Rival rallies set up tense standoff in VenezuelaBy The Manila TimesCARACAS: Tens of thousands of protesters were set to pour onto the streets of Caracas on Saturday to back opposition leader Juan Guaido’s calls for early elections as international pressure increased on President Nicolas Maduro to step down. Major European countries have set a Sunday deadline for Maduro to call snap presidential elections. Failing that, they will join the United States in recognizing National Assembly speaker Guaido as Venezuela’s interim president. “We are going to stage the biggest march in the history of Venezuela and our continent,” he added. “Nicolas Maduro will do well not to test the resolve of the United States of America,” Pence warned on Friday.

Source: Manila Times February 02, 2019 05:48 UTC