Venezuela’s government-controlled electoral board said it would allow the nation’s main opposition coalition to take part in upcoming elections, in a bid to boost participation after years of boycotts. The Democratic Unity Roundtable opposition bloc, known as MUD, will be one of twenty recently authorized political parties through which candidates can vie for the more than 300 state and local positions up for election on Nov. 21. By By Patricia Laya and Alex Vasquez. Full Text-> Bloomberg

In Davos, he delivered a speech urging world leaders to maintain pressure on President Nicolas Maduro, whose authoritarian regime has driven Venezuela into a humanitarian crisis. He also told reporters there that the idea behind this diplomatic offensive is that “people should stop seeing Venezuela as an insoluble problem.” By David Smilde. Full text -> WPR