Venezuela’s embattled dictator Nicolas Maduro denounced “an international, global defamation campaign” against his government on Monday, in the wake of revelations that Venezuelan military officials had met several times with Trump Administration officials to discuss a coup. The alleged meetings, reported by the New York Times on September 8, followed years of escalating U.S. sanctions on Venezuela, designed to put pressure on the country’s repressive leaders who have overseen an economic and humanitarian crisis. Here’s what to know about the alleged plot to overthrow the Venezuelan government.

When did the meetings between Venezuelan officers and the Trump Administration take place?

The Times reported that the meetings took place from the fall of 2017 onwards, stretching into 2018. Rebellious members of the Venezuelan military initially reached out to the U.S. government in late summer, asking to discuss removing Maduro.

What prompted the meetings?
In August 2017, Maduro had instal..

Inside the largest department store in the world, where light from tastefully enclosed fixtures reflects off marble floors, steel pillars, and signs for Hermes and Louis Vuitton, sits Spa Land. The sleek Korean jimjilbang—home to outdoor rock bathing pools, private massages, and more than a dozen sauna rooms with themes like the charcoal room or the pyramid room—doesn’t seem like it should be on a budget traveler’s itinerary.

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I spent eight months circumnavigating the globe on a highly ambitious budget of $50 a day, determined not to let my financial constraints get in the way of experiencing places the way they should be. I’d been dreaming of long-term travel for years, and the stars and my savings account finally aligned to make it possible in spring of 2016, when my partner graduated from business ..