Ukraine protests

Over the weekend, US and Mexican officials teamed up to capture one of the Mexico’s most notorious drug kingpins, El Chapo of the Sinaloa cartel. And they did it without firing a single shot. Meanwhile, all the gunfire and violence in Ukraine finally forced its president from power and into hiding, but his time is running out. That and more, in today’s Global Scan.

The streets of Kiev were a deadly battle zone again after a short-lived truce between protesters and government troops broke down. BBC Ukraine analyst Olexiy Solohubenko explains to Host Carol Hills of PRI’s The World how the three-month standoff turned violent so quickly.

With the US calling on Ukraine’s government to negotiate with the protesters, and Russia labeling demonstrators as extremists involved in a coup, there’s little room for a diplomatic solution to the escalating crisis in Ukraine.

Ukrainians are worried about what’s in store for their nation in the coming days. Violent clashes with protesters have left at least 25 dead. And government threats leave many fearful of an even more forceful response.

Violent scenes of fires and stun grenades are playing out in Kiev as riot police attempt to dislodge those protesting Ukraine’s tilt toward Russia. Foreign governments are condemning the violence. In Saudi Arabia, women will need male chaperones to visit medical clinics. And the Great Barrier Reef is under attack — from carnivorous starfish, in today’s Global Scan.