CARACAS, 11 Jul (ANA) - Thousands of people have crossed to Colombia after Venezuela opened their common border to allow its people to buy food and medicine, officials say. The frontier, closed by Venezuela last August as part of a crime crackdown, was to open for 12 hours. Venezuela is going through a deep economic crisis and many say they struggle to feed their families. Last week, about 500 Venezuelan women broke through the border controls in search of food. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro ordered the border closure because, he said, the area had been infiltrated by Colombian paramilitaries and gangs. The measure also prevents subsidised goods from being smuggled from Venezuela into Colombia.(ANA)

FA/ANA/11 July 2016------