Venezuela raises minimum wage

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said that the country’s minimum monthly wage will increase by 50 percent from Sept 1. This move comes at a time of economic difficulties and raises Venezuela’s minimum monthly wage to 22,576 bolivars ($2,257). Including meal tickets, it will rise to a total monthly sum of 65,056 bolivars, which includes an increase to the indexed food bonus. The hikes came as a measure to protect incomes from high inflation, which reached 181 percent in 2015.