
A retired Venezuelan general has turned himself over to Colombian authorities after the United States charged him with drug-trafficking and offered a reward for his capture, local media reported. Cliver Alcala turned himself in on Friday to the Colombians, who in turn handed him over to US authorities, the El Tiempo de Bogota newspaper said.

The US Justice Department announced the indictment of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Thursday for “narco-terrorism” and offered US$15 million for information leading to his capture.

Brazil on Thursday announced it was closing land borders and prohibiting entry to people from European and many Pacific Asian countries to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, as Mexico and Peru reported their first virus deaths.

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.

Venezuela has swapped millions of barrels of crude for supplies of corn and water trucks under an oil-for-food deal struck with a Mexican firm, in an effort to secure imports amid tightening U.S. sanctions, according to the company and export schedules.

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.

Amnesty International has documented grave violations of human rights in 2019 in 24 countries across the Americas. Examples of the major human rights events analyzed include:

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.
![Guaidó called on women, students [and] unions to join him in a demonstration on March 10 to find a solution to the crisis and demand a truly free election.](/data/cache/noticias/74739/260x165/guaido.jpg)
Venezuela's opposition leader Juan Guaido on Friday called a demonstration in a bid to reignite the protest movement he hopes will force President Nicolas Maduro from office.