8 NEWS The world at aglance
THEWEEK 22 February 2020LasVegas,Nevada
Bloombergsurge:Theformermayor
ofNewYork,MikeBloomberg
(pictured),hassurgedintosecond
placeintheracefortheDemocrat
presidentialnomination,whichisnow
seen–bythebettingmarketsatleast
–asatwo-horseracebetweenhim
andtheleft-wingerBernieSanders
(seepage1 5 ).Bloombergenteredthe
contesttoolatetoruninanyofthe
statestovoteinprimariesorcaucuses
todate,buthehasalreadyspent$300monTVadvertising.His
surgeinthepollsmeansthatforthefirsttime,hequalifiedfora
candidates’TVdebate,heldinLasVegasonWednesday.
Bloomberg’srisehasledtoincreasedscrutinyofhisrecord,and
bitterexchangeswithSanders,whoaccusedhimofapingDonald
Trumpintryingto“buy”thepresidency.
Nevada,whichholdsitsmaincaucusesthisweekend,
isthethirdstatetovoteinthecandidateselection
process.Sandersisexpectedtowin,whileJoeBiden
istippedtoperformmorerespectablythaninthe
firsttwostates.Someinthepartyfearafiascosimilartothat
inIowa,wheretechnologyproblemsdelayedtheresult.WashingtonDC
Powerstruggle:TheUSSenate,whichearlierthismonthacquitted
PresidentTrumponimpeachmentcharges,haspassedaresolution
blockinghimfromusingmilitaryforceagainstIranwithoutthe
permissionofCongress.ThelegislationwasbackedbytheSenate
by 55 to 45 ,witheightRepublicansdefyingTrump,andparty
leaders,tojointheDemocratsinabipartisanefforttolimitthe
president’spowers.Therarerebuketothepresidentislikelyto
provesymbolic,however:theSenatevotefellshortofthe
two-thirds“super-majority”neededtonullifyapresidentialveto.
SomelegislatorsfrombothpartiesremainangryaboutTrump’s
decisioninJanuarytoauthorisethekillingoftheIraniangeneral
QassemSoleimani–andareeagertoenforcecongressional
authorityovermattersofwarandpeace.Trumpviewedthe
resolutionasapersonalaffront,tweetingthat“Ifmyhandswere
tied,Iranwouldhaveafieldday.Sendsaverybadsignal.”WashingtonDC
Politicised justice:More than2,000 formerfederalprosecutors
andJusticeDepartment officialshavepublic ly calledfortheUS
attorneygeneral,WilliamBarr,toresign, afterhe controversially
intervenedtolowe rhisdepartment’ssentencingrecommendation
for RogerStone.Along- timeRepublicancampaignerandfriend
ofPresidentTrump,Stonewasdue tobe sentenced thisweekfor
obstructing theprobeintoRussianinterferenceinthe 2016
elec tion.Trumphaspubliclyattackedthe judge,prosecutorsand
eve njury membersin thecaseforsupposedbias–and publicly
congratulatedBarron hisdecision.Barrdeniesbeingpressured by
Trump,and last week,inarare show ofdissent, hecalled onthe
president tostop“undercutting”himbytweet ingaboutcourt
cases –sayingit madeit“impossibleformetodo myjob”.Brasília
Racismrow:Brazil’sfar-right
president, Jair Bolsonaro,has
angered many in the country’slarge
blackcommunitybyappointinga
con trov ers ialblackjournalist–who denies that racism exists in
Brazil–toleadthe PalmaresCultur al Foundation,ani nfluential
government-fundedinstitutechargedwithdefen ding the rights
and heritage ofblack Brazilians.Bolsonaro firstappointedSérg io
Camargo tothe jobatthe en doflast year, but hisnomination
wa ssuspended following abacklash. Lastweek the Supreme
Courtoverruled the suspension, and Bolsonaroconfirmedthe
appointment.Camargo describeshimself asa“blackright-winger,
an anti-vi ctimist”.Hehas previouslyarguedthat “blackpeople
complainbecause theyare s tupid andmisinformed by theLeft”.CaymanIslands
Tax haven blacklisted:The Cayman Islands,aBritish overseas
territory,is to join the likes ofOman, Samoa, FijiandVanuatu
on an EU blacklist of“non-cooperative”taxhavens, in asignof
the UK’s lossof influenceon EUdecision-ma king following its
departurefromthe bloc. Thedecisionwastakenlast weekata
meeting of national ambassadorsto the EU27, theFTrepor ted;
it was ratifiedby finance ministersthisweek. Previously,
intensiveUKlobbyinghad keptthe CaymanIslands offthelist.
Blacklistedstates face significantobstaclesinaccessing EUfunds,
and EU firmsmust take more onerou scompliance measures if
they do businessin th ejurisdictions.The CaymanIslands is home
to fewer than 70,000people, buthas morethan 100,
registeredcompanies.Wilmington,Delaware
Boy Scoutbankruptcy:TheBoy
ScoutsofAmerica (BSA)hasfiled
forbankruptcyas itstruggles with
decliningmembership andhundreds
of sexualabuseclaims. Inresponseto
scandalsin organisations suchasthe
Catholic Churchand USAGymnastics,
somestateshave recently changedtheir
lawsto allow more timeforvictims of
sexualabuse tosue perpetrators.This
hasbrought awaveof new civil
lawsuits against theBSA from victims whosecases were
previously prevented by statutesof limitations. The filing,
which wasmadeinDela ware,will allo wthe BSAtobring all
the lawsuitsinto one courtand to try tonegotiateasettlement,
rather than usingitsfunds tofighteachcaseincourt.Thegroup
is se tting up atrust fund to providecompensationto victims.