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Hard Numbers: Mexican cartel uprisings leave dozens dead, Another prominent UK leader arrested over Epstein investigations, Trump leaves door open to tariff negotiations, South Sudan’s leader fires another finance minister

​Members of the Mexican army stand guard at a roundabout on a main avenue in Guadalajara, Mexico, on February 23, 2026.

Members of the Mexican army stand guard at a roundabout on a main avenue, following a military operation in which Mexican officials said cartel boss Nemesio Oseguera, "El Mencho," was killed in Jalisco state, in Guadalajara, Mexico, on February 23, 2026.

REUTERS/Jose Luis Gonzalez
Zac Weisz
By Zac WeiszFebruary 24, 2026
Zac Weisz
Zac reports on global affairs, covering everything from battles between judicial branches and political leaders, to conflicts in Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. With the Trump administration keen to alter the world order, though, there’s a heavy emphasis right now on US politics – an area with which he is intimately familiar. Prior to joining GZERO, Zac was a senior national politics correspondent at National Journal, where he covered the 2024 presidential election from its inception to the dramatic finish, as well as major congressional actions during the Biden administration. Prior to journalism, Zac worked as an economic analyst for Oxford Economics, calculating the impact of various tax policies, and of Britain’s exit from the European Union. Born in London, he currently resides in New York City, where you can find him playing football (the original version) or watching it on television while attempting to cook up a storm.
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62: The number of people killed – including 25 Mexican National Guard members and 34 suspected gang members – in the nationwide chaos that erupted following a military operation that killed one of Mexico’s most powerful cartel leaders, Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera, on Sunday. President Claudia Sheinbaum deployed 2,000 troops to Jalisco state, where the violence is most concentrated, on Monday as authorities brace for further cartel retaliation.

9.5: The number of hours that former UK Ambassador to the US Peter Mandelson spent away from home on Monday evening through early Tuesday after he was arrested on suspicion of sharing market-sensitive government documents with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and then released on bail. Mandelson becomes the latest high-profile Epstein acolyte in the UK to face legal charges, following last week’s arrest of former Prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.

10%: The current rate of the US’s global tariff, after US President Donald Trump delayed implementing the 15% levy that he pledged on Saturday following the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down his prior country-specific tariffs. The delay in the higher rate could create an opening for other countries to nab exemptions or preferential treatment.

9: The number of times that South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir has switched his finance minister since 2020, after he fired Bak Barnaba Chol on Monday just three months after he took the role. Kiir hired economist Salvatore Garang, who faced corruption charges when he served as finance minister from 2018 to 2020, to replace Chol.

mexico cartelunited kingdompeter mandelsonepsteintrumpus tariffsunited statessouth sudansalva kiirmexico

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​A French navy boat intercepts and redirects a suspected Russian oil tanker in the Gulf of Fos-sur-Mer, near Martigues, France, on January 25, 2026.

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​Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema reacts during the announcement of provisional results of the 2025 Gabonese presidential election by the Ministry of the Interior, at the headquaters of the Rassemblement des Batisseurs (RdB), in Libreville, Gabon, April 13, 2025.

Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema reacts during the announcement of provisional results of the 2025 Gabonese presidential election by the Ministry of the Interior, at the headquaters of the Rassemblement des Batisseurs (RdB), in Libreville, Gabon, April 13, 2025.

REUTERS/Luc Gnago
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​A man throws trash on a street in downtown Havana, Cuba, February 16, 2026.

A man throws trash on a street in downtown Havana, Cuba, February 16, 2026.

REUTERS/Norlys Perez
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