Venezuela’s latest ruse to tackle shortages: fingerprint scanners in supermarkets

Nevertheless, across the Caribbean, Castro’s friend and colleague Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela is planning a similar system in a bid to combat the shortages that are ravaging the home of 21st century socialism. Maduro said his government would introduce a rationing system using mandatory fingerprinting in supermarkets, calling it “perfect” and an “anti-fraud blessing”. The idea, officials say, is to stop people from buying too much of any single item. Basic goods such as sugar, milk, maize flour and toilet paper are scarce and queues are commonplace. No hay – “there isn’t any” in Spanish – has become a common mantra. More…