In brief: Colombia, Venezuela move forward on border issues

CARTAGENA, Colombia – The foreign ministers of Colombia and Venezuela promised to increase cooperation Wednesday following talks to ease heightened tensions caused by the closure of a major border crossing and a weeklong crackdown on Colombian migrants and smugglers.

Diplomats left the meeting in this Caribbean coastal resort without announcing a decision to reopen the border crossing or end the deportations from Venezuela, only saying that defense officials from the two countries would talk in the coming days to form a joint plan for border security.

Meanwhile, in the Colombian city of Cucuta, residents complained of long gas lines as Venezuela’s security offensive cuts off trade, legal and otherwise, between the two nations.

While about 5 million Colombians live in Venezuela, the security offensive has focused on a few towns near the border where Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro blames migrant gangs for rampant crime and smuggling that has caused widespread shortages.

Caribbean islands brace for Tropical Storm Erika

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Government leaders ordered schools, airports and even casinos to close, and they prepared shelters as Tropical Storm Erika approached the eastern Caribbean on Wednesday.

The storm was about 110 miles east-southeast of Antigua and moving west at 16 mph with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph. The storm was not expected to strengthen over the next two days.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Erika would move over or near parts of the Leeward Islands late Wednesday and then near Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands today.

All airports in the U.S. Virgin Islands would be closed to incoming flights until Friday, and government offices would close as well, Gov. Kenneth Mapp said.

The storm is expected to be near South Florida by Monday, according to James Franklin, chief hurricane forecaster at the National Hurricane Center in Miami.

South Sudan president signs peace accord with rebels

JUBA, South Sudan – South Sudan President Salva Kiir on Wednesday signed a peace deal with rebels, more than 20 months after the start of fighting between the army and rebels led by his former deputy.

Kiir signed the agreement in Juba, South Sudan’s capital, in a ceremony witnessed by regional leaders. Kiir said he was signing the document despite having serious reservations. He signed the same agreement endorsed by rebel leader Riek Machar.

Machar, the former deputy president, signed the agreement last week in Ethiopia but Kiir refused, saying he needed more time, drawing condemnation from diplomats who want a quick agreement to end the violence in the world’s newest country.

Kiir was under intense pressure to sign the compromise accord mediated by a group of neighboring countries, with the U.S. threatening new U.N. sanctions if he failed to do so.