epa05315323 Demonstrators clash with police during a protest against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s Government in Caracas, Venezuela, 18 May 2016. Maduro and the opposition held press conferences amid growing tension this week, in which the government has reiterated that it is protected against an alleged coup while the opposition has urged the public to ignore those shields. Maduro said that his government is facing ‘the worst aggression’ to hit the country in the past decade, a statement made after a national state of emergency and economic emergency were made effective on 13 May. The Venezuelan opposition is accused of attempting to overthrow the government through actions for a referendum that Maduro says have no ‘political viability’. Signatures were collected by the opposition and presented to the electoral authorities on May 2 to initiate a recall referendum. EPA/MIGUEL GUTIERREZ