The International Monetary Fund has quickly rejected a surprise request on Tuesday by Venezuela for an emergency US$ 5 billion loan to fight the new coronavirus, which threatens to push its already battered economy over the edge.
Venezuelan riot police fired tear gas on Tuesday to break up a demonstration in Caracas called by opposition leader Juan Guaido as he seeks to ramp up demands for elections to replace populist President Nicolas Maduro.
United States President Donald Trump hosted Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro for dinner at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on Saturday, where the two leaders discussed the U.S.-led effort to oust Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and spoke about a future trade deal.
President Nicolás Maduro wants Venezuelan women to have many children as a way to boost the country, which has seen millions of people flee in recent years to escape its economic crisis. Maduro made the exhortation during a televised event on Tuesday evening for a government program promoting various birth methods.
About 9.3 million Venezuelans don’t have access to enough food to meet minimum nutrition requirements, according to a study from the United Nations.
The US State Department on Saturday condemned the detention in Venezuela of an uncle of opposition leader Juan Guaido, saying the man was being held on preposterous charges.
Opposition leader Juan Guaido returned to Venezuela on Tuesday following a 23-day international tour in which he defied a ban on leaving the country imposed by President Nicolas Maduro's government. Guaido announced his return on Twitter before being greeted by a throng of cheering supporters at the Caracas international airport, where he arrived on a flight from Portugal.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Thursday denounced U.S. foreign policy in Venezuela, criticizing U.S. “provocations” and attempts to create what he called a pretext for military intervention.
United States on Friday criminalized transactions with Venezuelan flag carrier Conviasa, saying it wanted to pressure President Nicolas Maduro to cede power. Under the new sanctions, anyone in the United States will be banned from any transactions with Conviasa, which stands for Consorcio Venezolano de Industrias Aeronauticas y Servicios.
Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó's appearance in the US Congress at the State of the Union — as well as the bipartisan ovation he received — was intended to send a strong message of U.S. support for his efforts to unseat Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro. Guaidó attended the address as a guest of the White House.