Juan guaido

Five months since Guaido claimed himself the interim president, situation in Venezuela still remains at a standstill.

An apparently carefully planned attempt by Guaido to demonstrate growing military support disintegrated into rioting as palls of black smoke rose over eastern Caracas.

The Venezuelan government said opposition leader Juan Guaido would be barred from public office for 15 years on Thursday, as it seeks to crack down on the U.S.-backed rival to President Nicolas Maduro.

In an effort to secure the backing of Venezuela’s military, Guaido proposed an amnesty for officers who turn on Maduro’s government.

Maduro, who denies the existence of a humanitarian crisis, dismisses the opposition moves as a "political show" and a cover for a US invasion.

The 193-nation United Nations has been divided between countries that support Juan Guaido and those who back Nicolas Maduro.

Members of the South American country’s security forces fear they or their families could be targeted by Maduro if they defect.

Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro has been trying for several months to repatriate international gold reserves deposited in London.

Maduro dismissed the need for aid on Wednesday as a "political show." "Imperialism does not help anyone in the world," he told Russia Today.

In Washington, US President Donald Trump warned that a US military intervention remains "an option" in dealing with the crisis in oil-rich Venezuela.