Refugee claims by Venezuelans surging: UN

Nearly 100,000 people who fled Venezuela have claimed refugee status since the start of 2017, the UN said Tuesday, as it ramped up response plans for a displacement crisis likely to worsen. The UN refugee agency said the number of Venezuelans who have sought asylum has shot up 2,000 percent since 2014, but the most dramatic increases have occurred over the last 14 months. With the country's economic and political crisis intensifying, UNHCR has drawn up a "regional response plan that covers eight (surrounding) countries", spokesperson Aikatarina Kitidi said.