
At least 23 illegal immigrants, including women and two children, are feared drowned after their boat overturned early Wednesday morning off Venezuela. The ill-fated fishing pirogue was carrying 35 persons, including the captain, an inlet along the Caribbean island of Trinidad’s south western peninsula.

Venezuela's opposition-controlled National Assembly expects to vote on making a US$71 million bond interest payment when it meets next week, a lawmaker and a member of state-run oil company PDVSA's ad-hoc board of directors said.

Venezuela's opposition leader Juan Guaidó called on Friday for the biggest demonstration in history to put pressure on President Nicolas Maduro to step down. The National Assembly head launched a challenge to Maduro's authority in January, declaring himself acting president.

A second shipment of Red Cross humanitarian aid will arrive in Venezuela in around three weeks, the charity organization said on Wednesday, reiterating its plea for the issue not to be politicized.“There's a shipment coming by sea that we expect to be in the country on May 8,” said Hernan Bongioanni, the Red Cross commissioner for this mission.

Spain’s Repsol has suspended its swaps of refined products for crude with Venezuela’s state-run oil company PDVSA, as U.S. officials weigh penalties for foreign firms doing business with Venezuela.

The Trump administration on Wednesday intensified its crackdown on Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela, rolling back Obama administration policy and announcing new restrictions and sanctions against the three countries whose leaders national security adviser John Bolton dubbed the three stooges of socialism.

The Lima Group made up of mostly Latin American countries called on the United Nations on Monday to “take action” to prevent an escalation of Venezuela's humanitarian crisis.

Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro has said he wants a million more people to join his civilian militia by the end of the year. The call to expand the militia - which answers directly to Mr. Maduro - comes as opposition leader Juan Guaidó seeks to persuade the Venezuelan military to abandon the president. So far the military has stayed loyal.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo ended a visit to Peru on Sunday and travelled to the Colombian border city of Cucuta, crossed through by thousands of Venezuelans fleeing crisis under President Nicolas Maduro.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo held talks on Saturday with Paraguay's President Mario Abdo Benitez as part of a four-nation tour of Latin American allies focusing heavily on Venezuela and countering China's economic reach.