detail exactly what they are planning to do but what mike pompeo has said as they want to support mr guaidolan to set upa guaido and help him with a plan to set up a transitional government and then arrange free and fair elections and this will be the american dream that there would be an orderly tra nsfer of that there would be an orderly transfer of power in venezuela. so thatis transfer of power in venezuela. so that is what they want in the big picture to do. they have also said and this is a phrase they use often that they have all options on the table should mr miller out respond with violence or things get out of control they have not talked about military options. donald trump was asked what he said we are not considering anything to all options are on the table but what he talked about his economic options. so there has been consideration for a while about whether to increase sanctions to target the oil industry which is vital because that is a means of revenue for venezuela so if they decide to take punitive action that will be the first that probably. thank you very much and dive

mr. guaido >> yes this is a process. it's a long process.sition, and we are in the route, in the correct route, if finish the -- have a transition to have a free election right now we are one with the military and with the police today we are given in their hands the law, the amnesty law to say come and put in order and spaut port thersupport. the president put in the constitution and start rescue our country. right now our president is juan guaido but this is a very important moment in our history, because with all the support of the international community, we are help, hill te militaries an milissa port juan guaido. >> a lot of criticism that the president of the united states by supporting mr. guaido and the coordination in which it happened, some critics here, even appointment of elliott abrams a controversial figure, some are saying this is arca 1960s and '70s when the united states supported coups in latin america. what do you say to critics who say that the united states is overthrowing a government in venezuela by supporting mr. gua

on saturday brazil recognised mr guaido as venezuela's legitimate president.to the government's decision to more than double the price of fuel overnight. the main union organisation condemned the move as provocative and insensitive. president emmerson mnangagwa blamed severe fuel shortages on increased consumption. three people have been killed — and a fourth is missing — after an avalanche near the austrian ski resort of lech. austria has been hit by record snowfall in the past week — and there have been more than twenty weather related deaths across parts of the alps so far this month. bethany bell reports. mountain regions in austria are used to snow, but this is extreme. days of heavy snowfall are taking their toll. last night, three skiers from germany were killed in an avalanche in lech. their bodies were found on a ski route that had been closed off because of the danger of avalanches. a fourth person is still missing. translation: yesterday evening we decided to cancel the search because it had become too dangerous. we know how the weather will develop

on saturday brazil recognised mr guaido as venezuela's legitimate president.orld news. still to come... from a communist militant to a crime novel writer — who is cesare battisti, who has just been arrested in bolivia ? day one of operation desert storm to force the iraqis out of kuwait has seen force the iraqis out of kuwait has seen the most intense air attack since the second world war. you are bobbing tobacco is america's oldest industry and one of its biggest, but the industry is nervous of this report. this may tend to make people wa nt to report. this may tend to make people want to stop smoking cigarettes. report. this may tend to make people want to stop smoking cigarettesm not a street that is unaffected. huge parts of code they were simply demolished as buildings crashed into one another. this woman said she'd been given no help and no advice by the authorities. she stood outside the authorities. she stood outside the ruins of her business. tens of thousands of black children in south africa have ta ken thousands of black children in south africa ha

mr. guaido, maduro, if they can open their hearts and let the men go it's been 14 months without our fathertrish: i hope he comes home very, very soon. thank you. trish: juan guaido taking to the streets today with the protesters while nicolas maduro hard with his military. it was a desperate attempt to show he has the back of the armed forces. amid this prom and circumstance. nicolas maduro admitted he would be willing to negotiate with the opposition. but they are not so keen on it. i just got off the phone with juan guaido and he said he's not will evening toker into negotiations. juan c. sources say there are already u.s. troops on the imrownd tonight in colombia. joining me right now for more. chairman for the institute of the studied of war. retired four-star general jack keane. general, good to have you here. i spoke to the president of the united states on the telephone yesterday. and he said to me as far as venezuela goes, all options are on the table. what does that mean to you tonight, sir. >> they are not going to publicly take an option off the table. but i think the option tha

the us, together with many other nations, is recognising mr guaido as interim president and vowing toff the existing government's source of revenue. that could take the form of further sanctions according to president trump. venezuela already faces various restrictions on accessing us financial markets. but not, so far, on its vital oil industry. oil makes up 95% of venezuela's revenue and the us is the biggest customer. more than half of that revenue, though, goes straight back out again to service debts. venezuelans already face spiralling prices for everyday goods. the international monetary fund predicts inflation will rise to 10 million percent this year. it's already at 1.3 million percent. the government introduced a new currency last year — the sovereign bolivar — knocking five zeros off the existing currency to mask the effects of inflation. but it has already slumped to more than 630 to the us dollar. carlos pascual is a former us diplomat and economic affairs analyst. he spoke to the bbc at the world economic forum in davos about the scale of the crisis facing venezuela. i

mr guaido has called for more protests.economy in freefall, millions have already fled the country, and thousands are leaving every day to escape violence or just to find food. many pass through the city of cucuta, on the border with colombia, from where aleem maqbool has sent us this report. through fields and streams around the border, we find desperate venezuelans crossing illegally into colombia. among them is yulet, a schoolteacher, here with her cousin, but upset at having had to leave her mother back home. translation: it's horrible. we're going through all of this just to get a bit of food, because there's nothing in venezuela. there's nothing. as it was, she told us, her monthly salary could onlyjust buy her a dozen eggs. the growing international condemnation of venezuela's president clearly isn't persuading people here their troubles will soon be over. well, many of those venezuelans who have come here tell us the only way they feel their president is going to step down is not as a direct result of the western pr

mr. guaido? >> well, it would certainly continue to strengthen them, but the european union giving a space of a week for the government to accept there would be new elections is important because it allows time for negotiations. and another thing that they really must consider is -- and that makes this more complicated is what guarantees will they give to the governing party to continue to participate in the supporters to have a political life in a future venezuela? >> well, let's take it back a step here. mr. guaido, he's 35 years old. he's planning a massive rally next week. how did this relative unknown become an opposition figure with heft? >> well, he kind of rose up to the top of his party because many of the older leaders were exiled or imprisoned so it came down to him. but it's been -- he's given a miraculous sort of sign of hope to many people and he's exerted his leadership and his communication skills. i think his coalition building skills in a very savvy way. so that he is proving to

i suppose it may not be entirely helpful to mr guaido, within the country, that he has the backing oflearly taking the main role here, and given the us history in latin america, it makes it very easy for mr maduro to say that this is merely an imperialist plot to take over venezuela and in fact, it's not really that. much of the rest of the hemisphere and most of the biggest governments, biggest countries in latin america, are behind juan guaido. even the european union which has so far not come out as recognising him as interim president, is reported to be considering that move. and the government's isolation, maduro's isolation is increasing. he is being pushed against the ropes, if you like, but the question is, is there a way out for him? because if there isn't, he has no incentive to negotiate. how much help to mr maduro can the countries backing him be? seems a little rich for say russia and china to complain about interference in independent states? well, that's right. i'm not sure they can be of much use. they can certainly be of use in the security council. there's a security

mr guaido claims he is constitutionally entitled to the presidency because maduro, he says, usurped powerimate. before the protests, mr guaido spoke to the bbc. our international correspondent orla guerrin asked him if calling for more demonstrations wasn't risking more bloodshed. translation: caracas is the world's most dangerous city in terms of murders per capita, it is dangerous just to live here. because people had been mobilising, they have caught the interest of the world and we are getting support. protesting isa we are getting support. protesting is a necessary risk. but in a concession ahead of today's protest maduro said he'd consider early assembly elections — while then dismissing outright the possibility of a presidential poll like the opposition is demanding. let's cross live to caracas and speak to the bbc‘s guillermo olmo. good to have you with us. is it possible to gauge the size of the protest? well, what i saw today walking around caracas, it was not a huge crowd but there were small groups of people, thousands of people that have gathered at the entrance of their work

mr. guaidÓ the legitimate elected leader, heomising to back him with ght of u.s. and diplomatic power. >> are you considering a military option fo venezuela? pres. trump: we are not considering anything, but all options are on the table. >> does that mean -- pres. trump: all options, always. .l options are on the tab barbara: it was a coordinated bid to oust nicolas maduro, the hard left president blamed for venezuela'sic profound econom crisis. he has responded by breaking off diplomatic relations with the u.s. for months already, americha official been criticizing israel as a disastrous -- criticizing his rule as a ansastrous dictatorship. this week they bo get more explicit. the vice president said the u.s. would stand with the people until they restore democracy. vice pres. pence: hola i'm mike pence, vice president of the united states, and on behalf of president donald trump and the american people, let me express the unwavering support of the united states as you the people of venezuela razor voices -- raise your voices in a call for freedom. barbara: mr. t

mr. guaidÓ by phone to offer his support. our correspondent orla guerin sent this report from caracas.student leader stands alone, pleadinfor a better venezuela. "it is what we all deserve," he says. "think abouthat when you go me tonight." the security forces remain impassive. they are likely to decide the future here, and f now it seems they are standing with president nicolas maduro. but the oppositionas its foot soldiers, young activists who feel a renewed sense of hope. the students have brought their protests to the edge of the highway. the opposition wants tmekeep up the um. it sayswa is peaceful demonstrations and peaceful change. but there is a real sense that this is a pivotal momentor venezuela, and everyone is aware of the risk of more bloodshed. larger protests are planned fo saturday. the young activists we metev bee their time has come. >> we were born in a dictatorship, we have lived all our lives in a situation that getsvery time worse. this is the year we feel we actually have an actual backing, international support. everything is colliding. theents are here to suppo

mr. guaido as venezuela's legitimate sitting president. now, mr. speaker, it's time to choose to stand with the courageous protesters demanding freedom, many of them bruised and bloodied from the violence perpetrated by the -- on them by the maduro thugs. reports indicate at least 29 have been killed, protesters, just since last week. and the maduro regime holds hundreds of political prisoners. the maduro regime has ruthlessly corrupted venezuela's once democratic institutions, including the supreme court. the u.n. high commission of human rights and others have denounced egregious human ights abuses, extra judicial killings, torture. we have seen that the venezuelan people continue -- continue to demand freedom in the face of tear gas, imprisonment and, yes, even bullets. the united states is standing with the venezuelan people, sanctioned 65 of the most corrupt and abusive members of the maduro regime, including maduro himself. congress and the administration are also working to alleviate the grave humanitarian crisis that the maduro regime has c

mr. guaidÓ: caracas world's most dangerous city in terms of murders per capita.ngerous just to live here. but because people have been mobilizing, they have caught the interest of the world and we art g support. protesting is a necessary risk. orla: juan pablo took that risk during the last majo antigovernment demonstrations in 2017. his parents have turned his room into a shrine. the 20-year-old played basketball for his country, and, they say, was killed trying to make it a better place. >> he washot at close range by one of the national guard. why didn't they shoot my baby in the arm or leg? they killed him because he wanted a future for his country. orla: like many here, alvira believes change is coming this time, and says that will bring her son solace. but she fears more of venezuela's young will pay with their lives. orla guerin, bbc news, caracas. laura: the suffering amid political cos in venezuela. , mp's votedonight to renegotiate with the eu over the brexit deal. to avoid a hard border between northern ireland and the irish republic, a comproe se know

mr. guaido to try to guaido did nd everything quite the opposite. of course he was under pressure.ere communications president trump and vice president pence. you see, president trump is ready -- already regrets improve.at things will if you recall what happened with addam hussein or with gaddafi, in spite of all the assurances, they were killed. but the united states is withdrawing forces from syria. well, they're going to try to start a new war in latin america, venezuela. we're not going to give them that satisfaction. peace and stability and understanding will prevail in venezuela in spite of all the efforts of the countries presents here who are trying to trigger a war, incite a war. i also want to tell you that europe triede that to -- is trying to give us, you recalled -- wrote back in 1818, the first time he had an argument with the united states, if you'll recall, the united states did not support the fight for freedom of our country. they had become independent by their own -- by winning the revolutionary war against the british empire but when the colonies of south ameri

the us — together with many other nations — is recognising mr guaido as interim president — and vowingisting government's source of revenue. that could take the form of further sanctions — according to president trump. venezuela already faces various restrictions on accessing us financial markets. but not — so far — on its vital oil industry. oil makes up 95% of venezuela's revenue — and the us is the biggest customer. more than half of that revenue, though, goes straight back out again to service debts. venezuelans already face spiralling prices for everyday goods. the international monetary fund predicts inflation will rise to 10 million percent this year. it's already at 1.3 million percent. the government introduced a new currency last year — the sovereign bolivar — knocking five zeros off the existing currency to mask the effects of inflation. but it has already slumped to more than 630 to the us dollar. staggering numbers there. thank - for thank for in. what is going on mind—boggling, what is going on there, ’3 f°r mind—boggling, what is going on there, - 57:5 for fuel for there

mr guaido declared himself interim head of state last week. 0ur correspondent 0rla guerin reports fromenezuela. "it's what we all deserve," he says. "think about that when you go home tonight." the security forces remain impassive. they are likely to decide the future here. and for now, it seems they are standing with president nicolas maduro. but the opposition has its foot soldiers, young activists who feel a renewed sense of hope. well, the students have brought their protest to the edge of the highway. the opposition here wants to keep up the momentum. it says it wants peaceful demonstrations and peaceful change, but there is a real sense here that this is a critical moment for venezuela and everyone is aware of the risk of more bloodshed. larger protests are planned for saturday. the young activists we met believe their time has come. we were born in a dictatorship. we lived all our lives in a situation that gets every time worse, and this is the year that we feel we actually have an actual backing, international support. everything is colliding, so students are here to support th

president trump has offered mr guaido his support, and the us has imposed some sanctions on venezuelaer stands alone, pleading for a better venezuela. "it's what we all deserve," he says. "think about that when you go home tonight." the security forces remain impassive. they are likely to decide the future here. and for now, it seems they are standing with president nicolas maduro. but the opposition has its foot soldiers, young activists who feel a renewed sense of hope. well, the students have brought their protest to the edge of the highway. the opposition wants to keep up the momentum. it says it wants peaceful demonstrations and peaceful change but there is a real sense here that this is a critical moment for venezuela and everyone is aware of the risk of more bloodshed. larger protests are planned for saturday. the young activists we met believe their time has come. we were born in a dictatorship. we lived all our lives in a situation that gets every time worse, and this is the year that we feel we actually have an actual backing, international support. everything is colliding,

president trump has offered mr guaido his support, and the us has imposed some sanctions on venezuelaudent leader stands alone, pleading for a better venezuela. "it is what we all deserve," he says. "think about that when you go home tonight." the security forces remain impassive. they are likely to decide the future here. a student leader stands alone, pleading for a better venezuela. they are likely to decide the future here. and, for now, it seems they are standing with president nicolas maduro. but the opposition has its foot soldiers, young activists who feel a renewed sense of hope. well, the students have brought their protest to the edge of the highway. the opposition here wants to keep up the momentum. it says it wants peaceful demonstrations and peaceful change but there is a real sense here that this is a critical moment for venezuela and everyone is aware of the risk of more bloodshed. larger protests are planned for saturday. the young activists we met believe their time has come. we were born in a dictatorship. we lived all our lives in a situation that gets every time w

mr. guaido and his representatives on governmental issues. ladies and gentlemen, all of these are part of an ongoing effort by the international community to address the issue of this government, which has in 20 years' time turned venezuela into a functional nightmare. the second part of the strategy is what is generally referred to as planning for the day after. if in fact we have read the book before and we know how it ends, even though we may not know exactly when or how it will end, we the international community have something of an obligation to plan for that moment, the day after the collapse, and begin to think about what in terms of assistance, of infrastructure and support can be provided. there's a great deal of planning that has already gone into this. reports that have been developed by academics within the oas, by a number of citizens both inside venezuela and outside. it's time to bring them out, dust them off and begin to assign names to the individual elements of the plan. it is time perhaps to decide exactly what new legisla

mr. guaido: i swear to assume all the powers of the national executive as interim president of venezuela,o secure an end of the your soup a -- of the usurpation, and to have a free election. let god and country reward us, and if not, let god and country demanded. amy: venezuela's sitting president nicolas maduro, recently sworn into a second six-year term, responded to trump by breaking off relations with the united states. pres. maduro: i am announcing to the free people and countries of the world that as the constitutional president, head of state, head of government, i am fulfilling my duties to which i swore people to respect the independent sovereignty and peace of the republic, i have decided to break a and political relations with the. list united states -- with the imperialist united states. signed in a name of the people of venezuela. amy: the european union and the lima group have joined the u.s. in recognizing opposition leader juan guaido as interim president. cuba, andina, turkey, bolivia are among nations expressing support for maduro. the united states has been ratcheting u

mr. guaido, i wonder whether you can in english give a message to the american people about your goals forezuela? what would you like the american people to know about what is happening there? >> i want to talk to the american people to help us to recover our z-ems, our liberty and i know maybe venezuela people in your country, you know, what good people we are and we want to reconstruction our country, our liberty. >> nick paton walsh is live in bog ga ta. >> reporter: while he was giving a speech, police special forces have appeared to enter his home where his daughter and his daughter's grandmother were. now we don't have pictures of that alleged intrusion and it's being aligned with venezuela police but it still sparked a very fierce reaction from a senior u.s. administration official saying that there would be people being held to account for this kind of intimidation. marco rubio is equally outspoken. we heard from another u.s. official that they believe and hearing reports of plane loads of gold being flown to russia, unconfirmed. this might be the last minute looting of the maduro

mr. guaido, the moves that he's been making to try and get some kind of grip on the levers of power insideot really worked until now. the u.s. has been very quick to recognize him as the interim president. he self-declared. he said there's part of venezuela law that means he is technically now the successor. he swore himself in. the question today is whether these calls will make more people come out onto the streets. now a senior white house official has been going onto say that they're not in contact with the maduro government or the venezuela military and point out that there is a lot of rancor within lower parts. these are the people keeping maduro in power. when the money begins to run out due to increased pressure from american sanctions, that could begin to crack. today is about the protests. is it going to be peaceful, what kind of numbers are they going to see and does that make the people around maduro rethink where they're going. >>> ahead, chicago police and the fbi this morning are investigating what they call a possible hate crime after an actor from the show "empire" says he

mr. guaido and being willing to talk with him.the defense ministry itself, the civilian control over the military, and many of the generals are still pledging their loyalty to maduro. the military is caught in the middle here, which is never a good thing on a political stage and it's not clear where it's going to go. >> will that be the deciding factor, the tipping point, whichever way the military goes? >> i think it's going to be significant but more important is how maduro and guaido move forward to try to negotiate themselves out of this. what worries me today is that guaido is calling for counterprotests. i get that. i understand that. but not behooving to anybody for those protests to turn violent. when those protests turn violent, on whose side are they going to come? it's really, really important getting the two sides to try to encourage them to talk their way through this and have a negotiated settlement. >> nick paton walsh showed us the most hideous report of what it looks like on the ground. so much worse than we imagi

mr. guaido's plan, he would call fresh elections and eventually venezuela will return to democracy but that'sway off. >> what is the risk to juan guaido >> i think there are various risks. there's a practical, physical risk that he could be arrested we've seen the detention of various members of his party and other opposition parties in venezuela, so there is a risk to his person that said, the fact that the international community has rale lied behind him with the with the united states, with canada and with latin american countries all recognizing him as interim president gives him some sort of safeguard. i think it would be very difficult now for the maduro regime to arrest him the international outcry over such a move would be tremendous. i think in that sense it's protection there is a risk to him for sure. >> gideon long of the financial times. we appreciate your insight thank you very much. >>> all this upheaval in venezuela could have a big impact on global oil venezuela is already looking for other non-u.s. markets for its oil by selling tankers around the world. practice what's know

mr. guaido as the president of venezuela, the interim president. hope that the european union is going to do the same. already germany, spain, france, many countries of the european union have said that juan guaido is the president. we have to remember the reason of this crisis. the problem was the election that we had last year, the presidential election. we had a fraudulent presidential election, and out of that, mr. maduro wants to be in power for six more years. when we had this election, the european union, the u.s., canada, all of the democratic world said that that election was fraudulent election. so, at this point, we are conducting a very fierce struggle for recovering democracy, the constitutional law, the constitutional rule in venezuela. >> let me just ask you this, then, because the constitutional point that you're following by taking this move says that now the interim president, juan guaido, has to call new elections within 30 days of making that move. is that even possible? will you be able to actually abide by that part of the con

mr. guaido? >> we should be involved as part of a multinational effort. by the way, the countries in the region agree. they have no allies left to speak of. increasingly countries are saying why don't we come together as a group of latin american and north american countries to address this issue. that's the right what i to do it. we need to be careful not to do it unilaterally and in conjunction with the other countries, we should be taking -- >> neil: they're not doing anything. i understand the trepidation on our part and those in the region from columbia to ecuador. there will be a lot of vial license, maduro is known for killing journalists, political enemies. if it escalates to that, senator, would you advise the president of the united states, we must do something? >> it's something we should look at. again, do it on a multilateral basis. we have a lot of support for this. the u.n. ought to be more involved. other than cuba, nobody is supporting maduro. so we have him isolated. we ought to take advantage of that. >> neil: thanks, senator. i know yo

we ask that question to 0nenote mr guaido a new representatives here and what this relationship and influencee said china is business and they let a lot of money to venezuela on the condition that venezuela is my chinese product was not with russia, economic, $7 million, the total investment is 25 billion in various sectors. they wa nt to billion in various sectors. they want to have a payback for that. he said for them it is more than that it is geopolitical and establishing a strong ally in the western hemisphere which is on the united states doorstep. in that sense, there is a new element of tension between us and russia and given the battle over mr maduro and his taking on the trappings of the cold war. thank you. we want to explore the broader context of what is happening in venezuela and barbara was the perfect bulimic perfect person to turn to. —— make perfect person to turn to. —— make perfect person to turn to. maduro fights to control venezuela, the world's larges oil reserves, and accuses guaido of staging a us—directed coup against him. the polar vortex in the us has killed at lea

mr. guaido? >> number one, i'm not the ouster in chief or anything like it.ongs to the venezuelan people. this is their movement. this is about them. they are courageous and facing imprisonme imprisonment. the decider here is the president, who has never needed convincing on venezuela. do i offer ideas? sure. he has a team around him. he has never needed convincing. he has raised it with me, the issue of venezuela, more than i raised it with him. he cares about this. as far as the analysts saying there's no plan b, how would they know? we wouldn't -- the government -- trump administration is not going to publish a plan, here is what we're going to do to keep our phones safolks safe. i have been in touch with the people in charge of this, they have a plan. they have several con ten againagain -- con continue again says. no harm should come to the diplomats. if it does, there will be consequences. as far as the military option, i don't know who is calling for that. i can tell you this, this applies to venezuela, anywhere in the world, the united states has alwa

it comes after mr guaido announced earlier today that his opposition movement had held secret meetings bbc‘s americas newsroom editor. tell us, these events have been very fast moving. how would you describe the power of market compared to maduro at this point.” the power of market compared to maduro at this point. i think he is ona maduro at this point. i think he is on a very fragile situation. he has been personally threatened now. last week the supreme court issued to start a criminal proceedings against him. his assets have been seized, and he has been barred from leaving the country, said there is very heavy pressure on him, and so far, heavy pressure on him, and so far, he has remained defiant. but you can hear it and what he says, he says, for example, he has been talking to the military, he knows that the military is the key to hend be able to gain the keys to venezuela. white back and do we have any idea what way the military by is leaning, because we then turn hear the same from mr maduro that he has got the com plete from mr maduro that he has got the complete faith and loy

mr guaido, who called for demonstrations, declared himself acting leader in caracas today.ng extremists could exploit what he described as the "febrile" atmosphere around brexit. assistant commissioner neil basu said he was concerned about the "creeping threat" posed by far—right groups. here's our home affairs correspondent, danny shaw. march 2017, the murderous attack outside the houses of parliament was the first of five terror attacks in six months. since that date, police and the security service and i had flailed 18 other plants, been expired —— inspired. fora loud right wing extremist, they make up a growing amount of work for counterterrorism detectives and now there are concerns that heated debate over brexit could stir things up debate over brexit could stir things up further in. we saw a spike in hate crime after the referendum. that has never really receded, so there is always a possibility that people are being radicalised by the kind of febrile atmosphere we had at the moment, we want people to report anything that we think will lead to violent confrontation a

mr. guaido? >> let me answer that in three parts.chief or anything like it the credit belongs to the venezuelan people. they have taken to the streets this is their movement this is about them they are courageous and facing the threat of imprisonment number two, the decider here is the president who has never needed convincing on venezuela do i offer ideas sure he has a team around him he has never needed convincing he has raised it with me, the issue of venezuela, more than i raised it with him i haven't had to raise it with him. he cares about this. as far as the analysts saying how would they know? the trump administration is not going to publish a plan, here's what we'll do to keep our folks safe i can tell you i have been in contact with the state department and the people in charge of this and they do have a plan and they have several contingencies to plan on the most important, no harm should ever come to the diplomats. mike pompeo was clear about it yesterday. as far as the military option, i can only tell you this this appli

mr guaido, who called for the demonstrations, declared himself acting leader in caracas today.t ahead of the demonstrations. a leading brexit supporter — the mp jacob rees—mogg says he believes theresa may's deal could be "reformed" to win round opponents. the deadlock has been over the irish border — and the so called "backstop" arrangement. today's comments have fuelled speculation mr rees—mogg and other brexiteers could now be persuaded to support the prime minister's deal. the government of zimbabwe has defended the crackdown by its security forces, following viole nt protests over rising fuel prices. a spokesman told the bbc, ‘when things get out of hand, a bit of firmness is needed'. zimbabwe's human rights commission has accused the security forces of using systematic torture against protestors. italy's far right interior minister, matteo salvini, has said the european union's mission to combat people smuggling in the central med will have to close unless its rules are changed. mr salvini reiterated his objections to migrants rescued in the course of operation sophia bei

mr. guaido spoken to donald trump earlier today on the phone. representative from his camp will go to the white house to speak directly to the president. this situation is getting dicey by the minute. heritage foundation senior fellow mike gonzalez. mike, good to have you. what do you make of maduro obviously upping upping the ant? that he is open to talks from the other side but reminding that leader that movement should not be leaving the country, that his financial assets have been seized? >> thank you, neil. thanks for having me on. i've been always been a big fan of yours. i don't think juan guaido, considered by this country, leader of venezuela had any plans to go anywhere. neil: probably right about that. >> he wants to be in caracas, be part of a peaceful transition according to what he says. i think maduro, and what maduro is going to do with the gold reserves leave aside what juan guaido's bank account might be, you saw the "bloomberg news" report yesterday, a russian 777 landed at simon bolivar airport. according to the report, it wa

guaido? can you summarize that conversation? how safe does the president believes our diplomats are? mr. bolton: there was a conversation the night before we granted recognition. he'll be meeting with interim president guaido's ambassador here in the near future. in terms of american official personnel, it's been an absolute top priority for the president, vice president, secretary pompeo and myself. we have drawn down significantly personnel at the embassy, all dependent personnel are gone. we believe we are now prepared, as prepared as we can be. we are re-evaluating the safety conditions at all times. it's why we said we presented credentials to interim president guaido. we recognize him as the legitimate president. he asked us to stafmente we made very clear to what's left of the maduro regime that we hold them responsible and we take their commitment to do that very seriously. reporter: what is your assessment of the relationship between maduro and his military? do you support is fracturing? do you believe the russians are playing any kind of role in trying to support the military? m

mr. juan guaido will replace the president.ecuador who like to endorse the statement by argentina on the behalf of the association of american states. support ande strong all actions aimed at requesting international humanitarian welcome.e are is important to free these political prisoners. our country has always demonstrated it solidarity with the people of venezuela. 240,000welcomed already venezuelan people in our territory, including 100,000 that have been given permanent residents these is. -- visas. we would like to appeal to keep working so that venezuela can return to the path of democracy, safeguarding and guaranteeing the integrity and full respect for human rights of its people. a right to life, integrity and personal freedom. ecuador welcomes the new interim president. the framework of the constitution calls upon elections as soon as possible. refer theke to comments made regarding the death of a 22-year-old woman. i would like to assure the people of venezuela we consider you brothers, proven by the 240,000 venezue

the trump administration is calling for nicolas maduro to step aside for opposition leader juan guaido. mron tweeting quote - any violence and intimidation against u.s. diplomatic personnel, venezuela democratic leader, juan guaido or the national assembly itself would represent a grave assault on the rule of law and will be met with a significant response. this is secretary of state mike pompeo called on the united nations to recognize juan guaido as a venezuela president after the country legislature vacated recent election results. eric: back to our top story right now. that is the potential negotiations that will be in full swing in the morning. that after president trump laid down the 21 day deadline for congress to strike a deal finally on border security. of course at issue the president's insistence on a wall. that as congressional democrats in the white house have gone back and forth over the president's multibillion-dollar demand. here's what the acting white house chief of staff, mick mulvaney had to say. >> i think keep in mind, why is it that number? it is not a number made up

guaido's role in it. thank you. , thank you, mr. president. we are grateful for our briefing. we have no doubt that today's meeting has been called by the american delegation for only one person -- only one purpose, to continue destabilizing the situation i am posing on this country's on approaches and recipes with which it has encountered recently. the meeting, with which we are being forced to be present, is another element of the strategy of the united states. this unethical ploy is involved in the security council. we would like to share with you our principal views and what is taking place. honest, thesolutely topic is not at all the situation in venezuela as organizers are trying to present it. today the council is divided on this issue. today we are examining unfortunate most typical case of direct called international peace and security, created by the threat and the use of force against a political independence of the state paid the author of the u.n. charter -- and by the way, among those authors, and one of the main authors were the united to save theied world from