now on bbc news, hardtalk. welcome to hardtalk with me, zeinab badawi. i'm outside the headquarters of turkey's ruling ak parti, in the capital, ankara. my guest is president recep tayyip erdogan. he's busy preparing for elections which he's called a year and a half early. is he trying to pre—empt a possible slide in his popularity, or simply trying to tighten his grip on power? and how worried is he about military escalation in the middle east, following that decision by donald trump to pull out of the iran nuclear deal? president recep tayyip erdogan, welcome to hardtalk. barack 0bama says donald trump's decision to pull out of the nuclear dealwas, iquote, "misguided and could trigger an arms race in the region." do you share that specific concern that we could see other countries in the region developing their own nuclear weapons programmes? it has to be preserved but i mustjust ask you, specifically, do you share barack 0bama's concern that this could trigger an arms race in the middle east, countries perhaps like saudi arabia seeking their own nucle

now on bbc news, hardtalk. hello and welcome to hardtalk. i am shaun ley.one of the success stories of the early 21st century. under her mentor, president lula da silva, rapid economic growth was combined with radical redistribution of money to the poor. dilma rousseff, who was tortured under the military dictatorship, succeeded him, but under her presidency the economy faltered. in 2016 she was forced from office after being accused of fiddling the figures to boost her chances of re—election. she's in london drumming up support for lula's bid to be re—elected president — only he's currently in a prison cell in brazil having been convicted of corruption. are they the saints or sinners of brazil's political class? dilma rousseff, thank you for speaking to hardtalk. you are travelling the world, you are in london at the moment in support of your predecessor, the man all brazilians know as mallala. why are you so confident that he could be president again? let's deal with two things you have raised. the first is, you have talked about the reality. you the real

ed husain, thank you for coming on hardtalk. thank you for coming on hardtalk. good morning. the distribution of downpours will vary from one day to the next, but the general weather pattern remains the same. tuesday was a day of extremes. heavy rain in a short period of time closed the m2. it was especially difficult in kent. north and north—west, looks at that, 27 in scotland yet again. dry to the north—west and wet in the south. closer to low pressure and spiralling cloud. you can see the cloud has been growing. that rain will go north. it will go to northern england and the midlands, across towards wales, allowing the south—east to become more dry later with late sunshine. it will be misty for a while with heavy and thundery rain. more cloud for eastern scotland. another lovely day in northern ireland. well, this rain will continue drifting north. showers will perhaps head towards scotland and northern ireland. drying off in england and wales. still rather misty. not much wind to move things around. humid air. 12-14. more cloud for scotland and northern irel

now on bbc news, hardtalk. welcome to hardtalk, with me, zeinab badawi.y guest has been celebrated here at the world economic forum in davos. he's been given an award for his philanthropic work advancing women's rights. he's shah rukh khan, the bollywood superstar whose fan base runs into the billions. he says he wants to make the world a better place, but how far is he really using his voice to do that? shah rukh khan, welcome to hardtalk. thank you very much, zeinab, and thank you very much for having me over at hardtalk. very glad to have you. look, after graduating from the university of delhi, you dropped out of a masters degree in communications to become an actor. i take it you have no regrets? it was either being a journalist or being an actor, so i, i was actually training to be a film—maker. they didn't have a film—making course there. i'm really an actor by accident. i'm really an actor by accident because i went down and i said, ok, i'll start working in front of the camera because some people offered me a film. but behind the scenes i learned

now on bbc news, it is time for hardtalk. welcome to hardtalk. i'm stephen sackur.ald trump's decision to dump the nuclear deal with iran has presented the tehran government with a choice. does it make a concerted effort to keep the agreement intact, along with the other signatories, or does it ramp up its nuclear its programme and hang the consequences? i spoke to a former spokesman for iran's nuclear negotiation team, seyed hossein mousavian. in the face of intense pressure from the us, israel and saudi arabia, how will iran respond? hossein mousavian at princeton university, welcome to hardtalk. thank you. let's start with that decision by donald trump to walk away from the international agreement on iran's nuclear programme. how well—prepared so you think the iranian government was for that decision? i think they were very well—prepared because from the beginning, the majority of the iranian establishment, they believed that the us would not stick with its commitments, especially when president trump took office. and he announced publicly a regime change against

now on bbc news, hardtalk. welcome to hardtalk. my guest is a pioneer in so many ways. has been described as the arab world's leading feminist. she is a medical doctor,, activist, writer, an outspoken political activist. she is doctor nawal el saadawi. she was banned from speaking on the eve kitchen media and was jailed for her outspoken views. how much freedom of expression is that currently under president sisi and what about the status of women in egypt today? —— egyptian media. doctor nawal el saadawi welcome to hardtalk. another president sisi was re—elected in april this year. recently, president sisi was re—elected in aprilthis year. recently, how president sisi was re—elected in april this year. recently, how much christie in egypt today? it is not less or more than democracy in britain or the united states. i look to the world as a whole. so egypt is not specifically lacking democracy. i have been travelling all over the world. i had not seen a democratic country. do you have democracy here in britain? shall wejust stick country. do you have democracy here in b

welcome to hardtalk. very happy to be with you stop io to hardtalk.ppy to be with you stop iq and the israeli government desperately wanted donald trump to walk away from the nuclear deal with iraq, and that isjust what he has done. are you feeling very satisfied right now? we are very satisfied right now? we are very happy about it. and of course we congratulate the american president for making this bold decision. we assure the world is a much better place today. after america will reinstate the sanctions over the iranian regime. i think for a long while our prime minister was very clear about this message. this deal is not stopping iran from reaching nuclear weapons, it is actually paving the path of iran to reach a nuclear arsenal. this is what has changed from yesterday. from yesterday, the iranian regime will be under american sanctions. the entire international economic system will change, and eventually the iranian regime will have to change what it wants to do, either to get into those international middle east adventures, keep on spreading t

now on bbc news, it's hardtalk. welcome to hardtalk, i'm stephen sackur.he next few months will do much to shape the future of zimbabwe. after almost four decades of robert mugabe's rule, the country is preparing for summer elections and, just maybe, a new political and economic era. the man in power and favourite to retain it is zanupf veteran emmerson mnangagwa. my my guest today is his most prominent challenger, nelson chamisa. new leader of the opposition movement for democratic change. so who is best placed to fix zimba bwe‘s deep—seated problems? nelson chamisa, welcome to hardtalk. thank you, thank you very much. you're a0 years old, not so long ago you were the youngest zimbabwean parliamentarian, now you're about to challenge for the presidency of your country. you're clearly a man in a hurry but your critics think you're injusta hurry but your critics think you're injust a bit hurry but your critics think you're in just a bit too much hurry but your critics think you're injust a bit too much of hurry but your critics think you're in just a bit to

it's time for hardtalk. welcome to hardtalk, i am sarah montague.s been described as the greatest biological breakthrough in decades. it is a gene editing tool and the hopes that rest on it are immense, that it can be used to cure cancer and other intractable diseases, stop mosquitoes carrying malaria, create drought resistant crops and through that does not rot, even that it can recreate extinct animals. the scientist who led the discovery in 2012 is like yesterday, doctor jennifer doudna, what is she make of the great taking pace of innovation since her discovery and does she fear where it could lead? doctorjennifer doudna, welcome to hardtalk. thanks very much. what is crispr—cas9? hardtalk. thanks very much. what is crispr-cas9? well, crispr-cas9 is an incredible tool. it is a molecular scissors that can cut dna at targeted sites in a genome of a cell, changing the genetic code in a precise fashion. i think you described it as like being able to edit a book, to change one word or even a letter. that's right, it is essentially like being able to

now on bbc news, it is time for hardtalk. welcome to hardtalk, i'm stephen sackur. watching tv is something pretty much all of us do for news, sport, and entertainment, but how much of what we stare at on the box do we actually remember? well, over the past 50 years my guest today produced some of the most memorable, brilliant and shocking tv drama ever made. tony garnett‘s subjects — homelessness, illegal abortion, police corruption — point to his radicalism. he uncovered dark corners of british life. how much of his motivation came from the dark corners in his own life? tony garnett, welcome to hardtalk. sometimes it feels simplistic to make causal links between people's professional lives and their personal lives, but in your case would you say there are grounds for making a very direct connection? there are, of course there are with everyone. sometimes they are unconscious and they remain unconscious. i have onlyjust recently, finally, through hammering through the first draft of this memoir, realised what the connections were. i think it is true of everyone. yo

now on bbc news, it's time for hardtalk. welcome to hardtalk. i'm stephen sackur.omen in the movie industry have taken the lead in a movement for equality, respect and an end to abusive male behaviour. the mantra, #metoo, has become a cultural phenomenon in the united states, but how far can it reach? my guest today is pakistan's biggest female movie star, mahira khan. in a culturally conservative, male—dominated country, can she be an agent of change? mahira khan, welcome to hardtalk. thank you. is this a good time to be a female actor in pakistan? yes, i would say so. i think it's a good time to be a female in this world at the moment. it's a good time for us. but in pakistan, being female and being in the public eye, as you are, it's quite a sensitive place to be. yes, um, i would say it used to be, it used to be. right now, i don't think it's sensitive to be in the public eye. i think it's sensitive or it's a little bit challenging to break barriers, to sort of do the things that you want to do, you know. there's a particular question about the movie industry b

now on bbc news, hardtalk. welcome to hardtalk with me, zeinab badawi.t believes the gulf between islam and the west is widening and that westerners see the religion as something to be feared, rather than understood. he's the british writer and commentator, ed husain, who spent several years as a member of the radical islamist group, hizb ut—tahrir. he then turned his back on jihadism and has written about his own personaljourney, as well as trying to explain why people join extremist groups. well, now he's calling on moderate muslims to reclaim their religion from the extremists, but is he oversimplifying a complex issue and playing into the hands of islamaphobes? ed husain, welcome to hardtalk. thank you for having me, zeinab. why do you feel you have a mission to explain islam to a wider audience and tackle extremism? for two reasons. one that, as a muslim, there's a command in the koran that says "speak the truth, even if it's against your own self." and having gone through a journey in my life, i feel it's obligatory on me to do so, and secondly, be

now on bbc news, it's time for hardtalk. welcome to hardtalk, i'm stephen sackur. dangerous to generalise about the human impulse to create art, but it does seem it's often linked to the experience of dark, painful places. my guest today is a renowned poet and playwright, whose writing and performances lay bare his own intimate wounds. lemn sissay was abandoned as a baby, rejected by his foster family, abused in public institutions of care. he's since been on a quest to understand his past, and piece together his identity. along the way, he found a remarkable poetic voice. how? lemn sissay, welcome to hardtalk. hi, stephen. you are a writer, a poet, but you're also a public performer. one is very solitary, one, by definition, is clearly public. which is the more authentic, comfortable you 7 you know, i think they're both authentic and both comfortable. you need to... you need to — you need to be alone to write, and to explore, and to find the sort of chemical compound of the poem. and you need to read on stage, so that that chemical compound blows into fireworks an

now on bbc news it's time for hardtalk. welcome to hardtalk. i'm stephen sackur.eds of billions of dollars are poured into cancer treatment and research every year. we understand it better and have more effective tools to combat it than ever before, and yet it kills close to ten million of us every year. my guest is one of america's leading cancer specialists, siddhartha mukherjee. his book, the emperor of maladies, a self—styled biography of cancer, painted a unique picture of the disease, mixing memoir, science, and a writer's sensibility. eight years on from publication, is cancer any less of a curse? theme music plays. siddhartha mukherjee, welcome to hardtalk. thank you. you are a renowned oncologist, you're also now a feted writer. now, do you regard those two activities as entirely separate, or is the writing a way of you following your calling as a doctor? for me, i mean, like many other people, i write to think. you know, in order to figure out the questions that we, that you might find interesting, where are we in cancer? the only way for me to answer th

it's now time for hardtalk. welcome to hardtalk. i'm stephen sackur.here are some film directors who strip things down, shun artifice, and worship at the altar of realism. my guest today sees movie—making through a very different lens. baz luhrmann made his directorial name with a wildly entertaining debut movie, called strictly ballroom, which was theatrical, sentimental and sweet. since then, he's continued to make larger than life films, based on epic stories. so how did this kid from the aussie backwoods get to make his celluloid dreams come true? theme music plays baz luhrmann, welcome to hardtalk. i'm very happy to be here, stephen. i want to start this interview in herons creek, this tiny little place north of sydney, where you grew up. it was a long way from anywhere, really. how come you, there, developed this incredibly vivid artistic imagination? mmm, you know, some point midway through my journey, i started to get quite self—conscious about — and you do when you're young and you're trying to be someone and be creative — and i gave up on the

welcome to hardtalk, with me, zeinab badawi. people have got as close to one of the most powerful press barons of our times, rupert murdoch. more than 50 years my guest, les hinton, was murdoch's right—hand man. he was a top executive with news corp during some of its most tumultuous times. well, he's just lifted the lid on his time at the corporation in a new memoir. how much personal responsibility does he bearfor some of the excesses of news international, like the phone hacking scandal in the uk, and did he have a career he can be proud of? les hinton, welcome to hardtalk. thank you very much, zeinab. it's good to be here. what was it like working alongside rupert murdoch for more than 50 years? it was hard work. it was stirring, it was exciting, it was infuriating, and occasionally it was agony. but they were great years. over a long period of time. i began as a 15—year—old buying his sandwiches in the morning and i ended up running a large company in new york. so quite a meteoric rise from fairly humble beginnings. but you

now on bbc news: hardtalk. welcome to hardtalk with me, zeinab badawi.lections are due in pakistan injuly and running for a seat in the national assembly is the heir to the country's main political dynasty. my guest is bilawal bhutto—zardari, son of benazir bhutto, twice prime minister of pakistan, who was assassinated in 2007. he's chairman of the pakistan people's party, founded by his grandfather 50 years ago. the ppp has seen its popularity plummet in recent years. can bilawal butto—zardari restore its fortunes and turn around their political legacy tarnished by allegations of corruption, patronage, and incompetence? bilawal bhutto—zardari, welcome to hardtalk. thank you for having me, zeinab. your grandfather was executed, your mother assassinated. you've received death threats. why put yourself on the frontline of politics like this? thank you very much, zeinab. you know, three days after my mother's assassination, the party's central executive committee decided that i was to be the co—chairman of the pakistan people's party. along with your father

now on bbc news, it's hardtalk. i'm stephen sackur. for equality, respect and an end to abusive male behaviour. but how far can it reach? mahira khan. can she be an agent of change? thank you. is this a good time to be a female actor in pakistan? yes, i would say so. at the moment. it's a good time for us. as you are, it's quite a sensitive place to be. yes, um, i would say it used to be, it used to be. right now, i don't think it's sensitive to be in the public eye. to sort of do the things that you want to do, you know. and you're only just creeping up again. yes. is a tradition that has been lost to many people. because it was there once upon a time, right? and then we suffered through... i guess, politics affected it and there was a lull. one, of course, cinema got lost somewhere in all of this. started coming towards television. and all of the arts sort of converged into tv... but it's notjust about changing media, is it? it's also about cultural conservatism. and that's really a problem for people like you. be

now on bbc news it's time for hardtalk. welcome to hardtalk, with me, zeinab badawi.guest is a pioneer in so many ways. she has been described as the arab world's leading feminist, she is a leading doctor, writer, activist and outspoken political critic. she is dr nawal el saadawi, banned from speaking in the egyptian media and imprisoned under the government of president sadat after her outspoken views. howell much freedom of expression is there under president sisi and what is it like being a woman in egypt today? dr nawal el saadawi, we welcome you to hardtalk. now president al—sisi was re—elected in april of this year. briefly, how much democracy is there in egypt today? well... there is not less or more than democracy in britain or in the united states. i look at the world as a whole. so, egypt is not specifically lacking in democracy. i've been travelling all over the world. i have not seen a democratic country. do you have democracy here in britain? let's stick with egypt? no, i cannot stay with egypt because i link it to the world and i need to make a comparis

now on bbc news it's time for hardtalk. welcome to hardtalk, i'm stephen sackur.may the 25th irish voters face a choice, by way of a referendum, they can keep a constitutional amendment which outlaws abortion in all but the most exceptional circumstances or they can change their constitution and pave the way for the legalisation of abortion. given ireland's history, culture and religion it is a fierce debate. i'm joined by two campaigners, sinead redmond, an advocate of expanding abortion rights, and caroline simons, an opponent. what does the argument and the likelier outcome say about ireland today. sinead redmond and caroline simons, welcome to hardtalk. sinead, let me start with you. ireland is an outlier on this question of abortion, if one looks across the european union. ireland's laws are much more restrictive than the average across europe. why do you think that is? there is a cultural and historical context in which we have traditionally been a catholic country and we are an outlier in terms of abortion access but similar to malta which also has the same

welcome to hardtalk. thank you very much. it is good to be here.was it like working alongside rupert murdoch for more than 50 years? it was hard work. it was staring, it was exciting, it was inferior eating, and occasionally it was agony. but they were great years —— infuriating. i began as a 15—year—old and a running a large company in new york. amy cure cries from fairly humble beginnings. you say in your memoirs, maybe you score was a personality cult. maybe, surely it was orica wasn't. the pens on how you define a personality cult. but he certainly... it did not occui’ cult. but he certainly... it did not occur to me to learn of the company. which may be, in and of itself, prove that it was. surely it must have occurred to you that this man with so much power, that it was a personality cult. you say that executives wanted to get close to him and very needy and wanting to a lwa ys him and very needy and wanting to always brush shoulders. that is true. when he was in the office people changed. when i was running the company in london, years ago,

you can see all of that on hardtalk. a weather update now.ks of rain for the london region and they've been pushing northwards through lincolnshire. a few scattered showers also in southwest england that should fade away overnight, so with clear skies and the west, it's going to be chilly nights come. could even be a touch of frost. tomorrow looks fairly similar today in thatan tomorrow looks fairly similar today in that an east—west switch to —— split. rain in northumberland, but it should be a little bit brighter in southeast england. as we look for the course of next week, high pressure building, things are set to stay mainly dry. there will be some sunny spells and it should feel pleasa ntly sunny spells and it should feel pleasantly warm.

and you can watch more of that interview with recep tayyip erdogan on hardtalk.an see the programme on the bbc news channel. stay with us on bbc world news, still to come — protests and clashes in the georgian capital, tbilisi — after police raided two nightclubs. the pope was shot, the pope will live — that‘s the essence of the appalling news from rome this afternoon, that, as an italian television commentator put it, terrorism had come to the vatican. the man they call the butcher of lyon, klaus barbie, went on trial today in the french town where he was the gestapo chief in the second world war. winnie mandela never looked a woman just sentenced to six years in jail. the judge told mrs mandela there was no indication she felt even the slightest remorse. the chinese government has called for an all—out effort to help the victims of a powerful earthquake, the worst to hit the country for 30 years. the computer deep blue has tonight triumphed over the world chess champion garry kasparov. it‘s the first time a machine has defeated a reigning world champion in a cl

he told the bbc‘s hardtalk programme that israel was constantly terrorising the region.anian military sites in syria. the israelis said this followed an iranian rocket attack on theirforces in the golan heights. israel said it was in retaliation, that israel launched the attack on the iranian revolutionary guards after they carried out their action on israeli posts in the occupied golan heights. and you can watch the full interview with president erdogan in hardtalk on tuesday morning at half past midnight here on bbc news. i think it is also available right 110w. it will be avaliable on the bbc i player. the headlines on bbc news: voting has closed in iraq — it's the first parliamentary election since the country declared victory over the group that calls itself islamic state. tens of thousands of people have marched through central london, demanding better pay and improved job security. the foreign office says its supporting the families of two british nationals, who were kidnapped in a national park in the democratic republic of congo. sport now and a full round up fr

now on bbc news: hardtalk. welcome to hardtalk with me, zeinab badawi.

bilawal bhutto—zardari, welcome to hardtalk. thanks for having me, zeinab.grandfather was executed, your mother assassinated, you've received death threats. why put yourself on the frontline of politics like this? thank you very much, zeinab. you know, three days after my mother's assassination, in december of 2007, the party's central executive committee decided that i was to be the co—chairman of the pakistan people's party... along with your father, asif ali zardari. yes. at that time, the country was in chaos. from karachi to kashmir, the people were rioting — the country was burning. and the party asked and i, it wasn't exactly something that i could turn down. i stepped up and did what i had to do. my mother often said that she didn't choose this life, it chose her. and i believe the same applies to me. i'm committed to trying to complete my mother's incomplete mission for a peaceful, prosperous and democratic pakistan. your mother was in self—imposed exile before she went back to pakistan in 2007. i saw her a couple of months before she was assassinat

and you can watch more of that interview with recep tayyip erdogan on hardtalk.day the 14th may at the times on your screen now. viewers in the uk can see the programme on the bbc news channel. stay with us on bbc news. still to come... the climb for equality. more than 80 women in cinema gather on the steps at the cannes film festival calling for improvements in the industry. the pope is short. the pope will live. ploughs barbie went on trial today in the town where he was gestapo chief in the second world war. winnie mandela never looked like a woman just sentenced to six yea rs like a woman just sentenced to six years injail. there was no indication she felt even the slightest from morse. the chinese government has called for an all out effort to help the victims of a powerful earthquake. the computed deep blue has triumphed over world chess champion garry kasparov. it is the first time the machine has defeated reigning world champion in a classical chess match. this is bbc news. the latest headlines... the islamic state group says it was behind the knife atta

now on bbc news it's time for hardtalk.

are now on bbc news — hardtalk.

and you can watch more of that interview with recep tayyip erdogan on hardtalk. now. viewers in the uk can see the programme on the bbc news channel. now the sport. hello and thanks for joining us on sport today. news of a record—equalling win for leinster in rugby union's champions cup final in a moment, but we start with football. and a historic football relegation. hamburg fans threw flares and delayed the match, as their side exited the german bundlesliga after 55 seasons in the top flight. wolfsburg's win over cologne meant hamburg were always going to be relegated regardless of their result. and hamburg's 2—1win over borussia moenchengladbach was held up for ten minutes. a minority of the home fans acting angrily to the relegation, with several flares lit and thrown behind the gladbach goal. confirmation of that result. hamburg will join cologne in the second division next season. wolfsburg go into a relegation playoff. at the other end of the table hoffenheim pipped bayer leverkusen and rb leipzig to fourth place, as they beat borussia dortmund 3—1 to secu