Venezuela courting disaster
A Supreme Court ruling has given the president broad authority to strike oil deals. Will there be any takers?
Venezuela's economic and political crisis only seems to know one direction: descent. The latest lurch towards the abyss came after a 30 March decision from the Supreme Court, stacked with loyalists to social president Nicolás Maduro, that effectively dissolved the opposition-led National Assembly and assumed the body's powers for itself. The decision triggered an intense backlash that clearly caught the government off guard. Weeks of protests in the streets of Caracas followed. The head of the Organisation of American States, Luis Almagro, decried the decision as a "self-inflicted coup d'état" and called Maduro's government a "dictatorship". It was even a step too far for at least one person
Also in this section
28 April 2026
Datacentres will guzzle power at a ferocious rate, but the impact on wider energy markets will be far more complex than previously thought
28 April 2026
The key energy player faces balancing regional routes, political complexities, and creating a clear strategic vision for energy security
24 April 2026
The European Commission’s response to the Middle East crisis is to double down on its transition strategy, with plans for a new target on electrification
24 April 2026
A major new discovery by Eni and BP that can likely be fast-tracked to production is welcome news for Egypt as it scrambles to plug a widening supply gap and deal with rising import risks
