The Interview

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Britain's Former Chancellor, Alistair Darling Aug 19, 2013

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After almost three years of scraping along the bottom, the United Kingdom seems to be showing signs of an economic recovery from the deep recession that followed the financial crisis in 2008-09. Hardtalk is in the Scottish capital, Edinburgh, to talk to Britain’s former Chancellor Alistair Darling. His Labour Party was in charge when the crisis hit. Can he admit that the government’s economic plans might be working? And can he stop Scotland voting to leave the United Kingdom next year, as he takes charge of the No To Independence campaign?

Picture: Alistair Darling, Credit: Oli Scarff/Getty Images

Professor of Physiology, Maastricht University - Mark Post Aug 14, 2013

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In what has been billed as a ‘world first', fast food grown in a laboratory was served up in London recently. Hardtalk speaks to professor Mark Post who says his `in vitro burger' could be the answer to our unsustainable appetite for meat and help ease the burden on the environment. There's clearly a need for more meat - the World Health Organisation estimates annual global production will have to double by 2050. So will meat grown from stem cells in a science lab ever make it to our dinner plates?

Picture: Mark Post holds an 'in vitro' burger, Credit: Reuters/David Parry

International Human Rights Lawyer - Payam Akhavan Aug 12, 2013

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Genocide is often called the ultimate crime and after every tragedy, the world says 'it must never happen again'. And yet it does. Hardtalk speaks to leading international human rights lawyer Payam Akhavan, who made his name trying to bring to justice those responsible for war crimes in the former Yugoslavia. He believes that the international community has a duty to challenge human rights abuses wherever they occur. But is true justice ever really possible - or is it compromised by the political constraints and realities of the day?

Interim President, ANC Youth League, South Africa - Mzwandile Masina Aug 09, 2013

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South Africa is holding general elections next year and for the first time, a whole new generation will cast their vote. The 'born free generation' has no direct memory of the struggle against apartheid - and they have grown up with the powerful African National Congress as their country's government, rather than as its liberators. In a South Africa still struggling to overcome inequality, corruption and youth unemployment, what hopes can the party offer to the younger generation? Hardtalk speaks to Mzwandile Masina, the interim president of the ANC Youth League. Have they still got anything to offer to the younger generation?

Egypt Foreign Minister - Nabil Fahmy Aug 07, 2013

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The political standoff in Egypt remains in the balance. Thousands of supporters of ousted President Mohamed Morsi, remain camped-out in Cairo. The interim government wants them removed but more bloodshed could follow if the troops move in. Hardtalk speaks to Egypt's new Foreign Minister, Nabil Fahmy. He is part of a government which many of his compatriots view as illegitimate. So will they bring democracy to Egypt as promised or will the streets of Cairo once again become a battlefield?

(Image: Egypt's newly appointed Foreign Minister, Nabil Fahmy. Credit: AFP/Getty Images)

Composer - Sir John Tavener Aug 05, 2013

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Sarah Montague speaks to Sir John Tavener, one of Britain's most celebrated composers. He says his music is for God - even referring to it as a form of divine dictation. Forty years ago, his work was sometimes dismissed as bland, populist, new age. But over time he has defied the critics - the Protecting Veil was one of the biggest selling classical albums ever, and his Song for Athene was played at the funeral of Princess Diana. Having been ill for much of his life, he says that everything changed after he nearly died from a heart attack six years ago. How did this experience affect his view of life, his music, and his faith?

(Image:Sir John Tavener (left) and Simon Russell Beale. Credit: BBC)

On the Road: Alaska – Part 2 Aug 02, 2013

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Alaska, a land of pristine wilderness, sparse population and unimaginable resource riches. It is also the corner of our planet which is experiencing the most dramatic effects of climate change. The carbon economy which made Alaska rich now threatens its delicate ecosystem, presenting the US with a challenge. In the second of two programmes, Stephen Sackur explores whether the world’s second largest carbon emitter is getting serious about climate change.

(Image: A sea otter sits on a chunk of ice near Whittier, Alaska. Credit: AFP)

On the Road: Alaska - Part 1 Jul 31, 2013

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Hardtalk is on the road in Alaska. In the first of two programmes, Stephen Sackur visits the Bristol Bay region of south-west Alaska where the fishing industry, the mining industry and the federal government are locked in a bitter argument over environmental sustainability and resource exploitation. Every year 40 million salmon swim into Bristol Bay before beginning their journey up the rivers and streams of the region. It is one of the world’s great fisheries. However 120 miles inland there is a plan to build North American’s largest copper mine. Can the two forms of resource exploitation co-exist?

Opera Singer - Thomas Hampson Jul 29, 2013

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Opera is one of the least watched art forms in the world, and possibly the most expensive. Hardtalk speaks to opera superstar Thomas Hampson. He says the way to get people to love opera is to get them to understand it, and then it has the power to transform. If he is right, could one of the most elite and expensive art forms have worldwide appeal?

Governor of Rivers State, Nigeria - Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi Jul 26, 2013

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Rivers State is at the heart of Nigeria’s oil industry, which produces 20% of the country's wealth. Yet more than one billion dollars a month is being lost to thieves who syphon it off from remote pipelines. Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi is Governor of Rivers State, a key figure in addressing the problem. But he's locked in a highly public dispute with the president, Goodluck Jonathan. Their supporters have had to be separated by the police, and the power struggle has prevented the state assembly from meeting since May. Isn't it time he focused on the day job?

Picture: Children sail past an oil pipeline in Rivers State, Nigeria, Credit: Pius Utomi Ekpei, AFP/Getty Images

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