Pirate Hostages Brace for Christmas at Sea

More than 260 hostages will spend Christmas with pirates off Somalia’s coast, CNN reports. At least 14 vessels remain in pirate custody as a tumultuous year—with nearly 100 attacks on cargo ships, oil tankers, and yachts—nears its end. The EU, China, and Iran have stationed naval vessels in the Gulf of Aden, and some Europe-bound cargo has been rerouted around the African continent instead. (More Somalia stories.)