The Global Story

Mexico’s most wanted man – Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, better known as “El Mencho” – was killed during a security operation to arrest the cartel leader on Sunday.
In the days that followed, the operation was celebrated by President Trump in his State of the Union address. But it came at a cost, as cartel members carried out retaliatory rampages across Mexico and turned many towns and cities into war zones.
El Mencho’s death came after months of pressure from the Trump administration on Mexico to do more to fight the drug cartels. According to one NBC News report, the US even considered sending troops into Mexico.
Our correspondent, Will Grant, examines the dilemma Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum now faces – and we ask if she is now caught between Trump and the cartels.
Producers: Chris Benderev and Aron Keller
Executive producer: James Shield
Mix: Travis Evans
Senior News Editor: China Collins
Image Credits: FILE PHOTO: Members of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), led by Nemesio Oseguera, known as “El Mencho,” poses for a photo at an undisclosed location in Michoacan state, Mexico, October 15, 2022. REUTERS/Stringer

As the war in Ukraine enters its fifth year, the prospect of peace feels as distant as ever. President Trump hasn’t yet succeeded in striking a deal, and negotiations between the US, Russia and Ukraine have yet to produce a breakthrough.
Fiona Hill is one of the foremost authorities on Vladimir Putin and a former White House advisor on Russia during Trump’s first term. Over the course of her career, she has sat across the table from the Russian president and helped shape US policy at the highest level.
She tells us what it is really like to be in the room Putin and Trump, and whether a durable peace in Ukraine is still within reach.
Producers: Chris Benderev and Valerio Esposito
Executive producer: James Shield
Sound engineer: Travis Evans
Senior news editor: China Collins
(Photo: Donald Trump and President Vladimir Putin together. Credit: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)

This week marks four years since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the largest and deadliest conflict in Europe since WW2.
Ukraine has put its official losses at 55,000 soldiers, and the BBC has verified the deaths of more than 180,000 on the Russian side, although the true toll is likely to be much higher. Tens of thousands of civilians have been killed or wounded, and millions have been displaced.
In today’s episode, the BBC’s international editor Jeremy Bowen, travels through Ukraine, speaking to people living on the front line, to soldiers, and to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, about what they would concede – if anything - for a peace deal with Russia.
Producer: Hannah Moore
Executive producer: Bridget Harney
Mix: Travis Evans
Senior news editor: China Collins
Photo: A Ukrainian woman attends a memorial ceremony for fallen servicemen at the Military Cemetery in Kharkiv. Credit: Sergey Kozlov/EPA/Shutterstock.

Tensions between the US and Iran are once again escalating, as President Trump has threatened military strikes if Iran refuses to accede to its demands. Iran has responded with warnings that any US strikes will lead to all-out war in the region.

The Iran nuclear talks come as the Iranian government faces the biggest challenge to its survival since 1979. Last month, a protest about the rising costs of living exploded into a nationwide uprising. The response was a brutal crackdown which killed thousands of people.

Having returned from a reporting trip to the capital Tehran, the BBC’s Chief International Correspondent, Lyse Doucet, gives us a rare insight into how Iranians are dealing with the aftermath of last month’s protests, continuing economic hardship, and the prospect of a US attack.

Producers: Aron Keller, Viv Jones and Sam Chantarasak

Executive producer: James Shield
Mix: Travis Evans

Senior news editor: China Collins
Photo: Iranians walking in Tehran. Credit: Abedin Taherkenareh/EPA/Shutterstock

More than 50 years since the last Apollo mission, Nasa is preparing to send astronauts back to the Moon.
Artemis II will take its crew farther from Earth than any human has travelled in decades - a crucial step towards landing on the lunar surface once again.
At the same time, China has been quietly advancing its own plans for a crewed Moon landing.
Some experts say this signals the start of a new space race – not just for prestige, but to build a long-term presence on the Moon, tap its resources and use it as a stepping stone to Mars. We speak to the BBC’s Science Editor, Rebecca Morelle.
Producers: Valerio Esposito and Cat Farnsworth
Executive producer: James Shield
Mix: Travis Evans
Senior news editor: China Collins
Photo: Official Artemis crew portrait. Josh Valcarcel/NASA Handout/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock