President Joe Biden has met Venezuelan opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez, who the US claims is the South American country's rightful leader, at the White House.
Monday's meeting came days before Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is due to be inaugurated for a third term in office, despite international pressure.
Last year, the Biden administration and most European governments rejected the results of the July 28 presidential election, due to what they called irregularities, and recognised Mr Gonzalez as the winner.
Mr Gonzalez said he and Mr Biden had "a fruitful and cordial conversation".
"We thanked him for the support that this government has given us in the fight for democratic recovery in Venezuela," he said. "That is a commitment that we will be following until the last day of the government."
Mr Biden has only days left in office, with president-elect Donald Trump due to be inaugurated on January 20. Mr Gonzalez said he had tried to contact Mr Trump's team but they had yet to respond. Mr Gonzalez, 75, a former career diplomat, fled to Spain where he has been living in exile after a judge in Venezuela certified Mr Maduro, who issued an arrest warrant for Mr Gonzalez.
The White House said that the two leaders discussed efforts to restore democracy in Venezuela. They also talked about what it called Mr Maduro's repression of protesters, activists and civil society.
"President Biden emphasised that the world was inspired by the millions of Venezuelans who courageously voted for democratic change in Venezuela’s deeply flawed July 28 presidential election," the White House said.
After meeting Mr Biden on Monday, he was due to meet representatives of the Organisation of American States in Washington.
The White House was the first stop in Mr Gonzalez's international tour, which is aimed at gathering international support for his cause. He is set to head to Uruguay where he will meet President Luis Lacalle Pou, followed by visits to Panama and the Dominican Republic.
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Mini John Cooper Works Clubman and Mini John Cooper Works Countryman
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Started: Back to Games (2015); Boardgame Space (Mark Azzam became co-founder in 2017)
Founder: Back to Games (Mr Azzam); Boardgame Space (Mr Azzam and Feras Al Bastaki)
Based: Dubai and Abu Dhabi
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Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
Transgender report
Emiratisation at work
Emiratisation was introduced in the UAE more than 10 years ago
It aims to boost the number of citizens in the workforce particularly in the private sector.
Growing the number of Emiratis in the workplace will help the UAE reduce dependence on overseas workers
The Cabinet in December last year, approved a national fund for Emirati jobseekers and guaranteed citizens working in the private sector a comparable pension
President Sheikh Khalifa has described Emiratisation as “a true measure for success”.
During the UAE’s 48th National Day, Sheikh Khalifa named education, entrepreneurship, Emiratisation and space travel among cornerstones of national development
More than 80 per cent of Emiratis work in the federal or local government as per 2017 statistics
The Emiratisation programme includes the creation of 20,000 new jobs for UAE citizens
UAE citizens will be given priority in managerial positions in the government sphere
The purpose is to raise the contribution of UAE nationals in the job market and create a diverse workforce of citizens
