela

The United States’ dramatic capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro at the weekend has sent shock waves across Asia, where analysts say authoritarian rulers, now deeply wary of Washington’s motives, are likely to draw closer to Moscow and Beijing. US special forces stormed Maduro’s residence in Caracas early on Saturday morning, seizing the Venezuelan leader and his wife before flying them to the US, where both face federal charges of narcoterrorism and drug trafficking. Washington has long...

Politics

1 week ago Trump team praises US media for keeping its Venezuela raid plan secret

In the wake of last weekend’s US military action in Venezuela, the US news media got something it has seldom heard from the Trump administration: a “thank you”. Secretary of State Marco Rubio credited news organisations that had learned in advance about last Saturday’s strike that led to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro with not putting the mission in jeopardy by publicly reporting on it before it happened. Rubio’s acknowledgement was particularly noteworthy because US Defence...

Politics

1 week ago US’ Asian allies reluctant to slam Trump over Venezuela despite his ‘cowboy tactics’

The mild responses by America’s Asian allies in response to the US military strike on Venezuela stem from a desire not to “bite the hand that feeds” them, analysts have said, noting that some countries were buying time by claiming to monitor the situation. Following the raid that captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Saturday to face narcoterrorism charges on US soil, President Donald Trump declared on Sunday that Washington was “in charge” of the South American nation, including its...

Politics

1 week ago What assets does China have in Venezuela, and what could happen with Maduro gone?

Amid prolonged international sanctions imposed on Venezuela, Chinese enterprises stand out as some of the few willing to pour resources into the South American country’s turbulent economy. However, Saturday’s capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by US forces – just hours after Maduro met with Chinese diplomats to reaffirm their strategic partnership – raises concerns about the future of such investments. In this explainer, we examine the portfolio of Chinese assets in Venezuela and how...

Politics

1 week ago US attack on Venezuela ‘death certificate’ for UN, will trigger global arms race: analyst

The American attack on Venezuela on Saturday could further undermine international institutions and accelerate a global arms race, analysts warned, with one likening Washington’s actions to issuing a “death certificate” for the United Nations. On Saturday, in a surprise precision operation, the US military struck Venezuela and captured its leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife, who were later placed in detention in New York. President Donald Trump later said the US would run the South American...

Events

1 week ago Asian economies to face volatile oil prices over Venezuela, US plans for Caracas

Asian economies face the risk of renewed volatility in oil prices this year as analysts say the US capture of Venezuela’s leader Nicolas Maduro and uncertainty over Washington’s plans for the oil-rich South American country may unsettle investor sentiment. On Monday morning, Benchmark Brent crude opened about 1.2 per cent lower near US$61 a barrel, before falling further to US$60.54 in the early afternoon, while US West Texas Intermediate crude declined by 0.5 per cent to US$57.04 a barrel. The...

Economics

1 week ago North Korea’s missile test after Maduro’s arrest signals denuclearisation equals ‘suicide’

A missile test by North Korea in the aftermath of the US capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro signals what analysts have said is Pyongyang’s cautionary stance over the vulnerability of countries without credible military and nuclear deterrence. While overseeing the launch of multiple missiles on Sunday, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un alluded to the US attacks on Venezuela and Maduro’s arrest a day earlier and Iran in June as justifications to bolster his nuclear arsenal. The test of what...

Events

1 week ago What North Korea’s missile test after Maduro arrest says about Kim’s denuclearisation stance

A missile test by North Korea in the aftermath of the US capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro signals what analysts have said is Pyongyang’s cautionary stance over the vulnerability of countries without credible military and nuclear deterrence. While overseeing the launch of multiple missiles on Sunday, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un alluded to the US attacks on Venezuela and Maduro’s arrest a day earlier and Iran in June as justifications to bolster his nuclear arsenal. The test of what...

Events

1 week ago US captures Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro: everything you need to know

We have put together stories from our coverage of the US-Venezuela conflict. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. US scrambles geopolitics with stark attack on Venezuela The US attack reverses a vow US President Donald Trump made when campaigning for his second term that Washington would stop, not start, wars. 2. China is likely to thread the needle after US attack on Venezuela China will be patient and play the long game as it views the new...

Politics

1 week ago China’s Xi makes veiled swipe at US for ‘hegemony undermining international order’

Major powers should take the lead in respecting the development path of other nations, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Monday, in a veiled swipe at the United States for raiding Venezuela and capturing its president, Nicolas Maduro. The remarks from Xi, which build on Beijing’s earlier criticism of US strikes on Venezuela, came during a meeting with Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin in Beijing. “The world today is undergoing changes and turbulence not seen in a century, with unilateral...

Politics

1 week ago Russia, China condemn U.S. capture of Nicolas Maduro, say they support his regime in Venezuela

Russia, China condemn U.S. capture of Nicolas Maduro, say they support his regime in Venezuela  Washington Times

Politics

1 week ago Venezuela crisis: how Trump’s ‘Donroe’ doctrine could challenge China’s Latin America ties

China’s influence in Latin America may be significantly tested by the US revival of the Monroe Doctrine, as Washington’s attack on Venezuela is set to have a chilling effect on the region’s engagement with Beijing, analysts warn. In a surprise precision operation on Saturday, the US military struck Venezuela, captured its leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife, and placed them in detention in New York. Without giving a timetable for elections, US President Donald Trump said the US would run...

Politics

1 week ago Will Beijing look to US capture of Venezuela’s Maduro for lessons on Taiwan?

The US capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro will be closely studied by Beijing, which has signalled its ability to target Taiwan’s leadership in the latest PLA exercises near the island, according to analysts. The operation – carried out on Saturday by the US Army’s elite Delta Force, the military’s top special missions unit – was described by Chinese analysts as a “textbook” strike with high precision and minimal casualties. “The planning and execution were highly refined,” said Fu...

Politics

1 week ago ‘Straddle the middle ground’: Europe’s hard choice over US attacks against Venezuela

Caught in a diplomatic dilemma, European countries have distanced themselves from the United States’ military strikes and forced regime change in Venezuela, while also remaining hesitant to directly criticise Washington’s actions. There was shock around the world over the weekend after US President Donald Trump’s administration launched “Operation Absolute Resolve” to capture Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores and transport them to US territory before holding the...

Events