resign, and stopped short of the four EU nations' demand for presidential elections.

It certainly had little impact on the tens of thousands of anti-Maduro demonstrators in the streets.

Protests were held across the country, and remarkably, as the day edged towards evening, there was no reported violence, and no tear gas fired.

Wearing t-shirts saying "Let's take back our country" and holding aloft banners and placards criticising Mr Maduro, they processed through Caracas demanding change.

Nakary Coelho, 28, broke down in tears, Venezuelan flag around her neck, as she told why she was supporting Mr Guaido.

"I want my country to be free, and I want freedom to be the way here again," she told The Telegraph.

"There is too much suffering, and we have to bring democracy back. Today we are doingStatesman News Service

Kolkata, 1 January

Lieutenant General Man Mohan Singh Rai, AVSM, VSM, today took over as the 24 General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-in-C) of the Eastern Command here in Kolkata.

He succeeds Lt-Gen Dalbir Singh who relinquished the position on 31 December on being elevated as the Vice Chief of Army Staff in the Army Headquarters in Delhi.

Lt-Gen Rai is the first officer from the Army’s Corps of Engineers to head an Army command and that too an important one such as the Eastern Command whose jurisdiction extends to the whole of seven north-eastern states and West Bengal.

Lt-Gen Rai is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy and was commissioned into service from the Indian Military Academy (IMA) on 15 December 1976. He has rich operational and command experience; amongst