The world at a glance

Lansing, Michigan

Team doctor jailed: A disgraced former doctor to the US Olympic gymnastics team has pleaded guilty to seven charges of sexual assault as part of a deal that could see him jailed for at least 25 years. Larry Nassar, 54, was one of the US’S most respected sports doctors until a criminal complaint was filed against him last year. Subsequently, scores of women and girls – including members of the US Olympic team – came forward to say that he had abused them on the pretext of treating them for hip and back pain. In a Michigan court last week, he admitted using his fingers to penetrate seven girls, some of whom were under 13, and finally acknowledged that this was not a legitimate treatment. In a separate case, he will be sentenced for possessing indecent images of children. He is now being sued by about 130 women.

Washington DC

Moore “sting” fails: The scandal over sexual misconduct by US politicians took a bizarre twist this week, when supporters of the Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore, who is accused of multiple sexual offences, attempted to trick The Washington Post into reporting false allegations against him. A woman working for a group called Project Veritas, which says it targets “the mainstream media”, went to the Post, claiming Moore had got her pregnant and forced her to have an abortion when she was 15. The aim was to expose the supposed credulity and bias of the media, and discredit Moore’s accusers. The Post, however, was not taken in. Moore, an outspoken former state judge, has been abandoned by Republican leaders, but retains the support of President Trump.

Nashville, Tennessee

Justice campaign: A woman who was sentenced to 51 years without parole for a murder she committed when she was a sex-trafficked 16-year-old has had her case put back in the spotlight, thanks to a new campaign championed by celebrities including the pop star Rihanna. Cyntoia Brown (pictured), who was born with foetal alcohol syndrome, was forced into prostitution by a violent pimp known as “Kut Throat”. Her victim, Johnny Allen, had paid to have sex with her at his home; Brown insists she shot him in self-defence. In court, however, she was tried as an adult in 2006, and convicted of murder.

Tegucigalpa

Victory stand-off: Both candidates in Honduras’s presidential election have claimed victory after Sunday’s poll. Early results suggested that the challenger, Salvador Nasralla – a 64-year-old former sports show host dubbed “Mr Television” – was ahead of the incumbent president, Juan Orlando Hernández, by a margin of five points. However, the latter declared victory nonetheless, saying outstanding ballots were certain to put him over the line, and the head of his ruling National Party called on his supporters to take to the streets to “defend the triumph”. Nasralla, an “anti-corruption” centrist, has the backing of Manuel Zelaya, who was ousted as president in 2009.

Caracas

Military bosses: Venezuela’s hard-line Socialist president, Nicolás Maduro, has made an army general the head of both the energy ministry and the country’s state oil company, PDVSA – which is grappling with US sanctions, overdue debt repayments and dwindling production. Maduro said Major General Manuel Quevedo’s appointment was part of “a new oil revolution” to tackle corruption. His government has arrested more than 50 PDVSA bosses since August, and last week arrested the acting head of Citgo, its US refining arm. Several other military leaders were brought into Maduro’s government at the same time as Quevedo. According to analyst Helima Croft, Maduro is “steadily making the military his co-pilots, to ensure that they sink or swim together and that he is coup-proof”.

New York

Thurman’s anger: Uma Thurman, who starred in several Harvey Weinstein films, including the Kill Bill revenge movies, has hinted that she will be joining his list of accusers. In an Instagram post last week, she wrote: “I said I was angry recently, and I have a few reasons, #metoo, in case you couldn’t tell by the look on my face. I feel it’s important to take your time, be fair, be exact, so... Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! (Except you Harvey [...] I’m glad it’s going slowly – you don’t deserve a bullet). Stay tuned.” When asked about Weinstein in October, she said she didn’t have a “tidy soundbite”, but would speak when she was “less angry”.

Buenos Aires

Leak led to a fire on missing sub: Hopes of finding the missing Argentine submarine, the ARA San Juan, were dwindling this week. The submarine, which had 44 crew on board, sent its last message on 15 November. According to the Argentine media, this reported that seawater had leaked through the ventilation system, causing a short circuit and the “beginnings of a fire” in the battery room. “At the moment in immersion propelling with split circuit. No updates on personnel, will keep informed,” the message continued. Last week, Viennabased nuclear-testing monitors reported that they had detected a significant “hydro-acoustic anomaly” in the area – potentially the implosion of the submarine – a few hours after its last contact.