Last Saturday, the president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, described as “attempted assassination” the events that interrupted an official ceremony in Caracas in commemoration of the anniversary of the armed forces.
Venezuelan officials say that President Nicolás Maduro has escaped an assassination attempt unharmed. Maduro was giving a live televised speech in the capital city of Caracas on Saturday when, a government spokesman said, explosive-carrying drones went off near the president.
The state of Zulia, the historic heart of Venezuela’s energy industry that was for decades known for opulent oil wealth, has been plunged into darkness for several hours a day since March, sometimes leaving its 3.7 million residents with no electricity for up to 24 hours.
Nicolas Maduro's days as president of crisis-ravaged Venezuela are numbered, his outgoing Colombian counterpart Juan Manuel Santos told the French government news agency.“I can see it happening in the near future,” said Santos, pointing to the International Monetary Fund's latest projection that Venezuela's inflation will hit one million percent this year.
Venezuela is taking steps to direct dwindling motor fuel to politically loyal vehicle owners. President Nicolas Maduro ordered a national census on 3-5 August to determine how many vehicle owners possess a homeland identity card, a document created in first quarter 2017 to strengthen the government's social and political surveillance capabilities.
The speed of economic events in Venezuela limits the possibility of conserving any forecast in the national economy for a long time. And it is that the economic instability in the Caribbean country accelerates as its own inflation against the unproductively of the state oil company, PDVSA.
Brazil's Health Ministry says at least 744 people have been infected with measles in a growing outbreak linked to cases imported from neighboring Venezuela.The total includes 67 indigenous Venezuelans and Brazilians.
Brazilian health authorites have reported 67 cases of measles, including one baby dead among Yanomami natives on the Venezuelan border and labelled the situation as “catastrophic.” The situation is by no means under control.
According to a financial intelligence panel that met Friday in Cartagena, Colombia; in Venezuela, Maduro's government uses food and humanitarian aid as a weapon for social control.
Venezuela’s oil production plunged by another 47,500 barrels per day (bpd) in June, compared to a month earlier. An exodus of workers and field shut downs were reported for the month, pointing to a grim near-term future that could see total production dip below 1 million barrels per day (mb/d) by the end of the year.