Three Venezuelan soldiers desert before planned aid handover, Colombia says

Three members of the Venezuelan national guard deserted their posts early on Saturday, Colombia's migration agency said, ahead of a planned opposition-led effort to bring aid into the economically-devastated county.

The soldiers have asked for help from the agency, it said. The opposition and countries supporting the aid caravan have repeatedly called on the Venezuelan military to defy orders by President Nicolas Maduro to bar its entry.