President Maduro (centre) and his wife Cilia Flores (left) react to a loud bang during the military event

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro says he has survived an assassination attempt involving explosive drones.

Mr Maduro was speaking at a military event in Caracas when the alleged attack occurred.

Live footage of his speech shows the president suddenly looking upwards - startled - and dozens of soldiers running away.

Mr Maduro has blamed Colombia for the attack - something denied by Bogota as a "baseless" accusation.

Seven soldiers were injured, and several people were later arrested, the Venezuelan authorities said.

What is known about the alleged attack?

The incident happened when Mr Maduro was speaking at an event to mark the 81st anniversary of the national army.

Two drones loaded with explosives went off near the president's stand, Communications Minister Jorge Rodriguez said.

Mr Maduro later said in a national address: "A flying object exploded near me, a big explosion. Seconds later there was a second explosion."

Photos on social media showed bodyguards protecting Mr Maduro with bulletproof shields after the alleged attack.

Mr Maduro accused neighbouring Colombia and elements within the US of instigating "a right-wing plot" to kill him.

He added that he had "no doubt" Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos was "behind this attack".

The Venezuelan leader, who has previously accused the US of plotting against him, provided no evidence to back his claim.

The Colombian government has denied any involvement, saying there is "no basis" to Mr Maduro's allegations.

By contrast, Mr Rodriguez accused Venezuela's right-wing opposition of carrying out the attack.

"After losing the vote, they failed again," Mr Rodriguez said.

He was referring to May's presidential elections, where Mr Maduro was re-elected for another six-year term.

However, Hasler Inglesias, a youth leader with the opposition Voluntad Popular Party, told the BBC: "We didn't know what was happening. It's hard to believe that the opposition is going to make an attempt when they have never made an attempt in this way in 20 years."

Meanwhile, a little-known group called Soldiers in T-shirts said on social media that it was behind the alleged attack.

It said it had planned to fly two explosives-laden drones at Mr Maduro, but they were shot down by the military.

The claim was not backed up by any evidence, and the group did not respond to media requests for comment.

To add further to the confusion, firefighters at the scene disputed the government's version of events, the Associated Press reports.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, three of them said the incident was actually a gas tank explosion inside an apartment, but did not provide further details, the news agency says.

There are still lots of unanswered questions in this, the latest plot twist in surreal Venezuela.

President Maduro and his people often accuse the opposition, Colombia or the US of trying to sabotage his government.

Much like last year when a helicopter attacked the Supreme Court in what Nicolás Maduro called a "terrorist" attack, conspiracy theories will abound - and already different versions of events are being circulated.

In a country where it's hard to operate as a journalist and where freedom of speech isn't respected, getting to the truth is hard.

What many people fear though is that the government will use this incident to justify a crackdown on any political opponents.

Has anything similar happened before?

In June 2017, a helicopter attacked and dropped grenades on Venezuela's Supreme Court.

Oscar Pérez, a rogue elite helicopter pilot, claimed he carried out the helicopter attack and called on Venezuelans to rise up against the government of President Maduro.

He was killed by police in a siege near Caracas in January.

Mr Maduro has managed to split opinion almost as much as his predecessor in office, Hugo Chávez.

Since assuming office in 2013, Mr Maduro's administration has drawn widespread condemnation from a string of nations worldwide for undermining democracy and violating human rights in his country.

His opponents paint him as a ruthless despot who detains his political rivals on overly harsh charges pressed by a judiciary under his party's control, while his followers say he is protecting the country from another coup.

His re-election in May came amid a deep economic crisis which has been driving hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans from the oil-rich country.

However, there is still a loyal core of people who support Mr Maduro and his United Socialist Party (PSUV), saying Venezuela's problems are caused not by the government but by imperialist forces such as the US. </s> CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Wednesday blamed the United States for a second widespread blackout this year that cast most of the South American nation in darkness amid an opposition campaign to overthrow him.

Cuban officials, meanwhile, underscored that their support for Maduro is unwavering, saying U.S. attempts have failed to divide the communist island from the ideologically aligned Venezuelan leader.

The most recent power outage hit Venezuela at rush hour Monday, leaving millions without basic services such as cellphone service, lights and running water while freezing Caracas’ subway and snarling traffic.

Maduro said the U.S. launched a “high-tech electromagnetic attack” to undermine his rule, but he gave no details or evidence linking the power failure to the United States.

“They have not been able, nor will they be able to with the unity, loyalty and cohesion of the Venezuelan armed force, which is making them desperate,” Maduro said.

He spoke on state TV surrounded by the high military command at the Fuerte Tiuna military base in Caracas overseeing the start to military exercises.

Maduro’s opponents blame the outages on corruption and inadequate maintenance under two decades of socialist rule first launched by the late President Hugo Chavez.

Venezuela is a once-wealthy oil nation that is caught in a historic political and economic crisis that has sent at least four million residents fleeing, driven by a lack of food and medicine.

Electrical power returned to Caracas and several states hours after the most recent failure. Maduro in March also blamed U.S. sabotage for a nationwide blackout lasting nearly a week, considered the nation’s worst power failure in its history.

Tensions between Venezuela and the United States intensified this year when it was first among dozens of nations to announce its support of Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó.

Guaidó in January declared Maduro’s last election a fraud and cited his role as leader of the National Assembly as giving him powers to oust Maduro and hold new elections. Guaido then in April led a failed military uprising.

Venezuelan officials also say the U.S. twice within the last week has sent a spy plane into its airspace. In one case, a Venezuelan fighter jet intercepted it, which U.S. officials say put the plane’s crew in danger and threating its mission conducted while flying in international airspace.

Cuba said the U.S. plan to overthrow Maduro is a failure and Cuba is unshaken in its support for the Venezuelan leader. The U.S. has been imposing new sanctions on Cuba with the stated purpose of forcing the Communist island to cut back its support for Maduro.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo “is trying to disguise the failure of the U.S. plan to intervene in Venezuela with slander and unbelievable excuses,” Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said Wednesday after meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. “Cuba’s cooperation with the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela is unshaken.”

Copyright © 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed. </s> CARACAS, Venezuela — Venezuelan security forces detained a key aide to opposition leader Juan Guaidó in a raid on his home early Thursday, an opposition lawmaker said.

Lawyer Roberto Marrero was taken by intelligence agents in the overnight operation in Caracas, said lawmaker Sergio Vergara, whose nearby residence was also searched. Vergara said he was woken up by heavy banging at his door and agents pointed weapons at him.

Vergara and Marrero both accompanied Guaidó on a recent Latin American tour to build international support for his efforts to oust President Nicolás Maduro. Marrero heads the office of Guaidó, who is leader of Venezuela’s National Assembly.

Speaking to reporters in Venezuela Thursday morning, Guaidó described Marrero as a dedicated husband and father, and a tireless attorney working to better the country. He also called Marrero's detention a kidnapping.

"It is ridiculous the tactics they use," Guaidó said. "If this were not tragic, it would be laughable."

He also sent a message to the officers who picked Marrero at his home, saying that Venezuelan military forces should stop protecting President Nicolás Maduro's regime.

"If they don't care that we have no water and they don't care we have no food, they will not protect you," Guaido said. "We want to save the country."

The U.S.-backed opposition leader, who had defied a travel ban to leave the country, returned to Venezuela on March 4. The United States had warned the Venezuelan government against taking action against Guaidó, who has staged frequent demonstrations in an attempt to remove Maduro.

Venezuelan prosecutors say Guaidó is under investigation for alleged links to violence as well as the nation’s worst power outages. Maduro alleges the blackouts were caused by U.S.-directed sabotage, though U.S. officials and the Venezuelan opposition say state mismanagement and corruption caused the infrastructure collapse.

The U.S. and about 50 other countries support Guaidó’s contention that he is the rightful leader of Venezuela and that Maduro’s re-election last year was illegitimate. Maduro, whose key allies are Russia and Cuba, says Guaidó is a collaborator in a U.S. plot to overthrow his government.

Marrero is believed to be at El Helicoide, the same detention facility where other opposition leaders and journalists have been previously held. The facility is run by the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service, also known as the "SEBIN," which is considered Venezuela's premier intelligence agency. </s> UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The latest on Venezuela’s political and humanitarian crisis (all times local): 6:50 p.m. Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro is lambasting U.S. Vice President Mike Pence’s remarks at the U.N. Security Council as…

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The latest on Venezuela’s political and humanitarian crisis (all times local):

Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro is lambasting U.S. Vice President Mike Pence’s remarks at the U.N. Security Council as both “ridiculous” and “racist.”

In a televised address early Wednesday evening, Maduro said Pence’s comments show U.S. leaders “think they are superior to Venezuelans.”

He added that on Pence’s face he could see “the hate, the racism” harbored toward Venezuela.

Pence urged the United Nations to recognize opposition leader Juan Guaido as Venezuela’s legitimate president and revoke the credentials of Samuel Moncada, who is the U.N. ambassador for Maduro’s government.

Pence told Moncada at a Security Council meeting: “With all due respect Mr. Ambassador, you shouldn’t be here.”

Maduro frequently engages in a war of words with his U.S. counterparts as tensions between both nations mount amid Venezuela’s power struggle.

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.

Red Cross President Peter Maurer wrapped up a five-day visit to Venezuela on Wednesday — the first by the head of the aid group in decades.

The trip took him to several public hospitals, slums and migrant centers that have seen the worst of a social crisis expected to worsen as U.S. financial sanctions take effect. He also met with President Nicolas Maduro as well as two vice presidents of the opposition-controlled National Assembly.

Maurer said his Geneva-based organization is tripling its budget this year in Venezuela to around $24 million and almost doubling its staff to around 180 people. He said it will focus its efforts on rehabilitating hospitals, increasing water supplies, training the armed forces in international humanitarian law and visiting detainees among other activities. He said the work would be concentrated in Caracas, southern Bolivar state and the restive border region with Colombia.

Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó is touring the capital region to rally supporters, saying it not the time to rest in the fight to oust President Nicolas Maduro.

Guaidó made several stops Wednesday across the capital of Caracas. He took a microphone each time for short speeches, pointing to constant blackouts and water shortages blamed on Maduro’s failed socialist government.

Guaidó said Venezuelans are living a “tragedy” that must end with the transition of power through new elections.

The head of the National Assembly also urged the armed forces to reject Maduro.

He’s being met by dozens of cheering supporters in some neighborhoods with hundreds greeting him at others.

Guaidó is backed by the United States among 50 nations that demand Maduro step down. Maduro calls Guaidó a “puppet” of a Washington-led coup.

Venezuela’s U.N. ambassador says the country is threatened with war by the Trump administration, “and the ground is being laid for an invasion.”

Samuel Moncada told the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday: “We must stop this war of Donald Trump.”

He said the actions causing humanitarian suffering in Venezuela “are the direct fruit of a plan of economic destruction put together by the government of the United States and the United Kingdom.”

Moncada said the aim is to strangle the country’s economy to provoke “a social implosion that they can then use as a pretext for foreign military intervention.”

He called it “a mindboggling inhumane experiment in unconventional warfare” and said it is aimed at importing a “puppet government” led by opposition leader Juan Guaidó

But Moncada said the U.S. has miscalculated because while the Venezuelan people and government are suffering, the “national spirit” has increased under pressure and the armed forces have not broken.

Russia’s U.N. ambassador says the emergency U.N. Security Council meeting on Venezuela called by the United States is just “another episode of a tragedy with several acts in the attempt to change regime in Venezuela.”

Vassily Nebenzia said the United States “has artificially provoked a crisis in this country in order to overthrow a legitimately elected leader and replace him with their own pawn.”

Russia is a strong supporter of President Nicolás Maduro’s government, while the United States and 54 other countries have recognized opposition leader Juan Guaidó as Venezuela’s interim president.

At Wednesday’s session, Nebenzia called on “the United States to recognize that the Venezuelan people and other people have the right to determine their future.”

In his words, “If you want to make America great again, and we’re all sincerely interested in seeing that, stop interfering in the affairs of other states.”

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence says the United States will exert diplomatic and economic pressure to bring about a peaceful transition to democracy in Venezuela, but adds that “all options are on the table.”

Pence addressed the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday and urged the United Nations to recognize Juan Guaidó as Venezuela’s president in place of Nicolás Maduro and revoke the credentials of Venezuela’s U.N. Ambassador Samuel Moncada, who was also seated at the council’s horseshoe-shaped table.

Pence told him. “With all due respect Mr. ambassador, you shouldn’t be here.” The vice president added: “You should return to Venezuela and tell Nicolás Maduro that his time is up. It’s time for him to go.”

Pence said the United States would be circulating a Security Council resolution to recognize Guaidó and stand with the Venezuelan people “as they rise up … against intimidation and violence” and for freedom.

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 U.S. oil sanctions and nationwide blackouts.

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

Venezuela’s oil output has been in decline and it pumped about three times as much oil two decades ago. But the industry’s deterioration has accelerated since the United States imposed sanctions in January and power outages struck across the country in early March.

Oil has long been the chief source of income in a country that claims the world’s largest proven petroleum reserves.

The U.S. took action against the Venezuelan oil industry to support opposition leader Juan Guaido’s campaign to topple President Nicolás Maduro.

U.N. humanitarian chief Mark Lowcock says Venezuela’s humanitarian problem has worsened and “the scale of need is significant and growing” — with 7 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 U.N. 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.”

Lowcock also urged the council to press for sustained and regular access to people in need, and to fund the expansion of humanitarian programs.

He said Venezuela’s “severe and continuing economic contraction” means the availability and affordability of food has fallen and malnutrition has increased, especially in areas with the highest poverty rates.

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 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.

Dr. Kathleen Page of Johns Hopkins says Guterres “should ring the alarm bell and demonstrate leadership by ensuring that the U.N.’s vast resources can be mobilized for the Venezuelan people in a way that is neutral, independent, and impartial.”

Copyright © 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed. </s> Venezuela’s opposition leader Juan Guaidó has declared himself interim president of the beleaguered South American country, in a dramatic escalation of efforts to force President Nicolás Maduro from power.

Before thousands of protesters in the capital Caracas, the 35-year-old lawmaker raised his right hand and said he was “formally assuming the responsibility of the national executive”.

Guaidó, the head of the opposition-run congress, has said he would be willing to assume the presidency on an interim basis with the support of the armed forces to call elections.

The move was immediately welcomed by Donald Trump who called on other countries in the western hemisphere governments to recognize Guaidó as the interim president of Venezuela.

“In its role as the only legitimate branch of government duly elected by the Venezuelan people, the National Assembly invoked the country’s constitution to declare Nicolas Maduro illegitimate, and the office of the presidency therefore vacant. The people of Venezuela have courageously spoken out against Maduro and his regime and demanded freedom and the rule of law,” Trump said in a statement.

“We continue to hold the illegitimate Maduro regime directly responsible for any threats it may pose to the safety of the Venezuelan people,” he said.

The move comes as tens of thousands joined marches across the country’s capital in what opponents of Nicolás Maduro hope will prove a turning point for the country’s slide into authoritarianism and economic ruin.

Venezuela’s president, who started his second term on 11 January after disputed elections, is facing a reinvigorated opposition as well as increasing international hostility from the rightwing governments of the US, Brazil and Colombia.

Wednesday’s march follow two nights of violent protests in working-class neighbourhoods of Caracas – once bastions of support for the government – and the apparent foiling of an armed uprising by members of the national guard.

Early on Wednesday, protesters in eastern Caracas braved an early morning downpour, shouting in unison: “Who are we? Venezuela! What do we want? Freedom!”

An opposition member holds a Venezuelan national flag during a protest march against Nicolás Maduro in Caracas on Wednesday.

In the centre of the capital, riot police flanked by water tanks and lightly armored vehicles had already been deployed to the central Plaza Venezuela square.

Other protests were planned across the country and outside embassies around the world.

Guaidó repeated calls for members of the security forces to withdraw their support for Maduro. “The world’s eyes are on our homeland today,” he said in an early-morning tweet.

Relatively unknown until this month, Guaidó appears to have reinvigorated Venezuela’s opposition which has long been racked by infighting. Ahead of Maduro’s inauguration, Guaidó described the leader as a “usurper” and declared himself ready to assume the presidency until open elections could be held.

Wednesday also marks the anniversary of the 1958 uprising that overthrew the military dictator Marcos Pérez Jiménez – a symbolism that was not lost on María de Jesús, a social worker from Caracas who was born on the day of the 1958 rebellion.

“I was born in democracy,” she said on her way to the march in Caracas. “I want my freedom; this is a dictatorship.”

Across town, several hundred supporters held a rival march in support of Maduro. Though it was dwarfed in size by the opposition protest, those in attendance were in a buoyant mood.

“We are here to support our president and defend our resources,” said Ana Media, who works for the state oil company PDVA, as salsa music blasted from loudspeakers. “We know that other countries are against Maduro because they want to take over our resources.”

Oil-rich Venezuela is mired in economic and political turmoil, with hyperinflation rendering the bolivar currency practically worthless. Shortages in food staples and basic medicines are rampant, and crime is widespread. More than 3 million Venezuelans have fled, causing consternation across the continent.

Analysts have long held that Maduro’s survival depends on the backing of the military, who he has rewarded with senior positions in government and the state oil company PDVSA.

But it is unclear how solid that support is. Guaidó and the opposition-held national assembly have sought to peel away the military, offering an amnesty to members of the armed forces who help bring about a return to democracy. This week, authorities arrested 27 national guardsmen who tried to launch an uprising against Maduro.

In Ciudad Guayana, a north-eastern city, a statue of Hugo Chávez – Maduro’s late predecessor and the figurehead of Venezuelan socialism – was burned, cut in half and the bust hung from a bridge on Tuesday night.

Maduro has accused the opposition of fomenting violence. “I demand the full rigor of the law against the fascists,” he said on Tuesday night. His allies have also threatened the use of armed pro-government militias – known as colectivos – to quell disturbances.

The United States, long fiercely opposed to Maduro, has thrown its support behind the opposition. “President Trump and the US stand resolutely with the Venezuelan people as they seek to regain their liberty from dictator Nicolás Maduro,” Vice-President Mike Pence wrote in an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday.

A previous spate of protests in 2017 left at least 120 dead and hundreds more injured, after Maduro dispatched the national guard. Human rights watchdogs and international observers are readying for a similar crackdown on Wednesday.

Foro Penal, a local watchdog, reported on Wednesday morning that 30 protestors had been arrested overnight. Local journalists alleged that authorities in Caracas had attempted to confiscate their equipment. </s> Venezuela’s president Nicolás Maduro called Donald Trump’s government a “gang of extremists” and blamed the United States for his country’s crisis in an interview with the BBC.

Maduro told the British news media outlet that he would allow humanitarian aid into Venezuela, as it was a way for the United States to justify an intervention.

“They are warmongering in order to take over Venezuela,” Maduro said.

Most Western governments, including the United States, have recognized opposition leader Juan Guaidó as interim president.

The BBC reports that Maduro is facing growing internal and international pressure to call early presidential elections amid a worsening economic crisis and accusations of widespread corruption and human rights violations.

Guaidó, on his part, called for anti-government protests later on Tuesday.

Maduro told the BBC that he hoped “this extremist group in the White House is defeated by powerful world-wide public opinion.”

“It’s a political war, of the United States empire, of the interests of the extreme right that today is governing, of the Ku Klux Klan, that rules the White House, to take over Venezuela.”

The United States has imposed economic sanctions on Venezuela, including against state-owned oil company, PDVSA, looking to hit Venezuela’s main source of revenue as leverage to precipitate new elections in the country. </s> Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro has survived an apparent assassination attempt in which he was targeted by drones armed with explosives while delivering a live TV address.

In Sunday evening’s broadcast, Maduro can be seen giving an impassioned speech to hundreds of soldiers, before the sound of an explosion causes him and wife Cilia Flores to flinch and look up to the sky.

Speaking afterwards Maduro, who was quickly ushered away by bodyguards, said: ‘This was an attempt to kill me.’

Information Minister Jorge Rodriguez said the incident took place shortly after 5.30pm as Maduro was celebrating the National Guard’s 81st anniversary in Venezuela’s capital, Caracas.

The head of state said he saw a ‘flying device’ that exploded before his eyes, and initially thought it might be a pyrotechnics display.

Within seconds, a second explosion was heard and pandemonium ensued, with the assembled soldiers scattering and Maduro guided to safety by his security staff.

Maduro has blamed the ‘far right’ – working in co-ordination with detractors in Bogota and Miami, including Colombian President Juan Manuel Santo – for the attack.

Some of the ‘material authors’ of the apparent assassination attempt have been detained, the Venezuelan government has said.

‘The investigation will get to the bottom of this,’ he said. ‘No matter who falls.’

Venezuela’s government routinely accuses opposition activists of plotting to attack and overthrow Maduro, who has been accused of authoritarian leadership, and has steadily moved to concentrate power as the nation reels from a crippling economic crisis.

In the midst of near-daily protests last year, a rogue police officer flew a stolen helicopter over the capital and launched grenades at several government buildings.

The man, Oscar Perez, was later killed in a gun battle after six months on the run.

Venezuela’s attorney general, Tarek William Saab, said the attempted assassination targeted not only Maduro, but rather the military’s entire high command, who were sharing the stage.

‘We are in the midst of a wave of civil war in Venezuela,’ Saab said.

Firefighters at the scene of the blast disputed the government’s version of events.

Three local authorities said there had been a gas tank explosion inside an apartment near Maduro’s speech where smoke could be seen streaming out of a window. They provided no further details on how they had reached that conclusion.

A Colombian official described Maduro’s claims that Santos was involved in the attack as baseless.

Adding to the confusion, a little known group calling itself Soldiers in T-shirts claimed responsibility, saying it planned to fly two drones loaded with explosives at the president, but government soldiers shot them down before reaching its target. The authenticity of the message has not been verified.

‘We showed that they are vulnerable,’ the group said in a tweet. ‘It was not successful today, but it is just a matter of time.’

David Smilde, a senior fellow at the Washington Office on Latin America who has spent decades researching Venezuela, said the incident did not appear to be a staged attack by Maduro’s government for political gain.

The ‘amateurish’ attack prompted embarrassing images of Maduro cut off mid-sentence with droves of soldiers running away in fear, making the president appear vulnerable, Smilde noted.

Despite the optics, Smilde said he suspected that Maduro would nonetheless find a way to take advantage of it.

‘He will use it to concentrate power,’ Smilde said. ‘Whoever did this, he’ll [Maduro will] use it to further restrict liberty and purge the government and armed forces.’

The event had been just one more of many Maduro routinely holds with members of the military, a faction whose loyalty he has clung to as the nation struggles with hyperinflation and shortages of food and medicine.

‘The hour of the economy recovery has come,’ he declared, moments before the explosion. </s> on eight individuals in Venezuela on Wednesday, citing them for “organizing or otherwise supporting the creation of Venezuela’s Constituent Assembly” and “participating in anti-democratic actions.”

The “Constituent Assembly” is socialist dictator Nicolás Maduro’s sham legislature, whipped up in an effort to disempower what remains of representative government in the country. The assembly was created in a July 30 election deemed illegitimate by the U.S. government and most of the states in the Western Hemisphere.

Maduro himself was hit by sanctions last week, in what the Associated Press describes as “a rare action against a foreign head of state.” This was followed swiftly by a round of sanctions against 13 current and former officials from the Maduro government.

Six of the eight people named in the new sanctions list are members or functionaries of the new Constituent Assembly. One of them, Adán Coromoto Chávez Frías, is the brother of the late Hugo Chávez, Maduro’s mentor.

Also sanctioned were Tania D’Amelio Cardiet, a rector of the Venezuelan National Electoral Council, who is believed to be under investigation in Venezuela for vote fraud; and military commander Bladimir Humberto Lugo Armas, who handles security for the original, legitimate National Assembly. Armas does not appear to have much enthusiasm for his job these days, since he stands accused of assaulting several Assembly members who oppose Maduro, including Assembly President Julio Borges.

The Miami Herald notes that one of the sanctioned individuals, Constituent Assembly delegate Hermann Escarra, has owned property in South Florida, as have members of his family. “Escarra himself was spotted at a North Miami Mercedes-Benz dealership in April,” the Herald reports.

Sanctions against Venezuela are still gaining steam. The Herald notes that the Trump administration is threatening to sanction all 545 members of the Constituent Assembly, one of whom is Nicolás Maduro’s wife. Administration officials have said they intend to deploy sanctions slowly, carefully, and “strategically.”

“President Maduro swore in this illegitimate Constituent Assembly to further entrench his dictatorship and continues to tighten his grip on the country. This regime’s disregard for the will of the Venezuelan people is unacceptable, and the United States will stand with them in opposition to tyranny until Venezuela is restored to a peaceful and prosperous democracy,” said Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin in announcing the new sanctions. </s> MADRID – Spain, Britain, Germany, Austria, Sweden and Denmark officially recognized Juan Guaidó as interim president of Venezuela on Monday, while France said the opposition leader had the right to organize an election in the face of the socialist government’s refusal to call new elections.

“The Government of Spain announces that it officially recognizes Juan Guaidó as president in charge of Venezuela,” Spanish President Pedro Sánchez said in a statement read before the media.

To which followed a tweet from the British Foreign Minister, Jeremy Hunt: “Nicolás Maduro has not called presidential elections within the 8-day limit that we have established (…) So the United Kingdom, together with the European allies, now recognizes @jguaido as interim constitutional president. ”

The coordinated movement of European countries comes after the expiration of eight days that the European Union gave Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to call a new presidential election.

The Venezuelan leader, accused of running the OPEC nation as a dictatorship and ruining his economy, has said Europe’s ruling elite is sycophantic and is following the agenda of US President Donald Trump.

Guaidó, who heads the National Assembly controlled by the opposition, proclaimed himself president last month provoking a division among the world powers.

Trump recognized it immediately and countries of the European Union backed Guaidó, but some are nervous about the precedent that someone feels self-proclaimed.

Russia and China, which have invested billions of dollars in Venezuela, are supporting Maduro. Moscow accused the EU countries of meddling in Venezuela’s affairs.

The Venezuelan government said it would “fully review” its relations with the European governments who had recognised Mr. Guaidó.

A foreign ministry statement said those governments were “officially submitting to the United States administration’s strategy to overthrow the legitimate government of President Nicolas Maduro”.

On Sunday Mr. Maduro dismissed calls for a new presidential vote, saying he would not accept “ultimatums”. He has denounced Mr. Guaidó’s move as a coup.

As head of Venezuela’s National Assembly, Mr. Guaidó says the constitution allows him to assume power temporarily when the president is deemed illegitimate.

Meanwhile, the Lima Group of Latin American countries and Canada called Monday for a peaceful change in government in Venezuela, without military intervention.

Eleven of the group’s 14 members said in a joint statement after meeting in Ottawa that they “reiterate their support for a process of peaceful transition through political and diplomatic means without the use of force.”

They also urged Venezuela’s military to support opposition leader Juan Guaido as interim president and “not to impede the entry and transit of humanitarian assistance to Venezuelans.”

Guaido’s “legitimate government of Venezuela” was also welcomed into the Lima Group.

The bulk of the funds are to go to “trusted partners” and neighboring countries to help them support three million refugees that have fled Venezuela, he said.

Mr. Maduro, who took office in 2013 after the death of Hugo Chavez, has been condemned for alleged human rights abuses and for his handling of the economy.

The annual inflation rate reached 1,300,000% in the 12 months to November 2018, according to a study by the National Assembly.

According to United Nations figures, three million Venezuelans have left the country since 2014 when the economic crisis started to bite.
Venezuela's Nicolás Maduro again accuses the United States of flying over its national waters.