Maduro’s oil leverage drips away

President Nicolas Maduro says he expects mass vaccination of Venezuelans against Covid-19 with the Russian-developed Sputnik V vaccine to begin in April 2021.

Leopoldo Lopez had been confined in Venezuela for more than six years. It isn't clear how he escaped from the Spanish ambassador's residence in capital city Caracas to join family in Madrid.

Hundreds of angry Iraqis protest in several cities against a currency devaluation that has slashed their purchasing power amid a pandemic-fuelled economic crisis. The Central Bank of Iraq (CBI) at the weekend devalued the currency by over a fifth against the US dollar, officially re-pegging the dinar at a bank rate of 1,460 to the greenback.

A new Venezuelan parliament dominated by ruling socialists has been inaugurated, consolidating President Nicolas Maduro's grip. Out of a job as speaker, opposition head Juan Guido vowed to chair rival sessions online.

Leopoldo Lopez told DW that President Maduro can call upon more global backing for his cause than those fighting for democracy in Venezuela. The activist was in Berlin to drum up support for free and fair elections.

The change is a key reform demanded by foreign donors and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The country is hoping to overhaul its debt-laden, inflation-hit economy.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has disagreed with the Central Bank of Nigeria to ban Crypto-Currencies transactions in the country. Osinbajo spoke at the CBN/Bankers Committee’s Initiative for Economic Growth in Lagos and called on the CBN and the Securities and Exchange Commission to put in place a robust framework for the regulation of Crypto-Currencies. The CBN had ban Crypto-Currencies usage in Nigeria a few weeks ago.

The Central Bank of Venezuela's new notes were launched as hyperinflation and US sanctions continue to cripple the economy of the oil-producing nation. As inflation skyrockets, the biggest bill is worth just 52 cents.

Venezuela suffers a deadly second wave of the coronavirus as the head of one medical clinic says the number of cases, and their seriousness, has increased compared to last year.

"I must wear a face mask," repeat a couple of Venezuelan boys to insistent police officers as the country faces a second wave of Covid-19 infections. The officers form part of a squad that tours the city of Los Teques just outside of Caracas to ensure shop closing hours, quarantines and mask-wearing are respected.

Raised in Philadelphia, the hometown of famous Hollywood character Rocky Balboa, Nalek Korbaj hopes to honour Venezuela's Olympic boxing tradition at the Tokyo Olympic Games.

Here are a few reasons to pick up a copy of The Guardian on Friday. Find these stories and much more when you grab a copy of The Guardian on Friday.⁣⁣ ⁣