Voters in Ecuador will head to the polls for general elections this weekend. The next president will face the enormous task of dismantling well-funded and powerful organized crime groups in the country as well as restoring trust in government and fix an economy in crisis. Also, the Trump administration is using military planes to deport migrants to Latin America, and regional leaders are expressing concerns about how they're being treated. And, a close relative of one of the recently-released Israeli hostages tells us her family's story. 

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Advancing the human rights of LGBTQ people around the world was part of the Biden administration's policy agenda. The point person for that effort was Jessica Stern, a US special envoy. She left the job with the changing of the guard at the White House, and President Donald Trump is not expected to fill the position. On Thursday, in her first interview since stepping down, Stern reflects on her time advancing LGBTQ rights on the global stage. Also, it's been the warmest winter that anyone can remember in Russia. That might sound nice, but for many Russian communities, melting ice and thawing temperatures have caused real problems. And, Japan experiences more earthquakes than any country. So, how has its nationwide transit system remained so remarkably safe?

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Negotiations for the phase two of the ceasefire deal for Gaza are underway. The vision for this phase has been for Hamas and Israel to work out details surrounding the release of the remaining hostages, and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza. But controversy surrounding comments from US President Donald Trump during Tuesday's visit from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu only increases the difficulty of this diplomatic challenge.
Also, what justice for past crimes might look like in post-Assad Syria. And, Thailand cut off access to power and internet for jungle compounds in Myanmar where phone and text scammers work day and night.

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Panama has become the first Latin American nation to pull out of China’s Belt and Road Initiative. It’s also weighing whether to cancel its contract with the Hong Kong-based company that operates near the Panama Canal. An adviser to the US Institute for Peace says that it's all part of the long rivalry between the US and China in Latin America. Also, Syria's new interim president is traveling to Turkey to meet with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. There's a lot at stake for both countries. Turkey, which hosts more than 3 million Syrian refugees, wants a stable Syria next door. And Syria's new government is looking for support to help rebuild the war-torn nation. And, we meet the man considered to be the first English teacher in Japan. He staged a shipwreck to get into the country, despite the isolationist policies of the time.

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Claudia Sheinbaum was able to postpone tariffs from the US for a month. In the meantime, Canada's Justin Trudeau has promised to impose tariffs of his own, urging Canadians to buy local. We look at how leaders from the US' closest neighbors are handling the new administration's trade moves. Also, a showdown in Toronto over bike lanes. The city built new infrastructure for cyclists during the pandemic. But the Ontario government wants to force Toronto to remove them. And, we have Groundhog Day here in the US. But other countries have their own traditional rituals around the dawn of springtime.

Syria’s de-facto leader Ahmad al-Sharaa was declared the country’s transitional president on Wednesday. The former rebel leader addressed Syrians directly yesterday and called for justice and elections following a transitional period. Also, 10 days into President Donald Trump’s administration, the US southern border remains closed to asylum-seekers, and many are now considering ditching the American Dream to settle in Mexico instead. And, seven candidates are vying for a chance to be the next president of the International Olympic Committee. Plus, a three-tiered popcorn tax in India.

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Argentina’s president reverses a law that established femicide as a crime. Also, a new report shows that the majority of young people in the UK would prefer to live in a dictatorship, and many of them also want the army to be in charge. And, the Israeli government has banned the UN's Palestinian aid agency, UNRWA, from operating in Israel land in East Jerusalem. Plus, Spanish guitarist Antonio Rey’s latest flamenco album is up for a Grammy Award in the Best Global Music Album category.

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A deadly stampede interrupts celebrations at a Hindu festival in northern India, leaving dozens of people dead. Kumbh Mela is the world’s largest religious gathering, where upwards of 400 million pilgrims gather at the confluence of two rivers for sacred rituals. Also, US-funded assistance programs across the globe are reeling after the Trump administration freezes most foreign aid. And, scientists discover a wealth of deep sea animal life surrounding a volcano beneath an ocean in the Arctic. Plus, Vietnam rings in its Lunar New Year celebrations with a song by ABBA.

Mexico has started constructing giant tent shelters in border towns where people deported by the US can get food, temporary housing, medical care and free bus rides back to their hometowns. The program is called  "Mexico embraces you" — and although it's intended for Mexican deportees, the country's President Claudia Sheinbaum says her government will consider sheltering migrants from other nations, too. Also, Serbia's prime minister says he'll step down following weeks of protests against government corruption. And, a decade after the Truth and Reconciliation Commission stopped investigating crimes against humanity committed under apartheid, some South African families are suing the government for not taking up their cases as promised.

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Royalty, heads of state and dignitaries from more than 50 countries gathered in southern Poland today to mark the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. Also, a solid gold helmet on loan from Romania was stolen in a dramatic museum heist in the Netherlands. And, the US has frozen nearly all foreign aid while the Trump administration reviews where the aid should go. Plus, Rema's is hoping to take home his first Grammy after his second studio album "Heis" topped the charts in his home country of Nigeria.

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