Venezuelan officials targeted for U.S. visa restrictions

The United States is slapping Venezuelan officials believed to be associated with human rights abuses and corruption withnew U.S. visa restrictions.

Theywill also prohibit the officials' immediate family members from entering the U.S.

The State Departmentsays it's not identifying the officials because of U.S. visa confidentiality laws. But it says current and former Venezuelan officials are on the list.

Congress haslong sought to target Venezuelan officials' family members, who are known to vacation in the U.S. But sanctions legislation that Barack Obama signed into law last year didn't include relatives.

Souring relations between U.S.and Venezuela

The U.S. says Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's accusation that Vice-President Joe Biden conspired to overthrow him is "patently false."

In a statement, the vice-president's office says Maduro is trying to distract from concerning conditions in Venezuela, including repeated violations of personal freedoms and due process.

In a televised address over the weekend, Maduro claimed that Biden sought to foment the overthrow of his socialist government during a Caribbean energy summit Biden hosted last month in Washington.

According to Maduro, Biden told Caribbean heads of state that the Venezuelan government's days were numbered and it was time they abandon their support. Maduro says what Biden did "has no name."

Such rhetoric is a sharp departure from a month ago, whenMaduroand Biden shook hands in Brazil in an impromptu meeting in which both leaders expressed an interest in warmer relations.

Venezuela's faltering economy fuels frustration

Maduro is struggling to keep Venezuela's oil-dependent economy afloat despite mounting problems, and frequently accuses foreign governments of conspiracies, coup attempts and assassination plots.

Venezuela's economy has suffered as the price of oil plummets, with widespread shortages and galloping inflation fueling frustration with Maduro's leadership. The U.S. and Venezuela have not exchanged ambassadors since 2010.