i'm stephen sackur. in deep mid—winter, ukraine is taking stock of wartime options. in the short run, kyiv is trying to repel relentless russian attacks around bakhmut in the east. but very soon, other more significant thrusts and counter—thrusts are likely. to prevail, ukraine needs more western weapons, in particular modern battle tanks. but germany remains reluctant to send in the leopards. well, my guest is ukraine's foreign minister, dmytro kuleba. are ukraine's strategic options being narrowed by wavering amongst western allies? foreign minister dmytro kuleba in kyiv, welcome to hardtalk. it's my pleasure to be with you. it's great to have you back on the show. i'm sure you watched very closely what happened in ramstein, germany, when ukraine's allies met at defence minister level to discuss new weapons supplies to ukraine. what appears to have emerged is yet more uncertainty, particularly about whether you're going to get tanks. how damaging is that uncertainty? the meeting in ramstein itself was the quintessential moment of weeks of different talks and nego

now on bbc news it's hardtalk with stephen sackur. welcome to hardtalk. i'm stephen sackur. venezuela's authoritarian leader, nicolas maduro, has, for the moment, outmanoeuvred those forces inside and outside the country intent on his removal. last month, the opposition gave up on their own alternative president and indicated a willingness to negotiate with maduro. in the us, in latin america and in europe, they seem ready to engage with the caracas regime, not least because oil supplies are at a premium. my guest is leopoldo lopez, long—time venezuelan opposition leader and former political prisoner, now in exile in spain. is it time for him to acknowledge failure? leopoldo lopez in madrid, welcome to hardtalk. thank you very much. thank you for the opportunity. it's great to have you on the show. back in 2019, your big idea as a key leader of the venezuelan opposition was to undermine socialist president nicolas maduro by creating an alternative president and an alternative government. would you now acknowledge that big idea has failed? well, certainly, we were not able

i'm stephen sackur. we humans know that one day we will die. but as long as our end has no specific timetable attached, many of us choose to shelve the thought, avoid it. covid, which took such a grim toll in so many countries, challenged us to confront the reality of our mortality. but still, health care professionals say what they call "death literacy" is lacking. my guest is rachel clarke, a doctor who made a choice to work with the dying, and who's written about it too, from a personal and professional viewpoint. can death be life affirming? dr rachel clarke, welcome to hardtalk. thank you. now, you have had pretty much two decades of doctoring. how has that time changed the way you do the job? well, i think i was pretty naive when i started, in the sense that i went through medical school that taught me essentially how to fix broken body parts. so that's the way you learn medicine. a sort of mechanical approach to medicine? yes. so, liver — how does a liver work? how does it break down? how do you fix it? then you'll move on to heart, lu

i'm stephen sackur. in russia, voicing opposition to putin's war in ukraine is a crime. it can mean years injail. imagine, then, the resolve of a russian opposition activist who returned to his homeland after the ukraine invasion in order to speak out against the putin regime from within. not only that, vladimir kara—murza had already survived two apparent poisonings inside russia. he is now languishing in a russian prison. his wife, evgenia kara—murza, is my guest today. has putin's repression effectively neutralised meaningful opposition? evgenia kara—murza in washington, dc welcome to hardtalk. thank you very much for having me here. it's a pleasure to have you on the show. and i must begin by asking you about the condition of your husband vladimir. he's been imprisoned in russia since last april. what can you tell me about his current condition? he's still being held at moscow's fifth pre—trial detention centre, where he awaits trial for three criminal cases that have been initiated against him since april. he's being kept at the most secure part of that preâ

now on bbc news, it's hardtalk with stephen sackur. welcome to hardtalk. i'm stephen sackur and today i'm in beautiful northern california to meet the man once described by henry kissinger as the most dangerous in america. in 1971, that man, my guest daniel ellsberg, leaked the so called pentagon papers. he exposed decades of us government lies about the war in vietnam. the nixon administration was enraged. they tried to destroy daniel ellsberg. they failed. and today he is still warning the american but are they listening? daniel ellsberg, welcome to hardtalk. glad to be with you. it's a great pleasure to be at your home. now, you have lived a long and a very full life. and i guess the truth is, you know that you will always be associated with one extraordinary decision you took to leak the pentagon papers. does it bother you that that is the thing that people think about you? no. well, i know that it is, but i've lived with that for a long time. my intent at the time was to put out more important papers. i felt top secret papers on nuclear war planning a

now on bbc news, it's hardtalk with stephen sackur. welcome to hardtalk. i'm stephen sackur. britain mourned the death of queen elizabeth in ways that combined the intimate and the personal with the grand and ceremonial. for most of us, of course, death and grief remain a very private affair. an irreversible, life—altering shock when we lose someone close for which there is no guide or preparation. my guest today is the one—time pop star—turned church of england vicar, the reverend richard coles, whose frank account of his own grief has struck a chord with many. why did grief nearly break him? richard coles, welcome to hardtalk. britain has just lived through a rather extraordinary, momentous experience, the death of queen elizabeth, the mourning that came with it. and many people have said that the death of the queen revived very sharp memories for them of their own losses and how they felt during their own losses. you've just written a book about grief. is that true of you, too? oh, yes, very much so. i think the queen had a representative life as well as a sort of co

now on bbc news, it's hardtalk with stephen sackur. welcome to hardtalk. i'm stephen sackur. how good is the biden administration at multitasking when it comes to international security crises? this year, we're likely to find out. as the us continues to lead the western response to putin's all—out invasion of ukraine, it must prepare for another looming showdown with iran. the attempt to revive a deal to curb tehran's nuclear ambitions is as good as dead. the iranian government is enriching uranium, repressing its people, and arming moscow with drones. my guest isjoe biden's iran envoy, robert malley. he's the arch diplomat. but where does the us go when diplomacy fails? robert malley in washington, dc, welcome to hardtalk. thanks for having me. it's great to have you on the show. you've had two years now, trying to use diplomacy to diffuse the tensions, tackle the differences with iran. is it time to acknowledge that that diplomatic effort has failed? well, stephen, what i'd say is diplomacy never ends, even as we are doing other things — and we've always taken several s

i'm stephen sackur. this city has long been a cradle of the struggle for black freedom and equality. black oaklanders know the reality of systemic discrimination. back in the 1960s, one response was the creation of the radical and controversial black panther party. it was founded by men. some of its key leaders were women. one of them, my guest today, ericka huggins. she spent two years imprisoned and she became a symbol of the black panther struggle. looking around oakland today, has anything really changed? ericka huggins, welcome to hardtalk. well, thank you! it's an honour to be here. it is a great pleasure to have you on the show. i want to take you back to your years as a leader in the black panther party. when you reflect on those years now, does it feel to you like ancient history, or part of a struggle that continues till today? well, it certainly doesn't feel like ancient history because the life that i lived and that all of my friends lived at that time stays with me. it's a very pivotal part

i'm stephen sackur. vladimir putin's ruthless bid to impose his will on ukraine hasn't worked, at least not yet. on the contrary, it has taken an enormous toll of russian blood and treasure, and left the country militarily and economically weakened. so, how come there hasn't been more open dissent within the russian elite? is it fear, brainwashing or a deeper, shared ethno—nationalism? well, my guest, boris bondarev, is unique. he's a russian diplomat who quit and condemned putin's ukraine war. why is his a lone voice of insider dissent? boris bondarev, in switzerland, welcome to hardtalk. i want to begin, if i may, by getting a sense of what life is like for you today. last may, you quit your post. you delivered a scathing condemnation of putin and his war. so how is life for you today? well, it's become relatively easier than it was because i don't have to go to my office any more. and i... well, officially and practically, iam now unemployed, so i have a lot of free time to think and to read and to

i'm stephen sackur. today, i'vejourneyed to the south coast of england to meet one of the great women pioneers of photo journalism, marilyn stafford. she was born in the united states, but she moved to paris where she became the protege of the brilliant cartier—bresson. and like him, she loved to capture intimate portraits of ordinary people. she's worked in war zones and on fashion catwalks. and now, at 93, her work is being admired by a new generation. so, what gives her pictures their power? marilyn stafford, welcome to hardtalk. thank you. let's start way back. you trained as an actress, you spent a while as a nightclub singer, and yet you really found your creative voice in photography. what was it about photography that really reached into your soul? i have been called an accidental photographer, because i really did not set out to do the photography at all. the photography was something that was just there. when i was a child, everybody had a little box brownie, every family had a little box bro

i'm stephen sackur. in russia, voicing opposition to putin's war in ukraine is a crime. it can mean years injail. imagine, then, the resolve of a russian opposition activist who returned to his homeland after the ukraine invasion in order to speak out against the putin regime from within. not only that, vladimir kara—murza had already survived two apparent poisonings inside russia. he is now languishing in a russian prison. his wife, evgenia kara—murza, is my guest today. has putin's repression effectively neutralised meaningful opposition? evgenia kara—murza in washington, dc, welcome to hardtalk. thank you very much for having me here. it's a pleasure to have you on the show, and i must begin by asking you about the condition of your husband, vladimir. he's been imprisoned in russia since last april. what can you tell me about his current condition? he's still being held at moscow's fifth pre—trial detention centre, where he awaits trial for three criminal cases that have been initiated against him since april. he's being kept at the most secure part of that pr

welcome to hardtalk, i'm stephen sackur. in russia, voicing opposition to putin's war in ukraine is a crime. it can mean years injail. imagine, then, the resolve of a russian opposition activist who returned to his homeland after the ukraine invasion in order to speak out against the putin regime from within. not only that, vladimir kara—murza had already survived two apparent poisonings inside russia.

welcome to hardtalk, i'm stephen sackur. in russia, voicing opposition to putin's war in ukraine is a crime. it can mean years injail. imagine, then, the resolve of a russian opposition activist who returned to his homeland after the ukraine invasion in order to speak out against the putin regime from within. not only that, vladimir kara—murza had already survived two apparent poisonings inside russia. he is now languishing in a russian prison. his wife, evgenia kara—murza, is my guest today. has putin's repression effectively neutralised meaningful opposition? evgenia kara—murza in washington, dc, welcome to hardtalk. thank you very much for having me here. it's a pleasure to have you on the show, and i must begin by asking you about the condition of your husband, vladimir. he's been imprisoned in russia since last april. what can you tell me about his current condition? he's still being held at moscow's fifth pre—trial detention centre, where he awaits trial for three criminal cases that have been initiated against

i'm stephen sackur. vladimir putin's ruthless bid to impose his will on ukraine hasn't worked, at least not yet. 0n the contrary, it has taken an enormous toll of russian blood and treasure, and left the country militarily and economically weakened. so, how come there hasn't been more open dissent within the russian elite? is it fear, brainwashing or a deeper, shared ethno—nationalism? well, my guest, boris bondarev, is unique. he's a russian diplomat who quit and condemned putin's ukraine war. why is his a lone voice of insider dissent? boris bondarev, in switzerland, welcome to hardtalk. i want to begin, if i may, by getting a sense of what life is like for you today. last may, you quit your post. you delivered a scathing condemnation of putin and his war. so how is life for you today? well, it's become relatively easier than it was because i don't have to go to my office any more. and i... well, officially and practically, i am now unemployed, so i have a lot of free time to think and to read and to

i'm stephen sackur. vladimir putin's ruthless bid to impose his will on ukraine hasn't worked, at least not yet. on the contrary, it has taken an enormous toll of russian blood and treasure, and left the country militarily and economically weakened. so, how come there hasn't been more open dissent within the russian elite? is it fear, brainwashing or a deeper, shared ethno—nationalism? well, my guest, boris bondarev, is unique. he's a russian diplomat who quit and condemned putin's ukraine war. why is his a lone voice of insider dissent? boris bondarev, in switzerland, welcome to hardtalk. i want to begin, if i may, by getting a sense of what life is like for you today. last may, you quit your post. you delivered a scathing condemnation of putin and his war. so how is life for you today? well, it's become relatively easier than it was because i don't have to go to my office any more. and i... well, officially and practically, i am now unemployed, so i have a lot of free time to think and to read and to

i'm stephen sackur. today, i've journeyed to the south coast of england to meet one of the great women pioneers of photojournalism, marilyn stafford. she was born in the united states, but she moved to paris where she became the protege of the brilliant cartier—bresson. and like him, she loved to capture intimate portraits of ordinary people. she's worked in war zones and on fashion catwalks. and now, at 93, her work is being admired by a new generation. so, what gives her pictures their power? marilyn stafford, welcome to hardtalk. thank you. let's start way back. you trained as an actress, you spent a while as a nightclub singer, and yet you really found your creative voice in photography. what was it about photography that really reached into your soul? i have been called an accidental photographer, because i really did not set out to do the photography at all. the photography was something that was just there. when i was a child, everybody had a little box brownie, every family had a little box bro

i'm stephen sackur. in russia, voicing opposition to putin's war in ukraine is a crime. it can mean years injail. imagine, then, the resolve of a russian opposition activist who returned to his homeland after the ukraine invasion in order to speak out against the putin regime from within. not only that, vladimir kara—murza had already survived two apparent poisonings inside russia. he is now languishing in a russian prison. his wife, evgenia kara—murza, is my guest today. has putin's repression effectively neutralised meaningful opposition? evgenia kara—murza in washington, dc, welcome to hardtalk. thank you very much for having me here. it's a pleasure to have you on the show, and i must begin by asking you about the condition of your husband, vladimir. he's been imprisoned in russia since last april. what can you tell me about his current condition? he's still being held at moscow's fifth pre—trial detention centre, where he awaits trial for three criminal cases that have been initiated against him since april. he's being kept at the most secure part of that pr

welcome to hardtalk, i'm stephen sackur. venezuela's authoritarian leader, nicolas maduro, has, for the moment, outmanoeuvred those forces inside and outside the country, intent on his removal. last month, the opposition gave up on their own alternative president and indicated a willingness to negotiate with maduro. in the us, in latin america, and in europe, they seem ready to engage with the caracas regime, not least because oil supplies are at a premium.

i'm stephen sackur. venezuela's authoritarian leader, nicolas maduro, has, for the moment, outmanoeuvred those forces inside and outside the country, intent on his removal. last month, the opposition gave up on their own alternative president and indicated a willingness to negotiate with maduro. in the us, in latin america and in europe, they seem ready to engage with the caracas regime, not least because oil supplies are at a premium. my guest is leopoldo lopez, long—time venezuelan opposition leader and former political prisoner, now in exile in spain. is it time for him to acknowledge failure? leopoldo lopez in madrid, welcome to hardtalk. thank you very much. thank you for the opportunity. it's great to have you on the show. back in 2019, your big idea as a key leader of the venezuelan opposition was to undermine socialist president nicolas maduro by creating an alternative president and an alternative government. would you now acknowledge that big idea has failed? well, certainly, we were not able

i'm stephen sackur. this place is home to the world trade organization, the institution whose purpose is to maximise free and fair international trade on the assumption that globalisation is good. so what happens when many governments and people around the world question that premise? well, my guest today is the director general of the wto, ngozi okonjo—iweala. will rising geopolitical tensions lead to the weaponisation of trade? ngozi okonjo—iweala, welcome to hardtalk. thank you, stephen. now, you are one of the world's key advocates of ever freer trade, more globalisation. what's it like to be doing your job when the political tide across the world is running against you? the wto's purpose, the world trade organization, is... its purpose is to enhance living standards, to help create employment and to support sustainable development. there could be nothing more worthy than that. so, it's supposed to deliver for people. and that's what i want people to know about it, therefore... nobody could quarr

i'm stephen sackur. the war in ukraine has focused attention on vladimir putin's apparent desire to remake a greater russian space, incorporating chunks of the former soviet empire. with that in mind, keep an eye on what's happening in the tiny, disputed territory of nagorno—karabakh, where ethnic armenians backed by russia continue to defy azerbaijan's claim to sovereignty.

i'm stephen sackur and today i'm in beautiful northern california to meet the man once described by henry kissinger as the most dangerous in america. in 1971, that man, my guest daniel ellsberg, leaked the so called pentagon papers. he exposed decades of us government lies about the war in vietnam. the nixon administration was enraged. they tried to destroy daniel ellsberg.

i'm stephen sackur and today i'm in beautiful northern california to meet the man once described by henry kissinger as the most dangerous in america. in 1971, that man, my guest daniel ellsberg, leaked the so called pentagon papers. he exposed decades of us government lies about the war in vietnam. the nixon administration was enraged. they tried to destroy daniel ellsberg. they failed. and today he is still warning the american people about the dangers of unchecked military power. but are they listening? daniel ellsberg, welcome to hardtalk. glad to be with you. it's a great pleasure to be at your home. now, you have lived a long and a very full life. and i guess the truth is, you know that you will always be associated with one extraordinary decision you took to leak the pentagon papers. does it bother you that that is the thing that people think about you? no. well, i know that it is, but i've lived with that for a long time. my intent at the time was to put out more important papers. i felt top secret papers on nuclear war planning and the prospects of nuclear strategy, supposedly, wh

i'm stephen sackur. this place is home to the world trade organization, the institution whose purpose is to maximise free and fair international trade on the assumption that globalisation is good. so what happens when many governments and people around the world question that premise? well, my guest today is the director general of the wto, ngozi okonjo—iweala. will rising geopolitical tensions lead to the weaponisation of trade? ngozi okonjo—iweala, welcome to hardtalk. now, you are one of the world's key advocates of ever ngozi okonjo—iweala, welcome to hardtalk. thank you, stephen. now, you are one of the world's key advocates of ever freer trade, more globalisation. what's it like to be doing your job when the political tide across the world is running against you? the wto's purpose, the world trade organization, is... its purpose is to enhance living standards, to help living standards, to help create employment and to support sustainable development. there could be nothing more worthy than th

i'm stephen sackur. the war in ukraine has focused attention on vladimir putin's apparent desire to remake a greater russian space, incorporating chunks of the former soviet empire. with that in mind, keep an eye on what's happening in the tiny, disputed territory of nagorno—karabakh, where ethnic armenians backed by russia continue to defy azerbaijan's claim to sovereignty. my guest is ruben vardanyan, an armenian who made his fortune in russia and who is now de facto prime minister of nagorno—karabakh. his enclave is in deep trouble. will russia save it? reuben vatanen in nagorno—karabakh, welcome to hardtalk. thank you. now, mrvardanyan, many in our hardtalk audience will not know very much about nagorno—karabakh, but suffice to say, you are the state minister in a tiny territory of some 120,000 people. and right now, you have an urgent crisis because your land route out to armenia is currently blockaded. what is the situation for the people living in your territory today? first of all, i want

welcome to hardtalk, i'm stephen sackur. how good is the biden administration at multitasking when it comes to international security crises? this year, we're likely to find out. as the us continues to lead the western response to putin's all—out invasion of ukraine, it must prepare for another looming showdown with iran. the attempt to revive a deal to curb tehran�*s nuclear

now on bbc news, it's hardtalk with stephen sackur. welcome to hardtalk. i am stephen sabo. limit how good is the biden administration at multitasking when it comes to international security crises? this year, we're likely to find out. as the us continues to lead the western response to putin's all—out invasion of ukraine, it must prepare for another looming showdown with iran. the attempt to revive a deal to curb tehran�*s nuclear ambitions is as good as dead. the iranian government is enriching uranium, repressing its people, and arming moscow with drones. my guest isjoe biden�*s iran envoy, robert malley. he's the arch diplomat. but where does the us go when diplomacy fails? robert malley in washington, dc, welcome to hardtalk. thanks for having me. it's great to have you on the show. you've had two years now, trying to use diplomacy to diffuse the tensions, tackle the differences with iran. is it time to acknowledge that that diplomatic effort has failed? well, stephen, what i'd say is diplomacy never ends, even as we are doing other things — and we've always tak

welcome to hardtalk, i'm stephen sackur. you don't need to be a clairvoyant to see that 2023 will bring extraordinary turbulence to pakistan. rampant inflation and energy crisis, soaring national debt — these are challenges that would test the strongest of governments but in pakistan, the ruling coalition is weak and imran khan's pti opposition party is doing all in its power to bring it down. my guest is senior pti official fawad chaudhry. could political opportunism be the undoing of pakistan? fawad chaudhry in lahore, welcome to hardtalk. thank you. mr chaudhry, if ever there were a time in pakistan for politicians to put their partisan interests and differences aside and pull together for the good of the nation, it would be now, with your country facing a massive economic crisis. are you in the pti prepared to do that? yeah, we are all we all prepared to do that. but you will appreciate we are not a communist country. we are not a one party system that prevailing in pakistan. we are a democracy. and in democracy partie

i'm stephen sackur. the war in ukraine has focused attention on vladimir putin's apparent desire to remake a greater russian space, incorporating chunks of the former soviet empire. with that in mind, keep an eye on what's happening in the tiny, disputed territory of nagorno—karabakh, where ethnic armenians backed by russia continue to defy azerbaijan's claim to sovereignty. my guest is ruben vardanyan, an armenian who made his fortune in russia and who is now de facto prime minister of nagorno—karabakh. his enclave is in deep trouble. will russia save it? reuben vardanyan in nagorno—karabakh, welcome to hardtalk. thank you. now, mrvardanyan, many in our hardtalk audience will not know very much about nagorno—karabakh, but suffice to say, you are the state minister in a tiny territory of some 120,000 people. and right now, you have an urgent crisis because your land route out to armenia is currently blockaded. what is the situation for the people living in your territory today? first of all, i wa

welcome to hardtalk, i'm stephen sackur. venezuela's authoritarian leader, nicolas maduro, has, for the moment, outmanoeuvred those forces inside and outside the country, intent on his removal. last month, the opposition gave up on their own alternative president and indicated a willingness to negotiate with maduro. in the us, in latin america, and in europe, they seem ready to engage with the caracas regime, not least because oil supplies are at a premium. my guest is leopoldo lopez, long—time venezuelan opposition leader and former political prisoner, now in exile in spain. is it time for him to acknowledge failure? leopoldo lopez, in madrid, welcome to hardtalk. thank you very much. welcome to hardtalk. thank you for the opportunity. welcome to hardtalk. it's great to have you on the show. back in 2019, your big idea as a key leader of the venezuelan opposition was to undermine socialist president nicolas maduro by creating an alternative president and an alternative government. would you now acknowledge that big idea h

i'm stephen sackur. venezuela's authoritarian leader, nicolas maduro, has, for the moment, outmanoeuvred those forces inside and outside the country, intent on his removal. last month, the opposition gave up on their own alternative president and indicated a willingness to negotiate with maduro. in the us, in latin america, and in europe, they seem ready to engage with the caracas regime, not least because oil supplies are at a premium. my guest is leopoldo lopez, long—time venezuelan opposition leader and former political prisoner, now in exile in spain. is it time for him to acknowledge failure? leopoldo lopez, in madrid, welcome to hardtalk. thank you very much. thank you for the opportunity. it's great to have you on the show. back in 2019, your big idea as a key leader of the venezuelan opposition was to undermine socialist president nicolas maduro by creating an alternative president and an alternative government. would you now acknowledge that big idea has failed? well, certainly we were not abl

i'm stephen sackur. this place is home to the world trade organization, the institution whose purpose is to maximise free and fair international trade on the assumption that globalisation is good. so what happens when many governments and people around the world question that premise? well, my guest today is the director general of the wto, ngozi okonjo—iweala. will rising geopolitical tensions lead to the weaponisation of trade? ngozi okonjo—iweala, welcome to hardtalk. thank you, stephen. now, you are one of the world's key advocates of ever freer trade, more globalisation. what's it like to be doing yourjob when the political tide across the world is running against you? the wto's purpose, the world trade organization, is... its purpose is to enhance living standards, to help create employment and to support sustainable development. there could be nothing more worthy than that. so, it's supposed to deliver for people. and that's what i want people to know about it, therefore... nobody could quarre

welcome to hardtalk, i'm stephen sackur. brazilian democracy was shaken to its foundations earlier this month, but it is still standing. now president lula has to try to fix the cracks. his government must figure out whether another assault on government institutions is likely and hold those responsible for what looked like a half—baked coup attempt to account. all of that while lula faces a mountain of economic, social and political challenges. my guest is celso amorim, former foreign minister, now lula's foreign policy advisor. is brazil becoming ungovernable? celso amorim in brasilia, welcome to hardtalk. thank you, stephen. mramorim, i believe you are talking to me from your office in the presidential palace. just a few days ago, that building was invaded by a mob. how safe and secure do you feel right now? 0h, personally, i feel very safe now. i don't think anything will happen these days or the next days. but of course, that was a very worrying situation, to say the least. not very much unlike what happened in the ca

i'm stephen sackur. brazilian democracy was shaken to its foundations earlier this month, but it is still standing. now, president lula has to try to fix the cracks. his government must figure out whether another assault on government institutions is likely, and hold those responsible for what looked like a half—baked coup attempt to account. all of that while lula faces a mountain of economic, social and political challenges. my guest is celso amorim, former foreign minister, now lula's foreign policy adviser. is brazil becoming ungovernable? celso amorim in brasilia, welcome to hardtalk. thank you, stephen. mramorim, i believe you are talking to me from your office in the presidential palace. just a few days ago, that building was invaded by a mob. how safe and secure do you feel right now? 0h, personally, i feel very safe now. i don't think anything will happen these days or the next days. but, of course, that was a very worrying situation, to say the least. not very much unlike what happened in cap

welcome to hardtalk, i'm stephen sackur. you don't need to be a clairvoyant to see that 2023 will bring extraordinary turbulence to pakistan. rampant inflation, an energy crisis, soaring national debt — these are challenges that would test the strongest of governments. but in pakistan, the ruling coalition is weak, and imran khan's pti opposition party is doing all in its power to bring it down. my guest is senior pti official, fawad chaudhry. could political opportunism be the undoing of pakistan? fawad chaudhry in lahore, welcome to hardtalk. thank you. mr chaudhry, if ever there were a time in pakistan for politicians to put their partisan interests and differences aside and pull together for the good of the nation, it would be now, with your country facing a massive economic crisis. are you in the pti prepared to do that? yeah, we are all prepared to do that. but you will appreciate we are not a communist country. we are not a one party system that prevailing in pakistan. we are a democracy. and in democracy, parties d

i'm stephen sackur. in deep mid—winter, ukraine is taking stock of wartime options. in the short run, kyiv is trying to repel relentless russian attacks around bakhmut in the east. but very soon, other more significant thrusts and counter—thrusts are likely. to prevail, ukraine needs more western weapons, in particular

i'm stephen sackur. war and extreme poverty drive millions of people from their homes every year. some of those desperate people try to reach the rich western world where such inward migration routinely prompts fear and draconian countermeasures. do perceptions change when the story of migration is personalised? well, my guest today is waheed arian, who fled war in afghanistan as a child, made it to the uk and is now

i'm stephen sackur. this place is home to the world trade organization, the institution whose purpose is to maximise free and fair international trade on the assumption that globalisation is good. so what happens when many governments and people around the world question that premise? well, my guest today is the director general of

i'm stephen sackur. this place is home to the world trade organization, the institution whose purpose is to maximise free and fair international trade, on the assumption that globalisation is good. so what happens when many governments and people around the world question that premise? well, my guest today is the director general of the wto, ngozi okonjo—iweala. will rising geopolitical tensions lead to the weaponisation of trade? ngozi okonjo—iweala, welcome to hardtalk. thank you, stephen. now, you are one of the world's key advocates of ever freer trade, more globalisation. what's it like to be doing your job when the political tide across the world is running against you? the wto's purpose, the world trade organization, is... its purpose is to enhance living standards, to help create employment and to support sustainable development. there could be nothing more worthy than that. so, it's supposed to deliver for people. and that's what i want people to know about it, therefore... nobody could quar