things worse" in Venezuela.

The country's foreign minister reacted furiously, accusing Washington of designing, financing and arranging the "alleged usurpation" of the Venezuelan presidency through Mr Guaidó.

Longstanding socialist allies Nicaragua and Bolivia have voiced direct support for President Maduro.

Mexico has said it will maintain a position of "neutrality" but said "there is no change in its diplomatic relations" with the government.

It and Uruguay have issued a joint statement asking all sides to defuse tensions and find a peaceful solution to the crisis

Turkey

Mr Maduro also has a backer in Turkey.

The two countries' leaders have embarked on a flurry of recent visits and trade agreements with each other.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who survived an attempt to thwart his own power in 2016, has told Mr Maduro to "stand tall".

"You will respectThe flight-tracking website FlightAware.com shows 348 cancellations Thursday in and out of Charlotte Douglas International Airport, as of 2:30 p.m. That’s up from 49 cancellations on Wednesday.

PSA airlines, a regional carrier for American Airlines, accounted for 209 of the cancellations. Most cancellations Wednesday were flights between Charlotte and Florida, whose panhandle was mauled by Michael, but on Thursday they involved airports nationwide.

The center of Tropical Storm Michael was expected to barely miss Charlotte on Thursday as it moves from South Carolina toward Raleigh, bringing heavy rain that could cause flash flooding and possibly damaging winds.

The National Weather Service says Charlotte will get about 3.7 inches of rain Thursday, with higher amounts to the west and north. Winds of 30 mph or higher will reach the metro area by