Venezuela charged two National Guard sergeants in the death of a 23-year-old woman who was shot during antigovernment protests.  The charges come as the country’s human rights situation comes under close scrutiny in the wake of several weeks of anti-government protests.

Geraldine Moreno was killed in February during the early days of the protests in Valencia, Venezuela’s third-largest city.  Witnesses said she was on the ground when a soldier shot her in the face at close range.  President Nicolas Maduro and Attorney General Luisa Ortega Diaz both pledged to ensure all potential cases of human rights abuses are investigated.

Meanwhile, the effects of global climate change might fuel Venezuela’s strife.  The country is in a drought, the dry season is lasting longer than normal, and water rationing has begun.  Some of the capital’s 6 million people could be without water for as many as three days a week.

“We didn't have to wait for things to reach this point to begin taking action,” said opposition politician Carlos Ocariz, the mayor of the Sucre district in Caracas.  He says the Maduro government should have rolled out a less burdensome, water-saving plan months ago instead of waiting for reservoirs to go dry.

Officials are hoping it’s not as bad as the last extended drought in 2009.  That’s when water levels in the reservoirs at many hydroelectric power generators also fell to critical levels, triggering blackouts across the country.