Venezuela's economic model has imploded. With food production, import and distribution now controlled by the government, shelves are bare. A day's hunt for groceries in Caracas can prove futile.
Venezuela's economic woes provide plenty of fodder for comedians. But the government doesn't seem to have a sense of humor: Comics say they are being targeted and prevented from performing.
President Nicolas Maduro's government hasn't solved food shortages or ended high inflation. It's been more effective in cracking down on the opposition, filing legal charges against many mayors.
For a decade, Venezuela sold oil at subsidized payment rates to 13 neighbors, including Cuba. But tumbling oil prices have hit Venezuela's economy hard, forcing it to trim those subsidies.
Citing an "erosion of human rights guarantees," President Obama issues an executive order imposing sanctions on members of Venezuela's military and intelligence services.
President Nicolas Maduro accused Washington of "gringo" meddling and placed several individuals, including George W. Bush, Dick Cheney and Marco Rubio, on a list of people banned from the country.
Pedro Leonardo Mascheroni is sentenced to five years after telling FBI agents posing as Venezuelan officials that he could design and supervise the building of 40 nuclear bombs.
Venezuela's leader was in Qatar this week seeking billions to shore up his flagging economy. Oil prices have fallen by nearly 50 percent since last year and are now near a six-year low.
The country's economy is a mess and low oil prices are hurting the oil-exporting nation. While President Nicolas Maduro is unpopular among many Venezuelans, the opposition is fractured and weak.