i'm stephen sackur.ht decades after the world confronted the evil of nazism, significant numbers of people around the world are still drawn to extreme violent forms of race hatred and nationalism. in his youth, my guest was part of that culture. matthew collins was a violent far—right thug, but he changed sides, became an informer, and after years in exile, returned to britain to become a prominent activist for the group, hope not hate. what is the most effective antidote to hate—fuelled neo—nazi extremism 7 matthew collins, welcome to hardtalk. thank you. yourjob is rooting out, exposing, the most vile forms of racism, neo—nazism. yep. the twist is that you, yourself, in your youth, were one of them. do you see traits of yourself in today's neo—nazis? some. some traits. poacher turned gamekeeper. i see some traits. i see in some of them the uncertainty about what they believe, the doubts about what they believe, the sadness, deep sadness, and it's one of the things i look for. if i want to recruit someo

i am stephen sackur.aine has proved its resilience and resolve in the eight months since vladimir putin launched his all—out invasion. but this war of survival keeps throwing up new challenges right now, the biggest threat comes from russia's missile and drone strikes on civilian infrastructure. spreading terror and threatening winter energy supplies. my guest is ukraine's energy minister german galushchenko. battlefield gains cannot disguise strategic vulnerability. german galushchenko in kyiv, welcome to hardtalk. hello, sir. minister, you have had another day of air strikes in kyiv. these so—called kamikaze drones supplied to russia by the iranians that are causing havoc right now in kyiv and in many towns and cities across your country. how worried are you about the fear they are spreading? well, we have seen now, they started using drones and targeting the energy infrastructure and that is the massive shellings which started from the monday a week ago and the shellings continue every day and is not o

i'm stephen sackur and today i'm in skopje, north macedonia, a land subject to countless wars and conquests going back to the time of alexander the great. this young nation was, of course, a part of the former yugoslavia. now it's desperate to get into the european union, but progress is painfully slow. my guest today is prime minister dimitar kovacevski. now he knows that europe's attention right now is fully focused on the war in ukraine. but how real is the potential for new instability here in the balkans? prime minister dimitar kovacevski, welcome to hardtalk. thank you very much for coming to north macedonia, to skopje, and to the government. it is a great pleasure to be in skopje. but mr prime minister, it strikes me you have a problem. you in north macedonia definitely want to be in the european union. it is still not clear whether the european union truly wants you. do you find that very frustrating? well, i can answer this question very straightforward that the european union needs north macedonia and it needs all the western balkans to be part of the european union. if you have a

i'm stephen sackur. on the front lines of the war in ukraine, russian forces are struggling, in several areas retreating, which is why vladimir putin is pursuing other strategies. trying to destroy ukraine's civilian infrastructure is one. attempting to undermine european support for kyiv is another. how's that going? well, my guest is czech foreign ministerjan lipavsky, an ardent supporter of ukraine in a country facing a deepening energy and economic crisis. is europe's pro—ukraine stand sustainable? foreign ministerjan lipavsky in prague, welcome to hardtalk. hello and thank you for having me. it's a pleasure to have you on the show, foreign minister. i'm sure you as well as i have been watching the pictures coming out of ukraine, the swarms of kamikaze drones, so—called, which are now targeting ukraine's civilian infrastructure, leaving millions of people without heat, power, and looking at a very dangerous, alarming scenario through the winter. is this a signal that europe needs to do much more to o

i'm stephen sackur. crane has proved its resolve but this will keep throwing up new challenges.gest items from missiles and strikes of civilian. my guess is the energy minister. battlefield gains cannot disguise strategic vulnerability. it is —— is ukraine ready for putin's escalation strategy? minister, welcome. you have another day of air strikes in kyiv, these so—called kamikaze chrome is supplied to russia by the iranians are causing has havik in kyiv and many towns and cities across your country. how worried are you about the fear they are spreading what we see is they start using drones and targeted all the drones to the infrastructure and that is the infrastructure and that is the massive shelling is which started the massive shelling is which starte: a, the massive shelling is which starte: ., ~ ., ., the massive shelling is which starte ., ~ ., ., ., started monday a week ago and the shelling _ started monday a week ago and the shelling is _ started monday a week ago and the shelling is continue - started monday a week ago and the shelling is continue every . the shelli

i�*m stephen sackur.d nationalism. in his youth, my guest was part of that culture. matthew collins was a violent far—right thug, but he changed sides, became an informer and after years in exile, returned to britain to become a prominent activist

i'm stephen sackur. last month, president biden told americans the covid pandemic was over. striking statement, given that us covid deaths are still running at an average of close to 400 a day. the overall covid death toll in the states has topped 1 million. on many measures, america's pandemic performance has been relatively poor. my guest is the soon—to—retire chief medical adviser to president biden, dr anthony fauci, the scientist at the centre of america's covid storm. what lessons has he learned? dr anthony fauci in bethesda, maryland, welcome to hardtalk. thank you. it's good to be with you. it's great to have you on the show. now, let's start with that big statement by president biden. "the pandemic is over," he declared. do you agree with that view? well, certainly, if you're talking about the pandemic as a widespread disease throughout the world, it's not over. what the president was referring to... but it's understandable how there could have been some varied interpretations of that. he was referring to the very fulminant phase of the outbreak when, for example, i

i'm stephen sackur. in the increasingly overt struggle between western liberal democracy and authoritarianism, hong kong's position is unique. it is chinese sovereign territory granted special autonomous status under a handover deal done with britain. many hong kongers hoped that deal would guarantee theirfreedoms, but those hopes have been crushed. my guest is ted hui, a hong kong pro—democracy politician exiled in australia and convicted in absentia by a hong kong court. has beijing neutralised hong kong's dissenters? thank you. my pleasure to talk to you. you, of course, arejoining me from australia because you fled from your home, from hong kong, in late 2021, and you said you left with a very heavy heart. did you also leave with a sense of defeat? i don't, because... it's common that people might think that way. it's like an escapist guilt. but as long as i'm still fighting, as long as i'm still speaking up for hong kong's freedom and democracy, doing my lobbying works and advocacy work, i don't fee

i'm stephen sackur. lebanon is experiencing one of the most disastrous economic collapses of the last 100 years. the national economy is less than half the size it was just three years ago. one powerful symbol of the catastrophe, people are holding up banks in a desperate attempt to get their money out, amid rampant inflation and a currency crisis. my guest is lebanon's minister of economy and trade, amin salam. politicians have failed lebanon for decades. will that change before the meltdown is complete? minister amin salam, currently in washington, dc, welcome to hardtalk. thank you. thank you, stephen, glad to be with you. well, we're delighted to have you in our washington studio. let me ask you, minister, do you think you and your government are levelling with the lebanese people, and indeed with the international community as well, about the scale of the economic catastrophe that your country is currently living through? absolutely. stephen, let me tell you, it has been quite a challenging year sin

i'm stephen sackur. 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,

i'm stephen sackur.my is less than half the size it was just three years ago. one powerful symbol of the catastrophe, people are holding up banks in a desperate attempt to get their money out, amid rampant inflation

i'm stephen sackur. last month, president biden told americans the covid pandemic was over.h toll in the states has topped 1 million. on many measures, america's pandemic performance has been relatively poor.

i'm stephen sackur.acy and authoritarianism, hong kong's position is unique. it is chinese sovereign territory granted special autonomous status under a handover deal done with britain. many hong kongers hoped that deal would guarantee theirfreedoms, but those hopes have been crushed. my guest is ted hui, a hong kong pro—democracy

welcome to hardtalk i am stephen sackur.his war of survival keeps throwing up new challenges right now, the biggest threat comes from russia's missile and drone

i�*m stephen sackur. 0n the front lines of the war in ukraine, russian forces are struggling, in severalne. attempting to undermine european support for kyiv is another. how�*s that going? well, my guest is czech foreign ministerjan lipavsky,

welcome to hardtalk, i'm stephen sackur.th 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.

i'm stephen sackur.rned 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 constitutional life

welcome to hardtalk i am stephen sackur. ukraine has proved its resilience and resolve in the eight months since vladimir putin launched his all—out invasion. but this war of survival keeps throwing up new challenges right now, the biggest threat comes from russia's missile and drone strikes on civilian infrastructure. spreading terror and threatening winter energy supplies. my guest is ukraine's energy minister german galushchenko. battlefield gains cannot disguise strategic vulnerability. is ukraine ready for putin's escalation strategy? german galushchenko mtf, welcome to hardtalk. hello, some. minister, _ welcome to hardtalk. hello, some. minister, you - welcome to hardtalk. hello, some. minister, you have - some. minister, you have another — some. minister, you have another day _ some. minister, you have another day of _ some. minister, you have another day of air - some. minister, you have another day of air strikes| some. minister, you have i another day of air strikes in kyiv. these so—called kamakaze drones apply to