Venezuela blocks Colombia border bridge

The government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has blocked a bridge on the Colombia-Venezuela border amid rising tensions over plans to bring humanitarian aid into the crisis-stricken country. Venezuela's opposition leader and self-declared President, Juan Guaido, named the Colombian border town of Cucuta as a collection point for the delivery of international aid. His move ramped up tensions with Maduro's government as many in Venezuela remain in desperate need of food and medical supplies. Maduro has rejected the international aid, saying, “We are not beggars.” The blockade, which would effectively prevent humanitarian aid from reaching Venezuela via this route, includes an orange oil tanker and two large blue containers positioned midway across the three-lane bridge. The Venezuelan military put the blockade into place Tuesday afternoon and added cameras to monitor activity on the bridge. It's possible the Venezuelan government fears aid crossing the border could be used as cover for an invasion to depose Maduro. Leaders from around the world are calling on Maduro to end the blockade. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, for example, urged Venezuela to open the bridge, tweeting that "the Maduro regime must let the aid reach the starving people."

In Other News A 20-year-old Chinese student was sentenced to a year in federal prison after he pleaded guilty to illegally taking pictures at a key US defense intelligence facility in Florida. A federal judge gave Zhao Qianli the maximum sentence after his guilty plea on Tuesday of one count of photographing defense installations. According to court documents, the primary installation fence line contained multiple signs that stated the Farm area was a 'RESTRICTED AREA' and the 'KEEP OUT'" as did a secondary fence line. The court documents give no specific indication whether Zhao was attempting to commit espionage. According to recent statistics put out by NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration , it was determined that 2018 was the fourth-hottest year on record. And that follows a disturbing pattern. The past five years have been the five hottest years, and 18 of the hottest 19 years have come since 2001. Scientists believe if the planet continues at this pace, it greatly increases the risk of extreme droughts, wildfires, floods and food shortages for hundreds of millions of people.