Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro on Friday ordered the reopening of the country's border with Colombia in western Tachira state, near where international aid refused by Caracas has amassed.

Venezuela ended 2018 with inflation above 130,000 percent while its crisis-hit economy shrank by nearly half in the last five years, the central bank claimed Tuesday -- a figure far below international estimates.

At least 29 prisoners were killed and 19 police wounded in clashes at a jail in western Venezuela Friday, authorities said.

The incident at the police station jail in the town of Acarigua, in Portuguesa state, occurred when police special forces (FAES) tried to stop a "massive prison break" which resulted in the deaths of 29 inmates, according to Portuguesa public security secretary Oscar Valero.

Opposition leader Juan Guaido said Thursday he sent delegates to Norway to join an attempt by Oslo to mediate in the Venezuela crisis, but denied talks were underway with President Nicolas Maduro's government.

Locked in a bitter power struggle, representatives of Venezuela's regime and the opposition held peace talks this week in a secret location in Oslo in a bid to end a five-month political crisis, media reported Thursday.

A second airplane from China carrying medical supplies including medicine arrived in Venezuela on Monday as part of a "humanitarian technical" cooperation agreement between President Nicolas Maduro's government and the Asian powerhouse.

Venezuela braced Saturday for another day of nationwide protests after President Nicolas Maduro clamped down further on opposition leader Juan Guaido, locking up his deputy in a military prison following a dramatic arrest.

Venezuelan intelligence agents Wednesday detained a senior leader of the opposition-dominated National Assembly, the first arrest of a lawmaker since the failed uprising against President Nicolas Maduro last week.

Venezuela will prosecute seven lawmakers who backed last week's failed uprising orchestrated by opposition leader Juan Guaido, the country's Supreme Court ruled Tuesday, as Washington removed sanctions against Caracas' sacked spy chief for backing the revolt.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is ready to see off any attack from the United States, his foreign minister Jorge Arreaza said Monday in Moscow, after a meeting with Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov. 

"We are ready for all scenarios. The first is diplomacy, dialogue, peace," Arreaza told a press conference.