now on bbc news, it's time for hardtalk. welcome to hardtalk, i'm stephen sackur. when ukrainians voted to make a comedian their president, the rest of the world wondered what the punch line might be. volodymyr zelensky — who played the role of president on tv before he got thejob in real life — has now had a year and a half to make good on his promises of rooting out corruption and ending the conflict in the east of his country. how's he doing? well, he's on a state visit to london, so it's time to find out. president volodymyr zelensky, welcome to hardtalk. thank you so much. you came to power as the anti—politician. you promised ukraine's people that you would deliver fundamental change. have you kept that promise? all right... well, we are going to talk about that. you promised — promised your people that you would end the conflict in the east of the ukraine, and that you would do it while restoring the territorial integrity of your country. on that basis, after a year and a half, you failed. well, mr president, that's not strictly true, is it? there isn't peac

me on hardtalk.k kingston. thanks, stephen. very, very mild out there at the moment. and tuesday promises to be a very mild day too. we have southerly winds across the uk, and the air is coming all the way from spain and portugal, in fact. there's a bit of rain in the forecast too. quite a lot of it. you can see this big low pressure there sweeping in from the south of the cloud, that is with the air is coming from, all the way from iberia. so, with the winds it will be a very mild morning, with a lot of cloud and outbreaks of rain too, it'll have been a very wet night in northern ireland, and parts of scotland but these are the morning temperatures. 13 in plymouth, double figures also across some northern part of the uk. the rain will be intermittent, it will come and go across most parts of england or wales. but northern ireland in the afternoon could see persistent heavy showers and probably clip parts of southwest scotland as well. but aberdeen will be a little bit brighter. but look at the tempe

now on bbc news: it's hardtalk with stephen sackur welcome to hardtalk, i'm stephen sackur. is plentiful evidence that covid—19 has inflicted more serious damage on the united states than on china. does that play into a wider narrative about an accelerating transition of global power from west to east? it's a question which demands an historical perspective, and my guest today, peter frankopan, brings just that. he is a professor of global history and author of the best—selling book silk roads. is the west continuing to overestimate its central importance to the past and to the present? peter frankopan, welcome to hardtalk. you are a professor of global history, so i want you to bring your historian‘s eye on to the longer—term impacts of this coronavirus pandemic. we hear from the scientists, from the politicians. give me your historian‘s perspective. well, it's a fairly predictable thing a historian would say, but change and widespread disease are nothing new. our ancestors all lived through big pandemics, some of them which were much more lethal than coronavirus. and one o

welcome to hardtalk. i'm stephen sackur.cannot know the contents of donald trump's soul but it's fair to say his personal behaviour doesn't point to deeply held christian beliefs. and yet the evangelical christian right is a key pillar of his support base. could that change in november's election? well, my guest is reverend rob schenck, an influential evangelical pastor and long—time anti—abortion activist who broke with fellow social conservatives over gun control. so can donald trump still count on the loyalty of the religious right? reverend rob schenck in washington, dc, welcome to hardtalk. thank you. a privilege to be with you. we're delighted to have you and to hear about a pretty extraordinary spiritual journey you have been on. can i start by asking you to tell me who you feel yourself to be today? are you still a socially conservative evangelical minister? yes, i would certainly define myself that way. it's still my role. i have leadership capacities in that identity with denominations, with various church bodies,

hardtalk with stephen sackur. welcome to hardtalk, i'm stephen sackur.ng to the polls, joe biden is favourite to be the next president of the united states, but the party's leaders bear deep scars from 2016. then, donald trump overcame the odds and beat hillary clinton. he claims he can do it again next week. even if biden wins, does america really know what his presidency would look like? well, my guest is one of the most senior democrats in congress, house majority whip jim clyburn. is democratic party confidence more than skin deep? congressman jim clyburn in columbia, south carolina, welcome to hardtalk. thank you very much for having me. let's start with the horse race aspect of trump versus biden. all the polls, the national polls, have mr biden up by eight, nine, even ten points, some of them — but how deep are the scars from 2016? how worried are you that there is a hidden trump vote that is going to come out on november 3rd? well, i don't think that there is any more of a hidden trump vote than there is a hidden biden vote. i know from my own ex

welcome to hardtalk. i am stephen sackur.ording to the polls, joe biden is favourite to be the next president of the united states but the parties leaders bear deep scars from 2016. then, donald trump overcame the odds and beat hillary clinton. he claims he can do it again next week even ifjoe biden wins, does america really know what his presidency looks like? my guess is one of the most senior democrats in congress, house majority whip democrats in congress, house majority whiinm democrats in congress, house majority whip jim clyburn. democrats in congress, house majority whiinm clyburn. is democratic party confidence more than skin deep? congressmanjim congressman jim clyburn in columbia, south carolina, welcome to hardtalk. thank you very much by having me. that are starting with the horse race aspect of donald trump versus joe race aspect of donald trump versusjoe biden, race aspect of donald trump versus joe biden, all the national polls havejoe biden up national polls havejoe biden up by national polls havejoe biden up

now on bbc news, it's hardtalk. welcome to hardtalk, i'm stephen sackur.he beheading of a teacher by an 18—year—old outside paris struck a particularlyjarring blow to the french psyche. samuel paty was murdered for teaching his students, including young muslims, about freedom of speech, including the freedom to mock religion. his killing was seen as an attack on france's secular values. my guest is dominique schnapper, president of a council which advises the government on secularism in education. is the macron government getting its response to this tragedy right? dominique schnapper in paris, welcome to hardtalk. welcome. thank you. well, it's a pleasure to have you on the show. i think we have to begin with the horrible, brutal murder of samuel paty on october 16th outside the school in which he taught, not very far from paris itself. he was murdered by an 18—year—old young man who is a product of the french school system himself. given your position as an adviser to the government on secularism in education, i would very much like you just to give me y

peter frankopan, welcome to hardtalk.rofessor of global history, so i want you to bring your historian‘s eye on to the longer—term impacts of this coronavirus pandemic. we hear from the scientists, from the politicians. give me your historian‘s perspective. well, it's a fairly predictable thing a historian would say, but change and widespread disease are nothing new. our ancestors all lived through big pandemics, some of them which were much more lethal than coronavirus. and one of the products of living together and in high—density populations, going back as far as historical records go, is you find that there are transitions of disease from animals to human beings and they inflict damage. and that damage, typically, you measure in mortality rates, but then the economic and social consequences of disease. there's a lot of examples of history to learn from that. the challenge with coronavirus is that it's not as lethal as we all thought it would be. so, primarily, we're looking at the economic and social dislocation that

now on bbc news, hardtalk with stephen sackur. welcome to hardtalk. i am stephen sackur. to the polls, joe biden is favourite to be the next president of the united states but the parties leaders bear deep scars from 2016. then, donald trump overcame the odds and beat hillary clinton. he claims he can do it again next week even ifjoe biden wins, does america really know what his presidency looks like? my guess is one of the most senior democrats in congress, house majority whiinm clyburn. is democratic party confidence more than skin deep? congressman jim clyburn in columbia, south carolina, welcome to hardtalk. thank you very much by having me. that are starting with the horse race aspect of donald trump versus joe biden, all the national polls havejoe biden up by eight, nine, even ten points of them but how deep are some of these scars from 2016 and how worried are you that there is a hidden donald trump vote that will come out november 3? well, i don't think it is any more of a hidden trump vote then there is a hidden biden vote. i know from my own experiences, there a

. -- hardtalk. welcome to hardtalk, i'm stephen sackur. in every crisis, there is opportunity., that is a mantra beloved by business schools and political strategists. but should it offer us comfort as covid—i9 continues to ravage the global economy? is this really the time to be reforming the world's biggest economies? my guest isjim o'neill, lord o'neill, former chief economist at goldman sachs, erstwhile adviser to the british government and champion of big measures to revive growth. is now the time to be bold? jim o'neill, welcome to hardtalk. thank you, stephen, nice to be with you. it's good to have you. is the world economy weathering this covid—i9 pandemic as well as you expected? it was through september. even though there were many significant issues about the medium to long—term state of the world, some of which have been exacerbated by the crisis. on classic indicators that i've been trained to follow, the world economy did appear to be experiencing a pretty classic v—shaped recovery through september. and obviously in europe we now have some good reasons to doubt h

welcome to hardtalk. you area dc. welcome to hardtalk.ald trump campaignerand it are a loyal donald trump campaigner and it strikes me that when you're in the position like yours, there is a fine mind to trade between optimism and realism. in the spirit of realism, can you acknowledge to me that the donald trump campaign is in deep trouble? i would say this, it's a tough competitive race but we know that last time, 2016, we went to election day having hardly won a single pole. i think something is going on in polls. i've read a lot of them from notjust other political races but my own and other candidates, and they have been wrong many times. i'm not saying that they are not useful. are there not 100% reliable. so, as i look at 2016 and here we are again, another thing is the where isjoe biden spending his time? he is in the same spending his time? he is in the sa m e states spending his time? he is in the same states that we are. arizona, pennsylvania, north carolina, ohio. if he had the double digit leads that other outlets reported tha

now on bbc news, it's hardtalk. welcome to hardtalk. i'm stephen sackur.e between nature and nurture is as old as the hills. is genetics or cultural conditioning the key to understanding human evolution? well, my guest today, joseph henrich, is a harvard professor whose fascination with human evolution and anthropology has brought him to a radical conclusion — western societies preoccupied with the individual, not the collective, are weird, and the cultural power of the west has skewed our view of what is normal. so how much do we humans really have in common? joseph henrich at harvard university, welcome to hardtalk. it's good to be with you. you are now in the middle of a heated debate about human evolution. now i'm used to thinking about evolution in terms of genetics, darwin's survival of the fittest. you seem to put your focus not so much on biology, much more on cultural conditioning, nurture. am i right? yeah. i mean, one of the unique things about our species is that more than any other species, we're dependent on acquiring large bodies of informat

now on bbc news, it's time for hardtalk. welcome to hardtalk. i'm stephen sackur.n a few days' time, americans will give their verdict on president donald trump. do they want four more years of mr trump in the white house, or will they opt for the other septuagenarian, joe biden, wholly different in style and worldview? well, my guest is former republican congressman and loyal trump campaigner, jack kingston. the polls say trump is in big trouble. is there good reason to think they are wrong? theme music plays jack kingston in washington, dc, welcome to hardtalk. thank you, stephen. you are a loyal trump campaigner. it strikes me that, when you are in a position like yours, there is a fine line to tread between optimism and realism. in the spirit of realism can you acknowledge to me that the trump campaign is in deep trouble? well, i would say this, it is a tough competitive race but we know that last time, 2016, we went into election day having hardly won a single poll. i think something is going on in polls. i've read lots of them, not just for presidential races

welcome to hardtalk. sackur, and welcome to one of the most beautiful corners of britain, the hill country of the north—west of england, known as the lake district. this landscape is beautiful, but it's not wild. it's been shaped by generations of shepherds and stockmen. now my guest today is james rebanks. his family have farmed this land for more than 600 years. he's notjust a shepherd. he's also an internationally renowned writer and campaigner for a more sustainable, more responsible kind offarming. but are his ideas compatible with putting affordable food on all of our tables? come here, bess. bess, come here. come—bye, come—bye. james whistles and clicks. come—bye, come—bye. music: the lark ascending by ralph vaughan williams away. away. james, what does being a shepherd mean to you? well, at its simplest, it means you look after sheep, of course. but, er... ..being a shepherd to me means a very particular thing. it means being part of this lake district history that goes back at least a thousand ye

now on bbc news, hardtalk. welcome to hardtalk. i'm stephen sackur.ense of systemic racial injustice in policing that has fuelled the black lives matter movement is shared far beyond the shores of the united states. in britain, it is two decades since a top level inquiry into london's police force found it to be institutionally racist. how much has really changed? well, my guest, leroy logan, was one of london's top black policeman until he retired, seven years ago. how easy is it to root out discrimination dressed in a police uniform? leroy logan, welcome to hardtalk. thank you very much for the invitation. it's great to be here. well, we are delighted to have you, not least because you have written a fascinating memoir — and you've entitled it closing ranks: my life as a cop, so it's pretty clear what it's about — you talk about your decision to join the police force many, many years ago as — what you say — as a calling. you make it sound like some sort of religious commitment as a young man that you made to policing. well, it had to be as strong as

now on bbc news, hardtalk with stephen sackur. welcome to hardtalk. i'm stephen sackur.he sense of systemic racial injustice in policing that has fuelled the black lives matter movement is shared far beyond the shores of the united states. in britain, it is two decades since a top level inquiry into london's police force found it to be institutionally racist. how much has really changed? well, my guest, leroy logan, was one of london's top black policeman until he retired, seven years ago. how easy is it to root out discrimination dressed in a police uniform? leroy logan, welcome to hardtalk. thank you very much for the invitation. it's great to be here. well, we are delighted to have you, not least because you have written a fascinating memoir, and you've entitled it closing ranks: my life as a cop, so it's pretty clear what it's about. you talk about your decision to join the police force many, many years ago as — what you say — as a calling. you make it sound like some sort of religious commitment as a young man that you made to policing. well, it had to be as strong

now on bbc news, it's hardtalk with stephen sackur. welcome to hardtalk. i'm stephen sackur.me minister narendra modi's dominance of indian politics is unquestioned. his ability to deliver competent government in a crisis... well, that's less certain. india now has the second highest official number of covid infections in the world. the realfigure is thought to be up to ten times higher. the economy's in big trouble, too. my guest is a national spokesman for the ruling bjp, narendra taneja. maybe mr modi's populist strongman act is about to come unstuck. narendra taneja in delhi, welcome to hardtalk. thank you. thank you very much. thanks for having me. it's a pleasure. mr taneja, would you accept that over the past seven months, the modi government's attempts to control the coronavirus pandemic in your country have not succeeded? not succeeded? oh, well, i think if you look at our record in terms of, you know, coronavirus patients per million, and at the same time, overall numbers — right now as we speak, the number of cases, active cases of coronavirus, active cases in indi

it's time for hardtalk. welcome to hardtalk, i'm stephen sackur.—19 pandemic has inflicted huge economic damage, but it has offered the natural world a little bit of respite — room to breathe. but what will come next? will it be a return to the old ways of resource exploitation and consumption? my guest today is one of the uk's best known naturalists and environmental campaigners, chris packham. are we humans capable of fundamentally changing our priorities? chris, thanks so much for inviting me to your home, but also this woodland, which i know means so much to you. yes, well, this is my ecological home, there's no question of that. i love this patch of woodland. i feel more connected to this place than anywhere else on earth. it's an environment that i grew up in, this oak hazel, a bit of ash, a bit of yew woodland. and i'm comfortable here with all the colours, the sounds, the smells. it's a wonderful place to be able to spend my time. and i've spent more of it here this spring than ever before. i was going to say, the coronavirus pandemic has a

now on bbc news, it's time for hardtalk. welcome to hardtalk. i'm stephen sackur.elcome to one of the most beautiful corners of britain, the hill country of the north west of england known as the lake district. this landscape is beautiful but it's not wild. it's been shaped by generations of shepherds and stockmen. now, my guest today is james rebanks. his family have farmed this land for more than 600 years. he's notjust a shepherd, he's also an internationally renowned writer, and campaigner for a more sustainable, more responsible kind of farming. but are his ideas compatible with putting affordable food on all of our tables? come here! he whistles string music plays james, what does being a shepherd mean to you? it's not as simple as looking after sheep of course but i have... being a shepherd to me means a very important thing. it means being a part of this lake district history that goes back at least 1,000 years and may go back about 5000 years, and it means to be part of this flow of people and sheep that go to and from the mountains. and have done like i s

now on bbc news, it's hardtalk.

now on bbc news, hardtalk with stephen sackur.

on sunday, riot police fired stun grenades at demonstrators now on bbc news, it's hardtalk.

some campaigners have expressed fears of voter suppression now on bbc news, hardtalk with stephen sackur