A big protest happened in Caracas, Venezuela last Saturday, April 8, 2017, where 4,000 protesters attended. These people are supporters of Henrique Capriles, a 44-year-old leader of the opposition who lost in the battle as a president last 2013 where his opponent President Nicolas Maduro won.The said protest last Saturday rises when the protesters who stayed in the east of the city change their course at Capriles's request and headed downtown to the government's ombudsman office.

According to Time, the clash began where authorities closed the metro stations, set up checkpoints and cordoned off a square where protesters planned their rebellion against the present administration. Capriles wrote on his twitter account that Maduro wanted to kill them because the buildings where he carries out his political activities was bombed and if something bad happens to them people already have an idea who will be to sought.

The Venezuelan protesters clash with police through throwing rocks and Molotov cocktails where two police officers were hit by flaming bottles.The Anti- Maduro protesters that clashed with police build barricades, burn rubbish and hurl rocks. On the other hand, the national guard police used tear gas, water cannon, and rubber bullets. According to the mayor of Caracas, the initial tally of injured people stood at seventeen

According to the The Organization of World Peace, this clash between the people and government was born after the experience of crisis in Venezuela. Many people suffer from inflation, food shortage, not enough medicines and other necessities that should be given to every people.

This political crisis in Venezuela started when the State Comptroller Manuel Galindo imposed the ban of Capriles from his position as a governor due to administrative irregularities. Governor Capriles served as a governor since 2008 and said that he will appeal the decision and continue his duty and job.

Some people are showing their sympathy to Capriles, like Adel Rincones, 61, said that what they did to the Capriles was a sign of tyranny and according to Vanessa Garcia, 37, who is an optometry student, people are tired of corruption, hunger, and poverty. Other bigger demonstrations are expected this coming 19 during Venezuela's National Holiday.</s>CARACAS, Venezuela—President Nicolás Maduro has lost support among the legions of poor Venezuelans that once backed the late Hugo Chávez, but they have largely shown little interest in joining the opposition-led protests that have convulsed the country the past three weeks.

Many of the impoverished residents of the vast slums that ring Caracas and other major cities are angry about a collapsing economy and food shortages. But Venezuela’s political unrest remains mostly confined to middle-class enclaves, underscoring the struggle the opposition here faces in trying to unseat an increasingly authoritarian government.

“All I have is hunger—I don’t care if the people protest or not,” said laborer Alfonzo Molero in a slum in Venezuela’s second-largest city, Maracaibo. “With what strength will I protest if my stomach is empty since yesterday?”

Until the slums rise up, Maduro will likely hang on, analysts say.

“The discontent in the poor sectors is not being channeled through the opposition,” said Alejandro Velasco, a history professor at New York University and the author of a book on Venezuelan slums.

In three weeks of unrest, seven protesters have been killed and hundreds have been jailed. The government has used tactics such as lobbing tear gas from helicopters to disperse opposition crowds, efforts aided by pro-government gangs often armed with weapons and clubs.

More than four in five Venezuelans say they don’t earn enough to meet basic needs and three-quarters say they have lost an average of 19 pounds of weight last year, according to the Encovi survey by Venezuela’s top three universities.

An expanded version of this article appears on WSJ.com.

Fox Is Preparing to Cut Ties With Bill O’Reilly</s>CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela’s opposition is looking to keep up pressure on President Nicolas Maduro by taking to the streets again Thursday hours after at least two people were killed and hundreds arrested in the biggest anti-government demonstrations in years.

Tens of thousands of protesters demanding elections and denouncing what they consider increasingly dictatorial government were met by a curtain of tear gas and rubber bullets as they attempted to march to downtown Caracas on Wednesday. Dozens even had to slide down a concrete embankment and into the Guaire River to escape the noxious fumes.

Across the country the clashes were intense. Pro-government militias, some of whose members were armed, were blamed for the two deaths, including that of a teenager in Caracas who was heading to a soccer game with friends. In several cities, protesters described being terrorized by militia members, some of them armed and circling the protesters in motorcycles.

As night fell, a group of youths tore down signs and billboards to build barricades from which they threw Molotov cocktails and rocks at riot police.

The two killings bring to seven the death toll since protests began three weeks ago over the Supreme Court’s decision to strip the opposition-controlled congress of its last remaining powers, a move that was later reversed amid a storm of international criticism.

As protesters with burning eyes headed home the opposition called for another round of street demonstrations Thursday.

“If today we were millions tomorrow even more of us need to come out,” said opposition governor and two-time presidential candidate Henrique Capriles, who last week was barred from running for office for 15 years.

The Supreme Court’s decision has energized Venezuela’s fractious opposition, which had been struggling to channel growing disgust with Maduro over widespread food shortages, triple-digit inflation and rampant crime.

Opponents are pushing for Maduro’s removal through early elections and the release of scores of political prisoners. The government last year abruptly postponed regional elections the opposition was heavily favored to win and cut off a petition drive to force a referendum seeking Maduro’s removal before elections late next year. The opposition sees the government measures as turning Venezuela into a nearly full-blown dictatorship.

But the government has shown little interest in backing down.

Maduro, addressing supporters at a much smaller but still large countermarch of mostly state workers, said he was “anxious” to see elections take place sometime “soon” and repeated his call for dialogue, something many in the opposition see as a stalling tactic.

“Today they attempted to take power by force and we defeated them again,” said Maduro, adding that in recent hours authorities had rounded up several armed opponents seeking to carry out a coup.

He didn’t provide any evidence to back up the coup claims, and the opposition rejected them as desperate attempt to intimidate Venezuelans from exercising their constitutional right to protest.

As tensions have mounted, the government has used its almost-complete control of Venezuela’s institutions to pursue its opponents. On Wednesday alone more than 500 protesters were arrested nationwide, according to Penal Forum, a local NGO that provides legal assistance to detainees. It was unclear how many remained in custody.

Foreign governments are also warning about the increasingly bellicose rhetoric coming from the government. The U.S. State Department said those who commit human rights abuses and undermine Venezuela’s democratic institutions would be held accountable.

“We are concerned that the government of Maduro is violating its own constitution and is not allowing the opposition to have their voices heard, nor allowing them to organize in ways that expresses the views of the Venezuelan people,” Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told reporters Wednesday.

Opposition marchers included Liliana Machuca, who earns about $20 a month holding two jobs teaching literature. Although she doesn’t expect change overnight, she said protesting is the only option the opposition has against an entrenched, increasingly repressive government.

“This is like a chess game and each side is moving whatever pieces they can,” said Machuca, her face covered in a white, sticky substance to protect herself from the effects of tear gas. “We’ll see who tires out first.”

More Associated Press reporting on Venezuela’s problems can be found at https://www.ap.org/explore/venezuela-undone</s>Venezuela's opposition leaders are bidding to maintain pressure on President Nicolas Maduro by taking to the streets again - just hours after three people were killed and hundreds arrested in the biggest anti-government demonstration in years.

Tens of thousands of protesters demanding elections and denouncing what they consider to be an increasingly dictatorial government were met by a curtain of tear gas and rubber bullets as they attempted to march to central Caracas on Wednesday.

Dozens had to slide down a concrete embankment and into the Guaire River to escape the noxious fumes. Across the country, the clashes were equally intense.

Pro-government militias, some of whom were armed, were blamed for two of the deaths, including that of a teenager in Caracas who was heading to a football game with friends.

Overnight, a National Guard sergeant was killed and a colonel injured when their squad was attacked with gunfire while trying to control disturbances in a city near Caracas, officials said.

In several cities, protesters described being terrorised by armed militia members who circled them on motorcycles.

As night fell, a group of youths tore down signs and billboards to build barricades from which they threw Molotov cocktails and rocks at riot police.

The three killings brought to eight the death toll since protests began three weeks ago over the Supreme Court's decision to strip the opposition-controlled congress of its last remaining powers, a move that was later reversed amid a storm of international criticism.

As protesters with burning eyes headed home, the opposition called for another round of street demonstrations on Thursday.

"If today we were millions, tomorrow even more of us need to come out," said opposition governor and two-time presidential candidate Henrique Capriles, who last week was barred from running for office for 15 years.

The Supreme Court's decision has energised Venezuela's fractious opposition, which had been struggling to channel growing disgust with Mr Maduro over widespread food shortages, triple-digit inflation and rampant crime.

Opponents are pushing for Mr Maduro's removal through early elections and the release of scores of political prisoners.

The government last year abruptly postponed regional elections the opposition was heavily favoured to win and cut off a petition drive to force a referendum seeking Mr Maduro's removal before elections late next year. The opposition sees the government measures as turning Venezuela into a nearly full-blown dictatorship.

But the government has shown little interest in backing down.

Mr Maduro, addressing supporters at a much smaller but still large counter-march of mostly state workers, said he is "anxious" to see elections take place sometime "soon", and repeated his call for dialogue, something many in the opposition see as a stalling tactic.

"Today they attempted to take power by force and we defeated them again," said Mr Maduro, adding that in recent hours authorities had rounded up several armed opponents seeking to carry out a coup.

He did not provide any evidence to back up the coup claims, and the opposition rejected them as a desperate attempt to intimidate Venezuelans from exercising their constitutional right to protest.</s>People holding placards gather outside the wake of Paola Ramirez, a student who died during a protest, in San Cristobal, Venezuela April 20, 2017. — Reuters pic

CARACAS, April 21 — New clashes erupted yesterday between Venezuelan riot police and President Nicolas Maduro’s opponents, inflaming the tension after a day of deadly unrest in the beleaguered oil-rich nation.

Police fired tear gas and rubber bullets to break up thousands of marchers as they reached a vital freeway in Caracas, then edged back slightly as masked protesters pelted them with stones and Molotov cocktails.

Demonstrators vowed not to flinch in their campaign to oust Maduro, despite three weeks of protest violence that have left eight people dead, including three on Wednesday.

“Sure we’re tired, but we’ve got to stand strong. I’m ready to take to the streets every day if I have to,” said 22-year-old student Aquiles Aldazoro.

Protesters set fire to trash bins and tore down a billboard to barricade themselves in, as officers fired water cannon at them and a police helicopter hovered overhead.

“I don’t care if I inhale gas, I don’t care if I die. We have to put a stop to this murdering, repressing government,” said Natasha Borges, 17.

One protester, completely naked except for sneakers, walked up to police and shouted: “Please, stop gas-bombing us.”

Another draped in a Venezuelan flag defiantly marched up to an armored truck and stared it down.

Clashes also broke out in the flashpoint western city of San Cristobal, Maracaibo in the northwest and Valencia in central Venezuela.

Protesters blame Maduro — heir of the leftist “Bolivarian revolution” launched by the late Hugo Chavez in 1999 — for an economic crisis marked by severe shortages of food, medicine and basic goods.

Pressure on Maduro has been mounting since 2014, as falling prices for Venezuela’s crucial oil exports have sent the once-booming economy into a tailspin.

The crisis has escalated since March 30, when Venezuela’s Supreme Court moved to seize the powers of the legislature, the only lever of state authority not controlled by Maduro and his allies.

Hundreds of thousands of protesters took part in Wednesday’s marches.

A 17-year-old boy and a 23-year-old woman died after they were shot in the head by masked gunmen. Maduro’s camp said a soldier outside Caracas was also killed.

The opposition accuses Maduro of letting state forces and gangs of armed thugs violently repress demonstrators.

Interior Minister Nestor Reverol said one person had been arrested for the soldier’s death, which he called a pre-meditated “act of terror.”

Prosecutors say they are investigating the other two protest deaths.

Numerous businesses and universities remained closed — some in tacit support of the protests, others for fear of a repeat of the previous day’s violence.

Looting erupted amid the chaos Wednesday. In the Paradise neighborhood in western Caracas, looters carted off food and beer from a series of ransacked businesses, residents said.

In poor neighborhoods traditionally loyal to Maduro, some protesters have cited hunger as their reason for joining calls for his ouster.

The escalation of Venezuela’s political crisis since late March has galvanized the often divided opposition in its efforts to force Maduro from power.

The president, in turn, has urged his supporters, the military and civilian militias to defend the “revolution.”

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres yesterday urged all sides in Venezuela to make “concrete gestures” to ease the tension.

The European Union called the deaths of protesters “highly regrettable” and urged all sides to “de-escalate.”

The opposition has called for the military — a pillar of Maduro’s power — to abandon him.

But the defense minister, General Vladimir Padrino Lopez, has pledged the army’s “unconditional loyalty.”

According to a survey by pollster Venebarometro, seven in 10 Venezuelans disapprove of Maduro, whose term does not end until 2019.

The president said Wednesday he is ready for elections to put the “interventionist right-wingers in their place.”

Regional elections due in December were indefinitely postponed and there is still no date for local polls due this year. The next presidential election is due in December 2018. — AFP</s>CARACAS, VENEZUELA—A young Venezuelan man returning home late from work was fatally shot when he got caught in the middle of late-night street clashes that engulfed many working-class neighbourhoods in Caracas. The death Thursday night of Melvin Guitan in a poor neighbourhood in eastern Caracas brings to nine the number of people killed nationwide this month as part of almost-daily, increasingly violent protests against President Nicolas Maduro. Venezuelan social media was ablaze late into the night with grainy cellphone videos of light-armoured vehicles plowing down dark streets to control pockets of protesters who set up burning barricades in several neighbourhoods, including one a short distance from Caracas’ main military base. Amid the disturbances, mothers and newborn children had to be evacuated from a maternity hospital when it was swamped with tear gas. But while anti-government protesters accused riot police of being behind the attack, Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez said armed groups hired by Maduro’s opponents were to blame. Vicente Paez, a local city councillor, said Guitan was an employee of a Caracas-area city governed by an opposition mayor and didn’t partake in the protests. It wasn’t clear who shot him and there was no immediate comment from authorities.

The opposition said they have no intention of pulling back on protests that were triggered when the government-stacked Supreme Court three weeks ago gutted congress of its last vestiges of power, a move that was later reversed amid a storm of international criticism.

At least 3 killed in anti-government protests in Venezuela 2 killed as security forces battle ‘mother of all marches’ in Venezuela Vicente Paez, a local city councillor, said Guitan was an employee of a Caracas-area city governed by an opposition mayor and didn’t partake in the protests. It wasn’t clear who shot him and there was no immediate comment from authorities. The outburst of violence followed a second-straight day of major demonstrations Thursday that saw tens of thousands of Venezuelans flood into the streets to demand elections and denounce what they consider a dictatorial government. The opposition said they have no intention of pulling back on protests that were triggered when the government-stacked Supreme Court three weeks ago gutted congress of its last vestiges of power, a move that was later reversed amid a storm of international criticism. “Twenty days of resistance and we feel newly born,” said opposition lawmaker Freddy Guevara during an evening, outdoor press conference. Residents looking on from balconies in the eastern Caracas neighbourhood that’s at the heart of the protest movement cheered loudly in support. The next planned protest is Saturday, when opponents are being asked to dress in white and march silently to commemorate the victims of the demonstration. There’s also a sit-in to block major highways planned for Monday. General Motors announced early Thursday that it was closing its operations in Venezuela after authorities seized its factory in the industrial city of Valencia, a move that could draw the Trump administration into the escalating chaos engulfing the nation.

The plant was confiscated Wednesday as anti-Maduro protesters clashed with security forces and pro-government groups. The seizure arose from an almost 20-year-old lawsuit brought by a former GM dealership in western Venezuela. Hundreds of workers desperate for information about their jobs gathered at the plant Thursday to meet with government and military officials as well as representatives of the dealership that brought the lawsuit. The neglected factory hasn’t produced a car since 2015, but GM still has 79 dealers that employ 3,900 people in Venezuela, where for decades it was the market leader. The State Department said Thursday it was reviewing details of the GM case but called on Venezuelan authorities to act swiftly and transparently to resolve the dispute. A number of major Latin American governments, including Mexico, Argentina and Brazil, called on Venezuela to take steps to increase democratic order and halt the violence that has been swirling around the protests. Across the country, clashes have been intense as protests grow in size and fervour. The unrest was sparked by a Supreme Court decision last month to strip Venezuela’s opposition-controlled congress of its few remaining powers, a move that was later reversed amid a storm of international criticism. But the initial ruling reinvigorated Venezuela’s fractious opposition, which had been struggling to channel growing disgust with Maduro over widespread food shortages, triple-digit inflation and rampant crime. Opponents are pushing for Maduro’s removal through early elections and the release of dozens of political prisoners. The government last year abruptly postponed regional elections that the opposition was heavily favoured to win and it cut off a petition drive aimed at forcing a referendum seeking Maduro’s removal before elections scheduled for late next year. But the government hasn’t backed down. Already drawing criticism for the GM seizure, Maduro announced late Thursday that he wanted an investigation into cellphone operator Movistar for allegedly being part of the “coup-minded march” organized by his adversaries Wednesday. That march was the largest and most dramatic the country has seen in years. He said the subsidiary of Spain’s Telefonica “sent millions of messages to users every two hours” in support of Wednesday’s protests. As tensions mount, the government is using its almost-complete control of Venezuela’s institutions to pursue its opponents. On Wednesday alone, 565 protesters were arrested nationwide, according to Penal Forum, a local group that provides legal assistance to detainees. It said 334 remained in jail Thursday.</s>Last Thursday, Sebastián Scirpatempo received news in Miami that his older cousin and childhood role model, Gruseny Antonio "Tony" Canelón, died in the university hospital after getting shot at point-blank range by National Guardsmen during an anti-government protest.

Canelón had fought for his life for 30 hours, and even managed to send a short Whatsapp audio message to a friend pleading for help: " I've been taken prisoner in the military hospital. I've been shot, injured. Help me, please!"

Canelón died the following day, on April 13. He was 32.



Had Scirpatempo not fled Venezuela with his mother three months ago, he says he most likely would be been alongside his cousin at last week's protest in their hometown of Cabudare, 220 miles west of Caracas. "Instead of one death, there would have been two," says Scirpatempo's mother, Danelly Pedroza, who raised the two boys like brothers.

In fact, there have been six deaths—the youngest aged 13—in two weeks of violent protests, which have left hundreds of Venezuelans injured and led to 461 arrests. As the opposition and pro-government forces gear up for today's "the mother of all protests," many fear that number of casualties about to uptick once again—possibly in the next few hours as President Nicolas Maduro increasingly finds himself cornered by mounting discontent.

"The government is becoming less interested in containing its own violence," says Venezuela analyst Javier Corrales, a professor of political science at Amherst College. "With each passing day, we see state security forces resorting to more repressive tactics. It's almost as if the government does not care anymore about their violence being displayed on the media. If these coercive tactics continue, it's hard to predict how protesters will respond."



While the increasingly erratic behavior of Maduro's regime has made it impossible to predict anything in Venezuela, all the warning signs ahead of today's scheduled protest point to trouble.

"Maduro's attitude in advance of the April 19 opposition protest — saying he would arm militias, organizing pro-government rallies at the same time, and calling demonstrators "terrorists" — is hugely irresponsible," says José Miguel Vivanco, director of Human Rights Watch's Americas division. "In a country where security forces have brutally repressed anti-government demonstrations, pro-government armed gangs have attacked demonstrators, and the justice system has jailed opponents on trumped up charges, the government's bully attitude is a recipe for disaster."

Maduro gave the latest sign of apparent political paranoia on Tuesday night by going on state television and announcing that his government had foiled an alleged coup plot led by a retired Venezuelan military officer. Maduro said military intelligence will be going after after all civilian and military coup-plotters, including those "who have been captured or fled to Colombia." The government has pointed to plots in the past, without providing proof.

The international community, under the reinvigorated leadership of the Organization of American States (OAS), is urging calm and trying to coax Maduro back from the ledge.

On Tuesday, Argentina, Brasil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay signed a joint communique calling on the Venezuelan government to guarantee its people the constitutional right to peaceful protest and "impede any action of violence against protesters." The 11 countries are also urgiing Venezuelan protesters to demonstrate peacefully, and for the government to finally set a date for elections "to allow for a solution to the serious crisis that faces Venezuela and worries the region."



As for the thousands of Venezuelans who have already left their country, they continue to support the cause from abroad, stay active on social media, and try to raise international awareness so that young Venezuelans like Canelón don't have to keep dying at the hands of the Maduro government.

"He can't be forgotten. This can't just be one more death under the Maduro regime," says his cousin Scirpatempo, who plans to join one of the Venezuela solidarity protests today in Miami. "Tony fought for his ideals and for the reconstruction of Venezuela. We have to continue that struggle so his death wasn't in vain. This can't go on forever."</s>(CARACAS, Venezuela) — Venezuela's opposition is looking to keep up pressure on President Nicolas Maduro by taking to the streets again Thursday hours after three people were killed and hundreds arrested in the biggest anti-government demonstrations in years.

Tens of thousands of protesters demanding elections and denouncing what they consider to be an increasingly dictatorial government were met by a curtain of tear gas and rubber bullets as they attempted to march to downtown Caracas on Wednesday. Dozens had to slide down a concrete embankment and into the Guaire River to escape the noxious fumes.

Across the country, the clashes were intense. Pro-government militias, some of whose members were armed, were blamed for the two deaths, including that of a teenager in Caracas who was heading to a soccer game with friends. Overnight, a National Guard sergeant was killed and a colonel injured when their squad was attacked with gunfire while trying to control disturbances in a city near Caracas, the chief prosecutor's office said.

In several cities, protesters described being terrorized by militia members, some of them armed and circling the protesters on motorcycles.

As night fell, a group of youths tore down signs and billboards to build barricades from which they threw Molotov cocktails and rocks at riot police.

The three killings bring to eight the death toll since protests began three weeks ago over the Supreme Court's decision to strip the opposition-controlled congress of its last remaining powers, a move that was later reversed amid a storm of international criticism.

As protesters with burning eyes headed home, the opposition called for another round of street demonstrations on Thursday.

"If today we were millions, tomorrow even more of us need to come out," said opposition governor and two-time presidential candidate Henrique Capriles, who last week was barred from running for office for 15 years.

In the midst of the demonstrations, General Motors announced it had stopped doing business in Venezuela after authorities took control of its only factory in the country in what GM said was an illegal judicial seizure of its assets.

The plant was confiscated on Wednesday as anti-government protesters clashed with authorities in a country that is roiling in economic troubles such as food shortages and triple-digit inflation.

The Detroit automaker said in a statement Thursday that other assets such as vehicles were taken from the plant, causing irreparable damage to the company. GM has about 2,700 workers in the country, where it's been the market leader for over 35 years.

The Supreme Court's decision has energized Venezuela's fractious opposition, which had been struggling to channel growing disgust with Maduro over widespread food shortages, triple-digit inflation and rampant crime.

Opponents are pushing for Maduro's removal through early elections and the release of scores of political prisoners. The government last year abruptly postponed regional elections the opposition was heavily favored to win and cut off a petition drive to force a referendum seeking Maduro's removal before elections late next year. The opposition sees the government measures as turning Venezuela into a nearly full-blown dictatorship.

But the government has shown little interest in backing down.

Maduro, addressing supporters at a much smaller but still large countermarch of mostly state workers, said he was "anxious" to see elections take place sometime "soon" and repeated his call for dialogue, something many in the opposition see as a stalling tactic.

"Today they attempted to take power by force and we defeated them again," said Maduro, adding that in recent hours authorities had rounded up several armed opponents seeking to carry out a coup.

He didn't provide any evidence to back up the coup claims, and the opposition rejected them as desperate attempt to intimidate Venezuelans from exercising their constitutional right to protest.

As tensions have mounted, the government has used its almost-complete control of Venezuela's institutions to pursue its opponents. On Wednesday alone, more than 500 protesters were arrested nationwide, according to Penal Forum, a local NGO that provides legal assistance to detainees. It was unclear how many people remained in custody.

Foreign governments are also warning about the increasingly bellicose rhetoric coming from the government. The U.S. State Department said those who commit human rights abuses and undermine Venezuela's democratic institutions would be held accountable.

"We are concerned that the government of Maduro is violating its own constitution and is not allowing the opposition to have their voices heard, nor allowing them to organize in ways that expresses the views of the Venezuelan people," Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told reporters Wednesday.

Opposition marchers included Liliana Machuca, who earns about $20 a month holding two jobs teaching literature. Although she doesn't expect change overnight, she said protesting is the only option the opposition has against an entrenched, increasingly repressive government.

"This is like a chess game and each side is moving whatever pieces they can," said Machuca, her face covered in a white, sticky substance to protect herself from the effects of tear gas. "We'll see who tires out first."</s>Mayor @CarlosOcariz confirms one more dead in #Venezuela after clases in the neighborhood of Petare, western Caracas. it was a bloody night pic.twitter.com/XeX8BsT9Xu</s>Demonstrators are taking to the streets of Venezuela to protest President Maduro in what is potentially going to become a large scale march

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — The latest on opposition and pro-government marches in Venezuela. (all times local):

Rodriguez spoke Wednesday during a visit to the Portuguese capital of Lisbon, referring to dueling opposition and pro-government marches being held the same day in the South American country.

The Cuban official notes that Venezuela is a sovereign state with a democratically elected government.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has accused the U.S. State Department of encouraging Venezuelan opponents to attempting a government overthrow. American officials have rejected such charges in the past.

Opponents of President Nicolas Maduro have called on Venezuelans to take to the streets for what they’ve dubbed the “mother of all marches” against the embattled socialist leader.

Demonstrators are converging from 26 different points spread across the capital to attempt to march downtown to the Ombudsman’s office. It’s a route tens of thousands of angry protesters have attempted a half-dozen times in the past few weeks only to find their progress blocked by light-armored vehicles and a curtain of tear gas and rubber bullets fired by riot police officers.

At least five deaths have been blamed on the strong-armed response to protests that were triggered by the government-stacked Supreme Court’s decision three weeks ago to strip the opposition-controlled congress of its last remaining powers.
Venezuelans continue their march against President Nicolás Maduro with thousands flocking into the streets of Caracas for a second day.