BBC South America correspondent Ione Wells speaks to Daniel Noboa, President of Ecuador, ahead of the close-run presidential election.

Since Mr Noboa came to power 16 months ago, he has taken an uncompromising stance on the violence gripping his country. With criminal gangs locked in a battle to control lucrative drug routes, President Noboa has militarised his country’s streets and prisons. Now he is calling on the United States and Europe to provide forces for back-up.

Migrants fleeing Ecuador point to the chronic violence but also rising unemployment as reasons for leaving. In response, Mr Noboa has pledged to increase opportunities, tackle inflation and bring the violence under control. His critics say his tough stance has brought about little change. He also faces accusations of human rights abuses.

The Interview brings you conversations with people shaping our world, from all over the world. The best interviews from the BBC. You can listen on the BBC World Service, Mondays and Wednesdays at 0700 GMT. Or you can listen to The Interview as a podcast, out twice a week on BBC Sounds, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Presenter: Ione Wells

Get in touch with us by emailing [email protected] or using the hashtag #TheInterviewBBC on social media.

I forgive serial abuser John Smyth

Laura Kuenssberg talks to Justin Welby, the former Archbishop of Canterbury. As the figurehead for the 85 million people in over 165 countries who call themselves Anglicans, he presided over some of the key events in the Commonwealth of the last ten years, including the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II. But his tenure was clouded, and eventually ended, by an abuse scandal that shook the church.

The Interview was made by Clare Williamson and Lucy Sheppard. It was hosted by Laura Kuenssberg. The editor is Sam Bonham.

Thanks to our colleagues all over the BBC, and all over the world, for their support making The Interview.

Laura Kuenssberg introduces The Interview podcast. First episode Monday 31 March. Conversations with people shaping our world, from all around the globe. The best interviews from the BBC.

The HARDtalk podcast has become The Interview. Listen to The Interview for the best conversations from the BBC, the world's most trusted international news provider.

A final look back at some of the encounters and moments that have encapsulated the programme’s commitment to rigorous, well-researched interviews with people in power.

Ahead of HARDtalk’s closure, at the end of this month after 27 years, here’s a chance to look back at some of the most memorable interviews of the programme’s early years. It’s an extraordinary archive featuring interviews with Donald Trump, Nelson Mandela, Nina Simone, Robin Williams and Martha Gellhorn.

Stephen Sackur speaks to Reid Hoffman, the tech billionaire who co-founded LinkedIn and is a prophet of positivity about Artificial Intelligence.

Another chance to hear Stephen Sackur’s 2014 interview with Allen Ault. As the former commissioner of corrections in the US state of Georgia, Ault was responsible for state-sanctioned executions. He organised the killing of criminals until he could stand it no more. What made him leave his post and take up the campaign to end the death penalty?

Stephen Sackur is in Frankfurt for an exclusive interview with Christine Lagarde, president of the European Central Bank. Donald Trump has triggered what could become a global trade war and has prompted European governments to make massive new defence spending commitments. Is the European economy capable of withstanding Trump 2.0?

Stephen Sackur is in Paris to talk to former Prime Minister of France Dominique de Villepin. With Donald Trump in the White House, the alliance between the US and Europe’s democracies looks fragile. Is Europe capable of becoming a superpower in its own right?

Stephen Sackur is in Germany to speak to Niklas Frank. His father was Hans Frank, the Governor General of Nazi Occupied Poland during the World War Two. He was convicted of war crimes and crimes against humanity at the Nuremberg trials and executed in 1946. Niklas Frank tells Stephen Sackur he 'despises' his father and does not want Germany to forget the crimes of his father and the legacy of the Nazi era.

(Photo: Niklas Frank)