to keep away from beaches amid fears the anak krakatoa volcano could trigger another tsunami. over 280 people are now known to have died after the waves struck late on saturday, and over 1,000 have been injured. president trump has announced that his current secretary of defence, jim mattis, will leave office two months earlier than originally announced. general mattis resigned last week over mr trump's plans to withdraw us troops from syria. he will be replaced by his deputy patrick sha na han on january the first. and a court in pakistan is to announce verdict in two references against former prime minister nawaz sharif. the court had indicted sharif in the said references for holding assets beyond his known sources of income in august 2017. now it's time to take a look at some of hardtalk‘s stand—out interviews from 2018, from presidents and world leaders, to campaigners

from the metoo movement. here's stephen sackur. a very warm welcome to this end of year edition of hardtalk with me, stephen sackur. after 12 months of tough questions, this is our pick of the year's highs and lows. the world is particularly messy today. i don't see strong leaders around who could cope with it. where most of us felt

deeply hurt is when donald trump blamed pakistan for the failure of the united states and afghanistan. this beast called corruption is one that i intend to slay. it is a relief, because it explains what had previously been inexplicable. when the intelligence community say with a high degree of confidence it is out a high degree of confidence it is our assessment, that means they don't know. yes, of course, i certainly feel responsible in part for the situation the country finds itself in. that was a mistake. brexit is a disaster. brexit is a tory conceived vanity. brexit is a disaster. brexit is a tory conceived vanityi brexit is a disaster. brexit is a tory conceived vanity. i thought it was absolutely a bad strategy to declare war on the media. you have hardtalk, we want hardfacts. our review of 2018 begins with the melodrama in washington, dc,

otherwise known as the trump presidency. his tweets, populism, his hirings and firings defy political convention. he reviles the media, yet dominate the headlines, and get all the while investigations continue into his presidential campaign and its ties with rush hour. i believe the very core allegation of the dossier which is consistent with the allegations we had which is the russians were interfering in the american presidential election. the rest of iti presidential election. the rest of it i don't know what to make off and some of it i don't know what is true 01’ some of it i don't know what is true orfalse, the prosecuting, i didn't care, wanted the president to be aware. surely you must have cared if he was vulnerable to blackmail? yes, which is why we told them about that so he would know the allegation and know the fbi was aware of it. the intelligence community say with a high degree of confidence, they say i don't know. i don't agree with

that. you don't trust for one second those put into the positions of highest authority in america's leading security and intelligence agencies. you clearly believe the fbi, the cia and every other intelligence agency offal of people... who have been politicised. the fbi and cia opposed the release ofa the fbi and cia opposed the release of a memo that would demonstrate they violated the law because they say it threatens national—security? nonsensical. anger and resentment is not a governing philosophy, and it only goes so far. and there are pendulum swings in politics, certainly in american politics, so i do think this is president trump's party right now. it is, no doubt. you cannot win a republican primary around the country if you are highly critical of the president's behaviour or his politics. but that would always be the case. the president is very media savvy. he should take a step back from that and said, you know what, i can have and said, you know what, i can have an adversarial relationship with the

media without a war declaration. we have an administration right now thatis have an administration right now that is trying to disqualify the press as an independent arbiter of fa ct. press as an independent arbiter of fact. and not just press as an independent arbiter of fact. and notjust to disqualify us as an independent arbiter of fact, but to disqualify other institutions as independent arbiters, so law enforcement, intelligence agencies, the court system, scientists, all of them, to disqualify them and say that the white house itself, the administration itself, is the only source of truth. here is one of the great ironies of 2018, donald trump avoided personal criticism of vladimir putin and yet russia's relations with the west still soured badly. 0ver relations with the west still soured badly. over the skripal poisoning, the alleged use of chemical weapons in syria and moscow's unyielding strategy in ukraine. with tempers fraying, i went to moscow to talk to russia's foreign minister. you said you had irrefutable proof that the

russiaphobic country, by which he meant britain... why did you say that i meant britain? don't put your words into my mouth. i did say a country which is trying to lead the russiaphobic campaign. please, quote me correctly. there are already over the last few weeks newsagents from the last few weeks newsagents from the us on a bunch of different companies and individuals which have hit the russian stock market very badly. russia is being squeezed. thank you for your sympathy, but don't worry, we will survive. it seems you are now saying don't worry, we will survive. it seems you are now saying you don't trust the brit government. for a brit, you have very bad manners. do you think you are in a new cold war? it is worse, because in the cold war there were channels of communication, and there was no obsession with russia phobia which looks like, you know, genocide by sanctions. throughout the year, we quizzed a host of international leaders. for some, power

quizzed a host of international leaders. forsome, power has quizzed a host of international leaders. for some, power has almost become a way of life. i have been accused of being a dictator. no, you know, no dictators have ever resigned. i resigned. and 110w have ever resigned. i resigned. and now i have come back. after more than 20 years in power. gasp. that is long enough time. well, you need time to develop the country —— yes. you know, it is not so easy, just like picking your fingers. a lot of

people are concerned you are not delivering largely because of the widespread, rampant corruption that exists in your country at your own admission. this dragon, this beast called corruption is one that we intend to slay. we have been working quietly over the last few years to strengthen our various agencies that are involved in this particular fight. is that what you want your legacy to be, the fight against corruption? the fight against corruption? the fight against corruption and to ensure that the nation's resources are used in the best interests of the people of the republic. plenty of new faces swept into power in 2018, one of the most familiar belonged to a former cricketing star. let me make it clear, packer style has to be friends with america, the united states is a superpower, but where most of us felt deeply hurt is when donald trump blamed pakistan for the failure of the united states in

afghanistan. we felt that here was oui’ afghanistan. we felt that here was our country being made a scapegoat, a country that had 70,000 people killed fighting the us war. we had over $100 billion lost to the economy because general musharaf took us into a war which was not our war. i paused it. and at the end, the humiliation, i mean, to be made a scapegoat for their failure in afghanistan. new leadership in south africa, too, whether anc tired of jacob zuma's scandal plagued administration. —— where the. jacob zuma's scandal plagued administration. -- where the. we are going to take action against those who have acted wrongly against the country. that will be a full-time job, won't it? prince mashely, co—author of the book against your party says the anc is rotten in its entirety, so it is notjustjacob zuma, it is right across the party.

well, we allowed corruption to continue growing in the party. we have recognised that this is a problem, we have decided that we are going to root corruption out and it is not everyone who is in the anc who is corrupt. there are some really good people in south africa, in the african national congress, and that is what is giving us the platform and the levers to root out those who are perpetrating wrong things against the people of south africa. in south america, i spoke to a new president grappling with the humanitarian crisis. aru asking for regime change in venezuela?” humanitarian crisis. aru asking for regime change in venezuela? i think many countries are —— are you asking for. we are also asking for that. we have not recognise the last elections in venezuela why? because the dictator manipulated all the democratic system, the apparent democratic system, the apparent democratic system, the apparent democratic system, to keep himself in office. the colombian government has not recognise that regime and so

many countries in latin america has done the same. across europe, populism and nationalism were on the rise, fuelled by frustration over low growth, inequality and what many perceived as the threat of mass immigration. and no—one tapped into the political mood better than the leader of italy's anti—immigrant populists. but there is a real humanitarian crisis here, minister, and you have blood on your hands because of the policies you've adopted. the unhcr is quite clear. they say that the new restrictions that you and your government have put on these migrant boats, the new limited access to italian ports for refugees and migrants, has led to a far higher death rate at sea. that's your responsibility. in austria, do you see this now as a

time for your government to pursue its own national interest rather than europe's collective interest? we work here in tandem with partners such as denmark or the netherlands. it is not only italy. there is a number of european members, european union member states with whom we work in tandem. and we have this morning for instance a visit in vienna by european parliament aryans and there is an awareness i would say that goes across all political segments that migration is something that will remain with us. we don't believe that a simple distribution of people who have come in from whichever parts can be redistributed according to a quota system, and that this is the magic bullet, the

silver bullet solution — that we say. in britain the politics of identity played into a uniquely protracted and divisive argument over brexit. the uk has been on course to leave the eu since the referendum of 2016, but tortuous negotiations over the exact shape of an ex— deal have so far delivered only chaos and uncertainty —— exit deal. well, i wanted the pm to bring back a great deal that was in the national interest and i suspended disbelief for the last two and a half years that she might do so. theresa may said this in the commons, she said no—one, no—one knows what will happen if this deal doesn't pass, but it will open the door to more division, more uncertainty and all of the risk that that will entail. you surely agree with that? no, ithink that will entail. you surely agree with that? no, i think proceeding on this basis with a flawed, botched brexit that leads us in the worst of all worlds will leave everyone unhappy. the conservative party will

be blamed for bungling brexit, saddling the country with a half in, half out country that leaves us poor and less in control than we were before. we won't be forgiven for that. i am looking at the words of prime minister theresa may, let us not forget, your prime minister, leader of your party, who wrote this letter to the nation just a few days ago saying we will take back control of our borders, and in free movement, we will take back control of our money, ending the vast payments to the eu, and take back control of laws by ending the jurisdiction of the european court ofjustice. either she is living in cloud cuckoo land or you are. or you wonder how she read every page of her own agreement. i have talked to some senior lawyers about this. i am not a lawyer. they're intake and is emphatically that statement is wrong. we will be shelling out 39 billion and more if we get into the next financial out if it drags on. but we will absolutely be under the cost of the european court of justice. when you are saying that his flat out wrong you are suggesting that either she is

utterly incompetent or she is a liar. no, i... good question. ifind it extraordinary. her public statements are not in tune with my understanding and with lawyers' understanding and with lawyers' understanding of what is proposed. what would the question be in the second referendum of yours? do you like the deal that we've got, or would you like to remain within the european union? that is what we need to put to the people. parliament has now spent two years with only brexit dominating. if we are to exit the european union, the legislation in parliament to deal with the consequences of that will go on for another decade. amid all the british infighting, it was important to remember those on the other side of the brexit argument. remember those on the other side of the brexit argumentlj remember those on the other side of the brexit argument. i come from a cou nty the brexit argument. i come from a county which is a border county with the north of ireland. in my constituency now, but all the counties along the border with northern ireland, those are the people i ripped them. i drive to

donegal through northern ireland, so it is my territory, if you like, and i remember when i was younger and it was not a nice place to be. and therefore i think those of us who know the value of 20 years of peace and togetherness, that is in complete, but we get on. there is a great community spirit. we don't wa nt great community spirit. we don't want it impacted negatively by brexit. if there is no deal, if they're bound brexit. if there is no deal, if they‘ re bound to brexit. if there is no deal, if they're bound to be a hard water between your country, the republic of ireland, and northern ireland? we have said we won't construct a hard border and the british have said the same. so that is the position. the british government is party to an internationally binding treaty called the good friday agreement. at the core of that is the concept of consent. and what the agreement says is that the people of the north of ireland must consent to any change in the constitutional status of the north of ireland, and of course, when the agreement was signed, that meant the union between britain and the north, but i think that you can fairly and feasibly argue that the

proposal to coerce the north of ireland out of the european union, despite the democratically expressed wishes and views of the people, actually flies in the face of the consent and the ball. we tried to nail the big trends, as well as the big personalities —— consent principle. this took us to kazakhstan, a vast swathe of central asia poised to exploit the eastward tilt of the global economy. in the kazak eli in which, astana means capital. injust kazak eli in which, astana means capital. in just 20 years, kazak eli in which, astana means capital. injust 20 years, this kazak eli in which, astana means capital. in just 20 years, this city has risen from the empty steppes, these showpiece buildings a monument to the country's riches in oil, gas and minerals. now, kazakhstan is determined to diversify. for me, travelling the silk road has always conjured up images of adventure and romance. but this is the reality

today. a a—lane, brand—new superhighway that slices through the kaza khsta n superhighway that slices through the kazakhstan steppes, and this new silk road is all about china's ambition to be the dominant global economy of the 21st century. imagine what marco polo would have made of this. this dry port powers over the silk road on kazakhstan's eastern frontier. five years ago, this was empty steppe. now, chinese rail freight now, chinese railfreight rolls in, gets transferred onto kazakh gauge track, and can be in europe within one doesn't days, halving shipping times. in this relationship between

china and kazakhstan, which created this amazing new facility, the power really lies with china, doesn't it? it's not something that we should fear about. 0n it's not something that we should fear about. on one hand, yes, we depend on volume. you depend on china. china owns 49% of this facility in kazakhstan. china basically is behind this entire project. well, they are our partners. this partnership brings benefits for either side, for the kaza khsta n benefits for either side, for the kazakhstan the chinese side. on hardtalk, we don'tjust do politics. we like to probe cultural shifts as well. women continued to challenge sexism and discrimination, as the #metoo movement matured and extended its reach. i was not frightened of harvey weinstein, and i think that is why he blackballed me, i think thatis is why he blackballed me, i think that is why he blacklisted me, and did for surely, as we know now, such a successful job of

did for surely, as we know now, such a successfuljob of sabotaging my career. but doesn't leave you feeling that your career has in a substantial way been ruined by this man? not ruined, but definitely impacted. i was at the time the highest—paid female actor in hollywood, and then, when i was on the shortlist, and it wasjulia roberts and sandra bullock and me and a couple of other people, when it would come down to it, so often, without explanation, i wouldn't get the offer. and now we know why. even in hollywood, they keep saying real change is coming about. i think real conversation is what is happening right now. since the wind is the in thing broke in america, there have been some very prominent pakistani women who have begun to speak in public about their own experiences, and being abused, for example. —— weinstein. all of them have been very honest, and one of them actually said what is disturbing in pakistan and the recent past is the silent acceptance of women, and our

society has not taught us in the past to deal with this competently. absolutely, i agree with that. but we are talking about pakistan at large here, and yes, there is a problem, because we attach... you know, on and shame, all these words, they are so misconstrued. the essence of hardtalk is personal, digging deep into character and motivation. it isn't always the interviews with the rich and powerful that have the most impact. 0ne powerful that have the most impact. one of my most memorable encounters withjohnnyjohnson, one of my most memorable encounters with johnnyjohnson, the last survivor of one of the most daring british military operations of world war ii, the so—called dambusters raid. he told me how, years later, he revisited the german dam that he tried to destroy. and i stopped, looked over the side, and i was dropping that bomb again, just like that. and then he walked over to the

other side, and i saw that lovely valley going down there, and i said, you know, i'm almost glad we didn't knock this down. had we done so, this valley would have been com pletely this valley would have been completely ruined. 0k, it would have been rebuilt, but it would never have been the same. and it made me think more about the after effects of war, and about war itself. it didn't make me think any the less of our war effort. another personal favourite was sue black, the remarkable forensic anthropologist whose skills have uncovered the secret is behind a host of murders and unexplained deaths. when you're out there as a scientist, you are expected to be objective. it is not yourjob to become emotional about it, it's not yourjob to become involved in it. you have no guilt,

it's not your responsibility. you have a job to do. what about anger? you can't, it's not your place. this is about justice, and justice you can't, it's not your place. this is aboutjustice, and justice will determine who is guilty and who is innocent. myjob is not tojudge anybody. my job is innocent. myjob is not tojudge anybody. myjob is to gather evidence, analyse evidence, present evidence, analyse evidence, present evidence, and let somebody else decide on guilt. has a cupboard your view of what we human beings are really like and what we are really capable of? i think we have always known what the human is capable of, but what i find is that, in these horrendous circumstances, and they really are truly awful, there is a lwa ys really are truly awful, there is always wonderful humanity. so you might have a widow who has lost her husband, her children, her entire family, and when you come along to resume that grave, she is still they are with you, for you with a cup of tea. the way of expressing her thanks for what you are doing. and i've never found a thanks for what you are doing. and i've neverfound a horrendous situation in the world that has an

absence of of some humanity somewhere. humanity shines through, evenin somewhere. humanity shines through, even in the darkest of times. not a bad thought to end on, after another challenging year in the hardtalk studio. we will be back in 2019, but for now, have a very happy new year. good morning. as we head properly into christmas week, there may be no snow in the christmas week forecast, but at least there's no real severe weather to trouble us. winds will be light, most places will be dry. could be some festive frost by night. but the big worry, i suppose, for those travelling, especially in england and wales later on, could be some lingering dense fog patches.

and we will have some fog tonight, under a blossoming area of high pressure, across the uk and into the morning. we do have this weather front towards the south—west continuing to bring outbreaks of rain on christmas eve. notice on our temperature profile the green colours here — a mild start here, with temperatures at 10—12 celsius. further north and east, a chilly one, widespread frost. temperatures lowest in scotland. could be some ice around where the ground is damp from the day. and still some fog in the morning — northern ireland, around the glasgow area, north—west england, north—east wales and the west midlands. that could cause a few travel issues through the morning rush. elsewhere, though, most will have sunshine to start the day. always a bit more cloud across the south. patchy rain or drizzle becoming lighter towards the far south—west. still mild here but a cooler day for many. a bit of lingering fog

into the afternoon, eastern parts of wales and the west midlands. but the best of sunshine the further north you go, even if temperatures are on the struggle. now, into the evening, as soon as the sun sets, eastern england, driving home for christmas maybe? well, here's where we could see dense fog to take us into the latter stage of christmas eve and the start of christmas day. blue colours on our temperature chart show lots of frost for scotland and england, although that does ease away in the west as milder air pushes up from the south throughout. and that could come with a little bit of drizzle across western areas for christmas day. but the christmas day forecast itself is a largely dry one. a bit of frost around in the morning, especially across scotland and eastern england, and there will be some fog patches, central, eastern england especially. could linger for some all day long, but elsewhere, sunshine will break through what cloud we have. in the west, cloud thickest. could produce some drizzle but even the odd bright spell possible here too. temperatures in the west on christmas day, around 11 or 12 degrees. single figures across much of eastern scotland and eastern england in particular. now, the milder air in the west will push a little bit further eastwards as we go into boxing day, as a high pressure drifts southwards. notice these weather fronts, just clipping across the northern half of scotland, will produce rain

or drizzle for boxing day. the odd heavy burst in the highlands and hebrides. most, though, stay dry. there will be some lingering fog across parts of the midlands and eastern england. clearer skies in towards the south later on, and temperatures for all up a little bit relative to christmas day, and the dry weather continues into thursday. that's how it's looking, see you again soon. welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to viewers in north america and around the globe. my name is martin stanford. our top stories: rescuers are urgently searching for trapped survivors of the indonesian tsunami. at least 280 people are now known to have died. these cars were parked on the other side of the road, i'm told, and they've been pushed on top of each other, on top of what was a holiday villa. pakistan's former prime minister nawaz sharif learns his fate shortly. an anti—corruption court will release its verdict. no room at the hungarian inn.

the government makes homelessness illegal, but there simply aren't enough affordable homes for everyone. a not—so silent night, as one of the best—known christmas carols celebrates its 200th birthday.