Ordinarily I do not blog about aircraft hijackings, but an Ethiopian jet was hijacked by its co-pilot and diverted to Switzerland. The co-pilot waited for the pilot to use the lavatory and then locked him out of the cockpit. The Italians and the French scrambled their air force as the plane went over their territory and accompanied the jet to Switzerland. But the Swiss did not send fighter planes when the jet entered Swiss territory. The explanation? “… the Swiss airforce is only available during office hours. These are reported to be from 8am until noon, then 1:30 to 5pm.” On the one hand, it is great to see one of the richest countries in the world taking such a relaxed attitude toward terrorism. On the other hand, why does the Swiss air force need such a long lunch period?
Venezuela has expelled three US diplomats, accusing them of fomenting violence against the government. The protests against the Maduro government do not seem strong enough to topple it, but the unrest is rooted in the inflation and food shortages that have been created by poor government policies. It is not at all likely that the US diplomats were involved in the protests, but accusing the US of complicity in anti-government activities is a common tactic of previous Venezuelan governments.
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