Venezuela closes another Colombian border crossing

Venezuela’s sudden decision to close another major border crossing with Colombia has left workers, vacationers and members of a nomadic indigenous community stranded, and escalated tensions between the neighbouring countries. President Nicolas Maduro ordered the main crossing in Venezuela’s biggest state closed Monday night as part of a two-week-old anti-smuggling offensive. The offensive has shelters and human rights groups in Colombia struggling to absorb thousands of migrants who have fled their Venezuelan homes. The crackdown had targeted Tachira state across the border from Cucuta, a Boston-size city in Colombia that has long relied on smuggled gas, food and other goods purchased in Venezuela at bargain-basement subsidized prices. More…