Hello and welcome to the Intelligence on Economist Radio. I'm your host, Jason Palmer.

Every weekday we provide a unique perspective on the events shaping your world.

15 years ago today, a little website called FaceMash where Harvard students compared their

classmates' looks changed its name to the Facebook. Since then, it's dropped the and become

a powerful force in our lives and our politics. But is it a force for good?

Not so long ago, Machti-Arahi was a darling of Iran's rulers, but the pop star seems

to have taken a sharp turn denouncing the conditions in his home province. The regime's reaction

to the tombful incident has been unexpectedly muted so far.

But first, after a volatile two weeks in Venezuela, demonstrations against the president

erupted once more this week. But Nicholas Maduro gave a defiant speech at a rally insisting

he would remain in power. That's despite the fact that he's no longer recognized as president

by America and a number of other countries.

We've had yet again millions of people out on the streets in Venezuela protesting against

the illegitimate rule of Nicolas Maduro. Robert Guest is the economist's foreign editor.

We've had Americans saying that they are packaging up large quantities of aid to ship

to the country, partly to see whether the regime stops that aid that people desperately

need from getting in. And we just passed a deadline for where European powers have said

that they will take action if the regime does not call elections. That deadline has passed.

We're expecting to see France, Austria, possibly Britain, formally recognised Juan Guaidó,

the leader of the National Assembly as the legitimate interim president of Venezuela.

And so what's Mr Guaidó been doing?

Juan Guaidó is moving around freely, mingling with crowds. He's clearly hugely popular.

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