Many Venezuelan streets were barricaded and deserted on Thursday for a strike called by foes of President Nicolas Maduro to demand a presidential election and the abandonment of a plan for a new congress they fear would institute dictatorship. From the Andes to the Amazon, many businesses shut as the majority-backed opposition staged a 24-hour shutdown from dawn in a civil disobedience campaign it is dubbing “zero hour” to try to end nearly two decades of Socialist Party rule “We must all do our best to get rid of this tyrant,” said Miguel Lopez, 17, holding a homemade shield emblazoned with “No To Dictatorship!” as he manned a roadblock on a Caracas thoroughfare that was devoid of traffic. Many private transport groups heeded the strike call, while students, neighbors and activists hauled rubbish and furniture into streets to form barriers. In some places, however, such as […]