8 NEWS The world at aglance
THEWEEK1February 2020WashingtonDC
“Peaceplan”:DonaldTrump
unveiledhislong-awaitedpeace
planfortheMiddleEaston
Tuesday–describingitasa
“realistictwo-statesolution”.
Speakingnexttohiscloseally,
theIsraeliprimeminister
BenjaminNetanyahu,Trump
describedIsraelasa“lightunto
theworld”,andsaid“theywantpeacebadly”.However,theplan
wasdismissedasa“conspiracy”bythePalestinianpresident,
MahmoudAbbas,anditsparkedprotestsintheGazaStrip.
AlthoughtheplanincludesapathtosomeformofPalestinian
state(albeitonewithnoarmy),itsetsmanyconditionsforthis,
includingthe“completedismantlingofHamas”.Italsoleaves
JerusalemasIsrael’s“undividedcapital”andgrantsthe
strategicallyimportantJordanValley,whichmakesup
aboutathirdoftheoccupiedWestBank,toIsrael.
Afterthepressconference,Netanyahu–whoisseeking
re-electionon 2 March–saidhewouldtakestepsto
beginannexingWestBanksettlementswithindays.NewYork
Rapetestimony:TwoofHarveyWeinstein’saccusershavegiven
harrowingtestimonyathistrialinNewYork.MiriamHaley,a
formerproductionassistantononeofhisTVshows,brokedown
intearsasshedescribedbeingassaultedbyWeinsteinathisNew
Yorkapartmentin 2006 .Havingbehaved“normally”atfirst,
Weinstein,shealleges,suddenlylungedather,pushedherinto
abedroomandforciblyperformedoralsexonher.“Everytime
Itriedtogetoffthebedhewouldpushmedown,”shetoldthe
court.“Iwasmortified.Iwasjustcrying,‘No’.”Earlier,theactress
AnnabellaSciorrahadtestifiedthatWeinsteinhadviolentlyraped
herin 1993 or1 99 4afterknockingonthedoorofherManhattan
apartmentandforcinghiswayin.Thestatuteoflimitationsfor
thatallegedcrimehasexpired,butprosecutorshopeSciorra’s
testimonywillconvincethecourtthatWeinsteinisarepeat
“sexualpredator”–achargethatcouldseehimjailedforlife.NewYork
Prince “not cooperating”:Prosecutors
whoareinvestigatingmultiple sexabuse
allegationsagainst thelate Jeffre yEpstein
hav ecomplained that theyhave had“zero
cooperation” from PrinceAndrew,despite
himpromisinglast year that he wouldbe
willing to helpUS law enforcement.The
FBIreportedly contactedthe Prince’s
lawyersbut received no response.
Financier Epstein hangedhimself in jailin
August whileawaiting trialontrafficking
charges.Andrew hasinsistedhe did not
know Epstein wellandsaw noevidence of hiscrimes. Prosecutors
may,howev er,wishtotalk to himabouthisfriendship with
Ghislaine Maxwell, whois accused ofhavingacted asEpstein’s
procurer. This week,asource said thePrinc ehad notheard f rom
prosecutors andwould be“happy”totalk to the FBI.WashingtonDC
BoltonbookcomplicatesTrumptrial:RepublicansintheUS
SenatewereunderrenewedpressurethisweektocallJohnBolton
asalatewitnessin thepresident’simpeachment trial,following
the leakofthemanuscriptofTheRoomWhereIt Happened,his
forthcomingmemoir.Bolton–who servedas Trump’snational
securityadviser from2 018 to2 019 – apparentlyallegesinthe
memoirthatTrumppersonallydemandedafreezeon milit ary
assistancetoUkraineuntilit agreedtoinvestigatehisDemocratic
rivals,includingJoeBiden. “There canbe nodoubt now that
Mr Boltondirectlycontradictsthe heart ofthepresident’sdefence
andthereforemust becalledas awitness,”saidtheDemocrats
prosecutingtheimpeachmentcase. However,unlessfour
Republicansenators vote withthe Democrats toallow witnesses
in theSenatetrial,Trumpcouldbeacquittedwithindays.BeloHorizonte, Brazil
Deadly landslides:At least 53
people died in floodingand
landsli desinsoutheasternBrazi llast
weekend afte r48hours of torrential rain.Atleas t44peop le
were killed in thestateof Minas Gerais,wherethe capital,
Belo Horizonte, suffereditsheaviestrainf all for 110 years,
according to the National Institute of Meteorology. Another
nine people diedin neighbouring Espírito Santo. Thousands
were forced to flee theirhomesand thedeath toll in bothstates
is expected torise. Thedelugecoincided with thefirst anniversary
of the mining damcollapse in the MinasGera is town of
Brumadinho, whichkilledsome 270people; 11 others were
unaccountedfor and are nowpresumed dead.CiudadHidalgo,Mexico
Tough lineon migrants:Mexicansecurityforces dressedinriot
gearmassedontheborderwithGuatemalathisweektoconfront
acar avanof4,000peopletryingtomaketheirwaynorthtothe
UnitedStates.Policeused teargastodispersethegroupasthey
wadedacrosstheSuchiate River;about800 peoplewhodid get
intoMexico wererounded upandputon buses.Mexico’s
left-wing president,AndrésManuelLópezObrador(known
asAmlo),tookofficejust over ayearagovowingtogivefree
passagetothemanymigrants fleeing poverty andviolence in
Centr alAmerica.ButunderintensepressurefromtheTrump
administration,whichthreatenedtoclose itsborder andimpose
tariffsonMexicangoods,thegovernmenthasreversed course.
Criticshave accused it of effectivelybuil ding Trump’s promised
wall forhim–onMexi co’s southern border.