Bernardine Evaristo: Is British culture changing?
Stephen Sackur speaks to Bernardine Evaristo, the Booker Prize-winning author of Girl, Woman, Other. In any society, the voices that are listened to, and the stories that are shared, say much about who is deemed to belong and who is excluded. On that basis, Britain is changing, but how deep does the cultural change go?
14 Dec 202022min
David Beasley of the World Food Programme: Is the world set for new famines?
This year’s Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to the World Food Programme, the UN agency dedicated to feeding the hungry and fending off mass starvation. This week the award was handed to the body's executive director, David Beasley, in recognition of the agency’s worldwide effort to overcome the challenges of conflict and Covid-19. 2020 has been a terrible year for those experiencing extreme hunger; is there a real danger that 2021 will be even worse?(Photo: David Beasley, director of the WFP appears via videolink on Hardtalk)
11 Dec 202024min
Owase Jeelani: Making life and death decisions
Stephen Sackur speaks to the paediatric neurosurgeon Owase Jeelani. Brain surgery carries with it an awesome burden of responsibility. And within neurosurgery there are particular challenges that take the physical and ethical pressure to an extreme. Imagine doing complex brain surgery on small children; then imagine trying to split conjoined twin babies joined at the head. Mr Jeelani's work has made headlines around the world. How does he deal with the stress of life and death decision-making?
7 Dec 202023min
Ishaq Dar: Pakistan's power struggle
Imran Khan won power in Pakistan two years ago with a promise to root out corruption and take on the country’s vested interests. So how's it going? Rising food prices and the Covid pandemic have left many Pakistanis feeling worse off, while the anti-corruption drive has become a political battleground. Stephen Sackur speaks to Ishaq Dar, who was Pakistan's finance minister. The country's anti-corruption body, the National Accountability Bureau, alleges he owned assets beyond his means of income, which he denies. He and former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif are trying to rally opposition to Imran Khan, but how much credibility do they have?
2 Dec 202023min
Anthony Gardner: How will Joe Biden handle foreign policy?
With Donald Trump's efforts to overturn the presidential election running out of road, attention is increasingly focused on President Elect Biden’s vision of America’s role in the world. Will he revert back to the policies and assumptions that defined the Obama years? Are there lessons to be learnt from Trump's disruption of foreign policy norms? HARDtalk’s Stephen Sackur speaks to Anthony Gardner, US ambassador to the EU under Barack Obama. What should the world expect from President Biden?
30 Nov 202022min
Gedion Timothewos: Is Ethiopia sliding into civil war?
Stephen Sackur speaks to Ethiopia’s Attorney General, Gedion Timothewos. Ethiopia’s federal armed forces have launched the final phase of their assault on Tigrayan rebels in the north of the country. International observers have voiced deep concern about possibly devastating humanitarian consequences. This after many hundreds have already been killed, and tens of thousands have been forced to flee three weeks of fighting. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed pledged to bring the country together - why has it gone so horribly wrong?(Photo: Gedion Timothewos appears via videolink on Hardtalk)
27 Nov 202023min
Jeremy Hunt: Britain's battle with Covid-19
The UK has the highest Covid-19 death toll in Europe and one of the steepest declines in economic output. Opinion polls suggest Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s claims of a world-beating governmental response cut little ice with the public. Stephen Sackur speaks to Jeremy Hunt, former Health Secretary, Foreign Secretary and Mr Johnson’s rival for leadership of the Conservative party. Has the pandemic exposed weaknesses in the country and its leader?
25 Nov 202022min
David Nabarro: How can countries minimise Covid damage?
This is a bittersweet moment in the global fight against the Covid pandemic. Joy that at least two vaccine trials have produced extremely promising results is tempered by the continued spread of the disease across much of the world. To put it bluntly, the global containment effort has had limited success. Stephen Sackur speaks to Dr David Nabarro, the World Health Organisation’s special envoy for Covid-19. Are countries doing enough to minimise the damage done before mass vaccination changes the game?
23 Nov 202023min
