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A Border Crisis of Epic Proportions

A Border Crisis of Epic Proportions

(Bloomberg) -- The vast numbers of people fleeing Venezuela as it slides into ruin under Nicolas Maduro have reached European proportions. Flooding into Brazil, Ecuador, Colombia and Peru, the refugees are spurring a humanitarian, economic and political crisis.

Since 2015 more than 1.6 million have left, and the United Nations estimates about 5,000 Venezuelans now cross the porous border each day. South America hasn’t seen that sort of population displacement for decades, if ever, and it’s taxing both the resources and patience of Venezuela’s neighbors.

Peru now requires Venezuelans entering the country to have a valid passport; yesterday it declared an emergency on parts of its border with Ecuador. Brazil’s President Michel Temer has authorized the deployment of the army in the border state of Roraima. Many locals have pitched in to help the refugees, but some also complain that drug trafficking and prostitution are rising, and even larger economies like Brazil will find the crisis a stretch.

The situation highlights the dilemma about how to deal with Venezuela itself. Maduro has endured, despite bringing his country to its knees. And while his neighbors wrestle with the fallout, there’s no indication they can or will do much about the regime causing it all.

A Border Crisis of Epic Proportions

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Brexit endgame | The U.K. and EU are sticking to their goal for a divorce deal in October, at least in public. Behind closed doors officials say that’s unlikely due to deep divisions that remain. So it’s November, assuming British Prime Minister Theresa May can keep her own side in line. Yesterday, she couldn’t even say if she’d vote for Brexit given another chance and speculation is mounting that party favorite Boris Johnson is plotting to topple her.

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And finally ... Emmanuel Macron lost some of his green credentials after his star minister — climate activist and former TV celebrity Nicolas Hulot — shocked the nation by resigning during a live radio broadcast, with cameras rolling. The French president had promised to “Make Our Planet Great Again” in a jibe against Trump. But as Hulot stepped down from his post at the Energy and Environment Ministry, he said Macron had done little to end climate change with his “small steps policies.”

A Border Crisis of Epic Proportions

--With assistance from Rosalind Mathieson, Helene Fouquet, Stuart Biggs and Kathleen Hunter.

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Ruth Pollard at rpollard2@bloomberg.net, Caroline Alexander

©2018 Bloomberg L.P.