Michael McCaul: Is Biden up to facing off with Putin?

After the unimaginable horror of the mega blast which devastated Beirut the people of Lebanon are now forced to live with a zombie government - dead in all but name, not yet replaced. Stephen Sackur speaks to Raoul Nehme, still Lebanon's Minister of Economy and Trade until a new government can be formed. The outgoing Prime Minister blamed the catastrophic situation on deep rooted corruption. Is Lebanon a country beyond rescue?

12 Aug 202022min

The Covid-19 pandemic has inflicted huge economic damage, but it has also offered the natural world a little bit of respite – room to breathe. What will come next? Will it be a return to the old ways of resource exploitation and consumption? HARDtalk’s Stephen Sackur speaks to Chris Packham, one of the UK’s best-known naturalists and environmental campaigners. Are we humans capable of fundamentally changing our priorities?Photo: Chris Packham Credit: BBC

10 Aug 202022min

Eighteen months ago, Venezuela seemed to be on the brink of political upheaval. The leader of the National Assembly declared himself president, and 50 countries offered him official recognition. But the ruling party has not been toppled. Nicolás Maduro is still in the presidential palace, overseeing a country deep in economic and healthcare crisis. HARDtalk’s Stephen Sackur speaks to Vanessa Neumann, London envoy of the would-be president Juan Guaidó. Did the Venezuelan opposition blow their chance?

7 Aug 202022min

Amid the talk of spikes and second waves one thing is clear – people predicting an early end to the coronavirus pandemic are indulging in wishful thinking. Can we find a way of living with Covid-19 that respects the science while mitigating the damage being done to our economic and social lives? Stephen Sackur speaks to Sir Jeremy Farrar, director of the Wellcome Trust and a key scientific adviser to the UK government. How dangerous is the moment we’re in?(Photo: Sir Jeremy Farrar, director of the Wellcome Trust)

5 Aug 202022min

Last February the talk in Ireland was of a political earthquake. The nationalist party Sinn Féin won the most votes in the general election and promised to smash the status quo. Well, so much for that. Ireland’s two old established political parties instead formed a grand coalition and are steering the country through the Covid-19 crisis and Brexit. HARDtalk’s Stephen Sackur speaks to Mary Lou McDonald, the leader of Sinn Féin. Has her party missed its moment?Photo: Mary Lou McDonald Credit: PA

31 Juli 202022min

How do we judge the health of our economic systems? HARDtalk’s Stephen Sackur speaks to the Nobel Prize winning economist Sir Angus Deaton who believes it’s about much more than the headline numbers on jobs and growth. He has focused on what he calls the deaths of despair – those attributed to suicide, drug and alcohol abuse – and concludes American capitalism is sick. Now, of course, coronavirus is having its own impact on mortality data. Does capitalism itself need emergency surgery?Photo: 2015 Nobel Prize winner in Economics Angus Deaton Credit: AFP

29 Juli 202022min

HARDtalk’s Zeinab Badawi speaks to the veteran lawyer Gloria Allred. She is among the most famous attorneys in the US and her firm handles more women's rights cases than any other in America. For more than four decades her name has been synonymous with feminist causes. She is currently representing victims of the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. What motivates her and how much has her work brought about real change in America?

23 Juli 202024min

If Covid-19 spreads across Africa, it could be a catastrophe. Its health systems are already under strain and could buckle under more pressure. Lockdowns have badly affected local economies and pushed millions into poverty. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is the chair of GAVI, Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization. She's also a Covid-19 envoy for the African Union. As the world races to find a vaccine, how will she ensure lower income countries don't get forgotten?(Photo: Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. Credit: AFP)

22 Juli 202022min