8 NEWS The world at aglance
THEWEEK 29 February 2020CarsonCity,Nevada
Berniewinsbig:Theleft-wing
senatorBernieSanderswon
aconvincingvictoryinthe
Nevadacaucuseslastweekend,
consolidatinghispositionas
theclearfrontrunnerforthe
DemocraticParty’spresidential
nominationaheadofSaturday’s
primaryelectioninSouth
CarolinaandSuperTuesday( 3 March),when 14 states,covering
40%oftheUSpopulation,holdtheirprimaries.PresidentTrump
tweetedhiscongratulationsto“CrazyBernie”,adding“don’tlet
themtakeitawayfromyou!”–ateasingreferencetospeculation
thattheDemocraticestablishmentwillstillfindawaytostopthe
self-styleddemocraticsocialist, 78 ,fromwinningthenomination.
SuperTuesdaywillbethefirstelectoraltestintheDemocratrace
fortheformerNewYorkmayorMikeBloomberg.The
billionaireisthebookies’secondfavourite.However,
heturnedinapoorperformanceinhisfirstTVdebate
lastweek,whenhisrecordonraceandgenderrights
cameunderfirefromhisrivals.JoeBidenalsocame
underscrutinythisweekafterdoubtswerecastonastoryhehas
oftentoldonthecampaigntrail,aboutbeingarrestedinSouth
Africainthe 1970 swhiletryingtovisitNelsonMandelainjail.WashingtonDC
Stonesentenced:DonaldTrump’sformercampaignadviser,the
self-described“dirtytrickster”RogerStone,hasbeensentencedto
40 monthsinjail.AtatrialinNovember,hewasfoundguiltyof
lyingtoCongress,obstructionandwitnesstampering–making
himthesixthTrumpaidetobeconvictedonchargeslinkedtothe
inquiryintoRussianinvolvementinthepresident’s 2016 election
campaign.Sendinghimdown,thejudgesaidshehadbeen
disgustedbyhis“threateningandintimidatingconduct”towards
her.However,Stoneremainsfreependinganappealandwas
backincourtthisweekseekingaretrialonthebasisthatoneof
thejurorsinhisoriginaltrial,whohadoncerunforCongress
asaDemocrat,hadbeenbiasedagainsthim.SinceNovember,
PresidentTrumphascauseddisquietintheUSjusticesystem
byquestioningthelegitimacyofStone’sconviction,callingfor
leniencyinhissentencing,andhintingthathewillpardonhim.Port-au-Prince
Police clashwitharmy:Atleast twopeople werekilledin the
Haitiancapital thisweek,whenpoliceand soldiersfoughta
runninggunbattle inthecentreofthecapital,Port-au-Prince.The
viole ncebeganduringthelatestinaseriesofpoliceprotests about
payandworkingconditions,whichhadbeentimed tocoincide
with thestartofthecity’scarnival.As theprotestersapproached
thecity’smain publicsquare,thearmytriedtostopthem–
leadingto shotsbeingfired,and acarnival stage beingseton
fire. The governmentcalledit a“coupattempt”, describedthe
situation as“warlike”,and saidthatitwasca ncellingthecarnival
season toavoida“bloodbath”. Haiti, the poorest country inthe
Americas,isinthe midst of along-runningpolitical crisisthat has
seen itspresident,JovenelMoïse ,rulebydecreesince January.Sobral, Brazil
Policestrikecrisis:Brazil’s
president,Jair Bolsonaro, hassent
soldiersandnational guard troops
to patrolpartsof thenortheastern
state ofCeará, in an attemptto
calmasecurit ycrisis causedbyan
illegalpolicestrike.There has been
afivefo ld spikeinthe homicide
rate sincethe strikestarted.
Bolsonaroannouncedthedeploy-
mentafterahigh-profile senatornamedCidGomes (above)was
sho twith arubberbullet while drivingadigger at apolice picket
lin einthe city ofSobral.Bolsonarowarned thepolice that “the
meningreen ”werecoming andthatthe situationwas goingtoget
“ugly” forthem,butthe far-righ tpresident’s critics saythe police
have been emboldenedby hisback ingfor harsh policing, andfear
thatdespitehis toughtalk, thestrikeswill spreadtoother states.ViñadelMar,Chile
Violence flares:Thousandsofanti-
government protestersclashed with
riotpoliceinthe reso rt town of Viña
delMar onSunday,delayin gthe startofLatin America’sbiggest
musicfestival. Demonstrators attackedshops andahotel, before
being driven back by policeusing water cannon andtea rgas.
Late last year ,atleast 31 peoplewerekilled,thousands injured,
and tens of thousandsarrestedduringawave of anti-government
demonstrations in Chile. Many Chileansexpectarenewedwave
of end-of-summer protests in thecoming weeks, aheadof a
nationwide referendum onanew constitu tion that is dueto
be held on 26 April. This week,President Piñera called onall
Chi leans to letthe country “live in peace” in advance ofthe vote.Mount Vernon,Virginia
President’steeth:Asouvenirmodel ofGeorge Washington’s
dentures hasbeenwithdrawnfromsale athisMountVernon
estatebecauseofevidencethattherealversionincludedteeth
pulled fromthemouthsof hisslaves. Accordingto popularmyth,
thefalseteeth worn byAmerica’sfoundingfatherwere made
fromwood.Infact,theywere made fromivoryand humanteeth,
at leastsomeofwhich camefrom enslavedpeople.Washington’s
own accounts revealthatin1784,he paidsix pounds and two
shillingsfor nine teethtakenfrom “negroes”.Thishasbeen
knownforsometime, buthasreceived freshattention due to
thepublicationofarevisionistbiography,whichdocuments
Washington’smistreatment ofthe slavesatMount Vernon.