The Interview

World must focus on creating jobs

Rahul Tandon speaks to Ajay Banga, President of the World Bank.

Born in India in 1959, Mr. Banga’s career in business began in the early-1980s, when he started out as a management trainee with the food multinational Nestlé. He then made the move into finance over a decade later, when he joined the Citigroup bank. He quickly rose through the ranks to become the Chief Executive of the bank’s Asia-Pacific business, before then moving onto Mastercard, where he eventually became CEO.

During this time, Mr. Banga, who became a US citizen in 2007, also advised a number of senior US politicians - including President Barack Obama and later, Vice-President Kamala Harris. It was Harris’ boss, President Joe Biden, who subsequently nominated him to lead the World Bank in 2023.

The World Bank is a group of international organisations, such as the International Development Association and the International Finance Corporation, that provide grants and loans to low and middle-income countries for the purpose of economic development. As some of these countries are considered to be too high-risk by the international financial markets, the World Bank is an important source of financial support.

Since the middle of the last century, the group has navigated multiple global political and economic challenges, adapting along the way to ensure that that financial support continues. Going forward, Mr. Banga believes there’s an overriding priority for sustainable development - jobs.

Presenter: Rahul Tandon

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We have a purpose to help people survive

Jewel Kiriungi speaks to Pieter Engelbrecht, CEO of Shoprite, South Africa’s largest supermarket chain, who is trying to keep prices low despite economic challenges across the continent.

Shoprite employs 163,000 people, more than any other in the country’s private sector. Engelbrecht stresses the importance of keeping food affordable, with a quarter of South African children not receiving enough protein.

He explains that food security in the country is the worst it has been in 10 years, with insufficient ports and railroads making it difficult for the country to join the global supply chain.

Shoprite is trying to expand throughout Africa, but Engelbrecht says this is difficult due to corruption, high inflation and devaluing currencies. Despite continued success in South Africa, the chain has closed its operations in Nigeria and Kenya.

Thank you to the World Business Report team for helping to make this programme.

Presenter: Jewel Kiriungi

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(Image: Pieter Engelbrecht, Credit: Getty Images/Bloomberg)

Suranjana Tewari speaks to John Denton, Secretary-General of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), about the impact of global tariffs.

Mr. Denton also reveals how new markets are forming away from the US and its tariffs, with South East Asia transitioning from an export-based economy to one of consumption. And despite all the chaos, he points out the World Trade Organisation, and other economic architecture, has actually continued to function. He praises those who have not issued retaliatory tariffs.

The Interview brings you conversations with people shaping our world, from all over the world. The best interviews from the BBC. You can listen on the BBC World Service, Mondays and Wednesdays at 0700 GMT. Or you can listen to The Interview as a podcast, out twice a week on BBC Sounds or wherever you get your podcasts.

Presenter: Suranjana Tewari

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(Image: John Denton. Credit: John Lamparski/Getty Images North America)

Maria Jevstafjeva speaks to Czech President, Petr Pavel about ending the war between Ukraine and Russia.

The first military officer from the former Eastern Bloc to hold the post, he oversaw the Alliance's responses to a number of crises - including the fallout from Russia’s 2014 annexation of the Crimean peninsula in Ukraine.

As Russia’s war on Ukraine continues into its third year, Western leaders are renewing efforts to bring an end to the bloodshed and implement a ceasefire. Mr. Pavel, who was elected on a platform of closer ties with the EU and Nato, believes the only way to do this is by getting Putin to the negotiating table - even if that means allowing Russia to occupy parts of Ukraine, but without recognising Moscow’s claim to them.

The Interview brings you conversations with people shaping our world, from all over the world. The best interviews from the BBC. You can listen on the BBC World Service, Mondays and Wednesdays at 0700 GMT. Or you can listen to The Interview as a podcast, out twice a week on BBC Sounds, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Presenter: Maria Jevstafjeva

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(Image: Petr Pavel. Credit: Martin Divíšek/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

We face a special challenge in America.

James Naughtie speaks to veteran US politician John Kerry about the state of American politics and his long career at the top of global affairs.

As well as standing for president himself as the Democratic candidate in 2004, he served as Secretary of State in the Obama administration and as Joe Biden’s climate envoy.

Secretary Kerry was at the centre of some of the most significant global crises in recent history from Iraq to Iran and Syria. He still believes one of America’s greatest foreign policy mistakes was invading Iraq in 2003 without first seeking formal approval from the US Congress.

He is forthright in his views on America today, saying he has never seen anything like what the country is living through. He describes politics as defined by greed and insensitivity, and guided by the lowest aspirations. For his Democratic party to return to power once more, he challenges them to face and address the issues the American people care about, including immigration.

Thank you to the Politically team for its help in making this programme.

Presenter: James Naughtie

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(Image: John Kerry. Credit: Reuters)

Sarah Rainsford speaks to Belarussian opposition activist Sergei Tikhanovsky about his imprisonment after challenging the country’s authoritarian leader, President Lukashenko.

Tikhanovsky had planned to run against the Belarussian leader in the 2020 presidential election, but was detained before the vote.

A year later, he was sentenced to serve 18 years in prison, convicted on charges of organising mass protests against President Lukashenko. His trial was condemned as a sham by international observers.

Tikhanovsky’s wife, Svetlana, stood in for him in the 2020 election. But the day after Lukashenko claimed a disputed victory, she fled to Lithuania with her children fearing for her safety. In her absence, she was convicted by a Belarussian court on charges including high-treason and conspiracy to seize power.

Tikhanovsky is now reunited with his family in Lithuania, where he is living in enforced exile following his release from prison.

Thank you to Sarah Rainsford, Davide Ghiglione and Franceso Tosto for their help in making this programme.

Presenter: Sarah Rainsford

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(Image: Sergei Tikhanovsky. Credit: Valda Kalnina/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)

Bishop Guli is currently the Bishop of Chelmsford, a city in England, but it is also being reported that she’s one of the leading candidates to become the next Archbishop of Canterbury - the most senior bishop in the Church of England.

Although she is keen not to add to any media speculation, if selected, Bishop Guli would be a remarkable choice. Not only would she be the first woman to hold the position in the Church’s long history, but she would also become the first person of Middle Eastern heritage to hold the position too.

Born in Iran, her family came to the UK as refugees after her brother was murdered in the wake of the Iranian Revolution. Edward Stourton, presenter of BBC Radio 4’s Sunday programme, speaks to Bishop Guli Francis-Dehqani about her Persian identity and her faith.

Presenter: Edward Stourton

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(Image: Bishop Guli Francis-Dehqani. Credit: BBC Radio 4/PA)

Europe was free-riding on US

Nick Robinson speaks to Friedrich Merz, the new German Chancellor, about the future of Europe’s defence amid the growing threat posed by Russia.

Unlike his predecessors who, in the shadow of World War Two, were keen to reassure the world that German military strength was not a priority, Chancellor Merz has decided to invest heavily in defence.

He says that a strong army is now essential, thanks to the grave threat Russia poses to European peace and stability - and that Germany must be able to protect itself, and not rely on America.

Chancellor Merz also talks about his good relations with US President Donald Trump and the rise of the far right AFD (Alternative für Deutschland) party in his country, which is now the official opposition.

Thank you to the Today programme team for their help in making this programme.

Presenter: Nick Robinson

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(Image: Friedrich Merz. Credit: Reuters)

“I'm just disappointed in him, but I'm not done with him”

The BBC’s Chief North America Correspondent, Gary O’Donoghue, speaks to US President Donald Trump in a wide-ranging telephone interview from the Oval Office.

In the conversation, he reflects on the failed attempt on his life at an election campaign rally last July in Butler, Pennsylvania. He also discusses the ongoing war in Ukraine, US immigration policy, and hopes for his legacy.

Thank you to Gary O’Donoghue and Iona Hampson for their help in making this programme.

Presenter: Gary O’Donoghue

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(Image: President Trump. Credit: Reuters)

I’m going to be a voice for these children

Chris Page, the BBC’s Ireland correspondent speaks to the Irish historian Catherine Corless, who has changed history in her own country.

When she began to research a long-closed mother and baby home near where she lived, she encountered local resistance. But her dogged investigation led to the discovery that hundreds of babies and young children were buried in mass, unmarked graves inside a disused sewage tank at the site in Tuam, Ireland.

Her work led to the discovery of the scandal of Ireland’s historical mother and baby institutions, which housed unmarried mothers and their babies at a time when they were ostracized by Irish society and often their families too. An inquiry launched by the Irish government into the network of homes concluded about nine thousand children died in the eighteen homes investigated.

The revelation led to apologies from the Catholic Church in Ireland, the Irish Government, the council which owned the home in Tuam and the religious order which ran the home. The order has also contributed millions of dollars to a compensation scheme, and to the excavation now underway in Tuam.

Thank you to Chris Page and Chrissie McGlinchey from the BBC’s Ireland bureau for their help in making this programme.

Presenter: Chris Page

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(Image: Catherine Corless. Credit: PA)