Venezuela's President also wants North Korea style talks with the US

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has called for dialogue with Washington similar to that between the US and North Korea, but warned that he will not give in to threats from Donald Trump.

"I think that the processes of dialogue between Democratic Republic of Korea and the US government are very positive and could serve as an example" for a rapprochement between Washington and Caracas, Maduro told a news conference in the southern city of Bolivar.

However, he noted differences between the tensions between the White House and Venezuela and those between the US and North Korea, as "we do not have nuclear missiles." But the talks with Pyongyang "could serve as an example that the world needs tolerance, dialogue, respect for differences," Maduro said ahead of a campaign event for Sunday's election.

The early polls are being boycotted by the Venezuelan opposition, and much of the international community has condemned them as illegitimate.

Venezuelans vote in crucial regional elections

Venezuelans headed to the polls on Sunday in regional elections seen as a crucial test for President Nicolas Maduro and the opposition alike after months of deadly street protests failed to unseat him.

Public opinion surveys predicted that the opposition would win a majority of state governorships despite alleged government efforts to suppress a high turnout through last-minute changes in voting places and other tactics.

An estimated 18 million people are eligible to elect governors to four-year terms in 23 states. Voting got off to a slow start at 6:00 am (local time), when the country's more than 13,500 voting stations opened, AFP journalists on the ground reported.

The opposition Democratic Union Roundtable (MUD) coalition called Saturday on Maduro to immediately expel "Nicaraguan advisers" who it said had been brought to Venezuela to carry out electoral fraud.

It said they were specialists in abruptly changing the sites of voting places, "a technique used by the Nicaraguan government to disconcert opposition voters."

The MUD has cried foul over changes to the locations of 274 polling stations in 16 states from areas where they polled strongly in the 2015 legislative elections.

"If the vote were to be free and fair, the MUD would likely win between 18 and 21 states," an analysis by the Eurasia Group said.
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US slaps sanctions on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro

The US has slapped sanctions on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro after Venezuela held its National Constituent Assembly (ANC) voting on Sunday.

"By sanctioning Maduro, the US makes clear our opposition to the policies of his regime," a statement by the US Treasury Department quoted Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin as saying on Monday, Xinhua news agency reported.

The statement also warned that anyone who participates in the ANC could be exposed to future US sanctions.

As a result of the sanctions, "all assets of Nicolas Maduro subject to US jurisdiction are frozen," said the statement, adding that US persons are prohibited from dealing with him.

Venezuela's Vice President Tareck El Aissami said on Sunday that voting was proceeding smoothly, except for an "isolated incident" in Tachira state that authorities brought under control.

He called Sunday's vote "a turning point towards a Venezuela with equality (and) social justice."

Samuel Moncada, Foreign Affairs Minister, said the participation of Venezuelans on Sunday, in the election of a National Constituent Assembly (ANC) is a "vote for peace"
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Venezuela crisis: Maduro says helicopter dropped grenade on Supreme Court

President Nicolas Maduro says a helicopter fired on Venezuela's Supreme Court in a confusing incident that he claimed was part of a conspiracy to destabilize his socialist government.

The incident occurred as Maduro was speaking live on state television yesterday to journalists gathered at the presidential palace. He said the chopper fired upon offices of the court and launched a grenade that didn't explode. He said air defense was activated, thwarting what he called a "terrorist attack."

An Associated Press reporter heard gunfire as a helicopter buzzed through downtown but was unable to confirm where the shots were being fired from.

There were unconfirmed witness reports the chopper was carrying an anti-government banner and being flown by a policeman who had declared himself in rebellion in a video on social media.
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Venezuelan Prez Nicolas Maduro to Trump: 'Get your pig hands out of here"

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro delivered his most scathing critique of US President Donald Trump, telling him to stop intervening and "get your pig hands out of here."

Speaking before a crowd of supporters, a fired-up Maduro yesterday accused Trump of promoting an interventionist policy that infringes on his socialist government's sovereignty.

"Go home, Donald Trump!" he said in heavily accented English.

The remarks come a day after the Trump administration slapped sanctions against eight members of Venezuela's Supreme Court, accusing them of damaging the nation's democracy. A ruling by the court in late March stripping the opposition- controlled assembly of its remaining powers ignited a deadly wave of unrest.

While Venezuelan leaders have lashed out at US presidents frequently in the past, Maduro had largely been careful not to antagonise Trump. But Trump's repeated criticisms of the troubled South American nation appear to have struck a nerve.

Speaking alongside Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos Thursday, Trump expressed dismay at Venezuela's crisis, asking how a country holding the nation's largest oil reserves could be stricken by so much poverty and turmoil.

Trump described Venezuela's current state as a "disgrace to humanity."

Nearly two months of street protests throughout Venezuela have left at least 46 people dead. Demonstrators are demanding new elections and blaming Maduro for the nation's triple-digit inflation, rising crimes and vast food shortages.

Trump's comments and US sanctions against Venezuelan officials played to the government's longstanding accusations of US imperialism.

"Get your hands out of here. Get your pig hands out of here!" Maduro said to the US president.
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