Hardtalk

Is rising inequality the sickness that could yet kill capitalism? It's a debate currently raging in politics as well as economics. President Obama says income inequality is the defining challenge of our time. The influential American economist Deirdre McCloskey thinks that is to misunderstand 300 years of global growth and enrichment. She focuses on the enduring power of innovation, rather than wealth distribution. So is it ok for the rich to enjoy a party to which no one else is invited?(Photo: American economist Deirdre McCloskey)

The extremist group Isis is expanding its foothold in Syria, after its recent gains in neighbouring Iraq. The first town it seized was Raqqa in northern Syria a year ago; it holds parts of Aleppo province in the north as well as more territory on the border with Iraq. Isis is now engaging in battles with other rebel groups in Syria, splintering efforts by the opposition who now find themselves battling both Isis forces and government troops. What does the advance of Isis mean for moderate secular opposition groups inside Syria? Hardtalk speaks to Salih Muslim Mohammed, leader of the Syrian Kurdish Party, the PYD, which is part of the National Co-ordination Body for Democratic Change, a secular, pro-democracy coalition inside Syria.(Photo: Salih Muslim, head of the Democratic Union Party (PYD) receives condolences after his son is killed. Credit: Fabio Bucciarelli/AFP/Getty Images)

More than 60 journalists have been killed in Syria's civil war. Across the world journalists have become targets as never before, murdered, kidnapped and, in the case of three Al-Jazeera journalists in Egypt, locked up by the state for doing their jobs. Hardtalk speaks to Anthony Loyd, the award winning war correspondent of The Times newspaper, who was shot and seriously injured in Syria last month. Is the fear factor forcing journalists to retreat from the frontline?(Photo: Anthony Loyd - war correspondent, The Times newspaper)

Three years ago Ireland was a basket case economy - hollowed out by broken banks, bad debts and a property crash. What about now? Ireland was the first of the Eurozone bail out countries to emerge from the economic emergency room. Hardtalk speaks to Patrick Honohan, Governor of Ireland’s Central Bank. Growth has returned, optimism is on the rise, but is it justified?(Photo: Patrick Honohan, Governor of Ireland’s Central Bank)

Imagine life without ageing. You could live for hundreds of years with the mental and physical attributes of your 25-year-old self. Would you be tempted? Hardtalk speaks to a scientist and futurologist who believes it is a proposition that 21st Century biotechnology will soon be able to deliver. Aubrey de Grey's Californian research foundation is spending millions of dollars in a bid to conquer the ageing process. Is his vision inspiring, daft, or downright dangerous?

Low cost airlines have revolutionised the European aviation business over the past 25 years - offering cheap flights, no frills and a service sometimes to be endured rather than enjoyed. How much further can the budget airlines grow? Hardtalk speaks to Carolyn McCall, the CEO of easyJet, which carries more international passengers than Lufthansa, British Airways or Emirates. Is flying always going to be this affordable and accessible?(Photo: Chief Executive Officer of easyJet Carolyn McCall. Credit: Reuters)

Hardtalk is in the gallery district of London’s West End to meet one of the most successful and controversial fashion and celebrity photographers of the last 30 years - David LaChapelle. His story revolves around sex, drugs and provocative pictures. He has the ability to shock and offend, but does his work go deeper?

The UK Independence Party topped the UK polls in the recent European elections putting pressure on the Conservative and Labour Parties to reconsider their position on immigration and the UK’s relationship with the EU ahead of the 2015 general election. Hardtalk speaks to veteran Labour MP, Jack Straw, who held successive senior positions in government between 1997 and 2010. Is the Labour Party under Ed Miliband in tune with voters and capable of winning next year’s general election?(Photo: Veteran Labour MP Jack Straw)

How should we make sense of Nigeria's 21st Century identity? Newly anointed as Africa's number one economy, it is an oil-rich emerging power. But it is also beset by corruption, poor governance and a wave of internal conflict that could threaten the very unity of the state. Hardtalk speaks to the highly acclaimed Nigerian novelist, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Her fiction explores her country's troubled past and current challenges. How does this writer see Nigeria's story unfolding?(Photo: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Nigerian author shortlisted for the Bailey's Women's Prize for Fiction 2014. Credit: AP)

It took the abduction of more than 200 school girls to focus international attention on the appalling level of violence and insecurity in north-eastern Nigeria. The brutal conflict between the Islamist militant group Boko Haram and government security forces has killed thousands. Hardtalk speaks to Doyin Okupe, a senior adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan. Are Nigeria's leaders capable of rescuing their country?(Photo: Doyin Okupe)

Dr Kizza Besigye is a former ally of Uganda’s President Museveni who has become his biggest critic and the country’s best known opposition figure. As the former leader of the main opposition party – the Forum for Democratic Change – he has run three times against President Museveni in elections and lost each time. He has called for popular protests in Uganda like the ones that lead to the uprisings of the Arab Spring. So why has he failed to mobilise public opinion behind him?(Photo: Ugandan opposition politician Dr Kizza Besigye. Credit: Marc Hofer/AFP/Getty Images)

How far can Vladimir Putin push his iron-fist foreign policy? Crimea is his, but Russia's next move in eastern Ukraine is much less clear cut, as is the extent of the Kremlin's neo-imperialist ambition. Hardtalk speaks to Sergei Karaganov - one of Russia's most influential foreign policy thinkers and until recently, an advisor to President Putin. Is restoring Russian greatness a coherent strategy?Picture: Professor Sergey Karaganov, Credit: BBC

Hardtalk speaks to award-winning film star, Viggo Mortensen. Known to many for his starring role in The Lord of the Rings, he is not your average Hollywood leading man. Fluent in four languages and of mixed American and Danish background, he spent his childhood in three continents – so, what is his response to critics who say the American movie industry has contributed to the ‘Hollywoodisation’ of global culture and killed diversity?Picture: Viggo Mortensen, Credit: Loic Venance/AFP/Getty Images

The crisis in Ukraine has put the spotlight on the relationship between Russia and the EU. How much carrot and how much stick should the EU wield when it comes to dealing with Moscow? The Baltic States, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia were once part of the Soviet Union and all share a border with the Russian Federation. Hardtalk speaks to Urmas Paet, Foreign Minister of Estonia. Why does Estonia think that getting tough with President Putin is the most effective way to contain Russia?Picture: Urmas Paet, Credit: Ilmars Znotins/AFP/Getty Images

In December 2013 South Sudan, the world’s youngest nation, became engulfed in a civil conflict which has claimed thousands of lives and prompted fears it could lead to genocide. A fragile ceasefire was agreed just over a week ago between the government of President Salva Kiir and his former deputy Riek Machar, who has led the rebel forces, but will it hold? In a Hardtalk exclusive, Stephen Sackur talks to President Salva Kiir in Juba.(Photo: South Sudan's President Salva Kiir sits after he signed a peace agreement with rebel leader Riek Machar. Credit: Reuters)

What can Western nations like the US do to stop Ukraine from breaking up or falling into civil conflict? Hardtalk is at the US Embassy in London to speak to Victoria Nuland, US Assistant Secretary of State. Now that pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine claim they have voted for independence, is Washington powerless to prevent further disintegration?

Zimbabwe's fortunes have for three decades been tied to one man - President Robert Mugabe. Now, once again, Zimbabwe is staring economic catastrophe in the face, less than a year after the ruling Zanu PF won another term in power. State coffers are virtually empty and potential investors are being scared away by seizures of land and foreign owned assets. Hardtalk speaks to Supa Mandiwanzira, Zimbabwe’s Deputy Information Minister. How does he justify being part of a government that is accused of cronyism, rigging elections and of squandering public funds for the benefit of an elite, whilst impoverishing the many?

In December 2013 South Sudan became engulfed in a civil conflict which has claimed thousands of lives and prompted fears it could lead to genocide. A ceasefire has been agreed between the government of President Salva Kiir and his former deputy Riek Machar, who has led the rebel forces, but the agreement is already looking shaky. Stephen Sackur talks to Riek Machar in Addis Ababa.(Photo: Riek Machar. Credit: AFP/Getty Images)

Belarus is Europe's last old-fashioned dictatorship - a country where political dissent gets you beaten up and locked up. Hardtalk speaks to one Belarussian who has refused to be cowed by President Lukashenko's iron fist. Natalia Kaliada co-founded the Belarus Free Theatre almost a decade ago. Directors, actors, even the audience have all faced arrest and imprisonment, but still their shows go on. Is drama an effective tool of resistance?(Photo: Natalia Kaliada)

Nigeria's century has been described as "100 years of trauma". This is no more apparent than in the kidnapping of hundreds of schoolgirls by a militant Islamist group that perceives learning as an alien imposition by Christians and Europeans. Wole Soyinka is Nigeria's most prominent writer, the first African to be awarded the Nobel prize for literature. Persecuted by past governments for his commitment to democracy, what does he make of how Nigeria has stood up to the pressures of insurgency, the temptations of oil wealth and the corruption critics say is endemic. Does a state that cannot even guarantee the safety of its children have a future?