Syria's sectarian faultlines

Max Pearson introduces stories from Syria, Mexico, USA and Pakistan.

Sectarian violence has erupted again in Syria, this time between Druze and Bedouin communities, leaving hundreds of people dead. The country's interim president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, blamed the violence on ‘outlawed factions’ and has vowed to protect the Druze. Though as Jon Donnison heard in the Druze-majority town of Suweida, locals are also blaming government forces for the violence.

A severe drought has been affecting large areas of Northern Mexico and Texas, which has led to growing cross-border tensions over access to water. Will Grant reports from the northern Mexican state of Chihuahua.

Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown has taken a much more assertive approach than many expected. Sophie Williams visited a guest house in Queens, New York where she met Chinese asylum seekers worried about what might happen next.

And in the Pakistan province of Punjab, authorities have launched a crackdown against people keeping big cats like lions and tigers as household pets. The BBC’s Pakistan correspondent Azadeh Moshiri joined wildlife rangers on a raid on an illegal big cat farm.

Bedouin and tribal gunmen keep a position during clashes with Druze fighters in Syria's southern city of Sweida. (Photo by OMAR HAJ KADOUR/AFP via Getty Images)