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South Africa’s Public Protector - Thuli Madonsela Dec 12, 2014

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As South Africa's anti-corruption watchdog, Mrs Madonsela claims President Zuma ‘benefited unduly’ from a $25 million facelift for his private home and wants him to return some of the taxpayers’ money. The ruling ANC says she’s mistaken and the Parliament - dominated by the party - has voted to throw out her findings. Mrs Madonsela is sticking to her guns and has been under attack at home while being celebrated abroad. So who’s right and who’s wrong?

Picture: Thuli Madonsela

Nobel Peace Prize Winners 2014 - Kailash Satyarthi and Malala Yousafzai Dec 10, 2014

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Hardtalk speaks to the joint winners of the 2014 Nobel Peace prize, Kailash Satyarthi and Malala Yousafzai. The judges awarded them the prize in recognition of “their struggle against the suppression of children and young people and for the right of all children to education.”

(Photo: Malala Yousafzai (left) and Kailash Satyarthi during the noble peace prize press conference, 2014. Credit:Nigel Waldron/Getty Images)

Author and Columnist - Alaa al-Aswany Dec 08, 2014

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Whatever happened to the Egyptian revolution? Those heady days of people power in Tahrir square now seem like a collective delusion. A military strong man is back in power, President Mubarak has been handed a get out of jail for free card and dissent is being repressed with an iron fist. Hardtalk speaks to Alaa al-Aswany, the bestselling Egyptian novelist, political commentator and sometime dentist. Is Egypt's story a harsh lesson in the dangers of wishful thinking?

(Photo: Egyptian novelist Alaa al-Aswany poses in Paris, 2014 . Credit: Joel Saget/AFP/Getty Images)

Writer and Academic - Cornel West Dec 05, 2014

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Around the world the election of Barack Obama to the White House was seen as a watershed moment for race relations in America. The first black man to be president was taken as the symbol of a new post-racial era. Six years on, with tensions between black communities and the police running sky high, is anyone still talking about a post-racial America? Hardtalk speaks to Cornel West, writer, academic and fierce critic of President Obama, and asks why the race debate turned sour.

(Photo: Cornel West speaks onstage at Advertising Week, New York. Credit: Monica Schipper/Getty Images)

UN Special Co-ordinator, Middle East Peace Process - Robert Serry Dec 03, 2014

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Israelis and Palestinians seem to have given up on the idea of negotiating a compromise peace. From Jerusalem to Gaza mutual mistrust is deep and getting deeper. Israel's unilateral approach is embodied in settlement building on occupied land. The Palestinians, meanwhile, are seeking international recognition of their claim to statehood. Hardtalk speaks to Robert Serry, the UN Special Co-ordinator for the Middle East Peace Process. Has the time come to admit that the 'peace process' is an unhelpful fiction?

(Photo: Robert Serry, the UN Special Co-ordinator for the Middle East Peace Process)

Crime Writer - James Ellroy Dec 01, 2014

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Hardtalk speaks to the man who has been called America’s greatest living crime writer. Through works such as the Black Dalia and LA Confidential, James Ellroy has created a uniquely dark portrait of America. His is a nightmare vision of crazed killers and corrupt cops. He writes of what he knows – his own mother was murdered when he was a child. So is that simple, terrible fact the key to understanding all the words he has ever written?

(Photo: Writer James Ellroy. Credit: Christopher Polk/Getty Images for AFI)

Former Senior Adviser to the State Department - Vali Nasr Nov 28, 2014

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Have the United States and Iran blown their best chance of striking a deal to stop Iran acquiring nuclear weapons in exchange for a lifting of sanctions? And, is it now only a matter of time before Iran becomes a nuclear power? The deadline for talks has been extended, but Republicans take control of the US Congress in January and with an election coming up in Iran, those opposed to a deal will have more sway. Hardtalk speaks to Vali Nasr, a Middle East expert who used be an adviser to President Obama's administration. So what is Obama getting so wrong? And could it mean that Iran ends up with nuclear weapons and changes the balance of power in the Middle East?

(Photo: Dr Vali Nasr testifies before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Credit: Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images)

President of Pakistan, 2001-2008 - Pervez Musharraf Nov 26, 2014

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Hardtalk speaks to Pervez Musharraf, former army chief and president of Pakistan. He thought he could ride a wave of popular support back into power on his return to Pakistan. Instead, he found himself facing separate charges of treason and murder. How did Pakistan's former strong man get things so wrong? What will his fate tell us about where power lies in today’s Pakistan?

(Photo: Pakistan's former military ruler General Pervez Musharraf. Credit: AFP/Getty Images)

Infectious Diseases Specialist - Geraldine O’Hara Nov 24, 2014

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Ebola is wreaking havoc on three west African nations - Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. The official death toll is beyond 5000, the real victim-count is almost certainly much higher. The virus brings with it a lethal cocktail of fear, fractured communities and economic misery. Hardtalk speaks to Dr Geraldine O’Hara, a specialist in infectious diseases who has just returned from a stint working with Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors without Borders) in Sierra Leone. What is the key to beating Ebola?

Sir Nicholas Winton Nov 21, 2014

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Sir Nicholas Winton is now 105 years old, when he was just 29 he helped rescue more than 600 mostly Jewish children from Nazi persecution in Czechoslovakia. He hates being labelled a hero, but Sir Nicholas Winton is living proof that individuals can make an extraordinary difference - what motivated him?

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