Maduro / Venezuela

Maduro walked out of interview when showed video of people eating trash
By Tamar Lapin February 25, 2019 | 11:38pm



The Univision news crew briefly detained in Venezuela Monday angered embattled President Nicolas Maduro when they showed him a video of young people eating from a garbage truck amid a widespread food shortage in the country.

Veteran news anchor Jorge Ramos said that Maduro didn’t like being asked about “the lack of democracy, about the torture of political prisoners, about the humanitarian crisis” during a 7 p.m. interview at his palace in Caracas.

But it was the cellphone clip that prompted the sudden end to the interview.

“He tried to block the video with his hand, and he stood up and walked away,” Ramos told Univision via phone from his hotel.

Then, one of Maduro’s ministers said the interview wasn’t authorized and the news crew, including Ramos and five other journalists, were put into separate dark rooms and questioned.

They were released two and a half hours later but their belongings — including their cellphones and footage of the interview — were confiscated, Ramos said.

“It was a total violation of the freedom of expression, of human rights, of the principles of all journalists,” Ramos said. “They think the interview is theirs, not ours. And they’re robbing us of our job.”

The video below is from Vox and was published on Aug 25, 2017.

The situation has only worsened since then

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The collapse of Venezuela, explained

The country is in chaos, but its leaders aren't going anywhere.  

Correction at 1:58: It’s been brought to our notice that the Supreme Court tried to strip the country’s National Assembly of its powers in March 2017 and not 2016. We regret the error.

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Venezuela was once the richest country in Latin America. It has the largest known oil reserves in the world and its democratic government was once praised world wide.

But today, Venezuela’s democratic institutions and its economy are in shambles.The country has the highest inflation in the world, making food and medicine inaccessible to most Venezuelans.

Over the last four years, its GDP has fallen 35%, which is a sharper drop than the one seen during the Great Depression in the US. The country’s murder rate has surpassed that of the most dangerous cities in the world.

These conditions have sparked months of protests against the president, Nicolas Maduro. And it’s easy to see why: the country has become measurably worse since his election in 2013.

Correction at 1:58: It’s been brought to our notice that the Supreme Court tried to strip the country’s National Assembly of its powers in March 2017 and not 2016. We regret the error.

For more on the Supreme Court ruling: https://www.vox.com/world/2017/5/1/15408828/venezuela-protests-maduro-parliament-supreme-court-crisis

Venezuela's Guaido faces credible threats to his life: Lima Group
Reuters Reuters•February 25, 2019


Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido, who many nations have recognized as the country's rightful interim ruler speaks during a meeting of the Lima Group in Bogota, Colombia, February 25, 2019. REUTERS/Luisa Gonzalez

BOGOTA (Reuters) - The Lima Group regional bloc said on Monday that threats have been made against the life of Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido and the group finds them credible, adding that President Nicolas Maduro was responsible for Guaido's safety.

The bloc in a statement demanded Maduro immediately leave his post in favor of a democratic transition that includes free elections. Colombian Foreign Minister Carlos Holmes Trujillo, speaking on behalf of the group, said there was information about credible threats to Guaido and his family.

Trujillo did not immediately provide evidence for the claims. Guaido has been placed under investigation by Venezuela's chief prosecutor but unlike some other opposition figures has not been jailed. He was briefly detained by security forces in January.

"We want to hold the usurper Maduro responsible for any violent action against Guaido, against his wife and against their relatives," Trujillo told reporters.

The United States has targeted Venezuela's government with new sanctions and called on allies to freeze assets of its state-owned oil company after violence blocked humanitarian aid from the country.

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence and Guaido, recognized by most Western nations as Venezuela's legitimate leader, met in Bogota with members of the 12 Lima Group nations dedicated to peaceful resolution of the crisis. The United States is not a member and the Trump administration has declined to rule out military force.

Venezuela in chaos after massive power outage, Maduro's regime blames Marco Rubio
By Lukas Mikelionis | Fox News 2 | hours ago

Venezuela plunged into darkness Thursday evening following one of the largest power outages in years, spreading chaos in an already disrupted country facing political turmoil.

The blackout began as most commuters were leaving work for home, hitting 22 out of 23 Venezuelan states, including the capital Caracas that until now managed to avoid the consequences of collapsing infrastructure and frequent outages.

Thousands of commuters had to scramble to find a way back home as subway service stopped operating, while roads came to a standstill due to confusion over blackened stoplights.

The blackout forced hospital nurses to monitor patients, including premature babies in incubators, while holding candles.

Venezuela's disputed president Nicolas Maduro, meanwhile, blamed the blackout as an “electrical war” perpetrated by the United States without providing any proof, the latest sign of a dictator who’s losing the grip over the country.

Communications Minister Jorge Rodriguez echoed Maduro and said right-wing extremists are causing mayhem in the country at the behest of Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio, a claim mocked by the senator on Twitter.

“My apologies to people of Venezuela,” he wrote in a tweet. “I must have pressed the wrong thing on the ‘electronic attack’ app I downloaded from Apple. My bad.”

Rodriguez urged people to be patient and promised to restore power within the hours of the blackout. Yet the blackout continued into early Friday morning, with Venezuelans opening their windows and banging pots and pans in the dark as a protest against the government, while some also cursed at Maduro.

The outage comes amid political turmoil in Venezuela, with Maduro facing a challenge for legitimacy from opposition leader Juan Guaido, the head of congress who was recognized as the legitimate leader of the country by the U.S. and about 50 countries around the world.

More story and pics at https://www.foxnews.com/world/venezuela-in-chaos-after-massive-power-outage-maduros-regime-blames-marco-rubio

In unprecedented move, regional lender to vote on Venezuela's opposition representative
WORLD NEWS | MARCH 8, 2019 / 11:50 AM / UPDATED 21 MINUTES AGO

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Forty-eight member countries of the Inter-American Development Bank will vote over the next week on accepting a representative from Venezuela’s opposition leader Juan Guaido to the board of the regional lender, bank officials said on Friday.

The 48-member board of governors will have until Friday, March 15, to vote on the issue. It is not clear what would happen to President Nicolas Maduro’s representative on the board.

Guaido, who has the support of 57 countries, named Harvard University economist Ricardo Hausmann as the country’s representative to the IADB.

MARCH 10, 2019 / 9:50 AM / UPDATED AN HOUR AGO
Nerves fray, tempers flare as Venezuela blackout hits fourth day
Brian Ellsworth, Mayela Armas | REUTERS
6 MIN READ

CARACAS (Reuters) - Furious Venezuelans lined up to buy water and fuel on Sunday as the country entered a fourth day of a nationwide blackout that has left already-scarce food rotting in shops, homes suffering for lack of water and cell phones without reception.

Authorities have managed to provide only patchy access to power since the outage began on Thursday in what President Nicolas Maduro called an act of U.S.-backed sabotage, but critics insist it is the result of incompetence and corruption.

With no coherent official explanation of the problem or likely time frame for solving it, Venezuelans, who have for years found ways to laugh about the privations of the economic crisis, are now fretting that the blackout could extend indefinitely.

The country’s worst-ever power outage comes as Maduro faces a hyperinflationary economic collapse and an unprecedented political crisis. Opposition leader Juan Guaido in January invoked the constitution to assume the presidency after declaring Maduro’s 2018 re-election a fraud.

Angry residents of the Caracas neighborhood of Chacao on Sunday set up barricades along a main avenue and on side streets to protest the continued outage.

“The food we had in our refrigerators has spoiled, businesses are closed, there’s no communication, not even by cell phone,” Ana Cerrato, 49, a merchant, standing in front of a pile of razor wire and debris.

“No country can bear 50 hours without electricity. We need help! We are in a humanitarian crisis!”

Lines extended for blocks at fuel stations as drivers queued up for gasoline and busses waited fill up with diesel. Families stood under the sun to buy potable water, which is unavailable for most residents whose homes do not have power.

State oil company PDVSA said on Sunday that fuel supplies were guaranteed, but many service stations remained shuttered for lack of power.

Merchants unable to maintain refrigerators working began giving away cheese, vegetables and meat to clients.

“I’m going to give this to street kids that I see,” said Jenny Paredes, owner of a cafe, in reference to milk that she could not keep any longer.

Other shops had supplies stolen.

A small supermarket in a working class area of western Caracas was looted on Saturday night after protesters barricaded an avenue and clashed with police, according to neighbors and the shop’s owner Manuel Caldeira.

“They took food, they broke the display windows, they stole scales and point of sale terminals,” said Caldeira, 58, standing on the shop floor littered with glass. “We weren’t here (when it happened), we got here and found all of this destroyed.”

The air in the shop still reeked of tear gas from the night before, when police had fired canisters to disperse the looters. Two employees were struggling to open protective steel doors that were damaged by the thieves.

“The national electrical system has been subject to multiple cyber attacks,” Maduro wrote on Twitter on Sunday. “However, we are making huge efforts to restore stable and definitive supply in the coming hours.”

Guaido in a Sunday press conference criticized severely the government for failing to explain what was going on.

“The regime at this hour, days after a blackout without precedent, has no diagnosis,” he said.

Guaido invoked the constitution to assume an interim presidency in January, arguing that Maduro’s 2018 re-election was fraudulent. He has been recognized as Venezuela’s legitimate leader by the United States and most Western countries, but Maduro retains control of the armed forces and state functions.

Despite pressure from frequent opposition marches and U.S. sanctions on the country’s vital oil sector, Maduro is not open to negotiations on ending the political impasse and seems intent on trying to stay put, said Elliott Abrams, the Trump administration’s envoy for Venezuela.

Speaking on U.S. broadcast network ABC’s “This Week,” U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton said on Sunday he thought momentum is on Guaido’s side.

“There are countless conversations going on between members of the National Assembly and members of the military in Venezuela; talking about what might come, how they might move to support the opposition,” Bolton said.

At hospitals, the lack of power combined with the absence or poor performance of backup generators led to the death of 17 patients across the country, non-governmental organization Doctors for Health said on Saturday. Reuters was unable to independently verify the figure, and the government’s Information Ministry did not respond to requests for comment.

Power returned briefly to parts of Caracas and other cities on Friday, but went out again around midday on Saturday.

“One can infer from the delays and the results of the failure that it was a problem in the lines that leave Guri, rather than in the plant itself,” said Miguel Lara, a former president of the state-run entity responsible for the electricity system, referring to the Guri hydroelectric power plant, one of the world’s biggest, that supplies most of Venezuela’s electricity.

Slide show and video at https://www.reuters.com/article/us-venezuela-politics/nerves-fray-tempers-flare-as-venezuela-blackout-hits-fourth-day-idUSKBN1QR0M8

I WANT ZOMBIES

This is a street in Venezuela. That's money in the gutter. It's worthless. Welcome to socialism.

APRIL 9, 2019 / 10:00 AM / UPDATED AN HOUR AGO
Exclusive: Venezuela removes eight tonnes of gold from central bank - sources
Mayela Armas
4 MIN READ

CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela removed eight tonnes of gold from the central bank’s vaults last week, and the cash-strapped socialist state is expected to sell the bullion abroad as it seeks to raise hard currency in the face of U.S. sanctions, a lawmaker and one government source said.

With sanctions imposed by Washington choking off revenues from exports by state oil company PDVSA, President Nicolas Maduro’s increasingly isolated administration has turned to sales of Venezuela’s substantial gold reserves as one of the only sources of foreign currency.

The government source said the Central Bank’s reserves had fallen by 30 tonnes since the start of the year before U.S. President Donald Trump tightened sanctions, leaving the bank with around 100 tonnes in its vaults, worth more than $4 billion.

At that rate of decline, the central bank’s reserves would nearly disappear by the end of the year, leaving Maduro’s government struggling to pay for imports of basic goods.

Neither Venezuela’s central bank nor its information ministry responded to requests for comment.

Trump’s administration has declared Venezuela part of a “troika of tyranny” in Latin America, including left-leaning governments in Cuba and Nicaragua. It is seeking to cut off cash flow to Maduro’s government, foster dissent in the armed forces and oust him from power in the OPEC nation.

The United States and 50 other Western nations have recognized opposition leader Juan Guaido as Venezuela’s legitimate president.

Guaido invoked the Constitution in January to assume an interim presidency, saying Maduro’s May 2018 re-election vote was a sham. Maduro has branded Guaido a U.S. puppet and accused him of collaborating with Washington to sabotage the economy.

Opposition lawmakers have blasted companies buying Venezuelan gold or holding it as collateral for loans, saying they are giving Maduro a financial lifeline during an economic and humanitarian crisis.

Aside from the reserves held by the Central Bank in Caracas, Guaido is attempting to freeze bank accounts and gold owned by Venezuela abroad. This includes 31 tonnes in the Bank of England worth an estimated $1.3 billion.

BLACKOUTS AND WATER SHORTAGES

Venezuela’s economy is in a sixth year of recession, suffering hyperinflation and shortages of basic goods like food and medicine. Maduro eased restrictions on foreign exchange this year, but the economy remains desperately short of hard currency needed to import goods.

Last week’s operation took place while only high-level officials were present at the central bank’s offices, given that most rank-and-file employees stayed home due to blackouts and water shortages that have plagued Venezuela in the past month, the government source said.

“They moved gold out while the central bank was in contingency mode,” opposition lawmaker Angel Alvarado said, adding that the bars would be sold abroad, though he did not know the destination.

A similar quantity of gold was removed from the central bank’s vaults in February.

Washington in January asked foreign gold buyers to stop doing business with the Venezuelan government. This prompted Venezuela to cancel a planned sale of 29 tonnes of gold to the United Arab Emirates.

But in February and March the central bank continued to authorize the movement of gold, the government source said, adding that it was aiming to sell small quantities.

Earlier this year, Abu Dhabi investment firm Noor Capital said it bought 3 tonnes of gold from Venezuela on Jan. 21, but would not buy more until the situation in the country stabilized.

And in March, Ugandan authorities said they were investigating the country’s biggest gold refinery over imports of an estimated 7.4 tonnes of gold - valued at around $300 million - after state-run media reported it could have originated from Venezuela.

Reporting by Mayela Armas; Writing by Luc Cohen; Editing by Daniel Flynn and David Gregorio

APRIL 30, 2019 / 4:37 AM / UPDATED 9 MINUTES AGO
Venezuela’s Guaido says troops join him for coup; government says it is firmly in control
Angus Berwick, Vivian Sequera | Reuters
3 MIN READ

CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido said on Tuesday he had begun the “final phase” of his plan to oust President Nicolas Maduro, calling on Venezuelans and the military to back him to end Maduro’s “usurpation.”

A military member throws a tear gas canister near the Generalisimo Francisco de Miranda Airbase "La Carlota", in Caracas, Venezuela April 30, 2019. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins
A Reuters journalist later saw security forces firing tear gas at Guaido and around 70 armed men in military uniform near the La Carlota air force base in Caracas.

The government promptly dismissed any suggestion of a military insurrection.

“We reject this coup movement, which aims to fill the country with violence,” said Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino.

He said the armed forces remained “firmly in defense of the national constitution and legitimate authorities,” and that all military units across Venezuela “report normality” in their barracks and bases.

Information Minister Jorge Rodriguez tweeted that the government was confronting a small group of “military traitors” seeking to promote a coup.

Diosdado Cabello, head of the pro-Maduro Constituent Assembly, said the opposition had not been able to take over the air base and urged Maduro’s supporters to march at the presidential palace in Caracas.

Guaido, in a video posted on his Twitter account, was accompanied by men in military uniform and opposition politician Leopoldo Lopez, who has been placed under house arrest.

“The national armed forces have taken the correct decision, and they are counting on the support of the Venezuelan people,” Guaido said.

Guaido, the leader of Venezuela’s opposition-controlled National Assembly, in January invoked the constitution to assume an interim presidency, arguing that Maduro’s re-election in 2018 was illegitimate.

He has been traveling outside the capital Caracas more and more in recent weeks to try to put pressure on Maduro to step down.

Protests are planned for Wednesday, May 1, including what Guaido has said will be “the largest march in Venezuela’s history”, part of what he calls the “definitive phase” of his effort to take office in order to call fresh elections.

Around 50 countries including the United States have recognized Guaido as Venezuela’s interim president, and Washington has imposed sanctions to try to dislodge Maduro.

Maduro for his part has appeared to retain control of state institutions and the loyalty of senior military officers.

He calls Guaido a U.S-backed puppet who seeks to oust him in a coup. The government has arrested his top aide, stripped Guaido of his parliamentary immunity and opened multiple probes. It has also barred him from leaving the country, a ban Guaido openly violated earlier this year.

Last week, Guaido said his congressional ally - opposition lawmaker Gilber Caro - had been detained, and that 11 members of his team had been summoned to appear before the Sebin intelligence agency.

Lopez, seen with Guaido, appeared to have left his home for the first time since he was placed under house arrest in 2017, after three years in jail.

Arnold Schwarzenegger, elsewhere wrote:

Also, many pics at:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6975871/Venezuelas-Juan-Guaido-calls-military-revolt-final-phase-overthrowing-President-Maduro.html

Published 57 mins ago
Venezuelan opposition leader Guaidó calls for larger uprising
By Frank Miles | Fox News

The White House insists 'all options' remain on the table as Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido looks to oust Nicolas Maduro; reaction and analysis from the 'Special Report' All-Stars.

Opposition leader Juan Guaidó urged Venezuelans to take to the streets for new mass protests Wednesday.

In a video statement posted on social media Tuesday night, Guaidó also urged the military to join with those clamoring for change in Venezuela.

The man recognized by more than 50 nations as Venezuela's rightful leader said the country's disputed president, Nicolas Maduro, "doesn't have the backing or the respect" of the military.

Guaidó said he called for the uprising to restore Venezuela’s constitutional order, broken when Maduro was sworn in earlier this year for a second term following elections boycotted by the opposition and considered illegitimate by dozens of countries.

Guaidó called for a military uprising earlier Tuesday, a rebellion dubbed “Operation Freedom,” thus issuing the most serious challenge yet to Maduro's contested rule.

Amid the confusion, Maduro tried to project an image of strength, saying he had spoken to several regional military commanders who reaffirmed their loyalty.

Trump administration officials express support for uprising to unseat Venezuela's Nicolas MaduroVideo
“Nerves of steel!” he said in a message posted on Twitter.

Maduro said the Guaidó mutiny had been defeated and Venezuela would never surrender to “imperialist forces,” as The Guardian noted.

Protesters erected barricades of debris at several downtown intersections about 10 blocks from the presidential palace, but police in riot gear moved in quickly to clear the roads. Most shops and businesses were closed and the streets of the capital unusually quiet, as people huddled at home to await the outcome of the day’s drama.

In one dramatic incident during a chaotic day of violent street battles for a crowd that quickly swelled to a few thousand, several armored vehicles plowed into a group of anti-government demonstrators trying to storm the capital’s air base, hitting at least two protesters.

Guaidó’s call for a military uprising drew quick support from the Trump administration and fierce resistance from forces loyal to the embattled Maduro.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Videos at https://www.foxnews.com/world/venezuela-opposition-leader-guaido-calls-for-larger-uprising

MAY 8, 2019 / 3:17 PM / UPDATED AN HOUR AGO
Deputy of Venezuela's Guaido arrested and dragged away by tow truck
Angus Berwick, Mayela Armas
5 MIN READ

CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan intelligence agents detained opposition leader Juan Guaido’s congressional deputy on Wednesday, using a tow truck to drag his vehicle away with him inside, prompting the U.S. government to warn of “consequences” if he was not released.

The SEBIN intelligence agency seized Edgar Zambrano, vice president of the opposition-controlled National Assembly, which Guaido heads, in the first arrest of a lawmaker since Guaido tried to spark a military uprising last week to bring down President Nicolas Maduro’s government.

Venezuela’s pro-Maduro Constituent Assembly agreed on Tuesday to strip Zambrano and six other lawmakers of their parliamentary immunity to allow their future prosecution. The opposition does not recognize the assembly’s decisions.

The Supreme Court had earlier accused those lawmakers of conspiracy, rebellion and treason, and accused another three opposition legislators of the same crimes on Wednesday.

The opposition says Maduro has stacked the court with his own supporters, while the U.S. government this week threatened to sanction all its members.

The U.S. government’s Venezuelan embassy, now based in Washington, said Zambrano’s “arbitrary detention” was “illegal and inexcusable.”

“Maduro and his accomplices are those directly responsible for Zambrano’s security. If he is not immediately freed, there will be consequences,” the embassy said on Twitter.

An attempted uprising last week led by Guaido, recognized by the United States and other Western countries as the rightful head of state, failed to dislodge Maduro, as have a series of U.S. sanctions against his government. Maduro decried the events as an attempted coup.

“One of the principal conspirators of the coup has just been arrested,” Diosdado Cabello, head of the Constituent Assembly, said in comments broadcast on state television.

“They will have to pay before the courts for the failed coup that they attempted,” he said.

‘KIDNAPPED’

Zambrano said on Twitter at about 6.40 pm local time (2240 GMT) SEBIN agents had surrounded his vehicle outside the headquarters of his Democratic Action party in Caracas’ La Florida district.

“We were surprised by the SEBIN, and after refusing to let us leave our vehicle, they used a tow truck to forcibly transfer us directly to the (SEBIN headquarters) Helicoide,” he said. It was not yet clear if Zambrano was already at the Helicoide.

Guaido said on Twitter: “The regime has kidnapped the first vice president.”

Guaido invoked the constitution in January to assume an interim presidency, denouncing Maduro as illegitimate after he secured re-election last year in a vote widely viewed as fraudulent. Maduro has overseen the collapse of Venezuela’s economy, which has shrunk by half over the past five years, forcing more than 3 million Venezuelans to emigrate.

The Constituent Assembly removed Guaido’s parliamentary immunity in early April. Authorities have not tried to arrest him since then, but Maduro has said he will “face justice.”

U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration has threatened Maduro’s government with a harsh response should it ever detain Guaido.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Supreme Court’s head, Maikel Moreno, rebuffed the U.S. government’s threats to sanction his court’s members if they did not reject Maduro’s government and Guaido.

The U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on Moreno and the seven principal members of the court’s constitutional chamber in 2017 for rulings that “usurped the authority” of the National Assembly.

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said on Tuesday the Trump administration would soon sanction the 25 remaining members of the court. Pence said the United States was lifting economic sanctions on a former Venezuelan general who turned against Maduro in order to encourage other Maduro allies to follow suit.

The head of the Organization of American States, Luis Almagro, said: “We demand the SEBIN stop the intimidation, respect the lawmakers’ parliamentary immunities, and immediately release Edgar Zambrano.”

MAY 14, 2019 / 11:38 AM / UPDATED 27 MINUTES AGO
Venezuela security forces block opposition lawmakers from entering parliament


CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan security forces prevented opposition lawmakers from entering the parliament building for a session on Tuesday, a week after the top court stripped several lawmakers of their immunity amid a political crisis in the South American country.

Members of the Sebin intelligence service, wearing masks and carrying long guns, together with members of the national police and the military blocked the entrance and were investigating the
Venezuela top court accuses four opposition legislators of treason: statement

Last week, one opposition lawmaker was arrested and several took refuge in foreign embassies in Caracas or fled the country as President Nicolas Maduro cracked down on allies of opposition leader Juan Guaido, following a failed effort to convince members of the military to rise up against Maduro in late April.

Guaido, the leader of the opposition-controlled Assembly, in January invoked Venezuela’s constitution to assume an interim presidency, arguing Maduro’s 2018 re-election was illegitimate. More than 50 countries have recognized him as the country’s rightful leader, and say the assembly is its last remaining democratic institution.

“This is all part of a show to prevent the National Assembly from functioning,” lawmaker Juan Pablo Guanipa told Reuters. “This is a dictatorship that goes after dissidents, and we are fighting for a political change.”

Venezuela’s information ministry, which handles media inquiries on behalf of the government, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Maduro, a socialist, calls Guaido a puppet of the United States seeking to oust him in a coup.

The government stripped the assembly of most of its powers after the opposition won a majority in 2015 elections. Lawmakers loyal to Maduro generally do not attend the sessions, but go to meetings of the constituent assembly, a legislative “superbody” created in 2017 that meets in the same building on Wednesdays.

The “superbody” is an all-powerful legislature controlled by the ruling Socialist Party and whose powers supersede those of the National Assembly.

Tuesday’s session was scheduled for 10 a.m. (1400 GMT), but never began. The lawmakers were set to discuss the Supreme Court’s stripping of several of their colleagues’ parliamentary immunity and the arrest of Edgar Zambrano, the Assembly’s vice president and an outspoken critic of Maduro.

Opposition lawmaker Jorge Millan told reporters the report of “bombs” in the building was false.

“It is a trick to prevent the parliament from functioning today,” he said. “If we do not have a session today, we will do it tomorrow.”

MAY 14, 2019 / 1:22 PM / UPDATED 29 MINUTES AGO
Venezuela top court accuses four opposition legislators of treason: statement


CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela’s supreme court on Tuesday accused four opposition legislators of treason and conspiracy, according to a statement posted on the court’s Facebook page, following similar accusations earlier against 10 opposition lawmakers.

Opposition legislators on April 30 participated in demonstrations that were part of a failed uprising led by opposition leader Juan Guaido.

US suspends all flights to Venezuela citing safety and security
By ABC NEWS May 15, 2019, 3:46 PM ET

U.S. flights to Venezuela are being suspended due to safety and security concerns, officials with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said Wednesday.

The decision was made "based on the ongoing political instability and increased tensions in Venezuela and associated inadvertent risk to flight operations," officials said.

The suspension of flights will be revisited "if and when the conditions in Venezuela change," said officials.

American Airlines was the last U.S. commercial airline offering service in and out of Venezuela until the company suspended flights in March. Wednesday's suspension eliminates both commercial and cargo flights between the two countries.

Venezuela is in the midst of a months-long political crisis as Nicolas Maduro, the socialist president who has seized power and sidelined political opposition, has faced protests for weeks after the opposition-controlled National Assembly declared its president the legitimate leader.

(MORE: Guaido urges opposition onward in Venezuela, defends apparently failed plot to oust Maduro)
That figure, Juan Guaido, is being backed by the U.S. and 53 other countries, including neighbors Colombia and Brazil, but Maduro's hold over the country's military and security forces remains strong. With Russian and Cuban backing, Maduro has managed to ride out increasingly strong U.S. diplomatic pressure that includes U.S. sanctions on the state-owned oil company as well as visa bans on Maduro and his senior aides.

With vocal American support, Guaido tried to spark a military uprising last month with calls for protests and a "final phase" of his push to oust Maduro. But the leader responded with force, putting down protests, and one month later he continues to cling to power.

The country has also been rocked by an economic crisis, with sky-high inflation and shortages of food and medicine. The U.S. has amassed aid across the border in Colombia and has urged Maduro to let it in, but he refuses, calling it a political ploy to undermine his rule.

The U.S. withdrew all remaining diplomatic personnel from the embassy in Venezuela in March, citing the "deteriorating situation" after days of blackouts, increased water shortages and the threat of further protests.

Video at https://abcnews.go.com/US/us-suspends-flights-venezuela-citing-safety-security/story

Venezuela crisis: President Maduro admits secret talks with US
4 hours ago

The Venezuelan leader has confirmed that he is in talks with the Trump administration

Venezuela's embattled President Nicolás Maduro said he had been in talks with the Trump administration for months, even as the US ramped up its sanctions.

The US is one of more than 50 nations which do not recognise Mr Maduro as Venezuela's legitimate leader.

It imposed sweeping sanctions earlier this month aimed at increasing pressure on President Maduro to step down.

But on Tuesday Mr Maduro confirmed that talks with the Trump administration had been going on for months.

What's behind Venezuela's political crisis?

Speaking on television, Mr Maduro said: "Just as I have sought dialogue in Venezuela, I have sought a way in which President Trump really listens to Venezuela."

President Trump confirmed on Tuesday that his administration was "talking to various representatives of Venezuela".

"I don't want to say who, but we are talking at a very high level," the US president said.

What is the situation in Venezuela?

The country has been caught up in a struggle for power between President Maduro and the leader of Venezuela's National Assembly, Juan Guaidó.

Mr Guaidó declared himself interim president in January, claiming that the elections which brought Maduro to power for a second term were fraudulent.

While Mr Guaidó has gained the backing of over 50 countries he has so far failed to remove Mr Maduro from power.

Talks between the two sides hosted by Barbados and mediated by Norway recently stalled after President Maduro denounced the opposition for backing the sweeping sanctions imposed by the US.

The country is suffering one of the worst economic crises in history with a quarter of its 30 million population in need of aid, according to the United Nations.

More than four million Venezuelans have left the country over the past years.

Why is the US involved?

Mr Maduro's government has come under fire by the international community for a number of reasons.

When opposition parties gained a majority in the country's National Assembly, the president created a rival body stacked with his supporters which assumed many of its powers. His 2018 re-election was controversial, and labelled as rigged by his critics, after many rivals were barred from running or fled the country.

Protests and demonstrations erupted into violence and were met with a crackdown by authorities which saw civilians killed.

The US has been a frequent target of Mr Maduro's anger.

Mr Maduro has accused the US, and specifically National Security Advisor John Bolton, of trying to kill him, without supplying any evidence. He claims that his opposition is backed by foreign powers, rather than a domestic resistance to his authority.

Government officials were the first target of US sanctions against Mr Maduro's government - but earlier this year, it brought new restrictions forward on the state oil company, which is a major player in the national economy.

That was followed in August by sweeping sanctions that froze all property of the government in the US, and blocks American firms doing business with Venezuela.

Venezuela’s currency so worthless it’s mostly being used for making crafts
By Lucia I. Suarez Sang | Fox News

Venezuela – once one of the more prosperous countries in Latin America – has been driven into such economic and political turmoil that its currency is no longer of any use.

However, that has not stopped Venezuelan bolivares from becoming a commodity elsewhere.

Across the border in Colombia, Hector Cordero uses the currency to make wallets and purses, which he sells to tourists in Colombia.

“These bolivares soberanos notes are worth nothing,” Cordero, who is from Caracas, told Al Jazeera. “These notes I use are not circulating any more since last year.”

More : https://www.foxnews.com/world/venezuela-currency-paper-crafts