<span style="color: #222222;">Venezuela today shut down schools and offices due to a massive electricity blackout, affecting most part of the country. <br />''<br />''In a tweet, Vice President Delcy Rodriguez said that President Nicolas Maduro made the decision in order to facilitate efforts for the recovery of electricity service in the country.</span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">The blackout lasted for almost 16 hours. The lack of electricity has caused flights to be diverted from the main airport in Caracas. <br />''<br />''This comes amid rising tensions over opposition efforts, backed by the US and some Latin American countries, to remove Maduro from power.</span><br />''