no—one bbc news, stephen sackur has hardtalk. -- no—one bbc news, stephen sackur has hardtalk. —— nowtalk. i'm stephen sackur. what makes a whistleblower? what prompts someone to break rank, maybe break the law, in order to expose a secret, often at great cost to themselves? well, my guest today is katharine gun. in 2003 she worked at the uk's signals intelligence agency, gchq. she leaked potentially explosive information about america's covert effort to sway un diplomats to support the iraq war. she risked everything, including prison, in an act that changed her life. now her story has been made into a movie. but 16 years on, has her perspective changed 7 katharine gun, welcome to hardtalk. thank you very much. you are in the public eye today because of the release of a film which focuses on a fateful decision you took 16 years ago. and we'll talk about it in some detail. but i just want to know, at the beginning, is this gratifying for you to be back in the public eye or is it uncomfortable? it's not uncomfortable. i wouldn't say it's gratifying either. but it's certainly interestin

welcome to hardtalk, i'm stephen sackur.g and bloody conflict in northern ireland was known euphemistically as the troubles. one aspect of it got a separate label, the dirty war. that was the name given to the covert operations of the british state — both army and intelligence — infiltrating the ira, running informers and agents to undermine the republican movement from within. stephen sackur interviews one of those agents, willie carlin, who became an undercover spy within the political wing of the ira, sinn fein. he's written a book exposing his secrets. how does he justify what he did? willie carlin, welcome to hardtalk. thank you for having me. it is actually quite extraordinary having you in the studio given you were an undercover spy in the ‘70s and the ‘80s at an extraordinarily dangerous, sensitive time in northern ireland and you then went in hiding, you lived in secret. why have you now, later in life, decided to come out of the shadows? i think it's because it's time. you know, i'm 71 now. and for the past, since

now on bbc news, hardtalk, with stephen sackur. welcome to hardtalk. i'm stephen sackur.enia is a small state with outsize strategic significance ina with outsize strategic significance in a caucasus region beset with tension and hostility. last year popular protests delivered a so—called velvet revolution which saw a new government installed in yerevan amid ambitious talk of reform. my guess is the foreign minister in that government, zohrab mnatsa ka nyan. is armenia looking east or west for political and economic inspiration? zohrab mnatsakanyan, zohrab mnatsa ka nyan, welcome zohrab mnatsakanyan, welcome to hardtalk. thank you. last year saw major political upheaval in armenia, the so—called velvet revolution, after which your government claimed you were working for a new armenia but sceptics would say it looks very much like the old armenia. how is it different? why would they say that? for example, you were an official under previous regime, you are not a new broom at all. i made a choice to move from a diplomatic career to a political one. i took up the responsibil

now on bbc news, hardtalk, with stephen sackur. welcome to hardtalk, i'm stephen sackur. donald trump doesn't seem to do regret, but maybe even he will come to rue his abrupt decision to pull us troops out of northern syria. his move prompted a turkish military invasion of territory held by syria's kurds. the kurds are now looking to president assad for military help. the region, once a playground for so—called islamic state, has been plunged back into chaos. my guest is alan semo, representative of the syrian kurdish democratic union party in london. what are his people's options now? alan semo, welcome to hardtalk. thank you, great pleasure to be here. you represent the democratic union party of syrian kurds. should you and your people have seen donald trump's dramatic decision to withdraw us forces from your region coming? no, we haven't seen it. but should you have seen it coming? because donald trump, if one looks at the record, as long ago as last december declared that the us had won its war with islamic state, and therefore, he said, were going to withdraw our for

welcome to hardtalk, i'm stephen sackur.presents a political gamble played for the highest of stakes. if britain leaves the eu without a deal, there will be significant economic disruption. even the most ardent brexiteers acknowledge that. but they believe the potential rewards justify the risks. it's a calculated bet on britain's future which comes naturally to my guest today — stuart wheeler, the successful businessman and lifelong gambler who backed his commitment to brexit with plenty of his own cash. has his money given him undue influence over britain's future? stuart wheeler, welcome to hardtalk. thank you. would it be fair to characterise you as a lifelong risk taker? yes, it would. and what motivated you, from a very early age, to want to take so many risks? the first risk i took, i was very, very young, was at a point—to—point. is that a horse race? a horse race. and i backed the brighter days, second, one shilling of even money and it obliged so that was my start of gambling. how old were you? about eight or nine.

welcome to hardtalk, i'm stephen sackur.ek, the whole of europe heard a howl of rage coming from catalonia. since spain's highest court sentence nine pro—independence politicians to a collective 100 years in prison, there have been mass, sometimes violent protests across the region, which have left hundreds injured. madrid says there can be no political dialogue into catalan politicians condemned the violence and rain in the militants. my guest today is senior catalan minister, alfred bosch. where does the pro—independence movement go from here? alfred bosch, welcome to hardtalk. thank you. in the past few days we have seen sustained violence on the streets of barcelona and some other catalan towns and cities as well. would you accept the last week or so has actually been a negative for your cause, the cause of catalan independence? well, it's been negative for everybody. nobody likes clashes, nobody likes to see these images in the streets of barcelona or other cities. nobody likes it. but at the same time, it's been extrem

now on bbc news it's hardtalk with stephen sackur. welcome to hardtalk. i'm stephen sackur. number of forest fires burning in the amazon rainforest may have dropped since the global alarm was raised in august, but brazil's government is still feeling intense political heat. my guest today is brazilian environment minister ricardo salles who is in europe trying to convince sceptics that president bolsonaro‘s government is not prioritising economic exploitation at the expense of environmental protection. how credible are the brazilian government's soothing words? ricardo salles, welcome to hardtalk. thank you very much. thanks for asking me. would you accept that the global concern raised by the sweeping forest fires that we saw in august, burning swathes of amazon rainforest, would you accept that that has put a new level of scrutiny on the actions of the brazilian government? definitely. it's true. we're already concerned about this problem of the burns, it begins in the middle ofjuly, and when all of the public opinion and people have raised this question, we also get into

now on bbc news, it's hardtalk with stephen sackur. welcome to hardtalk. i'm stephen sackur.t has been two months since india revoked the special autonomous status ofjammu and kashmir, and delhi still has the territory in a form of lockdown. political leaders are detained, troops are on the streets and communication links are disrupted. the modi government seems confident its dramatic cancellation of a 70—year—old dispensation has worked, but what of kashmiri feeling? my guest is iltija mufti, the daughter of former chief minister of kashmir, mehbooba mufti who is currently in detention. do the kashmiris have any choice but to accept their new reality? iltija mufti in delhi, welcome to hardtalk. thank you for having me. let me begin with your personal situation. you are speaking to me from the indian capital, delhi, not from your home in kashmir. does that suggest that you personally are free right now to travel, to communicate, to do whatever you want? not in a real sense, no. i received veiled threats from the indian government that if i continue speaking they will slap wha

welcome to hardtalk, i'm stephen sackur.represents a political gamble played for the highest of stakes. if britain leaves the eu without a deal, there will be significant economic disruption. even the most ardent brexiteers acknowledge that. but they believe the potential rewards justify the risks. it's a calculated bet on britain's future which comes naturally to my guest today — stuart wheeler, the successful businessman and lifelong gambler who backed his commitment to brexit with plenty of his own cash. has his money given him undue influence over britain's future? stuart wheeler, welcome to hardtalk. thank you. would it be fair to characterise you as a lifelong risk taker? yes, it would. and what motivated you, from a very early age, to want to take so many risks? the first risk i took, i was very, very young, was at a point—to—point. is that a horse race? a horse race. and i backed the brighter days, second, one shilling of even money and it obliged so that was my start of gambling. how old were you? about eight or nin

now on bbc news, it's hardtalk with stephen sackur. welcome to hardtalk, i'm stephen sackur.t's tempting to ask what almost two decades of american intervention in afghanistan have achieved. even now, the death toll in the afghan conflict far outstrips the losses in syria and yemen. but the grim statistics tell only a part of afghanistan's story. also important is the testimony of my guest today, kimberley motley, an american lawyer who went to kabul in a training capacity and stayed to become a respected litigator, fighting for the rights of the abused and powerless, especially women. does her experience give grounds for hope or despair? kimberley motley, welcome to hardtalk. thanks for having me. i want to take you back a little bit. i'm just wondering whatever prompted you as a young lawyer in the united states to sign up for this us government programme to go to afghanistan. it seems quite a remarkable decision to take as a young woman? it definitely was. i went to afghanistan in 2008, basically to train and mentor afghan defence attorneys. prior to going there i was a de

now on bbc news, it's hardtalk with stephen sackur. welcome to hardtalk, i'm stephen sackur.itarian fallout from turkey's invasion of northern syria, there are grave security concerns. not least, what will happen to the thousands of so—called islamic state militants imprisoned by syrian kurdish forces? my guests today, john letts and sally lane, are the parents of one such prisoner — british—born, jack letts. he left the uk in 2014 to live in the so—called is caliphate. since then he's had his british citizenship revoked and his parents have been convicted under uk anti—terror laws for sending him money. 00:01:54,942 --> 2147483051:37:42,187 what will become, what should 2147483051:37:42,187 --> 4294966103:13:29,430 become of jack letts? sally lane and john letts, welcome to hardtalk. thank you. thank you, stephen. you are in a very difficult situation right now, because your son jack, is, as far as we know imprisoned, held by kurdish forces in northern syria. those forces, currently under attack from the turkish army. what is the latest information you have about what is hap

now on bbc news it's hardtalk with stephen sackur. welcome to hardtalk, i'm stephen sackur.k music inhabits a world of permanent revolution. today's biggest bands will most likely be tomorrow's tired old has—beens. but just occasionally, artists and groups find a way of reinventing themselves and outlasting the constant fluctuations in fashion and taste. my guest today knows plenty about surviving the highs and lows of a music career, brett anderson's band suede was hailed as "the future of rock ‘n‘ roll" back in the early 90s. they are still making music a generation after britpop ceased to be a thing. 00:01:48,404 --> 4294966103:13:29,430 so what keeps him going? brett anderson, welcome to hardtalk. thank you very much. lovely to be here. you've just written your second memoir which takes us right through your music career. and throughout it you appear to be almost painfully aware of the danger of being some sort of rock cliche. would you say that is fair? yeah, i mean, very much the starting point for writing the book was to sort of subvert the tired cliche of the sort of

now on bbc news, it's hardtalk with stephen sackur. welcome to hardtalk, i am stephen sackur.sic inhabits a world of permanent revolution. today's biggest bands will most likely be tomorrow's tired old has—been. but just occasionally, artists and groups find a way of reinventing themselves and outlasting the co nsta nt themselves and outlasting the constant fluctuations in fashion and taste. made yesterday knows plenty about surviving the highs and lows ofa about surviving the highs and lows of a music career, brett anderson's band suede was how does the future of rock ‘n‘ roll back in the early 90s. they are still making music a generation after britpop ceased to bea thing. generation after britpop ceased to be a thing. so what keeps him going? brett anderson, welcome to hardtalk. thank you very much. a pleasure to be here. you've just thank you very much. a pleasure to be here. you'vejust written thank you very much. a pleasure to be here. you've just written your second memoir which takes us right through your music career. and throughout it you appear to be almost painfull

welcome to hardtalk, i'm stephen sackur.gine having an extraordinary sporting talent but finding yourself traumatised by the realities of elite—level competition. imagine being defined by your gender and physicality in ways that crushed your own sense of yourself. add to that a prolonged battle with alcohol and drugs and you have the pain—filled early life of my guest today, olympic swimmer—turned—artist, model and now writer, casey legler. what did it take to emerge from the darkness? casey legler, welcome to hardtalk. thanks for having me. you come here having just written a rather extraordinary memoir of your early life, the first 21 years or so of your life. it is raw, it is full of pain and it exposes some of the very dark places in your own life. how hard was it to write? um, first i just want to say that it's great to be here. i told you before we started that i'm a huge fan but my wife is a massive fan and i've done, i've done, you know, vogue covers, features, and this is what we've been most excited about so thanks

now on bbc news, hardtalk‘s stephen sackur speaks

welcome to hardtalk, i'm stephen sackur.is the most serious existential threat facing humanity? well, many of us might point to nuclear war or climate change. but some of the greatest minds in the tech sector are looking in a very different direction. artificial intelligence, warned the physicist stephen hawking, could spell the end of the human race. my guest tonight is stuart russell, a globally renowned computer scientist and sometime advisor to the uk government and un. right now ai is being developed as a tool to enhance human capability. 00:01:49,588 --> 2147483051:37:39,509 is it fanciful to imagine 2147483051:37:39,509 --> 4294966103:13:29,430 the machines taking over? stuart russell, welcome to hardtalk. hi. you have spent a career at the forefront of ideas on artificial intelligence. can you give me a working definition? very straightforwardly it means making machines intelligent. and what that means is traditionally making machines that act so as they achieve their objectives. that's more or less the same definiti

now on bbc news, stephen sackur speaks to catalan minister for foreign action, alfred bosch.

now on bbc news, it's time for hardtalk. welcome to hard tour, i'm stephen sackur.presents a political gamble played for the highest of steaks. if it leaves the eu without a deal, there will be significant economic disruption. even the most ardent brexit years acknowledge that. but they believe the potential rewards justify the risks. it's a calculated that on britain's future which comes naturally to my guest today. stuart wheeler, the successful businessman and lifelong gambler who backed commitment to brexit with plenty of his own cash. as his money given him undue influence over britain's future? stuart wheeler, welcome to hardtalk. thank you. would be fair to characterise you as a lifelong risk taker? yes, it would. and what motivated you, from a very early age, to want to take so many risks? the first risk i took, i was very, very young, was at a point to point. is that a horse race? a horse race. i backed the second, one shilling of even money and it obliged so that was my start of gambling. how old we re was my start of gambling. how old were you? about eigh

welcome to hardtalk, i'm stephen sackur.t's tempting to ask what almost two decades of american intervention in afghanistan have achieved. even now, the death toll in the afghan conflict far outstrips the losses in syria and yemen. but the grim statistics tell only a part of afghanistan's story. also important is the testimony of my guest today, kimberley motley, an american lawyer who went to kabul in a training capacity and stayed to become a respected litigator, fighting for the rights of the abused and powerless, especially women. does her experience give grounds for hope or despair? kimberley motley, welcome to hardtalk. thanks for having me. i want to take you back a little bit. i'm just wondering whatever prompted you as a young lawyer in the united states to sign up for this us government programme to go to afghanistan. it seems quite a remarkable decision to take as a young woman? it definitely was. i went to afghanistan in 2008, basically to train and mentor afghan defence attorneys. prior to going there i was a de

now on bbc news, stephen sackur speaks to catalan minister for foreign action, alfred bosch.elcome to hardtalk. last week the whole of europe heard a howl of rage coming from catalonia. since spain's highest court sentenced nine pro—independence politicians to a collective one hundred years in prison there have been mass, sometimes violent protests across the region which has left hundreds injured. madrid says there can be no political dialogue until catalan politicians condemn the violence and rein in the militants. where does the pro—independence movement go from here? my my guest today is the senior catalan minister alfred at one mac. —— bosch. alfred bosch, welcome to hardtalk. in the past few days we have seen sustained violence on the streets of barcelona and other catalan towns and cities as well. would you accept that the last week or so has actually been a negative for your cause, the cause of catalan independence? well, it has been negative for everybody. nobody likes clashes. nobody likes to see these images in the streets of salona or other cities. nobody likes it

welcome to hard tour, i'm stephen sackur.haps inevitably, britain's unresolved brexit agony has led to a general election. the current parliament couldn't find a path out of the morass so the people must now elect a new one. brexit has exposed deep tensions in britain's vaunted system of democracy, raising questions about the relationship between the people, parliament, government and the courts. my guest ‘s businesswoman gina miller, who led to legal challenges to the government's read brexit strategy and won both times. how come this non— politician is at such an impact upon britain's political landscape? gina miller, welcome to hardtalk. lovely to be here. it seems something very important happened to you after that june 2016 something very important happened to you after thatjune 2016 referendum which saw a majority voting for brexit. you cease to bejust which saw a majority voting for brexit. you cease to be just a concerned citizen looking at the politics of written. you became an activist determined to use the law to m