Tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets again on Thursday to demand elections and condemn what they say is an essentially dictatorial government.
Protests intensified on April 19, after the "mother of all marches", which corresponded to the destitution of the Spanish-designated ruler Vicente Emparan back in 1810, marking the first steps toward the independence of Venezuela.
Eight people were electrocuted to death during a looting incident in Caracas, a firefighter said on Friday, amid violent protests against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by opponents accusing him of seeking to create a dictatorship.
(AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos). A woman is aided by fellow demonstrators after falling, overcome by tear gas, during anti-government protests in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, April 20, 2017. Tens of thousands of protesters asking for the resignation of Pre.
The opposition has accused Maduro of letting state forces and gangs of armed thugs violently repress demonstrators as he resists opposition pressure for him to quit.
Among those killed during protest violence Wednesday was Niumar Jose Sanclemente Barrios, a 28-year-old sergeant with the National Guard, who was apparently killed by sniper fire during riots in the Caracas suburb of San Antonio de las Altas.
The crisis escalated on March 30, when the Supreme Court moved to seize the powers of the legislature, the only lever of state authority not controlled by Maduro and his allies.
They are calling for community-level protests across the country on Friday, a white-clad "silent" march in Caracas on Saturday to commemorate those killed in the unrest, and a nationwide "sit-in" blocking Venezuela's main roads on Monday.
"Twenty days of resistance and we feel newly born", said opposition lawmaker Freddy Guevara during an evening, outdoor press conference.
General Motors was forced to shut down their operations in the industrial hub of Valencia when the local authorities illegally took over their plant and seized it. Venezuela is already facing huge economic crisis and political differences and their inflation rate have reached almost 800 percent in the month of January.
Fleeing with student, teacher took guns, cash and wife's car
Cummins also faces one count of sexual contact with a minor from an incident that allegedly happened earlier this year. The agency tweeted just before noon that Tad Cummins had been arrested and Elizabeth Thomas had been safely recovered.
American auto giant, GM, announced Thursday it was closing its Venezuelan plant after it was confiscated by government authorities on Wednesday.
State Department Mark Toner says USA officials are reviewing the details of an nearly 20-year-old lawsuit that led the Venezuelan government to seize a General Motors factory in the South American country.
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 filed the lawsuit.
Toner says the State Department calls on authorities "to ensure that this long-running civil case is resolved rapidly and transparently".
Public anger at the situation spilled over last month when the Supreme Court, which is seen as close to the government, briefly assumed the powers of the Congress.
But the initial ruling reinvigorated 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.
On Thursday, Maduro said the opposition was ready to begin dialogue, but his opponents denied the claim, saying the only way forward is to call elections.
The protesters, backed by the US government and the Organization of American States, OAS, have also supported calls for privatizing Venezuela's publicly-run Petroleum of Venezuela, PDVSA, oil and natural gas company.
GM's Venezuelan operations have been a drag on earnings for several years.
Maduro claimed that Movistar has sent millions of messages to its users to promote the anti-government protests that have rocked Venezuela in recent weeks.
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