Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is expected to show up in federal court in lower Manhattan at noon ET on Monday, on drug and weapons charges, CNN reported.
United States District Judge Alvin Hellerstein has been assigned for his hearing, the report added, citing the US District Court for the Southern District of New York.
https://breakingthenews.net/Article/Maduro's-court-appearance-set-for-tomorrow/65421215
North Korea test-launched hypersonic missiles on Sunday to evaluate its war deterrence, KCNA reported on Monday, adding that the country's leader, Kim Jong-un, was in attendance.
"To be honest, our such activity is clearly aimed at gradually putting the nuclear war deterrent on a high-developed basis. Why it is necessary is exemplified by the recent geopolitical crisis and complicated international events," Kim said.
https://breakingthenews.net/Article/N.-Korea-says-it-tested-hypersonic-missiles-on-Sunday/65421272
US President Donald Trump threatened Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's successor and the oil-rich country's interim president, Delcy Rodriguez, saying she would suffer a fate worse than Maduro's unless she complies with US demands.
In a telephone interview with The Atlantic released on Sunday, Trump said that Rodriguez would "pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro" if "she doesn't do what's right."
Trump told the media on Saturday that Rodriguez promised Secretary of State Marco Rubio that she is willing to work with Washington. Rodriguez, however, claimed that her country would defend its natural resources and called the attack a "grave military aggression."
https://breakingthenews.net/Article/Trump:-Venezuelan-VP-Rodriguez-might-be-next/65421098
United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio outlined on Sunday a series of requirements that Washington expects Venezuela's remaining leaders to fulfill following the United States' capture of the country's President, Nicolas Maduro.
"The first steps are securing what's in the national interest of the United States and also beneficial to the people of Venezuela ... No more drug trafficking. No more Iran/Hezbollah presence there. No more using the oil industry to enrich all our adversaries," Rubio told CBS News' "Face the Nation" program.
He said the US expected to see "changes" in Venezuela, including the removal of Colombian militant groups FARC and the ELN. He further stated that the US would consider its subsequent actions toward Caracas contingent upon whether these conditions were met.
https://breakingthenews.net/Article/Rubio-unveils-US-demands-for-Venezuelan-leaders/65420935
As President Donald Trump vows to return U.S. energy investment to Venezuela, the Latin American country remains on the hook for billions of dollars owed to American energy companies following years-old legal battles over oil contracts.
Once a key supplier to global oil markets, Venezuela reshaped its relationship with international energy companies in the mid-2000s, as then-President Hugo Chávez tightened state control over the oil industry.
Between 2004 and 2007, Chávez effectively forced foreign companies to renegotiate their contracts with the government. The new terms sharply reduced the role and profits of private firms while strengthening Venezuela’s state-owned oil company, Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PDVSA).
The move drove some of the world’s largest oil companies out of the country.
ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips exited Venezuela in 2007 and later filed claims against the government in international arbitration courts. Those courts ultimately ruled in favor of the companies, ordering Venezuela to pay ConocoPhillips more than $10 billion and ExxonMobil more than $1 billion.
While precise figures are difficult to verify since Venezuela has not published comprehensive debt statistics in years, the International Monetary Fund estimates the country’s economy will total about $82.8 billion in 2025.
Debt levels, however, stand at nearly 200% of that total, meaning Venezuela owes nearly two dollars for every dollar it produces.
On top of that, Venezuela has failed to repay about $60 billion in bonds, with total foreign debt rising to roughly $150 billion when loans from its top financial bankers, including Russia and China, are included.
PDVSA also issued a bond that was supposed to be repaid in 2020, backed by a majority ownership stake in U.S.-based refiner Citgo as collateral. The state-run oil company later defaulted on that payment, putting Citgo in the legal crosshairs of creditors seeking to recover billions they are owed.
The cash-strapped country, which sits atop of the globe's largest oil reserves, has paid only a fraction of those awards.
Chevron, however, remained in the country, becoming the only U.S. energy company still operating in Venezuela amid years of sanctions, economic collapse and political turmoil.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Chevron said the firm was following "relevant laws and regulations" but declined to comment on future investment plans in Venezuela.
President Donald Trump addresses the nation following the U.S. capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. (Alex Brandon/AP)
"Chevron remains focused on the safety and well-being of our employees, as well as the integrity of our assets," the statement added.
On Saturday, Trump told reporters at Mar-a-Lago that he wanted U.S. oil companies to "spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken oil infrastructure and start making money for the country."
He added that the United States "built Venezuela’s oil industry with American talent, drive and skill," and said that once the country’s energy sector is revived, the U.S. would sell that oil to markets around the world.
Venezuela’s heavy financial liabilities underscore the hurdles U.S. energy companies would face in committing new investment, despite Trump’s pledge to reengage.
OPEC+ confirmed on Sunday that it will keep oil production steady through the first quarter of 2026, as eight key producers reaffirmed their commitment to market stability amid a steady global economic outlook and what they described as healthy oil market fundamentals.
Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Algeria, and Oman met virtually on January 4 to review global market conditions and outlook.
The group reiterated its decision, first announced on November 2, 2025, to pause planned production increases in February and March 2026, citing seasonal demand patterns.
Following the meeting, OPEC+ produced the following production table for February 2026:
In a joint statement, the eight producers said current market conditions remain supportive, pointing to relatively low global inventories as a sign that the oil market is well balanced despite last year’s sharp decline in crude prices.
Oil prices fell more than 18% in 2025, the steepest annual drop since the pandemic, as supply growth outpaced demand and concerns over a growing glut mounted.
The group also emphasized that the previously announced 1.65 million barrels per day of voluntary production cuts could be returned to the market either in part or in full, depending on evolving market conditions, and only in a gradual manner.
The producers stressed that flexibility remains central to their strategy, including the option to extend or reverse additional voluntary adjustments, such as the 2.2 million barrels per day of cuts announced in November 2023.
OPEC+ further reiterated its collective commitment to full conformity with the Declaration of Cooperation. The producers confirmed that any overproduction since January 2024 will be fully compensated, with compliance and compensation to be monitored by the Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee (JMMC).
Despite heightened geopolitical tensions - including strains between Saudi Arabia and the UAE over Yemen and uncertainty surrounding Venezuela following the U.S. capture of President Nicolas Maduro - delegates said these developments did not alter the group’s near-term policy stance.
“In an environment this fragile, OPEC+ is choosing caution, preserving flexibility rather than introducing new uncertainty into an already volatile market,” said Jorge Leon, an analyst at consultant Rystad Energy AS.
“The political transition in Venezuela adds another major layer of uncertainty.”
Caracas may hold the world’s biggest oil reserves, but years of under - investment, mismanagement and international isolation have diminished the country to a fraction of its former standing.
But, bear in mind that...
Venezuela currently pumps about one million barrels of oil a day, roughly a third of what it produced a decade ago and under 1% of global supplies.
Washington’s recent seizure and pursuit of tankers while it pressured Maduro’s regime helped curb output in the country’s critical Orinoco Belt by 25%.
Production could rise by about 150,000 barrels a day within a few months if sanctions are lifted, but getting back to 2 million barrels a day or higher would require “massive reforms” and large investments from international oil companies, according to consultants at Kpler.
The eight OPEC+ countries agreed to continue holding monthly meetings to assess market conditions, compliance levels, and compensation progress. Their next meeting is scheduled for February 1, 2026.
https://www.zerohedge.com/energy/opec-reaffirms-output-pause-eight-producers-cite-market-stability
by Juan Galt via BitcoinMagazine.com,
In a move that could shape corporate Bitcoin adoption, index provider MSCI is set to decide whether to exclude companies holding significant Bitcoin reserves from its global benchmarks. The outcome, due January 15, may influence billions in forced selling and set precedents for how Wall Street views Bitcoin as a treasury asset.
MSCI Inc., a New York-based publicly traded company listed on the NYSE with a market capitalization of $43.76 billion and a stock price of $565.68 as of January 2, is a key player in the investment world. It curates over 246,000 equity indexes daily, with more than $18.3 trillion in assets under management benchmarked to them. These indices serve as blueprints for funds and portfolios, helping investors gain exposure to specific market segments.
Unlike the NASDAQ, which operates as both a stock exchange where companies list and trade and a composite index tracking those listings, MSCI focuses solely on index creation. The S&P 500, managed by S&P Dow Jones Indices, is similarly an index but targets the 500 largest U.S. companies by market cap. MSCI’s offerings, such as the MSCI World Index covering developed markets, provide broader global and thematic coverage, influencing trillions in investment decisions.
The issue began on October 10, 2025, when MSCI issued a consultation proposal to exclude companies with 50% or more of their assets in digital assets like Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies from its Global Investable Market Indexes.
The rationale: such firms operate more like funds than traditional businesses.
The proposal named 39 companies, including Bitcoin holders like Strategy and Metaplanet. The announcement triggered an immediate market reaction, with Bitcoin experiencing a sharp intraday plunge of roughly $12,000 on the same day, marking the start of a broader price correction.
Broader awareness grew in late November 2025, when JPMorgan analysts highlighted the risks in a report, estimating $2.8 billion in outflows from Strategy alone and up to $8.8 billion if other index providers followed suit.
This may have amplified selling pressure on affected stocks and contributed to Bitcoin’s ongoing pullback amid a broader market downturn.
Estimates of total forced selling, if implemented, range from $10 billion to $15 billion over a year, per Bitcoin for Corporations (BFC) analysis.
The consultation period, open for stakeholder feedback, closed on December 31, 2025. BFC, a coalition accelerating corporate Bitcoin adoption, mobilized quickly. They launched a website detailing the proposal’s flaws, including a technical appendix outlining potential market impacts. BFC drafted a letter opposing the change, gathering over 1,500 signatures in two weeks and delivering it to MSCI on December 30. Eight of the 39 affected companies are BFC members.
After initial outreach, BFC held a call with MSCI’s head of research and leadership.
“We had a very constructive conversation,” said George Mekhail, BFC’s executive director.
“I think they were very much still in a listening and learning posture. I think a lot of this just really has to do with a lack of education and understanding of Bitcoin itself, as well as these Bitcoin treasury companies and the significance of their operating businesses.”
Mekhail noted the proposal appeared driven by genuine analytical concerns rather than malice, triggered by Metaplanet’s recent preferred share issuance, not Strategy’s larger holdings. A key gap: MSCI made no distinction between Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, treating all digital assets alike. This has fostered temporary alignment between Bitcoin advocates and the broader crypto sector in opposition, highlighting an ongoing education gap between the Bitcoin industry and Wall Street institutions.
Next, MSCI announces its decision on January 15, 2026. If approved, exclusions take effect February 1.
Mekhail outlined three scenarios:
implementation (worst case, forcing sales),
a delay for further review (most likely, per his assessment),
or full withdrawal (best case).
Polymarket bettors currently give a 77% chance of Strategy’s delisting from MSCI by March 31.
Most financial fallout would hit Strategy, which holds the vast majority of affected Bitcoin treasuries. Founder Michael Saylor’s firm has engaged MSCI directly, issuing its own letter and working behind the scenes. Other opposition includes letters from Strive Asset Management and investor Bill Miller.
Industry pushback has been robust and visible, with no major groups publicly supporting the proposal. This asymmetry underscores Bitcoin’s organized, motivated constituency versus dispersed critics, echoing dynamics in recent political shifts like the 2024 U.S. election.
A withdrawal would boost corporate Bitcoin strategies; implementation could deter treasuries. As Mekhail put it, “The most bullish outcome is that they take it to heart and they withdraw the proposal.”
The decision tests Wall Street’s adaptation to Bitcoin’s role in balance sheets.
https://www.zerohedge.com/crypto/why-mscis-upcoming-decision-bitcoin-treasury-companies-matters
