Image copyright Reuters Image caption Venezuelan soldiers send people back as they try to cross the border from Brazil

Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro has closed the border with Brazil amid a row over humanitarian aid.

The embattled leader said he could also shut the key border with Colombia to stop the opposition bringing in relief.

Venezuela's inflation rate has seen prices soar, leaving many Venezuelans struggling to afford basic items such as food, toiletries and medicine.

President Maduro denies any crisis and calls the aid delivery plans a US-orchestrated show.

His ally Russia has accused the US of trying to arm Venezuela's opposition.

Rival concerts will be held on both sides of a bridge linking Venezuela and Colombia later on Friday.

On the Colombian side, an event will be held to raise money for Venezuela. At the same time, Mr Maduro's government will hold its own concert, just 300m (980ft) away.

Opposition leader Juan Guaidó and his allies hope to collect food and medicine being gathered in neighbouring Brazil and Colombia on Saturday, in defiance of President Maduro.

Head of the National Assembly, Mr Guaidó declared himself interim leader during anti-government protests last month and is recognised by dozens of countries, including the US and most Latin American nations.

Brazil border: Aid showdown

The border crossing with Brazil remained closed on Friday morning but local G1 website reported that a group of Venezuelans managed to cross from the Brazilian city of Pacaraima on foot using an unofficial route.

Mr Maduro announced on Thursday that the border would be closed "completely and absolutely" until further notice and said he had been considering a "total closure" of the border with Colombia.

Brazil had earlier said that, in co-ordination with the US, food and medicine would be available to be collected by "the government of acting President Juan Guaidó in Venezuelan trucks driven by Venezuelans".

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Colombia border: Battle of the bands

British entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson has organised a concert near the Tienditas Bridge crossing at Cúcuta hoping to raise about $100m (£77m) to buy food and medicine for Venezuelans.

Venezuela Aid Live, he said, has been organised at the request of Mr Guaidó and another opposition leader, Leopoldo López, who is under house arrest. About 250,000 people are expected to attend.

The Venezuelan government has erected a stage on its side of the crossing for its Hands Off Venezuela event.

Image copyright Reuters Image caption The Branson concert is on the Colombian side of Tienditas Bridge...

Image copyright AFP Image caption ... and a Venezuelan government stage has gone up not far away

More than three million Venezuelans have fled in recent years as the country grapples with hyperinflation and shortages of essential goods, the UN says.

Despite denying there is any humanitarian crisis, Mr Maduro announced this week that 300 tonnes of aid would be shipped from its ally Russia.

Meanwhile, Russia's foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the attempt to deliver aid could spark violence and be used as a pretext by the US to remove Mr Maduro.

Citing unspecified information, she also accused the US and its Nato allies of discussing how to arm the Venezuelan opposition and claimed US special forces and equipment were being deployed near the country.

Genuine help or Trojan horse?

By Katy Watson, BBC South America correspondent in Caracas

There is no doubt this has become a political issue. Juan Guaidó and his supporters want to spread the word about how important the foreign humanitarian aid is. President Maduro accuses it of being a Trojan horse.

There is a feeling of optimism among many Venezuelans at the moment - an energy that has not existed in the country for a long time. And the hope that Saturday may be the start of a new path.

But if the stand-off drags on, the fear is that this positive energy that has revived Mr Maduro's critics will wane, as will the interest of the international community, and that's what Mr Guaidó needs to achieve regime change.

People want to know about a plan B - if indeed Mr Guaidó has thought of one. Otherwise, the hope here will soon turn to despair.

Guaidó heads to Cúcuta

Mr Guaidó is leading a convoy that left the capital, Caracas, on Thursday, to Cúcuta, some 800km (500 miles) away.

He has said 600,000 volunteers have already signed up to help carry aid into Venezuela while the Venezuelan government said it would deliver 20,600 of its own food boxes to the Colombian border area.

Venezuela's military has so far resisted calls to abandon Mr Maduro, in power since 2013.

However, former military intelligence chief Hugo Carvajal called on the military to break with the president and to allow aid in. In a video posted online, the congressman recognised Mr Guaidó as "president in charge" and issued a stinging rebuke to Mr Maduro.

"You've killed hundreds of young people in the streets for trying to claim the rights you stole - this without even counting the dead for lack of medicines and security."

Mr Guaidó's aides in Washington said 11 Venezuelan diplomats based in the US had defected and declared their support for him.</s>BEIJING (Reuters) - Humanitarian aid should not be forced into Venezuela, lest it cause violence, China’s Foreign Ministry said on Friday, warning that Beijing opposed military intervention in the country.

Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro threatened to close the border with Colombia on Thursday as opposition leader Juan Guaido and some 80 lawmakers ran a gauntlet of roadblocks trying to get to the frontier to receive humanitarian aid.

Guaido, who is recognized by dozens of countries as Venezuela’s legitimate head of state, was poised for a showdown with Maduro’s government on Saturday, when the opposition will attempt to bring in food and medicine being stockpiled in neighboring countries.

Maduro denies there is a humanitarian crisis and said on Thursday he was considering closing Venezuela’s key border with Colombia and would close the country’s other main border with Brazil, effectively shutting off any legal land access.

Speaking at a daily news conference, Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said that the Venezuelan government had “remained calm and exercised restraint”, effectively preventing large-scale clashes.

“If so-called aid material is forced into Venezuela, and then if it causes violence and clashes, it will have serious consequences. This is not something anyone wants to see,” Geng said.

“China opposes military intervention in Venezuela, and opposes any actions causing tensions or even unrest,” he said.

Maduro retains the backing of both Russia and China.

Beijing has lent more than $50 billion to Venezuela through oil-for-loan agreements over the past decade, securing energy supplies for its fast-growing economy.

A change of government in Venezuela would favor Russia and China, who are the country’s two main foreign creditors, Guaido told Reuters in an interview last month.</s>Venezuela's embattled President Nicolas Maduro has ordered the border with Brazil to be closed in response to opposition leaders vowing to facilitate entry of foreign humanitarian aid, especially US aid shipments, from neighboring nations.

Maduro declared closure of the border during a state television address, in which he also said he's considering shutting down Venezuela's border with Colombia as well. The opposition, led by US-backed Juan Guaido, has said it plans to mount caravans to ensure aid is brought in from both Colombia and Brazil, in order to undermine and otherthrow the Maduro government.

The drastic action is being taken tonight, Maduro said, in order to "protect the people" while further repeating his charge that American attempts to send aid into the country is a US-orchestrated "political show" in order to foment coup against his elected government.

National Assembly head Guaido, meanwhile, has personally vowed to lead a convoy to receive aid shipments from across the Colombian border. "On February 23, humanitarian aid will enter Venezuela one way or another," the self-declared president said earlier this month.

The provocative move to undermine Maduro's power has been acknowledged as just that by the opposition, who've recently openly stated that the "humanitarian channel" is a direct political jab at Caracas. Though the tons of much needed aid, including food and medicine supplies, is reportedly piling up along border points especially in Colombia, it's anything but merely "benevolent" - the opposition acknowledges.

"The impact of the humanitarian aid is highly political," Juan Miguel Matheus, an MP for the opposition told CNN this week. "Our first and primary goal is to provide relief for the Venezuelan population, but after that, with this move we want to checkmate Maduro."

"If the aid gets in, Maduro is shown to have lost control of the situation; if it doesn't get in, we show that Maduro doesn't care for the suffering of the people," he added.

Meanwhile Maduro has stationed troops along the Colombian border at sensitive areas and control points, while also vowing to defend against any unlawful incursions. This as American military planes have over the past days been coming and going, ostensibly with further humanitarian deliveries.

Should Maduro close both borders with Colombia and Brazil, however, it will isolate Venezuela further both economically and politically, which will likely increase both internal and external international pressures on the regime.</s>BEIJING, Feb 22 — Humanitarian aid should not be forced into Venezuela, lest it cause violence, China’s Foreign Ministry said today, warning that Beijing opposed military intervention in the country.

Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro threatened to close the border with Colombia yesterday as opposition leader Juan Guaido and some 80 lawmakers ran a gauntlet of roadblocks trying to get to the frontier to receive humanitarian aid.

Guaido, who is recognised by dozens of countries as Venezuela’s legitimate head of state, was poised for a showdown with Maduro’s government on Saturday, when the opposition will attempt to bring in food and medicine being stockpiled in neighbouring countries.

Maduro denies there is a humanitarian crisis and said on Thursday he was considering closing Venezuela’s key border with Colombia and would close the country’s other main border with Brazil, effectively shutting off any legal land access.

Speaking at a daily news conference, Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said that the Venezuelan government had “remained calm and exercised restraint”, effectively preventing large-scale clashes.

“If so-called aid material is forced into Venezuela, and then if it causes violence and clashes, it will have serious consequences. This is not something anyone wants to see,” Geng said.

“China opposes military intervention in Venezuela, and opposes any actions causing tensions or even unrest,” he said.

Maduro retains the backing of both Russia and China.

Beijing has lent more than US$50 billion (RM203.7 billion) to Venezuela through oil-for-loan agreements over the past decade, securing energy supplies for its fast-growing economy.

A change of government in Venezuela would favour Russia and China, who are the country’s two main foreign creditors, Guaido told Reuters in an interview last month. — Reuters</s>BEIJING (Reuters) - Humanitarian aid should not be forced into Venezuela, lest it cause violence, China’s Foreign Ministry said on Friday, warning that Beijing opposed military intervention in the country.

Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro threatened to close the border with Colombia on Thursday as opposition leader Juan Guaido and some 80 lawmakers ran a gauntlet of roadblocks trying to get to the frontier to receive humanitarian aid.

Guaido, who is recognized by dozens of countries as Venezuela’s legitimate head of state, was poised for a showdown with Maduro’s government on Saturday, when the opposition will attempt to bring in food and medicine being stockpiled in neighboring countries.

Maduro denies there is a humanitarian crisis and said on Thursday he was considering closing Venezuela’s key border with Colombia and would close the country’s other main border with Brazil, effectively shutting off any legal land access.

Speaking at a daily news conference, Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said that the Venezuelan government had “remained calm and exercised restraint”, effectively preventing large-scale clashes.

“If so-called aid material is forced into Venezuela, and then if it causes violence and clashes, it will have serious consequences. This is not something anyone wants to see,” Geng said.

“China opposes military intervention in Venezuela, and opposes any actions causing tensions or even unrest,” he said.

Maduro retains the backing of both Russia and China.

Beijing has lent more than $50 billion to Venezuela through oil-for-loan agreements over the past decade, securing energy supplies for its fast-growing economy.

A change of government in Venezuela would favor Russia and China, who are the country’s two main foreign creditors, Guaido told Reuters in an interview last month.</s>Speaking at the International University Ocean Bank Convocation Center in Miami on February 18, President Trump told an audience of émigrés from Venezuela: “In Venezuela and across the Western Hemisphere, socialism is dying, and liberty, prosperity, and democracy are being reborn.”

Trump was introduced by his wife, Melania, who is herself an émigré from the former communist Yugoslav republic of Slovenia. The first lady told the crowd: “I’m proud to be here with you in the United States of America as your First Lady. Many of you in the room know what it feels like to be blessed with freedom after living under the oppression of socialism and communism. In Venezuela, the people are on the brink of reclaiming their own liberty.”

Trump’s speech came at a time when opponents of Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro are attempting to remove the Marxist strongman from the presidency and replace him with Juan Guaidó, the president of the country’s National Assembly. On January 23, the president issued a statement of support for Guaidó that read, in part:

Today, I am officially recognizing the President of the Venezuelan National Assembly, Juan Guaidó, as the Interim President of Venezuela. In its role as the only legitimate branch of government duly elected by the Venezuelan people, the National Assembly invoked the country’s constitution to declare Nicolás Maduro illegitimate, and the office of the presidency therefore vacant.

Though Guaidó himself is a socialist and may, in fact, try to use new socialist tactics to save the country, some analysts are counting on Guaidó being in office for only a short time — until elections are held — and then being replaced by someone who will work to undo socialist damages.

During a February 3 interview on Face the Nation, Trump did not rule out U.S. military intervention in Venezuela, stating that “it’s an option,” but fortunately, there has been no further indication that such interventionism is in the works. The United States has, instead, placed sanctions on Venezuela’s state-owned oil company, Petroleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PdVSA). Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and national security advisor John Bolton announced the sanctions on January 28, and said any purchases of Venezuelan oil by U.S. entities would flow into blocked accounts and would be released only to the legitimate leaders of Venezuela, presumably a new government led by Guaidó.

Today, more than 50 countries around the world now recognize the rightful government of Venezuela. And the Venezuelan people have spoken, and the world has heard their beautiful voice. They are turning the page on socialism, turning the page on dictatorship, and there will be no going back.

Trump also appealed to both the civilian and military leaders who are still supporting Maduro to end their support, saying:

So today, I ask every member of the Maduro regime: End this nightmare of poverty, hunger, and death for your people. Let your people go. Set your country free.

U.S. Sends Aid to Venezuela While Cuba Keeps Maduro in Power

Venezuela Legislature Wants Maduro Out; Brazil Recognizes Guaidó as President</s>BEIJING (Reuters) - Humanitarian aid should not be forced into Venezuela, lest it cause violence, China’s Foreign Ministry said on Friday, warning that Beijing opposed military intervention in the country.

Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro threatened to close the border with Colombia on Thursday as opposition leader Juan Guaido and some 80 lawmakers ran a gauntlet of roadblocks trying to get to the frontier to receive humanitarian aid.

Guaido, who is recognised by dozens of countries as Venezuela’s legitimate head of state, was poised for a showdown with Maduro’s government on Saturday, when the opposition will attempt to bring in food and medicine being stockpiled in neighbouring countries.

Maduro denies there is a humanitarian crisis and said on Thursday he was considering closing Venezuela’s key border with Colombia and would close the country’s other main border with Brazil, effectively shutting off any legal land access.

Speaking at a daily news conference, Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said that the Venezuelan government had “remained calm and exercised restraint”, effectively preventing large-scale clashes.

“If so-called aid material is forced into Venezuela, and then if it causes violence and clashes, it will have serious consequences. This is not something anyone wants to see,” Geng said.

“China opposes military intervention in Venezuela, and opposes any actions causing tensions or even unrest,” he said.

Maduro retains the backing of both Russia and China.

Beijing has lent more than $50 billion to Venezuela through oil-for-loan agreements over the past decade, securing energy supplies for its fast-growing economy.

A change of government in Venezuela would favour Russia and China, who are the country’s two main foreign creditors, Guaido told Reuters in an interview last month.</s>CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro threatened to close the border with Colombia on Thursday as opposition leader Juan Guaido and some 80 lawmakers ran a gauntlet of roadblocks trying to get to the frontier to receive humanitarian aid.

Guaido, who is recognized by dozens of countries as Venezuela's legitimate head of state, was poised for a showdown with Maduro's government on Saturday, when the opposition will attempt to bring in food and medicine being stockpiled in neighboring countries.

Maduro denies there is a humanitarian crisis and said on Thursday he was considering closing Venezuela's key border with Colombia and would close the country's other main border with Brazil, effectively shutting off any legal land access.

The government has said soldiers will be stationed at official crossing points to repel any "territorial violations", although the opposition could attempt to cross anywhere along Venezuela's porous borders.

"I charge (Colombian President) Ivan Duque with any violence that might occur on the border," Maduro said in televised comments, surrounded by the military high command.

Venezuela has already closed its maritime border with the Dutch Caribbean islands of Aruba, Curacao and Bonaire, after Curacao's government said it would help store aid.

Opposition lawmakers set off from Caracas in a convoy of buses just after 10 a.m. on a 800-km (500-mile) road trip to the border with Colombia. Crowds formed alongside a main highway out of the capital, waving Venezuelan flags and whooping in support.

A roadblock at a tunnel some 100 km (60 miles) along the main road forced several buses to stop, Reuters witnesses and lawmakers said. Lawmakers trying to get through scuffled with soldiers in riot gear at the tunnel's exit, TV footage showed.

"We have a commitment and that is to reach the border. We will try to get as far as we can," lawmaker Mariela Magallanes told Reuters by telephone from the scene. "Humanitarian aid is not the whim of a few lawmakers, it is a necessity."

Magallanes said her vehicle managed to pass through the tunnel after being stuck for several hours but other buses remained behind.

Lawmakers said Guaido's vehicle continued but his exact location was being kept a secret due to security concerns.

One opposition lawmaker in southeastern Bolivar state said he and some 20 other politicians would also travel to the border with Brazil.

The Information Ministry did not respond to a request to comment.

Guaido still has not provided details on how the aid could come in. Opposition figures have suggested forming human chains across the land borders to pass packages from person to person and fleets of boats arriving from the Dutch Caribbean islands.

The opposition says it is rallying relief efforts in Venezuela to alleviate widespread food and medicine shortages in the wake of its hyperinflationary economic collapse. The oil-rich economy has halved in size in five years.

Tons of aid sent by the U.S. and Colombian governments is sitting in warehouses on the Colombian side of the border. Guaido tweeted late on Thursday that Chile was also airlifting supplies there, while Brazil's government said it was sending aid to its own border.

Meanwhile a boat carrying 250 tons of aid left Puerto Rico's capital of San Juan headed for Venezuela on Wednesday, the local government said in a statement.

Maduro accuses the Trump administration, which has levied crippling sanctions against his government, of seeking to force his ouster.

The U.S. special envoy for Venezuela, Elliott Abrams, will lead a government delegation accompanying the delivery of aid from Florida to Cucuta via military aircraft between Thursday and Friday, the Department of State said.

Meanwhile, the office of U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said he would fly to the Colombian capital, Bogota, on Monday to discuss the crisis with leaders of the regional Lima Group of nations.

Guaido invoked the constitution to assume an interim presidency on Jan. 23 and denounces Maduro as an usurper. Maduro still retains the support of powerful nations like Russia and China, as well as the key backing of the military.

Some political analysts say Saturday's border showdown is less about resolving Venezuela's needs and more about testing the military's loyalty by daring it to turn aid away.

"It's part of this calculus that sees the military as leading a transition in Venezuela," said Geoff Ramsey at the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA), a thinktank.

Guaido has offered amnesty to military officers who disavow Maduro, though few have so far done so.

Former military intelligence chief Hugo Carvajal, who Washington accused of involvement in the drug trade a decade ago, released a social media video on Thursday offering his support for Guaido. Carvajal distanced himself from Maduro in 2017 by opposing the creation of an all-powerful legislature.

"I'm sure that Venezuela will soon return to democracy ... How this happens depends on you, brothers in arms," he said, addressing the military.

Gustavo Marcano, senior aide to the opposition's envoy to Washington, told reporters in the U.S. capital on Thursday that 11 diplomats in the United States have defected from Maduro's government since Guaido declared himself interim president.

Bank accounts for Venezuelan embassies and consulates in the United States had been frozen, he said.</s>CARACAS, Venezuela — The political showdown convulsing Venezuela escalated into deadly violence at the border with Brazil on Friday, as security forces fired on a group of indigenous Venezuelans protesting the government’s determination to block aid deliveries from outside the country.

Witnesses and local officials reported the confrontation a day after President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela, facing the biggest challenge of his political career, ordered all crossings at the Brazil border closed.

At least two civilians were killed and more than a dozen wounded in the confrontation with security forces in the Gran Sabana area, along Venezuela’s southeast border with Brazil, according to Américo de Grazia, an opposition lawmaker from the state of Bolívar. The Gran Sabana area is inhabited by the Pemón, an indigenous community.

The Venezuelans were protesting the government’s decision to halt all unauthorized imports of emergency food and medical aid into Venezuela, which is suffering increasingly severe shortages. The opposition has vowed to deliver tons of donated humanitarian aid on Saturday, even against Mr. Maduro’s orders.</s>RIO DE JANEIRO — Brazilian authorities on Friday began moving humanitarian aid to its northern border with Venezuela even though the international crossing has been closed.

Brazil’s air force sent a plane with food and medicine to Boa Vista, the main city in the northern state of Roraima. They planned to transport via trucks the goods, which included rice, powered milk and first aid kits, to Pacaraima, the city that borders Venezuela.

Humanitarian aid to Venezuela has become a flashpoint in the struggle between President Nicolas Maduro and Juan Guaido, who has been recognized by over 50 nations, including Brazil, as the country’s president.

Guaido has announced plans to bring in aid on Saturday via Brazil, Colombia and the Caribbean island of Curacao.

In anticipation of the planned aid delivery on Saturday, on Thursday Maduro closed Brazil’s border crossing. The maritime border with Curacao had also been shut.

Brazilian officials stressed Friday they would not engage in a military confrontation with oil-rich Venezuela, which supplies much of Roraima’s energy.

“We have to wait and see how things develop,” Augusto Heleno, minister of institutional security, told Globo News. “What’s clear is that Brazil will not take any aggressive action.”

Still, desperately needed aid sitting on the border was sure to raise tensions in Pacaraima, a dusty city with many dirt roads. In recent years, Pacaraima has received thousands of Venezuelans crossing the border in search of food and medicine. While most Venezuelans continue to other Brazilian cities, the most destitute stay in Pacaraima because they have no money for bus fare.

Instead, they sleep on the sides of roads, look for odd jobs and try to hitch hike to Boa Vista, about three hours drive south. Many are emaciated and have health problems.

On Friday, many Venezuelans could be seen crossing the border illegally away from the checkpoint.

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Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro orders the closing of his country's border with Brazil. International humanitarian aid is currently scheduled to enter Venezuela on February 23, under foreign military protection.