Four days before the beginning of an election year in Venezuela, President Nicolás Maduro announced on national television that he will grant a bonus of 500,000 bolivares, the equivalent of US$ 3.9, to those who possess the Carnet de la Patria, an identity document created by the government that serves to regulate the purchase of food and tools with which users can access pensions or bonuses of this style in exchange for their loyalty to the government party.
This Thursday, the Venezuelan Observatory of Violence (VVO) published its annual report, in the hands of its director, the sociologist Roberto Briceño León, which shows a 2017 full of irregularities by the State and a high rate of abuse of the same and towards it.
“Venezuela: God and Christ gave us the victory. Lets go to the streets to take our freedom” says Oscar Pérez, an ex-inspector of the CICPC, the national police force in a new video diffused by himself with a group of rebellious officials. In the video he calls on the population and the national security agencies to join them in the fight and rebel against the regime of Nicolás Maduro.
The Brazilian foreign ministry has no plans to send a new ambassador to Venezuela, after Ruy Pereira was declared “persona non grata” by the government of Nicolás Maduro. With the ousting of ambassador Ruy Pereira the embassy will be the responsibility of the highest ranking diplomatic in Caracas, who is the business attaché. He is the second most senior and who has spent more time in Venezuela behind the ambassador.
Canada has announced it is expelling Venezuela's ambassador to Ottawa, Wilmer Barrientos Fernández, and its charge d'affaires, Ángel Herrera. Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said the move was in retaliation for the expulsion of its most senior diplomat from Caracas over the weekend.
Argentine president Mauricio Macri in Brasilia expressed full solidarity with the Venezuelan people, called for human rights respect and freedom for the political prisoners held by the regime of president Nicolas Maduro.
The president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, condemned the repression carried out by the Argentine security forces of president Mauricio Macri during the debate in Congress of the pensions' reform system, and underlined that the television reports from Buenos Aires called on him to work ever harder for the benefit of the people.
A video of the military operation and statements from the rogue officer are released through social media as the alleged resistance claims a small victory in what was dubbed “Operation Genesis.”
Venezuela has awarded licenses to a unit of Russian oil major Rosneft to develop two offshore gas fields, Rosneft said in a statement.Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro signed the deal during a visit to Venezuela by Rosneft CEO Igor Sechin, it said.
President Nicolas Maduro announced Sunday that leading opposition parties will be barred from taking part in next year's presidential vote after they boycotted mayoral polls, in a move set to further consolidate his grip on power. That includes the groups of key figures who have led street protests against his rule such as Henrique Capriles, Leopoldo Lopez and others, Maduro told reporters after casting his vote in the municipal polls.