LatinNews Daily - 14 December 2023

* Venezuela’s national assembly has approved the 2024 national budget, which outlines 729.95bn bolívares (US$20.51bn) in planned spending. José Gregorio Vielma Mora, the president of the national assembly’s subcommittee for the productive economy, said that 77.4% of the budget would go towards social investment. Vice President Delcy Rodríguez told legislators that, for the first time, the budget includes resources for “the defence of Guayana Esequiba”, referring to the Essequibo region of neighbouring Guyana which President Nicolás Maduro’s government has declared to be a Venezuelan state following the 3 December referendum which asked voters whether they supported annexing the territory. Rodríguez said that the funding assigned to the Essequibo issue would include social, economic, educational, and military spending.