As food becomes increasingly scarce, hungry Venezuelans have carried out dozens of riots this month, ransacking stores that have little on their shelves.
New York Times reporter Nicholas Casey talks about life in Venezuela, where the collapse in oil prices has caused shortages of everything, including water, electricity, medicine and cash.
The country's largest beer producer, Empresas Polar, halted operations because the government restricted access to imported barley. But the president has pinned the entire food crisis on Polar.
Reporter John Otis reflects on the changes in Venezuela since he first arrived there 19 years ago. The country now confronts triple-digit inflation and its largest bank note is worth less than a dime.
Day after day, there is less food on the shelves, less power to turn on lights or run businesses and more anger over the difficulties. But opposition efforts to recall the president are being stymied.
President Nicolas Maduro says public sector workers will work only on Mondays and Tuesdays. Venezuela is grappling with drought that has shrunk water levels at the country's main hydroelectric dam.
"It's necessary, it's a sacrifice," Electricity Minister Luis Motta Dominguez told the country on Thursday. The news broke as Venezuela's largest brewer said it will be suspending beer production.
As a drought pushes water levels to extreme lows, President Nicolas Maduro has declared every Friday a holiday for the next two months to save water and electricity.