The Interview

Stephen Sackur speaks to Nigeria’s minister of state for petroleum resources, Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu. When President Muhamadu Buhari won the Nigerian presidency two years ago it seemed like Africa's most populous nation had turned a corner. A first ever peaceful, democratic transition brought a promise of cleaner, better governance, and major economic reform. How is it going? Can oil dependent Nigeria transform itself into a modern trading economy?

(Photo: Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu arrives for an informal meeting between members of OPEC, 2016. Credit: Ryad Kramdi/AFP /Getty Images)

Every day Venezuela seems to get one step closer to economic and political chaos. Mass anti-government protests have swept the country for the past month. Close to forty people have been killed in street clashes, the shops are short of food and hospitals low on medicine. Stephen Sackur asks Julio Borges, Speaker of the opposition-controlled National Assembly, if the Chavista Socialist revolution is dying on its feet?

(Photo: Julio Borges speaks at a joint press conference with Peruvian president, 2017. Credit: Ernesto Benavides/AFP/Getty Images)

Are the cyber-crooks several steps ahead of the cyber-cops? Hardtalk's Stephen Sackur speaks to Rob Wainwright, head of the European police agency Europol. In every aspect of our public and private lives we have become increasingly dependent on the power of the internet and computing. That makes us vulnerable to those who would do us harm. One such example is the worldwide spread of the ransomware known as WannaCry which has shut down vital computer systems in businesses, and public institutions around the world.

(Photo: Rob Wainwright at a hearing for the March 22 Brussels terror attacks, 2016. Credit: Aurore Belot/AFP/Getty Images)

Ireland has bounced back from the financial crisis of 2008, but now it is being swept by a new wave of apprehension. This time it is all about Brexit. When Britain leaves the European Union, Ireland will suffer significant collateral damage – in terms of jobs, trade, and the status of its borders. Stephen Sackur speaks to Ireland’s foreign and trade minister Charles Flanagan - will Brexit have catastrophic consequences across the Irish Sea?

(Photo: Charles Flanagan, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade of Ireland at the UN General Assemby, 2015. Credit: Timothy A.Clary/AFP/Getty Images)

This Sunday, Emmanuel Macron takes office as President of France. His nascent political organisation promises to get France's sluggish economy on the move again; but only if it can win legislative elections next month. Shaun Ley speaks to French MEP Sylvie Goulard who has thrown her support behind Mr Macron. Can the new President deliver and move France forward ?

Stephen Sackur speaks to the American diplomat Christopher Hill who has served under three US Presidents and was a former lead negotiator on North Korea. Recently, President Trump has described North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un as a “pretty smart cookie” who he would be “honoured” to meet. But with military tensions on the peninsula rising, could Trump's unpredictable approach to foreign policy actually work?

As the scandals pile up, are we witnessing the slow death of the ANC? Stephen Sackur speaks to South Africa’s police minister. South Africa's ANC was once seen as an inspirational model for Africa. Now it is becoming a byword for infighting, cronyism, corruption and the dangers of one party rule. President Jacob Zuma stands accused of abusing his power - not just by his enemies but by many erstwhile ANC colleagues. Fikile Mbalula was made police minister in a recent hugely controversial cabinet shake-up.

(Photo: Fikile Mbalula. Credit: Johan Rynners/Getty Images)

The war in Yemen has killed more than 10,000 civilians but this number may soon be dwarfed by the numbers starving to death. Yemen is experiencing a humanitarian catastrophe, which the warring parties are making worse and which the outside world seems unwilling or unable to tackle. Stephen Sackur talks to the UN humanitarian co-ordinator in the country Jamie McGoldrick. Is he losing the struggle to save millions of lives?

(Photo: Jamie McGoldrick on Hardtalk)

HARDtalk’s Zeinab Badawi is in Ankara to speak to the Turkish Prime Minister, Binali Yildirim in an exclusive BBC interview. Politicians in Turkey from the ruling AK Party say they are trying to bring the country together after the divisive referendum giving the presidency greater powers. The government narrowly won the vote, but the result is still being questioned by opposition parties and no-voters. Protests claiming the poll was rigged have been widespread, but the electoral commission has upheld the outcome. Is the country sliding towards one-party dictatorship?

Stephen Sackur speaks to the General Bishop of the Coptic Church in the UK, Bishop Angaelos. In just a few days from now Pope Francis will fly to Egypt to offer his personal support to the country's Coptic Christians. He will find a community filled with apprehension, targeted by jihadist extremists, and subject to persistent discrimination and sectarian violence. Elsewhere, in Syria and Iraq particularly, the plight of Christians is even worse. Do Christians have any future at all in the Middle East?

(Photo: Bishop Angaelos in the Hardtalk studio)