BY SARAH LOFSTROM '19 and MIESHA MOSS '19
Venezuela
On Tuesday, the opposition-led National Assem-bly of Venezuela voted to begin a political trial against President Nicolas Maduro. They have charged him for violating democracy; however, the government has dismissed the vote. This follows the opposition’s attempt to hold a referendum that would recall Maduro, who took office in 2013.
“We will show clearly to Venezuela and the world that in this crisis, responsibility for breaking the constitution has clearly been Nicolas Maduro’s,” said the assembly’s majority leader Julio Borges on their efforts.
According to the Miami Herald, both the government and Supreme Court have declared the congress illegitimate and their rulings void until they remove three lawmakers, who have been accused of buying votes.
Somalia
According to Al Jazeera, 26 Asian sailors were released from captivity on Oct. 22, after being held hostage by Somali pirates for almost five years. Somali pirates had captured them in 2012 and had been keeping them as hostages in a small fishing village.
The hijacked ship sank about a year after its hijacking. The sailors were from China, Cambodia, Vietnam, Taiwan, Indonesia and the Philippines. Their ship was hijacked by Somali pirates in March of 2012, marking one of the longest hostage periods by Somali pirates.
Due to increased private security details and the presence of international warships, piracy off the coast of Somalia has decreased in the past three years.