Venezuela entered the fifth day of a blackout.

Power was restored to some areas of the country over the weekend but service often lasted just a few hours before dropping out again. The blackout comes at a time when Venezuela is plagued by economic despair, including shortages of goods and food.

CGTN’s Stephen Gibbs reports.

Follow Stephen Gibbs on Twitter @STHGibbs

To discuss all of this:

• Cristina Escobar is a Cuban journalist and commentator.
• Jefferson Morley is a former reporter at the Washington Post and the author of three books on the CIA.
• Lester Munson is a principal at BGR Group.
• Alan McPherson is a professor of history at Temple University. 

For more:

Venezuela blackout halts most oil exports, hits crude upgrading: sources https://t.co/nF40yBv3Q9 pic.twitter.com/PJudX3f6BS

— Reuters (@Reuters) March 11, 2019

US national security adviser John Bolton did little to rule out the prospect of using military action against Venezuela's Nicolás Maduro — and it's rekindled dark memories of US intervention in Latin America. https://t.co/js2CRwBqhy

— Financial Times (@FinancialTimes) January 30, 2019