Venezuela's opposition-controlled National Assembly declared Nicolas Maduro's presidency illegitimate Saturday, calling on the military to support efforts to "restore democracy."

"We reaffirm the illegitimacy of Nicolas Maduro," the assembly's new president Juan Guaido said as he was sworn in at the start of a new legislative session.

"As of January 10, he will be usurping the presidency and consequently this National Assembly is the only legitimate representative of the people."

Maduro is set to be sworn in on Thursday for a second six-year term after holding controversial early elections May 20.&nbsp;

The elections were boycotted by most of the opposition and widely condemned by the international community.

On Friday, foreign ministers from 12 Latin American countries and Canada announced in Lima that their governments would not recognize Maduro as president if he attempts to remain in office and urged him to turn over power to the National Assembly.

Guaido, in a speech attended by lawmakers and members of the diplomatic corps, declared that the military's chain of command had been "broken or usurped," but called on the armed forces to support efforts "to restore democracy."

He committed to "generate conditions for a government of transition and to call free elections."

Venezuela's opposition-controlled National Assembly declared Nicolas Maduro's presidency illegitimate Saturday, calling on the military to support efforts to "restore democracy.

Venezuela's opposition-controlled National Assembly declared Nicolas Maduro's presidency illegitimate Saturday, calling on the military to support efforts to "restore democracy." "We reaffirm the illegitimacy of Nicolas Maduro," the assembly's new president Juan Guaido said as he was sworn in at the start of a new legislative session. "As of January 10, he will be usurping the presidency and consequently this National Assembly is the only legitimate representative of the people." Maduro is set to be sworn in on Thursday for a second six-year term after holding controversial early elections May 20. The elections were boycotted by most of the opposition and widely condemned by the international community. On Friday, foreign ministers from 12 Latin American countries and Canada announced in Lima that their governments would not recognize Maduro as president if he attempts to remain in office and urged him to turn over power to the National Assembly. Guaido, in a speech attended by lawmakers and members of the diplomatic corps, declared that the military's chain of command had been "broken or usurped," but called on the armed forces to support efforts "to restore democracy." He committed to "generate conditions for a government of transition and to call free elections."

Venezuela's parliament rejects legitimacy of Maduro second term

As&nbsp;Venezuela's hyperinflation and chronic medicine shortages leave&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/opinions/fighting-the-scourge-of-aids-180628">HIV</a>&nbsp;patients&nbsp;with little hope of obtaining life-saving anti-retroviral medications, many are now&nbsp;relying on the leaves of a tropical tree known called the guasimo.

Patients&nbsp;say they collect around 50 of the leaves, run them through a blender with water, and then strain the green liquid.

Doctors and&nbsp;patients&nbsp;alike have questioned the effectiveness of the&nbsp;remedy, which has for years been used as a complement to pharmaceutical treatment.

But&nbsp;HIV&nbsp;patients, hoping to ward off AIDS, increasingly see it as better than nothing.

For years&nbsp;patients&nbsp;received anti-retrovirals provided for free by the state, but supplies dried up as the country's socialist economic system unravelled.

Dr Carlos Perez began recommending the treatment at the start of 2018 when the shortage of&nbsp;antiretrovirals&nbsp;became acute. He tells&nbsp;patients&nbsp;to drink the guasimo&nbsp;leaf&nbsp;beverage twice a day for a month.

"It is a complementary treatment," said Perez, who is part of a group called Solidarity Action that helps provide care for&nbsp;HIV&nbsp;patients. "(One) component of these leaves is tannin, a biochemical component that apparently has antiviral properties."

The Information Ministry did not respond to a request for comment on the medicine shortages.

Antiretrovirals&nbsp;are available for those who can afford them, but few can. A box of 30 pills costs about $85 dollars, the equivalent of nearly a year of a minimum wage. Annual inflation reached 1.3 million per cent in November.

The&nbsp;Venezuela&nbsp;office of the Joint United Nations Programme on&nbsp;HIV&nbsp;and AIDS said in an email that&nbsp;Venezuela&nbsp;had 120,000 people who were&nbsp;HIV&nbsp;positive as of 2016, 61 per cent of whom were taking antiretrovirals.

Other doctors say the only real solution for&nbsp;HIV&nbsp;patients&nbsp;is for the government to create functioning policies that ensure the availability of medication.

As Venezuela's hyperinflation and chronic medicine shortages leave HIV patients with little hope of obtaining life-saving anti-retroviral medications, many are now relying on the leaves of a tropical tree known called the guasimo.

As Venezuela's hyperinflation and chronic medicine shortages leave HIV patients with little hope of obtaining life-saving anti-retroviral medications, many are now relying on the leaves of a tropical tree known called the guasimo. Patients say they collect around 50 of the leaves, run them through a blender with water, and then strain the green liquid. Doctors and patients alike have questioned the effectiveness of the remedy, which has for years been used as a complement to pharmaceutical treatment. But HIV patients, hoping to ward off AIDS, increasingly see it as better than nothing. For years patients received anti-retrovirals provided for free by the state, but supplies dried up as the country's socialist economic system unravelled. Dr Carlos Perez began recommending the treatment at the start of 2018 when the shortage of antiretrovirals became acute. He tells patients to drink the guasimo leaf beverage twice a day for a month. "It is a complementary treatment," said Perez, who is part of a group called Solidarity Action that helps provide care for HIV patients. "(One) component of these leaves is tannin, a biochemical component that apparently has antiviral properties." The Information Ministry did not respond to a request for comment on the medicine shortages. Antiretrovirals are available for those who can afford them, but few can. A box of 30 pills costs about $85 dollars, the equivalent of nearly a year of a minimum wage. Annual inflation reached 1.3 million per cent in November. The Venezuela office of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS said in an email that Venezuela had 120,000 people who were HIV positive as of 2016, 61 per cent of whom were taking antiretrovirals. Other doctors say the only real solution for HIV patients is for the government to create functioning policies that ensure the availability of medication.

With no antiretrovirals, Venezuela HIV patients rely on leaf remedy

Ecuador needs some $550 million to provide aid to Venezuelan citizens fleeing their country's economic crisis, and hopes to raise the funds through donations from multilateral agencies and nearby countries, an Ecuadorean official said the Friday (November 23).

Delegations from a dozen Latin American countries met in Quito on Thursday and Friday to coordinate plans to deal with the Venezuelan migration crisis, which is overwhelming social services agencies throughout South America.

Ecuador estimates that some 600,000 Venezuelan citizens have entered the country in 2018 via the Colombian border, most of whom continue on toward Peru.

Ecuador's government also hopes to obtain resources from regional multilateral organisations and may seek to create a fund financed by countries in the region, adding that it has arranged a meeting in Quito on Nov. 30 that is to include the United States, Canada, Japan, Qatar and the European Union.

The United Nations says around 3 million people have left Venezuela since 2015, fleeing the hyperinflationary collapse that has left millions unable to obtain basic food or medicine.

Ecuador needs some $550 million to provide aid to Venezuelan citizens fleeing their country's economic crisis, and hopes to raise the funds through donations from multilateral agencies and nearby countries, an Ecuadorean official said the Friday (November 23).

Ecuador needs some $550 million to provide aid to Venezuelan citizens fleeing their country's economic crisis, and hopes to raise the funds through donations from multilateral agencies and nearby countries, an Ecuadorean official said the Friday (November 23). Delegations from a dozen Latin American countries met in Quito on Thursday and Friday to coordinate plans to deal with the Venezuelan migration crisis, which is overwhelming social services agencies throughout South America. Ecuador estimates that some 600,000 Venezuelan citizens have entered the country in 2018 via the Colombian border, most of whom continue on toward Peru. Ecuador's government also hopes to obtain resources from regional multilateral organisations and may seek to create a fund financed by countries in the region, adding that it has arranged a meeting in Quito on Nov. 30 that is to include the United States, Canada, Japan, Qatar and the European Union. The United Nations says around 3 million people have left Venezuela since 2015, fleeing the hyperinflationary collapse that has left millions unable to obtain basic food or medicine.

Ecuador says it needs $550 million to help Venezuelan migrants

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