Here are all the developments on the Venezuela crisis from January 22 until February 13.

Click here for the latest updates on the Venezeuala crisis

Venezuela has plunged into a major political crisis amid a growing dispute over President Nicolas Maduro‘s future as the country’s leader.

Maduro took office for a second term on January 10 on the basis of what was by many condemned as a fraudulent election last May.

The opposition, alongside Juan Guaido, rejected Maduro’s claim, and on January 23, Guaido self-proclaimed interim president.

The United States alongside Canada, and more than 20 other countries, have recognised Guaido’s presidential bid. But China, Turkey, Iran, Russia and Cuba stand by Maduro.

Below find all the updates from January 22 to April 11. For the latest developments click here.

Thursday, April 11

Pompeo: China financing of Maduro prolongs Venezuela crisis

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said China’s financing of President Nicolas Maduro’s government is prolonging the crisis in Venezuela.

Pompeo kicked off a four-country tour of Latin America on Friday in Chile. He met with President Sebastian Pinera in Santiago, where they discussed Venezuela’s crisis and the US-China trade war, among other issues.

Pompeo said China is a major US trading partner, but that its “trade activities often are deeply connected to their national security mission, their technological goals, their desire to steal intellectual property, to have forced technology transfer, to engage in activity that is not economic.”

Colombia gets $31.5m for hosting Venezuelan migrants

The international community is providing a $31.5m grant to help Colombia accommodate Venezuelan migrants and refugees as well as the communities that host them.

The funds provided by the Global Concessional Financing Facility – a platform launched in 2016 by the World Bank, the United Nations and the Islamic Development Bank- will be part of a $750m development policy operation being prepared by the World Bank to support Colombia.

The World Bank said in a press release that the annual cost of hosting more than 1.2 million migrants and refugees from Venezuela is currently estimated at around 0.4 percent of Colombia’s economic output.

US sanctions companies sending Venezuelan oil to Cuba

The US Treasury on Friday unveiled financial sanctions on four maritime shipping companies and nine of their oil tankers over crude deliveries to Cuba, to pressure Havana to end support for Venezuela.

The sanctions raise US pressure on the “the illegitimate regime of former President Nicolas Maduro”, the Treasury said in a statement.

The US sanctions targeted three Liberian shipping corporations and one based in Italy. Of the nine tankers penalised, four had delivered Venezuelan crude to Cuba. The sanctions freeze US-based assets of the company and also block them from much of the global financial system.

Thursday, April 11

IMF, WB ready to respond to Venezuelan humanitarian crisis

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank (WB) have said they are ready to respond to the humanitarian crisis in Venezuela once their participation is requested.

But President Nicolas Maduro and his predecessor Hugo Chavez have shunned the two international lending agencies, which they accuse of imposing damaging austerity policies on nations they aid.

Washington to decide on Repsol’s Venezuela activity: US envoy

The United States will make a decision about Spanish oil company Repsol’s activity in Venezuela in coming days, US Venezuela envoy Elliott Abrams said on Thursday.

Since the US imposed fresh sanctions on Venezuela and its state-run oil firm PDVSA in January, the country’s main oil and oil products suppliers have been Repsol, Russian state oil major Rosneft, India’s Reliance Industries and trading houses Vitol and Trafigura, according to sources and vessel-tracking data.

Repsol has said it fully complies with all legislation and sanctions regarding Venezuela and closely monitors the situation on a cargo-by-cargo basis.

Wednesday, April 10

Red Cross tripling budget for work in Venezuela

The International Committee of the Red Cross will triple its budget in Venezuela this year as it helps authorities address mounting humanitarian concerns in the politically turbulent nation.

The trip took him to several public hospitals, slums and migrant centres that have seen the worst of a social crisis expected to worsen as US financial sanctions take effect.

Red Cross President Peter Maurer said his Geneva-based organisation is tripling its budget this year in Venezuela to around $24m and almost doubling its staff to around 180 people.

Pence says US wants Maduro out and ‘all options’ on table

US Vice President Mike Pence told the Security Council on Wednesday that the Trump administration is determined to restore democracy to Venezuela, preferably through diplomatic and economic pressure, but “all options are on the table” – and Russia and others need to step aside.

Venezuela’s UN Ambassador Samuel Moncada said the country is threatened with war by the Trump administration, “and the ground is being laid for an invasion”. He told the council: “We must stop this war of Donald Trump”.

The United States called an emergency meeting of the UN’s most powerful body, which is deeply divided over Venezuela, to focus on the worsening humanitarian situation in Venezuela.

IMF: No transactions with Venezuela while leadership in doubt

The International Monetary Fund will not have any contact with Venezuela, nor allow the country to access its reserves held by the institution, until the international community recognises a government in Caracas, an IMF spokesman said on Wednesday.

The country’s leadership has been in question since late January when national assembly leader Juan Guaido challenged embattled President Nicolas Maduro as the country’s acute economic crisis worsened.

US wants UN to revoke credentials of Maduro’s government

US Vice President Mike Pence called on the United Nations on Wednesday to revoke the UN credentials of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s government and recognise opposition leader Juan Guaido as the country’s legitimate leader.

He said the United States had drafted a UN resolution and called on all states to support it.

Read more here.

Maduro government a threat to US national security: Pompeo

President Nicolas Maduro’s government in Venezuela poses a threat to the United States, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Wednesday, referring to the increased involvement of Russia, Iran and Cuba in the country.

“I don’t think there is any doubt that … the Maduro regime presents a threat to the United States of America,” Pompeo told a US congressional hearing.

The Trump administration has said that Maduro has surrounded himself with Cuban security and intelligence officials, and told Moscow to withdraw some 100 Russian troops that arrived in Venezuela in March.

US wants UN to revoke credentials of Maduro’s government

US Vice President Mike Pence called on the United Nations on Wednesday to revoke the UN credentials of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s government and recognise opposition leader Juan Guaido as the country’s legitimate leader.

He said the United States had drafted a UN resolution and called on all states to support it.

Diplomats said it is unlikely Washington will get the support needed to adopt such a measure.

Crucial oil output plunges in Venezuela

OPEC says Venezuela pumped 960,000 barrel of oil a day in March, a one-third drop from the previous month in a country enduring US oil sanctions and nationwide blackouts.

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries announced the figures in a monthly report that was released on Wednesday.

Venezuela’s oil output has been in decline and it pumped about three times as much oil two decades ago.

UN official sees increasing crisis in Venezuela

UN humanitarian chief Mark Lowcock said Venezuela’s humanitarian problem has worsened and “the scale of need is significant and growing” – with seven million people representing 25 percent of the population needing humanitarian aid.

Lowcock told a Security Council meeting called by the United States on Wednesday that the UN is working to expand humanitarian aid, but that much more is needed.

He said there’s “a need to separate political and humanitarian objectives” and urged the council’s support “to safeguard the neutral and impartial nature of humanitarian action”.

Red Cross regains entry to Venezuela jails, military prisons

The International Committee of the Red Cross has regained access to prisons in Venezuela, including highly guarded military facilities where dozens of inmates considered political prisoners are being held, as President Nicolas Maduro seeks to counter mounting criticism of his government’s human rights record.

The fact that the visits include military prisons, which hadn’t been previously reported, was confirmed to The Associated Press by a human rights lawyer and family members of those detained.

International Red Cross President Peter Maurer met with Maduro on Tuesday night as he wraps up a five-day visit to Venezuela, where the Geneva-based group is among international organisations trying to carve out a space to deliver badly needed humanitarian aid and technical assistance free of the winner-take-all politics contributing to the country’s turmoil.

UN urged to declare Venezuela a humanitarian emergency

Human Rights Watch and public health researchers from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine are urging the United Nations to declare the situation in Venezuela “a complex humanitarian emergency that poses a serious risk to the region”.

They appealed to the Security Council ahead of its meeting on Wednesday on Venezuela’s humanitarian crisis to ask Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to make a declaration because their research shows severe medicine and food shortages in Venezuela, and disease spreading across its borders.

Maduro says Venezuela ready to receive international aid

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has said his country was ready to receive international aid following a meeting with the Red Cross chief, as the Latin American nation plunged into a new round of blackouts.

“We confirm our readiness to establish cooperation mechanisms for international assistance and support,” Maduro said on Twitter on Tuesday.

Read more here.

Tuesday, April 9

OAS recognises Guaido appointee as Venezuela representative

The Organization of American States’ Permanent Council on Tuesday recognised Gustavo Tarre as representative of Venezuela until new elections are held in the South American country.

Tarre was appointed by opposition leader Juan Guaido, who in January declared himself Venezuela’s interim president and has vowed to overthrow President Nicolas Maduro.

The Council decided to “accept the appointment of Mr Gustavo Tarre as the National Assembly’s designated representative, pending new elections and the appointment of a democratically elected government” according to the resolution adopted by 18 votes in favour, nine against and six abstentions.

El Salvador president-elect to snub Ortega, Maduro

Incoming El Salvador president Nayib Bukele will not invite regional counterparts Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela, Daniel Ortega of Nicaragua and Honduras’ Juan Orlando Hernandez to his June 1 inauguration, a top aide said on Tuesday.

“They’re not going to be invited. El Salvador, in the next government, will be part of a group of democratic countries that believe in elections, in states where the people have to elect their governments in a democratic way,” said Federico Anliker, secretary general of Bukele’s New Ideas party.

UN refugee chief urges open doors for Venezuelans

The UN refugee chief is appealing to Latin American countries to “keep the doors open and diminish the restrictions imposed on Venezuelans” seeking refuge.

UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi told the Security Council on Tuesday that 3.5 million Venezuelans have left the country and about 15 countries have received them – primarily Colombia, Peru, Ecuador and Brazil.

He urged increased support for those countries, saying, “our appeal for the humanitarian crisis in that region is one of the most poorly funded globally”.

Venezuela removes 8 tonnes of gold from central bank: Sources

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 US sanctions, a politician and one government source told Reuters news agency.

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 US President Donald Trump tightened sanctions, leaving the bank with around 100 tonnes in its vaults, worth more than $4bn.

Monday, April 8

Pompeo to visit Venezuela border on South America tour

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will travel to the Venezuela border in Colombia to highlight the plight of refugees during a four-nation trip to Latin America, the State Department announced on Monday.

Pompeo will pay a brief visit on Sunday to the Colombian city of Cucuta after stops in Chile, Paraguay and Peru – all four countries led by right-wing or center-right leaders favourable to the tough US approach on Venezuela.

In Cucuta, Pompeo will “visit entities supporting Venezuelan refugees and assess the challenges due to the closed border,” the State Department said in a statement.

Iranian delegation travels to Venezuela to discuss direct flight route

An Iranian delegation landed in Venezuela on Monday to discuss launching direct flights between the two countries, Venezuela’s foreign minister said, as Tehran voices support for President Nicolas Maduro against the opposition backed by most Western countries.

A plane belonging to Mahan Air, a private Iranian airline accused by the West of transporting military equipment to Middle East war zones, landed in Caracas on Monday, as the two countries planned on discussing launching a direct flight “in the coming months”, Minister Jorge Arreaza told reporters.

A White House official said the US government viewed the launch of direct flights as a “politically motivated gesture”.

The nonstop Tehran-Caracas flight would take 16 hours.

Venezuela pledges to honor oil commitments to Cuba despite sanctions

Venezuela will “fulfill its commitments” to Cuba despite US sanctions targeting oil shipments from the South American country to its ideological ally, Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza said on Monday.

Washington on Friday imposed sanctions on 34 vessels owned or operated by state-run oil company Petroleos de Venezuela as well as on two companies and a vessel that have previously delivered oil to Cuba, aiming to choke off a crucial supply of crude to the Communist-run island.

Venezuela has long sent subsidised crude to Cuba. The US describes the arrangement as an “oil-for-repression” scheme in which Havana helps socialist President Nicolas Maduro weather an economic crisis and power struggle with the opposition in exchange for fuel.

Brazil’s Bolsonaro says working with US to sow ‘dissent’ in Venezuela army

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said on Monday he is working with the US government to sow dissent within the Venezuelan Army.

Bolsonaro, during an interview with Jovem Pan radio, said that if there is a military invasion in Venezuela, he would seek the counsel of Brazil’s National Defense Council and Congress on what, if any, action his country should take.

“We cannot allow Venezuela to become a new Cuba or North Korea,” the right-wing president said.

Bolsonaro said that if any military intervention actually deposed Venezuela’s president, Nicolas Maduro, it is quite likely that the country would see guerrilla warfare waged by Maduro’s diehard backers and whomever took power.

Iranian carrier begins direct flights to Venezuela

Iran’s second largest airline has begun direct flights to Venezuela, as the two countries cultivate closer ties in the face of US sanctions.

Iran’s official IRNA news agency says Mahan airline’s first flight to Venezuela left Tehran on Monday carrying a Foreign Ministry delegation.

The United States blacklisted Mahan in 2011 after accusing it of providing support to the Quds Force, an elite unit of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Saturday, April 6

‘Stop the attacks’ Maduro urges opponents

Venezuela’s socialist President Nicolas Maduro said on Saturday a new electrical system would be “consolidated within 30 days” and called for international support for a national dialogue with the opposition.

Speaking to a massive crowd of supporters in Caracas, Maduro said the government was moving at a good pace to “consolidate the stability of a new electrical system for service for the people”.

Maduro also made a new call for dialogue towards reaching peace in Venezuela with help from the fellow Latin American countries, including Mexico and Uruguay.

Supporters and opponents of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro are once again poured into the streets of Caracas, the latest rival rallies to be held in the capital amid a protracted political crisis and rising anger over blackouts that have left millions without electricity and water.

Juan Guaido, the self-proclaimed interim president and leader of the National Assembly, has asked his supporters not to get used to living in “darkness” while blaming high-level corruption and mismanagement under Maduro for the electricity outages.

Guaido has also held the government responsible for an exodus of people from the oil-rich country.

Read more.

Friday, April 5

US adds two companies, 34 vessels to Venezuela sanctions list

The United States has added two oil-sector companies and 34 vessels to a sanctions list aimed at forcing Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to step down.

A Treasury Department announcement said the companies and vessels are being used to ship fuel to Cuba or in other aspects of the oil industry and help support the Maduro government.

The US imposed sanctions on Venezuela’s oil industry in January to cut off the government’s most important source of revenue.

Swiss sign agreement to protect US interests in Venezuela

Switzerland and the United States signed an agreement on Friday for the neutral country to represent US interests in Venezuela, which broke off diplomatic relations with Washington after it recognised the opposition leader as president.

The mandate, signed by Switzerland’s foreign minister and the US ambassador to Switzerland in Berne, should help defuse tensions between the US and Venezuela, the Swiss government said, but first Venezuela must agree to let Switzerland take on the role.

Switzerland currently represents US interests in Iran and previously also represented its interests in Cuba.

US renews call on Russian personnel to leave Venezuela

The Trump administration is renewing calls for Moscow to withdraw its military personnel from Venezuela, where they are helping prop up embattled President Nicolas Maduro.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told Fox News on Friday that he’s seen no signs the Russian personnel were leaving and that Moscow’s involvement might “get worse before it gets better”.

The Kremlin has rejected US calls for Moscow to withdraw, saying US troops are in many parts of the world and no one is telling the US where it should or shouldn’t be.

Thursday, April 4

Weeks of power cuts in Venezuela have further crippled an already fragile infrastructure, creating widespread water shortages hampering basic services.

Power has been restored in many areas but it is being rationed, and without electricity to run pumps there is not enough water in many areas.

Click here to read more.

Venezuela FM says seeking to avoid Syria-style conflict

Venezuela’s top diplomat said on Thursday his government was seeking to avoid a Syria-style civil war during a visit to long-time ally Damascus.

Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza accused the United States of fuelling the conflict, but said his government would rely on diplomacy to avoid a full-blown war.

“When President Assad described the stages before and the stages during the early days of the war on Syria, similarities with what we are experiencing in Venezuela were immediately noticeable,” he said during a joint press conference with his Syrian counterpart.

We have “the same enemy with the same interests”, he said, referring to the US. “With the help of our friends, we have to avoid war, to stop the war,” he added.

Venezuelan deputy minister says more Russian troops could arrive

Venezuela’s Deputy Foreign Minister Ivan Gil said on Thursday he does not rule out that more Russian military personnel may arrive in Venezuela under agreements already concluded with Russia, Interfax news agency reported.

The deputy minister also said Russian forces will stay in Venezuela as long as needed, and that there is no set period for their stay.

“The group of military specialists is [in Venezuela] in the context of our agreements and contracts for military-technical cooperation,” Interfax quoted Gil as saying.

EU condemns Venezuelan efforts to prosecute Guaido

European Union governments condemned on Thursday a measure by Venezuela’s Constituent Assembly that allows for the trial of opposition leader Juan Guaido.

“The EU rejects the decision taken by the non-recognised National Constituent Assembly to lift Juan Guaido’s parliamentary immunity. This decision constitutes a serious violation of the Venezuelan constitution, as well as of the rule of law and separation of power,” the EU said in a statement.

“These acts undermine a political way out of the crisis and only lead to further polarisation and escalation of tensions in the country,” the statement said.

Wednesday, April 3

Venezuela classes restart after weeks of blackouts

Classes resumed in Venezuela’s schools on Wednesday after two major national blackouts forced the education ministry to extend the school year.

Two major nationwide power outages led the government to cancel classes across the country.

Education Minister Aristobulo Isturiz said classes, which usually end at the beginning of July, would continue until the end of that month, state-run news agency AVN reported.

Colombia President warns of action if Guaido arrested

Colombia’s President Ivan Duque said on Wednesday that if Venezuela’s opposition leader, Juan Guaido, was arrested by the Venezuelan government it would be a serious mistake.

Speaking at an event for business leaders in Bogota, Duque stated that it would be “a serious break of order”.

“We consider his detention by the dictatorship and the criminal persecution warrants a clear rejection and very firm multilateral action to re-establish order in Venezuela,” he said.

Loyalists of President Nicolas Maduro stripped Guaido of immunity on Tuesday, paving the way for the opposition leader’s prosecution and potential arrest for supposedly violating the constitution when he declared himself interim president.

US senators propose more aid, international sanctions for Venezuela

Keeping up pressure for political change in Venezuela, a bipartisan group of 15 US senators introduced bipartisan legislation on Wednesday to provide $400m in new aid, internationalise sanctions and ease penalties on officials who recognise a new government.

The Venezuelan Emergency Relief, Democracy Assistance and Development (VERDAD) Act would provide $200m in new aid for Venezuela and $200m for neighbouring countries taking in refugees.

It would also revoke US visas for relatives of sanctioned Venezuelans, remove sanctions on officials not involved in human rights abuses if they recognise self-declared interim president Juan Guaido, and require work with Latin American and European governments to implement their own sanctions.

US working on rescue, restructuring plan for Venezuela

White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow on Wednesday said the United States has plans to rapidly revitalise the Venezuelan economy, including financial and food planning as well as getting cash to people in the country.

The rescue and restructuring plan for Venezuela would involve getting dollars into the country, and the US is working with banks in the region to help, Kudlow told reporters at an event hosted by the Christian Science Monitor news outlet.

Venezuelan FM visits anti-US allies in Middle East

Venezuela’s foreign minister, meeting with anti-US allies in the Middle East, said on Wednesday that opposition leader Juan Guaido is in breach of the constitution and that the judiciary has to “take care” of it.

Jorge Arreaza met Lebanon’s president and foreign minister in Beirut. He is expected to meet an official from the Hezbollah group before travelling onward to Syria.

Maduro’s government has warm relations with Syria and its allies in Lebanon.

Tuesday, April 2

Venezuela’s Guaido recognises risk of arrest

Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido has said he knows he runs the risk of being arrested for pushing to overthrow President Nicolas Maduro.

But a defiant Guaido said on Tuesday that he is undeterred.

The 35-year-old opposition leader spoke publicly moments after an assembly loyal to Maduro stripped him of his immunity from prosecution.

“That the regime intends to kidnap us? Well, of course. We know that all they have left is brute force, we know that. But we have audacity, intelligence, soul, strength, heart, hope, trust in this country, in ourselves,” he said.

Guaido stripped of immunity

Venezuelan politicians have stripped Juan Guaido of immunity, paving way for the opposition leader’s prosecution and potential arrest for supposedly violating the constitution when he declared himself interim president.

“[Guaido’s prosecution] is officially authorised,” Diosdado Cabello, head of the Maduro-loyal Constituent Assembly said following an assembly vote on Tuesday.

Pence calls for release of Americans held in Venezuela

Vice President Mike Pence called on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to immediately release six American oil executives who have been jailed for more than a year without trial, but he acknowledged that their freedom will be slow to come as long as Maduro remains in power.

“The United States today calls for the immediate release of these six individuals,” Pence said at a White House meeting with relatives of those who have been held for nearly 18 months while the Venezuelan government has postponed multiple court hearings in the case.

Pence said the five US citizens and one legal permanent US resident, all with roots in Texas and Louisiana, are being “illegally detained”.

The men, all employees of Houston-based Citgo, a longtime US subsidiary of the Venezuelan oil giant PDVSA, were summoned to Caracas in November 2017 for a last-minute budget meeting but were arrested and charged with embezzlement stemming from a never-executed proposal to refinance some $4bn in Citgo bonds.

Venezuelans break police blockade along border with Colombia

Authorities in Colombia are warning of potential unrest at a border crossing with Venezuela after droves of migrants broke through a blockade erected amid mounting hostilities between the two countries.

President Nicolas Maduro in February closed Venezuela’s border with Colombia in a bid to stop a US-backed plan to deliver humanitarian aid.

Since then, the thousands of migrants who cross daily into Colombia looking for food and medicine have relied on sometimes dangerous dirt paths between both countries.

But the Tachira River separating both countries swelled on Tuesday after heavy rainfall. That led the migrants to break a Venezuelan police blockade at the Simon Bolivar bridge and climb atop shipping containers placed there by Maduro to block the delivery of aid.

Colombia rejects Russia warning against Venezuelan military action

Colombia on Tuesday rejected a Russian warning against foreign military intervention in Venezuela and said it supported a peaceful transition to democracy in the neighbouring South American country.

“Colombia reiterates that the transition to democracy must be conducted by the Venezuelans themselves peacefully and within the framework of the Constitution and international law, supported by political and diplomatic means, without the use of force,” Colombian Foreign Minister Carlos Holmes Trujillo said in a statement.

He was responding to a March 28 letter from the upper house of Russia’s parliament, forwarded to Colombia’s Congress by Russian Ambassador Sergei Koshkin, that said the “illegitimate use of military force against Venezuela by other states that support the opposition will be interpreted … as an act of aggression against a sovereign state”.

Colombia, which supports opposition leader Juan Guaido, has repeatedly denied it has any intention of launching a military offensive across its border with Venezuela.

US says it will stand firm on sanctions of Venezuelan oil firm PDVSA

US Vice President Mike Pence said on Tuesday the United States would continue to bring pressure on Venezuela’s oil industry and would stand firm on sanctions against the Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA.

Pence, in a meeting with families of American Citgo executives arrested in Venezuela, said oil prices had been quite low and competitive recently.

Monday, April 1

Venezuela’s Maduro replaces electricity minister amid nationwide blackouts

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Monday said he had replaced electricity minister Luis Motta amid a series of nationwide blackouts that have led to protests from citizens demanding restoration of power and water services.

Motta will be replaced with electrical engineer Igor Gaviria, Maduro said in a state television address.

Russia says it has opened helicopter training centre in Venezuela

Russia has opened a training centre in Venezuela to help the country’s pilots fly Russian-made military helicopters, Russian state-owned industrial conglomerate Rostec said on Monday, Moscow’s latest gesture of support for President Nicolas Maduro.

Rostec said the centre was inaugurated on Thursday last week, the same day as the White House warned Moscow and other countries backing Maduro against sending troops and military equipment, saying the United States would view such actions as a “direct threat” to the region’s security.

Rostec said the new training facility, the location of which it did not disclose, had been set up with the help of Russian specialists and was designed to train Venezuelan pilots to fly Russian-made Mi-35M helicopter gunships as well as Russian-made military transport helicopters.

Venezuela judge seeks to strip Guaido’s immunity

Venezuela’s chief justice is asking pro-government legislators to strip opposition leader Juan Guaido of immunity from prosecution.

The request by Supreme Court Justice Maikel Moreno on Monday takes a further step towards prosecuting Guaido for alleged crimes.

Moreno asked the pro-Maduro National Constituent Assembly to waive immunity Guaido holds as a member of Venezuela’s National Assembly.

Officials loyal to Maduro have already said that Guaido is under investigation for inciting violence against the government and receiving illicit funds.

Venezuela’s intimidation tactics include arbitrary arrests, deportation: CPJ

Amid Venezuela’s deepening political and economic crisis, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) say that the authoritarian government of President Nicolás Maduro is arresting more journalists.

Some 39 journalists have been arrested so far this year, according to Carcas-based Institute for Press and Society (IPYS) – an increase from 22 detentions recorder in 2018.

The government “is trying to intimidate and demobilize journalists”, IPYS analyst Mariengracia Chirinos told CPJ. “Reporting in Venezuela has become a much riskier activity.”

In some cases, the journalists had been reporting on sensitive subjects. But other journalists and camera operators have been arrested for seemingly more innocuous actions, such as filming anti-government graffiti or reporting near the Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas.

Some Venezuelan migrants say they fear expulsion from socialist Bolivia

Dozens of Venezuelans who fled to Bolivia over recent months to escape economic and political unrest at home said they fear being deported from one of the few countries in the region that still supports the government of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.

Police last month arrested more than a dozen Venezuelans identified as having led anti-Maduro protests in front of the Cuban embassy in the Bolivian capital La Paz. Bolivia’s leftist President Evo Morales is an ally of both Havana and Maduro.

The protesters had demanded the end of what they called interference in Venezuelan affairs by Cuba, the Communist-party-led Caribbean nation that they blame for stoking Venezuela’s humanitarian crisis.

Venezuela’s Guaido pledges more protests over power, water shortages

Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido on Monday called on supporters to continue taking to the streets in protest of power and water shortages, as the government of President Nicolas Maduro appeared prepared to begin a rationing programme.

Scattered protests continued throughout several working-class neighbourhoods of the capital Caracas on Monday, with small groups of people blocking roads demanding water be returned after a week of intermittent blackouts that have left many areas without electricity.

That followed demonstrations around Caracas on Monday night when police fired gunshots after residents set up burning barricades, according to Reuters witnesses. The oil-rich South American country has been hit by two waves of crippling blackouts since March 7.

Venezuelans struggle to understand power rationing plan

Venezuelans are struggling to understand an announcement that the nation’s electricity is being rationed to combat daily blackouts.

Office worker Raquel Mayorca said on Monday she didn’t know if her lights were off because of another power failure or whether it was part of the government’s plans. She said the power was out on one side of the street, but working on the other.

President Nicolas Maduro said a day earlier that he was instituting a 30-day plan to ration electricity but provided no details. He called on Venezuelans to be calm.

Turkey pledges continued support to Venezuela’s Maduro

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Turkey is giving Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro its continued support and intends to deepen cooperation with Venezuela “in all fields” despite US pressure.

Cavusoglu spoke on Monday during a joint news conference in Turkey with Venezuela’s foreign affairs minister, Jorge Arreaza.

Turkey has become one of Maduro’s biggest backers, along with Russia, China and Cuba. The United States and dozens of nations in Latin America and Europe are supporting Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido.

The two foreign ministers criticized US sanctions on Venezuela that have also targeted the country’s gold trade.

Venezuelans plan protests over power and water as rationing looms

Venezuelans on Monday prepared to hold protests over continued shortages of power and water following angry demonstrations as the government of President Nicolas Maduro appeared prepared to begin a rationing program.

Police fired gunshots in parts of Caracas on Sunday night, according to Reuters witnesses, after residents set up burning barricades to demand a return of electricity and running water.

“We’ll see each other in the streets tomorrow,” opposition leader Juan Guaido, who invoked the country’s constitution to assume an interim presidency in January after arguing Maduro’s May 2018 re-election was illegitimate, tweeted on Sunday night. “We will not hide from the dictator.”

Sunday, March 31

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro announced a 30-day plan to ration electricity after nationwide power cuts that have inflicted misery on millions of people and ignited protests, including one near the presidential palace in Caracas.

The rationing plan will help deal with the outages that have also cut off the water supply and communications for days at a time, Maduro said on Sunday in a speech on national television in which he also warned against any unrest in reaction to the blackouts.

Maduro blamed the blackout on a “terrorist attack against the electricity system” by Washington and the “putschist opposition”.

The opposition has attributed the power outages to a lack of investment in the national grid, poor upkeep and a failure to tackle repairs.

Venezuelans set up burning barricades over lack of power, water

Venezuelans set up burning barricades near the presidential palace in Caracas and in other parts of the country on Sunday in protests over constant power outages and shortages of drinking water in the wake of two major blackouts this month.

The situation has fueled frustration with the government of President Nicolas Maduro and frayed nerves as schools and much of the nation’s commerce have been interrupted by problems with public services for nearly three weeks.

Protesters, some carrying rocks and their faces covered, burned tires and tree trunks along a stretch of downtown Caracas as they demanded Maduro improve the situation.

Demonstrators reported that one woman had been injured by gunfire, which they attributed to pro-government gangs. Reuters was unable to confirm who fired the shots.

Saturday, March 30

Anti-government protests met with tear gas

Venezuelan security forces have fired tear gas to disperse demonstrators who turned out in Caracas to protest against massive power outages that have kept much of the country in darkness since early March.

“Small groups [of protesters] were trying, as they have done in the past, to block some roads in the capital. They have been confronted by police and dispersed with tear gas,” Al Jazeera’s Alessandro Rampietti, reporting from Bogota, the capital of neighbouring Colombia, said.

At least eight anti-government demonstrations were scheduled for Saturday in Caracas. It is not clear how many of these have been broken up by the country’s security forces.

The security forces’ action comes as Maduro and Guaido’s supporters are holding rival rallies throughout Venezuela.

The pro-government demonstrators are protesting against what they see as an imperialist threat to the country, while Guaido is urging his supporters to continue putting pressure on the government by taking to the streets every time there is a power outage.

Guaido’s supporters held banners saying “#MaduroLeaveNow” at anti-government protests in Caracas [Yuri Cortez/AFP]

Russia dismisses speculation about military personnel in Venezuela

Russia has dismissed US worries about the presence of Russian “specialists” in Venezuela, calling the concerns “absolutely groundless”.

Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Saturday that Russia had clearly stated the purpose of the specialists it had sent to Venezuela under a military cooperation deal and that they did not pose a threat to regional stability.

“The Russian side clearly stated the purpose of the arrival of its specialists to Caracas. This is not about any ‘military contigents’,” Zakharova said in a statement.

“Thus, the speculations about the conduct of certain ‘military operations’ by Russia in Venezuela are absolutely groundless.”

The statement comes a day after the US warned Russia and others against sending troops to Venezuela.

Rival rallies held as power struggle continues

Supporters of Guaido and Maduro, held rival demonstrations on Saturday.

Maduro loyalists gathered in the capital, Caracas, for what was billed as an “anti-imperialist” rally. With Maduro writing on Twitter that the Venezuelan people had mobilised to “say ‘NO’ to imperial terrorism”.

Hoy el pueblo venezolano se moviliza en todo el territorio nacional, en el marco de la Gran Operación en Defensa de la Libertad, para decirle "NO" al terrorismo imperial, y para defender la paz de nuestra amada Venezuela. ¡Leales Siempre, Traidores Nunca! pic.twitter.com/vHTmYtQwMu — Nicolás Maduro (@NicolasMaduro) March 30, 2019

TRANSLATION: Today the Venezuelan people mobilised throughout the national territory as part of the Great Operation in Defence of Freedom to say “NO” to imperial terrorism, and to defend the peace of our beloved Venezuela. Loyalists Always, Traitors Never!

Meanwhile, Guaido addressed a large crowd in the nearby city of Los Teques, encouraging people to call for change. Anti-government protests were also scheduled to take place in several areas in Caracas on Saturday against ongoing power outages.

Friday, March 29

Venezuela defense minister says US security adviser ‘sending me messages’

Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino said on Friday that US national security adviser John Bolton has been sending him messages asking him to do the “right thing”.

“Mr Bolton, I tell you that we are doing the right thing,” Padrino said in televised comments. “Doing the right thing is doing what’s written in the constitution … Doing the right thing is respecting the will of the people.”

It was not immediately evident if Padrino was referring to Bolton’s recent tweets, in which he made direct mention of Padrino.

US response to Russian troops in Venezuela could include sanctions: Abrams

The US special representative for Venezuela said on Friday that US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has a list of options, including sanctions, Washington could use to respond to the presence of Russian troops in Venezuela.

“We have a list of options we have given the secretary. There are a lot of things we can do in economic terms, in terms of sanctions,” Elliott Abrams told a news briefing. “We have options and it would be a mistake for the Russians to think they have a free hand,” he added.

Red Cross says it sees conditions for humanitarian work in Venezuela

Venezuela has met the necessary conditions for the Red Cross to carry out humanitarian work in the South American nation, the president of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said in a news conference on Friday.

Francesco Rocca said the group was in a position to help some 650,000 people in Venezuela, which has suffered rising incidence of malnutrition and preventable disease amid an economic collapse.

Trump adviser warns Russia on military presence in Venezuela

US President Donald Trump’s national security adviser warned Russia on Friday about its military presence in Venezuela, saying any move to establish or expand operations there would be considered a “direct threat” to international peace.

“We strongly caution actors external to the Western Hemisphere against deploying military assets to Venezuela, or elsewhere in the Hemisphere, with the intent of establishing or expanding military operations,” White House national security adviser John Bolton said in a statement.

“We will consider such provocative actions as a direct threat to international peace and security in the region,” Bolton added. The US government says the Russian troops include special forces and cybersecurity personnel.

Thursday, March 28

The Venezuelan government said it has barred opposition leader Juan Guaido from holding public office for 15 years, though the National Assembly leader brushed off the measure and said it would not derail his campaign to remove President Nicolas Maduro.

The announcement by state comptroller Elvis Amoroso, a close ally of Maduro, cited alleged irregularities in Guaido’s financial records and reflected a tightening of government pressure on an opposition movement backed by the United States and its allies.

“We’re going to continue in the streets,” Guaido said soon after Amoroso’s statements on state television. He dismissed the comptroller’s announcement as irrelevant because, in his view, Maduro’s government is illegitimate.

Kremlin: our military specialists are in Venezuela to service arms deals

Russian military specialists are in Venezuela to service pre-existing contracts for the supply of Russian arms, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says.

Peskov also says Russia is not interfering in Venezuela’s internal affairs and that the Kremlin hopes other countries would let Venezuelans decide their own fate.

US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that “all options” were open to make Russia pull troops out of Venezuela after two Russian air force planes landed outside Caracas on Saturday carrying nearly 100 Russian troops.

US bringing ‘maximum pressure’ on Venezuela: Sanctions official

The United States was bringing “maximum pressure” on the Venezuelan government of President Nicolas Maduro, a top US sanctions official said on Friday.

Sigal Mandelker, under-secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, made her comments in Singapore. She is due to discuss sanctions on Iran over coming days with government officials in Malaysia, Singapore and India.

In the heart of the Venezuelan capital Caracas, a community has decided to create an agro-ecological farm and has called for the government and people to be ready for the coming US sanctions.

They have vegetables, fish and even rabbits to eat and distribute among the community. They say there are more than 20,000 projects like this one in Venezuela.

Al Jazeera’s Teresa Bo reports from Caracas, Venezuela.

Wednesday, March 27

Guaido calls for protest against nationwide blackout

Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido has called on his supporters to protest against a nationwide blackout, the second major power outage this month that is dragging into its third day.

El 6 de abril serán las primeras acciones tácticas de la #OperaciónLibertad en todo el país. Ese día debemos estar listos, preparados y organizados, con los Comités de Ayuda y Libertad ya conformados. ¡El rescate de Venezuela está en nuestras manos!#VamosOperaciónLibertad pic.twitter.com/V20vpocV4w — Juan Guaidó (@jguaido) March 27, 2019

Trump says Russian military must leave Venezuela

US President Donald Trump has said that Russian soldiers need to leave Venezuela, days after a Russian military contingent arrived just outside of Caracas, saying “all options” were open to make that happen.

“Russia has to get out,” Trump tells reporters during a meeting with the wife of Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido.

Asked how that could be accomplished, Trump says: “We’ll see. All options are open.”

Tuesday, March 25

Brazil not considering military force in Venezuela

Brazil is not considering the use of military force in Venezuela and hopes for a peaceful solution to the country’s crisis, Defense Minister Fernando Azevedo e Silva says as he meets his American counterpart at the Pentagon.

“That’s not a hypothesis we’re considering. Brazil is looking forward to a peaceful and swift solution to the crisis in Venezuela,” he says, when asked whether the use of military force might be appropriate

Blackout leaves streets empty

Venezuela has cancelled work and school as the second major blackout this month left streets mostly empty in Caracas and residents of the capital wondering how long power would be out amid a deepening economic and political crisis.

Maduro’s government blames an “attack” on its electrical system for the blackout that first hit on Monday.

The outage shuttered businesses, plunged the city’s main airport into darkness and left commuters stranded in Caracas.

“The enemies of our Homeland do not cease in their attempts to destabilise the Country,” Maduro writes on Twitter.

“I assure you that in every action of hatred against our Homeland, you will find an increasingly united, conscious and mobilised people. We will defeat them!”

Los enemigos de la Patria no cesan en sus intentos por desestabilizar el País. Les aseguro que en cada acción de odio contra nuestra Patria, encontrarán a un pueblo cada vez más unido, consciente y movilizado. ¡Los derrotaremos! pic.twitter.com/467cmj9xZm — Nicolás Maduro (@NicolasMaduro) March 26, 2019

US ratchets up dispute with Maduro at WTO body

The US has blocked a meeting of the World Trade Organization’s dispute body, gumming up its operations over the Trump administration’s refusal to recognise the government of President Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela.

The US delegation refuses to approve the agenda of the Dispute Settlement Body that was to take up several issues on Tuesday, including a Venezuelan effort to lift US sanctions and measures against Maduro’s government and entourage.

Approval of the DSB agenda requires consensus. Such a postponement is rare, and the move amounts to a new US tactic to try to ratchet up pressure against Maduro’s government.

Monday, March 25

‘Reckless escalation’

The deployment by Russia of air force planes and personnel in Venezuela over the weekend is a “reckless escalation of the situation,” the US State Department has said.

“The United States condemns Russia’s deployment of military aircraft and personnel to Caracas, which is another contradiction of both Nicolas Maduro’s and Russia’s calls for non-intervention in Venezuela and is a reckless escalation of the situation,” a department spokesman says.

Second blackout hits Venezuela

Power outages have hit across Caracas and in other parts of Venezuela less than two weeks after power was restored following a prolonged blackout.

Power is out in much of eastern Caracas as well as downtown, where the Miraflores presidential palace and most government ministries are located. Authorities say the Caracas subway is shutting down due to the lack of power.

Shops across the country closed early to protect against possible looting.

Saturday March 23

Maduro vows ‘change’

Maduro has said a major shake-up will take place in his government in the coming days.

“I will in the coming hours announce a profound change in the entire government of Venezuela,” Maduro says in a speech at a political rally broadcast on state television.

“We need to renew ourselves, refresh, improve, change.”

Maduro also says the police has dismantled a plot to assassinate him led by Guaido and announces new arrests.

“We have dismantled a plan organised personally by the diabolical puppet to kill me,” Maduro tells thousands of supporters in Caracas.

“In the next few days there will surely be new captures of new terrorists,” he adds.

#EnVivo 📹 | Recibo la marcha del heroico pueblo venezolano contra el imperialismo. #VenezuelaContraElTerrorismo https://t.co/q3JmHN89Xa — Nicolás Maduro (@NicolasMaduro) March 23, 2019

Friday, March 22

US sanctions Venezuelan state-owned bank Bandes

The United States imposed sanctions on Friday on state-owned Venezuelan development bank Bandes in response to the arrest of an aide to opposition leader Juan Guaido, saying the government had used it to prop itself up by moving assets abroad.

“[President Nicolas] Maduro and his enablers have distorted the original purpose of the bank … as part of a desperate attempt to hold onto power,” US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement announcing the action.

Venezuela key topic between Trump and Caribbean leaders

US President Donald Trump is hosting the leaders of Jamaica, Bahamas, Haiti, Dominican Republic and St Lucia at his affluent Mar-a-Lago club to show his support for Caribbean countries that back democratic transition in Venezuela.

The five have either denounced President Nicolas Maduro or have joined more than 50 countries in recognising Juan Guaido as the rightful interim leader of the nation.

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said Trump will use the meeting to thank the leaders for their support for peace and democracy in Venezuela and discuss potential opportunities for energy investment.

Nations in the Caribbean, however, have been split on whether to interfere in Venezuela.

South American presidents announce creation of new regional bloc

A group of South American leaders signed a declaration to create a regional bloc of nations they say is open to any country, regardless of ideology, to collaborate on solving regional problems.

Presidents from Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Paraguay, and Peru attended the summit in Santiago.

Chile and Colombia had led the push for the new political grouping after criticism that the previous regional bloc, called Unasur, failed to take action on Venezuela.

Thursday, March 21

Venezuelan gov’t accuses detained Guaido aide of planning attacks

Venezuela’s interior minister said on Thursday that authorities had arrested opposition leader Juan Guaido’s chief of staff for his involvement in an alleged “terrorist cell” that was planning attacks against high-level political figures.

Interior Minister Nestor Reverol, during an appearance on state television, showed an image of two rifles, which he called evidence collected against Roberto Marrero.

The opposition had said earlier that intelligence agents had planted weapons in Marrero’s house during a pre-dawn raid, a move by President Nicolas Maduro that the Trump administration said would “not go unanswered”.

Trump adviser Bolton vows action after Guaido aide detained in Venezuela

US President Donald Trump’s national security adviser called for the immediate release of Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido’s chief of staff on Thursday, saying his detention would “not go unanswered”.

White House national security adviser John Bolton said the government of Nicolas Maduro had “made another big mistake” with the “illegitimate arrest” of the aide, Roberto Marrero. “He should be released immediately and his safety guaranteed,” Bolton wrote in a Twitter post.

IMF still seeking member views on Venezuela leader recognition: Spokesman

The International Monetary Fund is still awaiting guidance from its members on whether to recognise Juan Guaido as Venezuela’s leader, IMF spokesman Gerry Rice said on Thursday, adding that there is no schedule for an IMF board meeting to decide the issue.

Rice told an IMF news briefing that there is still no clarity on Venezuela’s leadership situation and any shift in the Fund’s recognition of the government will be guided by its 189 member countries and the international community and “views are still being formed”.

Another Washington-based multilateral institution, the Inter-American Development Bank, last week replaced the representative of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro with an economist backed by Guaido, a major setback for the Maduro government.

Venezuela’s Guaido says intelligence agents detained his chief of staff

Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido said on Thursday intelligence agents had detained his chief of staff following a pre-dawn raid, signaling that President Nicolas Maduro may be cracking down on the opposition’s challenge to his rule.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, in a post on Twitter on Thursday, called for Roberto Marrero’s immediate release and said “we will hold accountable those involved”. The United States has repeatedly warned Maduro not to move against Guaido.

Wednesday, March 20

UN rights boss decries Venezuela crackdown

The UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet said on Wednesday that Venezuelan security forces, backed by pro-government militias, have cracked down on peaceful dissent, with excessive use of force, killings and torture documented by her office.

Bachelet, addressing the United Nations Human Rights Council, also voiced concern that the latest US sanctions on financial transfers linked to the sale of Venezuelan oil “may contribute to aggravating the economic crisis”.

Venezuelan authorities had failed to acknowledge the extent and severity of the health and food crisis that has driven more than 3 million Venezuelans to flee abroad and they had adopted “insufficient” measures, she told the Geneva forum.

Brazil foreign minister says US, Brazil share same view on Venezuela

Brazilian Foreign Minister Ernesto Araujo said on Wednesday President Jair Bolsonaro’s visit to Washington this week made clear that the United States and Brazil share the same view of how to deal with the Venezuelan crisis.

Araujo said at a news conference that Brazil will act diplomatically and politically, while the US could increase sanctions against the Venezuelan government.

Although US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday all options are open, Brazil’s armed forces are opposed to any military intervention in Venezuela.

Venezuela doctors under Maduro pressure during UN visit

Venezuelan doctors have come under pressure from President Nicolas Maduro’s government for trying to alert a visiting UN mission about the severe lack of hospital medicine and equipment, NGOs say.

Venezuelan authorities say that US sanctions freezing $30bn in assets have blocked imports of basic items including medicine.

But they have roughly stomped down on dissenting voices saying much of the resulting medical emergency is the fault of mismanagement, the NGOs allege.

According to Medicos Unidos (Doctors United), the repression has worsened over the past two weeks. “We have drawn attention to our patients dying for lack of supplies and equipment. Doctors have been arrested without any reason at all,” Jaime Lorenzo, executive director of the association said.

Tuesday, March 19

Trump: US has not yet imposed toughest sanctions on Venezuela

US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that his administration had held in reserve what he called “the toughest of sanctions” to try to cut off revenues to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

“We haven’t done the toughest of sanctions, as you know,” Trump said after discussing the crisis in Venezuela at the White House with Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.

Trump in January slapped sanctions on state-owned oil company Petroleos de Venezuela, known as PDVSA, the stiffest economic measure against Maduro to date. But Trump’s administration has not yet tried to prevent companies based outside the United States from buying Venezuelan oil, a strategy known as “secondary sanctions”.

The secondary sanctions were part of Washington’s strategy to cut off revenue to Iran, which eventually helped force Tehran to negotiate a nuclear deal with six world powers in 2015.

Trump reaffirms US considering ‘all options’ in Venezuela

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday reaffirmed that “all options” are being considered in his drive to bring down Venezuela’s hard-left President Nicolas Maduro.

“All options are on the table,” he told reporters in the White House. “It’s a shame what’s happening in Venezuela – the debt and the destruction and the hunger.”

Trump spoke at a meeting where he hosted Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who has backed the US-led campaign to pressure Maduro.

US-Russia talks on Venezuela positive but no agreement on Maduro: Abrams

Talks between the United States and Russia over the crisis in Venezuela were positive and substantive but the two sides were still divided over the legitimacy of President Nicolas Maduro, US special representative Elliott Abrams said on Tuesday.

“No, we did not come to a meeting of minds, but I think the talks were positive in the sense that both sides emerged with a better understanding of the other’s views,” Abrams said, adding that both sides had agreed on the depth of the crisis.

Meanwhile, RIA news agency cited Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov as saying the talks over the crisis in Venezuela were difficult but frank.

Russia warned the US not to intervene militarily in Venezuela, a Moscow ally, and said it was increasingly concerned by US sanctions on the Latin American country, Ryabkov was quoted as saying.

US hits Venezuela with new sanctions on state-run mining company

The United States imposed sanctions on Tuesday against Venezuela’s state-run mining company Minerven and its president, Adrian Perdomo, in a bid to further cut off funding to the government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

The announcement came days after Uganda said it was investigating its biggest gold refinery for importing Venezuelan gold. Washington has warned gold traders not to deal in Venezuelan gold or oil.

“The illegitimate Maduro regime is pillaging the wealth of Venezuela while imperiling indigenous people by encroaching on protected areas and causing deforestation and habitat loss,” US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement.

US backs Venezuela opposition to take UN disarmament role

A top US diplomat said her country wants an envoy of Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido to take up the rotating presidency of a key UN disarmament body in two months.

Assistant Secretary Yleem Poblete said on Tuesday the US hopes a Guaido envoy “will be in a position” to take the conference presidency when Venezuela’s turn comes in May.

Venezuelan ambassador Jorge Valero, who represents President Nicolas Maduro’s government, called Poblete’s comments “absolutely absurd” and accused the Trump administration of seeking to install a “puppet president” in Venezuela.

Venezuela suspends oil exports to India: Oil minister

Venezuela has suspended its oil exports to India and views Russia and China as its main export destinations, the Azeri energy ministry said on Tuesday, citing Venezuela’s oil minister.

The Azeri ministry issued the statement on Tuesday following talks in Baku between Azerbaijan’s energy minister and Venezuelan oil minister and president of state-run oil company PDVSA, Manuel Quevedo.

The Indian market has been crucial for Venezuela’s economy because it has historically been the second-largest cash-paying customer for the OPEC country’s crude, behind the United States.

Earlier this year, the US imposed heavy sanctions on Venezuela’s oil industry and has pressed India to stop buying Venezuelan oil.

Monday, March 18

Colombia: 1,000 Venezuelan forces crossed border

About 1,000 members of the Venezuelan security forces have fled to Colombia since last month, giving up weapons and uniforms as they abandoned the government of Maduro, Colombian authorities say.

Colombia’s foreign ministry released the updated number of Venezuelan police and military personnel who crossed the border, many around the time of a February 23 attempt by Guaido to deliver US-provided humanitarian aid to Venezuela.

US -sanctioned general defects to Colombia: sources

A Venezuelan general who is under US sanction for incompetent management of a state medicine programme has fled to Colombia amid growing pressure on Maduro, two sources familiar with the matter tell Reuters.

The US in 2018 sanctioned army General Carlos Rotondaro, former head of a government agency that provided medicine for chronic health conditions, as part of efforts to “highlight the economic mismanagement and endemic corruption” by Maduro’s government.

Rotondaro has left for Colombia and has joined forces with former Venezuelan Chief Prosecutor Luisa Ortega, who is working to have Maduro removed from office, one of the sources says.

Sunday, March 17

Maduro asks cabinet ministers to offer resignations

Nicolas Maduro is planning a “deep restructuring” of his government, Vice President Delcy Rodriguez has said, as the country recovers from a prolonged blackout amid a power struggle with the opposition.

“President Nicolas Maduro has asked the entire executive Cabinet to put their roles up for review in a deep restructuring of the methods and functions of the Bolivarian government, to protect the fatherland of Bolivar and Chavez from any threat,” Rodriguez writes on Twitter.

https://twitter.com/DrodriguezVen/status/1107367094470041600?ref_src=twsrc^tfw

German journalist released in Venezuela headed home

Germany’s foreign ministry says a freelance journalist freed in Venezuela months after being jailed as a suspected spy is on his way home.

A Caracas court ordered the conditional release of Billy Six on Friday. He has been ordered to report to the court every 15 days and not to speak to media.

Six had been charged with espionage, accusations his relatives denied.

Russian and US officials to discuss crisis

Russian and US diplomats will meet in Rome on Tuesday to hold talks about the crisis in Venezuela, according to the foreign ministry in Moscow.

Russia is to reiterate its position that a US military intervention in the South American country will be inappropriate, Sergei Ryabkov, Russia’s deputy foreign minister, tells the Interfax news agency.

Consultations are planned with US Special Representative for Venezuela Elliott Abrams, Ryabkov says, adding that Moscow wants Venezuela’s domestic unrest to be resolved through dialogue.

Saturday, March 16

March for victory

The president of the National Constituent Assembly Diosdado Cabello is leading the March for Victory in Caracas, where the people have taken to the streets to support the government.

Cabello celebrates “the consolidation of a great popular victory,” after the restitution of electricity and potable water in Venezuela.

“The right was wrong again, the people decided to be free and sovereign, no matter what they try, we will resist,” he says.

Cabello also says that the country needs “a real opposition, that is not controlled by the US, that respects the people of Venezuela, that if it goes to an election it recognises the results.”

https://twitter.com/PresidencialVen/status/1107011289153454086?ref_src=twsrc^tfw

Guaido launches new round of protests

Large crowds have gathered in the northern city of Valencia to greet Guaido, who plans to tour Venezuela as part of his campaign to oust Maduro.

Guaido post photos on Twitter showing him at a cathedral service and a market.

“Those who work here and those who come to buy what little they can are working people who deserve to live better,” Guaido writes.

“And although now the market [is not a place of] bustle and joy, today our people filled it with a strong cry of hope and freedom,” he adds.

Protests are also planned in the capital, Caracas, and other parts of the country as Guaido seeks to ramp up pressure on Maduro, who says he is the target of a coup plot directed from Washington.

Quienes trabajan aquí y quienes vienen a comprar lo poco que pueden son gente trabajadora que merece vivir mejor. Y aunque ahora los sábados de mercado no son de bullicio y alegría, hoy nuestra gente lo llenó con un grito fuerte de Esperanza y de Libertad.#UnidosYMovilizados pic.twitter.com/KzMI4ogCuL — Juan Guaidó (@jguaido) March 16, 2019

Friday, March 15

Netherlands, US agree to use Curacao as possible aid hub

The Netherlands and the US reached an agreement on Friday to use facilities on the Dutch Caribbean island of Curacao for possible distribution of aid to nearby Venezuela, Curacao’s prime minister said.

The island will only be used for civilian operations to deliver aid, such as food and medicines, to Venezuela if the Venezuelan government explicitly allows it, the Dutch Foreign Ministry said last month.

Curacao Prime Minister Eugene Rhuggenaath said on Twitter the US and the Netherlands signed an agreement detailing the access and use of facilities in Curacao as a humanitarian hub for aid to Venezuela.

After a successful visit of Ambassador @petehoekstra, the United States of America and the Kingdom of the Netherlands signed an agreement, detailing the access and use of our facilities in Curaçao as a humanitarian hub for aid to the people of Venezuela. pic.twitter.com/uNh41xHlVh — Eugene Rhuggenaath (@EugeneRhugg) March 15, 2019

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has refused to let foreign aid into Venezuela, despite a deep economic crisis marked by shortages of food and medicine and hyperinflation. Maduro has called US-led aid efforts a veiled invasion meant to push him from power.

IDB first multilateral lender to recognise Guaido’s envoy

The Inter-American Development Bank on Friday voted to replace the representative of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro with an economist backed by opposition leader Juan Guaido, in a major setback for the Maduro government.

The decision makes the IADB, Latin America’s largest regional lender, the first financial institution to recognise Guaido and would eventually free up development lending to Venezuela if Maduro steps down.

Guaido, who has been recognised as the OPEC country’s legitimate leader by most Western countries, including the US and many in Latin America, named Harvard University economist Ricardo Hausmann as his representative to the IADB, forcing a vote by the lender’s 48-member board of governors just two weeks before its annual meeting in China.

US envoy: Venezuela oil production dropping steadily

The US special representative for Venezuela said on Friday that Venezuela’s oil exports have been dropping steadily by roughly 50,000 barrels per month and production is likely to dip below a million barrels a day within a “month or two”.

“They are heading down toward a million now, and in a month or two will be below a million” barrels per day, US envoy Elliott Abrams told a news briefing, adding that the decline seen in recent days could partly be attributed to the blackouts that had crippled the country. “It’s a steady decline,” he added.

The OPEC member’s oil production has dwindled in the last two decades, from more than 3 million bpd at the beginning of the century to between 1.2 million and 1.4 million bpd by late 2018. Most of the crude it produces now is heavy or extra heavy.

American Airlines pilots told by union not to fly to Venezuela

American Airlines Group Inc pilots should not fly to Venezuela, an influential pilots union said on Friday, following a travel advisory issued by the US State Department this week.

The department cited civil unrest, poor health and arbitrary arrest and detention of US citizens in Venezuela for issuing the advisory.

“Do not accept any trips to Venezuela,” the Allied Pilots Association said in a statement.

A number of airlines have stopped their flights to the country because of security concerns and disputes over money they say the government owes them. United Airlines ended its flights to Venezuela in 2017.

Military intervention not an answer for Venezuela: Colombia president

Military intervention in Venezuela is not the way to resolve the crisis in the country, Colombia’s President Ivan Duque said in an interview in Italian daily Il Sole 24 Ore published on Friday.

“I do not think the solution is a military intervention,” Duque told the newspaper when asked about any proposed intervention, especially by the US.

US President Donald Trump has taken steps to ratchet up pressure on Maduro and bolster Guaido, recognised by the US and more than 50 other countries, including Colombia. But Washington has dismissed as baseless suggestions it is planning to intervene militarily.

Bolivia’s Morales: Venezuela needs dialogue, not foreign meddling

Bolivia’s leftist President Evo Morales, a supporter of Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro, said on Friday that European nations should support a dialogue within the country.

Morales, who is on a visit to Greece, said meddling in the domestic affairs of another country never bodes well.

“History has taught that there have been many interventions from the outside, such as the case of Libya and Iraq, and they never offered a solution”, Morales said in translated comments after meeting Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras. “On the contrary it abolished democracy,” he said.

Morales is one of a few Latin American leaders to support the embattled Maduro, whose country has been reeling from a humanitarian crisis.

Thursday, March 14

US revoked more than 340 visas from Venezuelans since Monday

The US has revoked hundreds of visas from Venezuelans since Monday, nearly a third of which belonged to former diplomats from Venezuela and their families, and is urging US citizens in Venezuela to flee the country days after the US withdrew its diplomats from Venezuela, the State Department said on Thursday.

“Since this Monday … we have revoked 340 visas, 107 of which include visas of Maduro’s former diplomats and their families,” State Department spokesman Robert Palladino told reporters.

The US has been stepping up actions against President Nicolas Maduro’s government as it tries to pressure Maduro to step down.

US considering sanctions to restrict Visa, Mastercard in Venezuela: Official

The US is considering imposing financial sanctions that could prohibit Visa, Mastercard and other financial institutions from processing transactions in Venezuela, a senior Trump administration said on Thursday.

The move, which has not been finalised, would be a significant ratcheting up of pressure on the government of President Nicolas Maduro and his supporters.

“The purpose of these sanctions is to continue to deprive the illegitimate Maduro regime of access to funds and deny their ability to continue stealing from the Venezuelan people,” the official said.

The US has withdrawn all remaining diplomatic personnel from its embassy in Caracas as the crisis in Venezuela deepens.

“Today, all US diplomats remaining in Venezuela departed the country. I know it is a difficult moment for them,” US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement on Thursday.

He said the US remains committed to supporting opposition leader Juan Guaido, who wants to remove Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and hold elections.

The embassy closure is set to worsen already tattered relations with US President Donald Trump, who has not ruled out military intervention to overthrow Maduro as Washington monitors rapidly unfolding events in the oil-rich but crippled South American nation.

House bills meant to step pressure on Venezuela’s Maduro

The House Foreign Affairs Committee has approved bills intended to step up US pressure against Maduro’s government.

The first bill would add new restrictions on the export of tear gas, riot gear and other ítems that can be used to control crime.

The second measure urges the Trump administration to provide up to $150m in humanitarian aid. Additionally, the State Department and intelligence agencies will be required to provide an assessment of a threat of Russian influence in Venezuela.

US diplomats in Venezuela prepare to head home

The last US diplomats in Venezuela are at the country’s main airport, preparing to head home amid deteriorating ties between Washington and President Maduro, a US official said.

Earlier on Thursday, a convoy was seen leaving the US Embassy in Caracas.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tweeted this week that the diplomats were being withdrawn because they had become a “constraint” on US policy.

The Venezuelan government disputed Pompeo’s account, saying it had instructed the US diplomats to leave.

Diplomats walk out of UN conference

Diplomats walked out of a UN convention on drugs addressed by Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza, saying his government was illegitimate and did not represent the country.

Dozens of officials from Latin America, as well as the US, Canada and some European countries, including France, left the room in protest as Arreaza took the podium for the meeting of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) in Vienna.

Multiple diplomats, including from Latin America and Europe, staged a walk-out last month during an Arreaza address to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva when he called for direct talks between Maduro and US President Donald Trump about the country’s crisis.

Wednesday, March 13

Food supplier reports looting

Venezuela’s largest private food supplier says massive looting and vandalism occurred at four facilities in the city of Maracaibo during nationwide power outages, complicating efforts to distribute food and drinks to people in the area.

Empresas Polar says that the distribution centre and a production plant for Pepsi-Cola Venezuela were hit during unrest after blackouts started a week ago. So were a pasta plant and a beer distributor.

It reports the loss of large quantities of food, water and other drinks, vehicles, computers, office furniture and other items.

China offers help to restore power

China has offered to help Venezuela as it faces a crippling multi-day power blackout that President Nicolas Maduro blames on the US.

“China hopes that Venezuela can quickly find the cause of this accident and restore normal power and social order,” foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang says at a regular briefing.

“China is willing to offer assistance and technical support to Venezuela to restore the power system,” Lu says.

Tuesday, March 12

Journalist Luis Carlos Diaz released

Luis Carlos Diaz has been released after being detained for 24 hours.

His release has been confirmed by the National Press Workers Union (SNTP).

Diaz was charged with instigating crime and barred from leaving the country without authorisation SNTP says, he must appear before a court every eight days, the group adds.

Guaido: People took to the streets in peace

“[People in] #Caracas took to the streets in peace, convinced of what we have achieved and what we are about to achieve,” Guaido writes.

“In Bello Monte, El Valle, Santa Monica and Montalban, the people shouted with vigour against oppression, darkness and usurpation.”

#Caracas tomó las calles en paz, convencida de lo que hemos logrado y lo que estamos por lograr. En Bello Monte, El Valle, Santa Mónica y Montalbán el pueblo gritó con brío contra la opresión, la oscuridad y la usurpación.#AlaCalleContraLaOscuridad pic.twitter.com/EOsVur6zUw — Juan Guaidó (@jguaido) March 12, 2019

Mogherini: Solution cannot be imposed from the outside

European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini says no military action from inside or outside Venezuela would be acceptable to resolve the “dramatically” deteriorating situation in the country.

She tells the UN Security Council in New York that “a solution cannot be, and should never be, imposed from the outside.”

But she says that “an international initiative can help build a peaceful and democratic way out of the crisis.”

Mogherini also says the EU is also working with UN agencies “to ensure that humanitarian aid reaches those in need inside and outside of the country following the key principles of humanitarian law, and avoiding any politicisation of the aid delivery.”

Colombia: Maduro relatives seek outage relief

Colombian authorities say ten people close to Maduro tried to enter the country Monday seeking relief from the power outage.

According to officials, the leader’s cousin, Argimiro Maduro, along with his spouse, children and extended relatives complained the heat was unbearable and said they wanted to spend five days in Riohacha until service is restored.

Colombia Migration Director Christian Kruger says the relatives were on the no-entry list.

He adds that Colombia will not allow Maduro’s relatives to vacation while “avoiding the reality of a people in agony.”

US plans additional sanctions

The US is prepared to impose “very significant” additional sanctions against financial institutions over the situation in Venezuela in the coming days, US special envoy Elliott Abrams says.

Abrams did not elaborate on the fresh measures.

Abrams also told reporters at the State Department that Washington is in talks with other countries about security arrangements for the US embassy in Venezuela after deciding to withdraw its remaining diplomats.

Special Representative Elliott Abrams provides an update on the situation in #Venezuela. #EstamosUnidosVE pic.twitter.com/nv1sAhlHJE — Department of State (@StateDept) March 12, 2019

Nicolas Maduro: I will never fail you

“I will always be with the people, facing every imperial aggression and fighting for our right to be a free and sovereign Republic,” Maduro writes on Twitter.

“Be assured that, from this complex and difficult battle, sooner rather than later, we will be victorious. I will never fail you!”

Estaré siempre junto al pueblo, enfrentando cada agresión imperial y luchando por nuestro derecho a ser una República libre y soberana. Tengan la plena seguridad que, de está compleja y difícil batalla, más temprano que tarde, saldremos victoriosos. ¡Jamás les Fallaré! pic.twitter.com/Iugk27go9i — Nicolás Maduro (@NicolasMaduro) March 12, 2019

Protest for the release of Luis Carlos Diaz

A protest is underway to demand the release of Venezuelan journalist Luis Carlos Diaz.

“Workers of the Press and civil society protest before the Public Ministry to demand the release and respect of the rights of journalist and activist Luis Carlos Diaz,” the Committee to Protect Journalists writes on Twitter.

Trabajadores de la Prensa y sociedad civil protestan ante el Ministerio Público para exigir la liberación y eo respeto a los derechos del periodista y activista Luis Carlos Díaz. "Liberen a Luis Carlos", gritan a las personas a la entrada de la Fiscalía. #12Mar pic.twitter.com/UYxdkmU2Ud — SNTP (@sntpvenezuela) March 12, 2019

Bachelet: Concern about the reported detention of journalist

“We are deeply concerned about the reported detention of prominent journalist Luis Carlos Diaz by Venezuelan intelligence services, and about his well-being,” Bachelet writes on Twitter.

“The UN human rights technical mission in Caracas has asked the Government for urgent access to Diaz.”

Estoy profundamente preocupada por la presunta detención del reputado periodista @LuisCarlos por parte de los servicios de inteligencia venezolanos, y por su bienestar. La misión técnica de @ONU_derechos que se encuentra en Caracas pidió a las autoridades acceso urgente a Díaz. — Michelle Bachelet (@mbachelet) March 12, 2019

State prosecutor says will investigate Guaido for ‘sabotage’

Venezuela’s state prosecutor says he will investigate opposition leader Juan Guaido for “sabotage” as a nationwide power blackout entered its fifth day.

Public prosecutor Tarek William Saab tells reporters in Caracas an investigation was being opened “against the citizen Juan Guaido for his alleged involvement in the sabotage of the Venezuelan electricity system.”

Government: Electricity restored ‘almost in its entirety’

The Venezuelan Minister of Communication, Jorge Rodriguez says that “electric service in the country is almost restored.”

“At this time almost all of the electricity supply has been restored throughout the national territory,” Rodriguez says, according to local reports.

Venezuela’s Communications Minister Jorge Rodriguez talks to the media [Ivan Alvarado/Reuters]

FM: US diplomats must leave within three days

Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza says US diplomats on Venezuelan soil must leave within three days after talks broke down over maintaining diplomatic “interest sections” in the two countries.

“The presence on Venezuelan soil of these officials represents a risk for the peace, unity and stability of the country,” the government says in a statement.

The US State Department had announced on Monday it will withdraw its staff from Venezuela this week, saying their presence had become “a constraint on US policy.”

Comunicado Oficial sobre la decisión del Gobierno Bolivariano de Venezuela de dar por terminadas las conversaciones con EEUU para el establecimiento de oficinas de intereses. El personal diplomático estadounidense debe abandonar territorio venezolano en las próximas 72 horas: pic.twitter.com/B6cnpHhSyE — Jorge Arreaza M (@jaarreaza) March 12, 2019

CPJ: Authorities should release Luis Carlos Diaz

Venezuelan authorities should immediately release journalist Luis Carlos Diaz, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) says.

“Without electricity, much of the Venezuelan public is already deprived of access to information from TV, radio, and the internet in the midst of an emergency. Harassing and jailing journalists will only exacerbate the crisis,” CPJ Central and South America Programme Coordinator Natalie Southwick declares.

Venezuelan authorities should immediately release radio journalist Luis Carlos Díaz, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.https://t.co/p8HOUqNypb — CPJ Américas (@CPJAmericas) March 12, 2019

Russia’s Rosneft says US statements on its operation groundless

Russia’s top oil producer Rosneft says that US statements that it has violated US sanctions in its Venezuela activities were “groundless accusations”.

Pompeo said this week Rosneft was defying US sanctions by buying oil from Venezuelan state oil firm PDVSA.

Rosneft says it is not involved in politics and was conducting “purely commercial operations” in line with international law. It says any contracts were secured before the latest US sanctions were imposed in January and it might seek legal action to defend itself if necessary.

Monday, March 11

Intelligence agents detain journalist

Venezuelans authorities have detained radio journalist Luis Carlos Diaz.

Family members lost contact with Diaz at around 5:30pm local time when he was detained by intelligence service agents, according to news reports.

During a television show, Diosdado Cabello shows a video clip of Diaz and accuses him of “sabotage” saying that he has played a role in the electricity outage.

Diaz is reportedly now being held in El Helicoide political prison.

During his television show the influential pro-Maduro politician Diosdado Cabello showed a video clip of Díaz and accused him of "sabotage," alleging that Díaz played a role in the electricity outage that has left some parts of Venezuela without power https://t.co/DcPUo5mC42 — CPJ Américas (@CPJAmericas) March 12, 2019

US announces withdrawal of diplomatic personnel

The US is to withdraw all remaining diplomatic personnel from Venezuela this week, the US State Department has announced.

“Like the January 24 decision to withdraw all dependents and reduce embassy staff to a minimum, this decision reflects the deteriorating situation in Venezuela as well as the conclusion that the presence of U.S. diplomatic staff at the embassy has become a constraint on US policy,” the State Department says.

It did not say on what day the personnel would be withdrawn from the embassy in Caracas.

The U.S. will withdraw all remaining personnel from @usembassyve this week. This decision reflects the deteriorating situation in #Venezuela as well as the conclusion that the presence of U.S. diplomatic staff at the embassy has become a constraint on U.S. policy. — Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) March 12, 2019

Guaido calls for more protests

Juan Guaido has called for marches on Tuesday, at 3:00pm local time, to protest the electrical blackout that hit Venezuela.

Por eso, mañana a las 3:00PM, convocamos a la calle a todos el Pueblo de Venezuela. Todos, organizados con nuestros vecinos, salgamos a las calles y avenidas más cercanas por la conquista de nuestros derechos. — Juan Guaidó (@jguaido) March 11, 2019

US sanctions Russian bank for link to PDVSA

The US has sanctioned a Russian bank over its alleged dealings with Venezuela’s state-owned oil company PDVSA.

Moscow-based Evrofinance Mosnarbank, which is jointly owned by Russian and Venezuelan state-owned companies, is now in a list of sanctioned individuals and entities due to its alleged attempts to circumvent US restrictions placed on PDVSA by offering the company financial, material and technological support.

“This action demonstrates that the US will take action against foreign financial institutions that sustain the illegitimate Maduro regime and contribute to the economic collapse and humanitarian crisis plaguing the people of Venezuela,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin says in a statement.

Venezuelans scramble for food and water

Much of Venezuela, including parts of the capital Caracas, remains without power for a fifth day, crimping vital oil exports and leaving people struggling to obtain water and food.

Maduro again ordered the suspension of classes and the working day, as he had on Friday.

The lack of electricity has aggravated a crisis in Venezuelan hospitals, also lacking investment and maintenance in addition to the shortage of medicines.

Dr Julio Castro, of the non-governmental group Doctors for Health, said in a Twitter message on Sunday night that 21 people have died in public hospitals since the start of the blackout.

People collect water released through a sewage drain that feeds into the Guaire River in Caracas [Carlos Garcia Rawlins/Reuters]

Jose oil port unable to resume exports – Reuters

Venezuela’s state-run PDVSA oil firm has been unable to resume exports at Jose port, the nation’s primary crude-export terminal, following last week’s widespread power outage, according to people familiar with the matter.

PDVSA has launched a contingency plan to try and restore power, according to one of the people.

The country’s crude upgraders, which convert up to 700,000 barrels per day of Orinoco Belt heavy oil into exportable grades, also are operating at minimum levels due to the lack of power, the people said.

Sunday, March 10

NYT’s report: Video contradicts claim that Maduro burned aid convoy

On February 24, the US administration accused Nicolas Maduro’s government of torching a convoy of humanitarian aid amid a civil plight.

Senator Marco Rubio accused Maduro of “committing a crime,” while White House National Security Adviser John Bolton said the Venezuelan president had sent “masked thugs” to set the cargo alight.

The whole world saw the regime use security forces & gangs to injure & kill unarmed civilians. The whole world saw them set fire to 3 trucks carrying food & other humanitarian aid. They will soon realize just how badly they overplayed their hand today. — Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) February 24, 2019

But the New York Times (NYT) has published footage that suggests that a Molotov cocktail thrown by an anti-government protester was the trigger for the blaze.

“At one point, a homemade bomb made from a bottle is hurled toward the police, who were blocking a bridge connecting Colombia and Venezuela to prevent the aid trucks from getting through,” the report reads.

“But the rag used to light the Molotov cocktail separates from the bottle, flying toward the aid truck instead. Half a minute later, that truck is in flames,” it adds.

The media outlet is not the first one to debunk the claim that Maduro was behind the fire.

On February 24, several independent journalists pointed out that a different situation took place:

I did not see any Venezuelan government forces set fire to US aid trucks on the Colombian side of the border. And neither did you. Actually, the evidence so far is pointing in the other direction. https://t.co/AVBPYtFMiR — Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) February 24, 2019

Government suspends school, and business activities on Monday

Venezuela is suspending school and business activities on Monday amid a continuing blackout, Information Minister Jorge Rodriguez says.

This is the second such cancellation since the power went out last week.

Guaido wants national emergency declared

Guaido says a state of emergency should be declared in the country over the ongoing power outages.

In parts of Venezuela, there has been no electricity since Thursday evening. The restoration of the electricity supply is progressing slowly and keeps suffering setbacks.

Guaido says the National Assembly, which is controlled by the opposition, should declare a national emergency in a special meeting.

“We can not turn our faces to the tragedy that our country is experiencing.” Guaido writes.

“I have called for an extraordinary session in the National Assembly tomorrow, where I will request, in my capacity as president, to decree a state of national emergency, based on article 338 of our constitution.”

No podemos voltear la cara ante la tragedia que vive nuestro país. He convocado para mañana a una sesión extraordinaria de la @AsambleaVE, donde solicitaré, en mi condición de Presidente (E), decretar Estado de Emergencia Nacional, con base en el artículo 338 de nuestra CRBV. — Juan Guaidó (@jguaido) March 10, 2019

Maduro seems set on staying put: US envoy

There are no signs Maduro is open to negotiations to end the political impasse with Juan Guaido, Washington’s envoy for Venezuela says.

Abrams, however, plays down any possibility that the Venezuelan president was ready to talk about his exit. “From everything we have seen, Maduro’s tactic is to stay put,” Abrams says.

Abrams has met with Russian representatives to the US about Moscow’s support for Maduro.

“The Russians are not happy with Maduro for all the obvious reasons,” Abrams says. “In a couple of conversations, I have been told they have given advice to Maduro and he doesn’t take it.”

“They continue to support him and there is no indication that I have seen that they are telling him it’s time to bring this to an end,” he says, adding: “There could come a point where the Russians reach a conclusion that the regime is really unsalvageable.”

US special envoy for Venezuela Elliott Abrams believes Maduro is not open to negotiations [Alex Brandon/AP]

Fourth day of blackout

Venezuelans wake up to the fourth day of a nationwide blackout, leaving residents concerned about the impacts of the lack of electricity on the country’s health, communications and transport systems.

The blackout, which began Thursday afternoon, keeps increasing frustration among Venezuelans already suffering widespread food and medicine shortages.

Food is rotting in refrigerators, people walk for miles to work with the Caracas subway down, and relatives abroad anxiously wait for updates from family members with telephone and internet signals intermittent.

Hospitals are also struggling, Julio Castro, who leads an NGO called Doctors for Health, says that at least 13 people have died amid the blackout. His statement could not be independently verified.

“What can you do without electricity?” says Leonel Gutierrez, a 47-year-old systems technician, as he carried his six-month-old daughter on his way to buy groceries. “The food we have has spoiled.”

A child is seen inside a closed shop during the second day of a blackout in Caracas [Carlos Jasso/Reuters]

Saturday, March 9

Marco Rubio: A horror movie

US Senator Marco Rubio, who has been accused by the government of being responsible for the blackout suffered in Venezuela, writes on Twitter that what is happening in the country is like “a horror movie”.

Reports tonight out of #Venezuela are like a horror movie. Total darkness. No electricity,running water or cell phone coverage. Food spoiling. Patients dying in hospitals. Looting of homes & businesses. Armed #MaduroRegime gangs terrorizing people. Please #PrayForVenezuela — Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) March 10, 2019

Maduro blames blackouts on US weapons

Maduro says that his country’s recent complete electrical failure was caused by “an international cyber attack.”

“I will tell this for the first time,” Maduro tells a crowd in Caracas.

“We are in the process of investigation, and correcting it all because there are many infiltrators attacking from within the electrical company.”

“The right wing, together with the empire, has stabbed the electricity system, and we are trying to cure it soon.”

The president also says Guaido is a puppet of Washington and dismisses his claim to the presidency as an effort by the administration of Trump to control Venezuela’s oil wealth.

El imperialismo estadounidense desconoce la fuerza de este pueblo aguerrido que lleva en sus venas la sangre de los Libertadores de América. Hemos superado todas las agresiones con coraje revolucionario, y seguiremos de pie; firmes defendiendo la soberanía de nuestra Patria. pic.twitter.com/Jb6663vPhK — Nicolás Maduro (@NicolasMaduro) March 10, 2019

Guaido: We need to be united

Juan Guaido calls on citizens to keep united and protesting.

“We will continue to mobilise,” local media reports.

“We have to seize [more] spaces, as we did today in the Libertador municipality (…) We have to [do it] in a peaceful way, we must unite and come together,” he says.

“I come to ask for your trust. We can not be victims of misinformation,” he adds.

Guaido warns that hard days will come. “The [government] will try to divide us.”

“They want to demobilise us, it’s up to us. Let’s not fall, the game is to be united, together.”

Juan Guaido attends a rally against Nicolas Maduro’s government in Caracas [Ivan Alvarado/Reuters]

Nicolas Maduro: Yankee Go Home!

As government supporters take out to the streets in support of Nicolas Maduro, he writes on Twitter it’s time for the US to go home.

“Today when the US empire, in its desperation to get hold of our natural resources, intensifies its brutal aggressions against the Homeland, we firmly stand up to defend our land and scream with force: Yankee Go Home! We are Anti-imperialists!,” he writes on Twitter.

Hoy, cuando el imperio de los EE.UU., en su desespero por echarle mano a nuestros recursos naturales, intensifica sus brutales agresiones contra la Patria, nos plantamos con firmeza para defender nuestra tierra y gritar con fuerza: ¡Yankee Go Home! ¡Somos Antiimperialistas! pic.twitter.com/eGeU3qHZqB — Nicolás Maduro (@NicolasMaduro) March 9, 2019

‘Protesters take over the streets’

Opposition protesters have accessed a part of western Caracas after “pushing hard.”

“Very early in the morning there were lots of tensions because the police wouldn’t allow people here,” Al Jazeera’s Teresa Bo reports from western Caracas.

“After pushing hard protesters took over the streets.

“The government has been really careful in not repressing people, especially after the US has threatened with serious actions if they touch people like Juan Guaido or protesters,” Bo says.

Police block opposition protesters

Riot police are blocking protesters in western Caracas as hundreds of people are taking to the streets.

“We want to march! Yes, we can!” the opposition protesters are heard shouting, as riot police prevent them from accessing the area where their demonstration is due to take place.

Government supporters are in the streets

The ruling Socialist Party has called for a march near the presidential palace in central-west Caracas to protest against what it calls US imperialism, which has levied crippling oil sanctions on Maduro’s government in efforts to cut off its sources of funding.

“Today we are – more than ever before – anti-imperialists,” Maduro writes on Twitter.

“We will never give up.”

Government supporters are seen in the streets [AFP]

Guaido: People will surprise [the government]

For his part, Guaido also writes on Twitter: “They think they can scare us, but the people and the street will surprise them.

“They intend to wear us down, but they can’t contain a nation that is determined to stop the usurpation.

“Today we will show them in the streets.”

Creen que van a meternos miedo hoy, pero se van a llevar una sorpresa de Pueblo y de calle. Pretenden jugar al desgaste, pero ya no tienen manera de contener a un Pueblo que está decidido a concretar el cese de la usurpación. Y hoy lo vamos a demostrar en las calles. Atentos. — Juan Guaidó (@jguaido) March 9, 2019

‘Extremely tense situation’

Al Jazeera’s Teresa Bo, reporting from Caracas, says opposition supporters have started gathering in western Caracas to protest against Maduro’s policies.

“