Venezuela's Guaido calls for new protests, Pope fears 'bloodbath'

Venezuela's self-proclaimed president Juan Guaido has called for two new protests, in an effort to push the military to turn against leader Nicolas Maduro as Pope Francis warned on Monday of a possible "bloodbath" in the crisis-wracked South American country.

In a video posted on Twitter, the 35-year-old opposition leader Guaido announced a two-hour strike on Wednesday "to demand that the armed forces side with the people."
Speaking after a trip to Panama, Francis said he was afraid the escalating political crisis in Venezuela would descend into "a bloodbath." He had previously called on both sides to find a "just and peaceful solution."
While some member nations have backed Guaido, the EU was more vague, saying it would take "further actions" if elections were not called in the coming days, including the issue of recognition of the country's "leadership."
Australia, meanwhile, said it "recognises and supports" Guaido as interim president pending elections. And Italy has called for "a rapid return to democratic legitimacy."
In Washington, Republican Senator Marco Rubio, considered a key architect of the US policy on Venezuela, played down the possibility of a military intervention despite his and President Donald Trump's warnings earlier in the week that "all options are on the table."