This is the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service.

I'm Nick Mars and in the early hours of Saturday 7th January, these are our main stories.

The front runner to become the next speaker of the US House of Representatives.

Kevin McCarthy says he now has enough support to win despite losing 13 votes in the last four days.

A senior official in Eastern Ukraine says Russia has never stopped carrying out attacks.

In spite of a unilateral ceasefire declared by President Putin,

the president of Mexico has defended the operation that captured a drug cartel leader

or video Guzman, which resulted in lethal violence.

Also in this podcast.

I'm a serious searcher. I've been searching in this area for 30 years and I found nice objects,

especially Roman ones. Now he and many others are on the hunt for Nazi treasure.

Nothing in politics is straightforward but attempts in the US to elect a new speaker of the US

House of Representatives have become frustrating and almost farcical as this montage illustrates.

No persons have received a majority of the whole number of votes cast by surname.

A speaker has not been elected.

A speaker has not been elected.

A speaker has not been elected.

So it went on. There were 13 votes that have been going on for a grueling four days now.

Well, the Republican Kevin McCarthy is the front runner, as he said, but so far he's failed those

13 times to secure it a majority. But he remains very confident.

It now seems the number of those voting against him appears to be dwindling.

Just before recording this podcast, Julian Marshall spoke to the BBC's Anthony Zirke in Washington

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