The Interview

Israel's prime minister Benyamin Netanyahu took great satisfaction from President Trump’s decision to ignore longstanding international convention and recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital. But that diplomatic boost can't disguise Mr Netanyahu’s vulnerability at home. He's the target of a long running police anti-corruption investigation and may soon face charges. Stephen Sackur speaks to Cabinet Minister Naftali Bennett who has declared he wants to be Israel's next Prime Minister. Is a changing of the guard in the offing?

Is Sudan's government coming in from the cold? HARDtalk’s Zeinab Badawi speaks to Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour. The US lifted economic sanctions on Sudan in October ending two decades of its financial isolation. Washington says Sudan has made progress on human rights, democratic reforms and ending ethnic tensions in the country. But critics argue it has not done enough: there’s still no peace in Darfur and other conflict areas, and human rights violations continue. Has the government really made a fresh start?

Not so long ago British food was the laughing stock of the world – it was bland, stodgy and flavourless, but how things have changed. Today the nation seems obsessed with cooking and baking on TV and fine dining. My guest today is one of the new breed of top celebrity television chefs Marcus Wareing. Yes we are now obsessed with good food but is that altogether healthy?

(Photo: Marcus Wareing)

Hardtalk is in Oslo to speak to the winners of the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize, ICAN (the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons.) It comes as North Korea continues its testing of missiles capable of reaching the United States with a nuclear warhead. President Trump has threatened ‘fire and fury’ against North Korea and talks of increasing America’s nuclear weapons stockpile.

Earlier this year ICAN helped to deliver the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons which was signed by 122 countries, although none of the nuclear armed powers signed. Stephen Sackur talks to ICAN’s executive director, Beatrice Fihn. What use is this Nobel Peace Prize when the world’s nuclear powers are not listening?

(Photo: Setsuko Thurlow (C) and Beatrice Fihn (R) the Executive Director of ICAN, receive the Nobel Peace Prize 2017 award from Berit Reiss-Andersen head Nobel Committee of Norway. Credit: Nigel Waldron/Getty Images)

HARDtalk’s Stephen Sackur speaks to Swapan Dasgupta, Indian journalist, writer and now member of the country's upper parliamentary chamber. One of the world’s biggest countries has a leader who polarises opinion, stokes nationalist sentiment, has a controversial past, and a predilection for Twitter. I'm thinking of course of India's prime minister Narendra Modi, but are there any parallels to be drawn with America's current president? Does this conservative ally of India's prime minister see any dangers in Mr Modi's populism?

Stephen Sackur speaks to Winnie Byanyima, the Ugandan boss of Oxfam International who is overseeing the NGO's move from the UK to Kenya. A significant shift is afoot in the world of international development. More of the decision-making power is being located in the global south - closer to the frontline in the war on poverty. There's less talk of aid, more of empowerment, self-help and local solutions. Is international development currently unfit for purpose?

HARDtalk’s Stephen Sackur speaks to Jorge Toledo, Spain’s minister for EU affairs. When the Spanish Government threw out the regional Government in Catalonia, imposed direct rule from Madrid and called regional elections, it took a calculated risk. Next month we'll see whether it was well advised. If Catalans give a clear majority to pro-independence parties, Spain - and the European Union - will be facing a protracted crisis. Can Madrid out manoeuvre the secessionists?

Russian TV journalist Ksenia Sobchak announced last month that she will run to be president of Russia at elections due in March 2018. She is the daughter of the late Anatoly Sobchak who was Mayor of St Petersburg in the 1990s and was a mentor to Vladimir Putin when he was starting in politics. Ksenia Sobchak says the situation in Russia is unjust and although it would be unlikely she could beat President Putin if he decides to run again she hopes to build a strong democratic coalition capable of winning at the following election.

(Photo: Russian journalist, former reality show host Ksenia Sobchak holds a press conference. Credit: Kirill Kudryavtsev/AFP)

There aren't many people who are recognisable only from their make-up, but mention a zigzag of black flames around the eyes, painted on a white face, and millions of people around the world will know you are talking about the frontman of the rock band Kiss. Take away the makeup and you have Gene Simmons - a man so canny about business that he realised he could make more money from marketing the Kiss brand than from selling records. His famously long tongue has also proved a loose one – he is frequently invited on chat shows & revels in scandalising his critics. But is that also all part of the act?

It is dangerous to generalise about the human impulse to create art, but it does often seem to be linked to the experience of dark and painful places Stephen Sackur speaks to Lemn Sissay - a renowned poet and playwright whose writing and performances lay bare his own intimate wounds. He was abandoned as a baby, rejected by his foster family and abused in public institutions of care. He has since been on a quest to understand his past and piece together his identity. Along the way how did he find a remarkable poetic voice?

Image: Lemn Sissay, Credit: BBC