Profile Folgen

Despite just winning a seventh consecutive presidential term, a look at Alexander Lukashenko’s early life reveals rather humbler origins.Brought up by a single mother in a poor village in eastern Belarus, he first made his mark as the manager of a farm in the late 1980s.After moving into politics at the end of that decade, he quickly established his reputation as a man with authoritarian instincts – and by 1994, he was elected president of Belarus for the first time.Ever since, he has managed a balancing act between Russia, his closest economic and political partner, and overtures to the West. But, the country’s faced sanctions following its role in the invasion of Ukraine, while many Western governments have labelled this latest election as a sham.Stephen Smith takes a closer look at the man often referred to as Europe's last dictator.Production Team Presenter: Stephen Smith Producers: Sally Abrahams, Charlotte McDonald and Nathan Gower Editor: Ben Mundy Sound: James Beard Production Co-ordinators: Maria Ogundele and Jack Young Credits Animal Farm by George Orwell, recording produced by Ciaran Bermingham Narrated by Roger Ringrose

A mathematician and cyber defence expert, Poppy Gustafsson has been handed an integral role within government, as the prime minister attempts to grow the economy and attract international investment.She was born in 1982, to parents John and Gilly. Her father ran an agricultural sales business, while her mother was a journalist.In her early career, Poppy Gustafsson worked for a venture capital firm before co-founding Darktrace, a cybersecurity company, in 2013. She would go on to take the role of co-CEO in 2016 and became the sole CEO in 2020.Darktrace was among the first companies in its field to use artificial intelligence (AI) or machine learning to improve cyber-security.So, as ministers attend the World Economic Forum in Davos, what tricks does this one time CEO of the Year have in store? Mark Coles has been taking a closer look.Production Team Presenter: Mark Coles Producers: Sally Abrahams and Bethan Ashmead Latham Editor: Ben Mundy Sound: James Beard Production Co-ordinators: Maria Ogundele and Jack Young

She is the renowned scientist who studied environmental engineering, and went on to hold the role of mayor of Mexico City during the Coronavirus pandemic.Late last year, Claudia Sheinbaum made further history. "For the first time in the 200 years of the [Mexican] Republic, I will become the first woman president of Mexico," she said before taking office.Born in 1962, Claudia Sheinbaum’s father was a chemical engineer and her mother, a biology professor. Both parents descended from Jewish immigrants from Europe who settled in North America.She’s enjoyed remarkably high poll ratings since taking office, but critics suggest she will live under her mentor’s shadow, and her biggest test is yet to come. As Donald Trump gets ready to enter the White House for a second time, Claudia Sheinbaum has already had to respond to his suggestion to rename the Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of America.So what lies ahead? Stephen Smith has been talking to her friends, colleagues and peers to find out more about Mexico’s history-maker.Production Team Presenter: Stephen Smith Producers: Sally Abrahams and Bethan Ashmead Latham Editor: Ben Mundy Sound: Neil Churchill Production Co-ordinator: Maria Ogundele and Jack Young Credits Emilia Perez, Trailer Director, Jacques Audiard; Production companies: Why Not Productions, Page 114, Pathe, France 2 Cinema, Saint Laurent Productions"Claudia: El Documental", Director: Rodrigo Imaz; @ClaudiaSheinbaumP https://youtu.be/NDuUL-RQvMUThe Nobel Peace Prize, 2007, Nobelprize.org