welcome to hardtalk, i am stephen sackur.n 2013, the australian government adopted a draconian anti—immigration policy which involved sending all seaborne, would be asylum seekers to de facto detention camps in remote papua new guinea and micronesia. my guest was one of them. behrouz boochani is an uranium kurd who has written about his experience. he is now a prize—winning author, but is his long—term fate any clearer? behrouz boochani, in auckland, new zealand, welcome to hardtalk. yeah, thank you for having me. it's a pleasure to have you on the show, behrouz. i think we have to begin with an explanation of how you're in new zealand after this epic, very long journey, difficultjourney that you've been on. how come right now you're talking to me from auckland? i was invited by the world festival in christchurch in new zealand a few months ago, and then i applied to visa through my lawyer in new zealand and then so i did it through unhcr and then amnesty international and amnesty australia, new zealand and finally so i reach

welcome to hardtalk, with me, stephen sackur.is the truth behind the shooting down of malaysia airlines flight mh17 or the poisoning of the former russian spy sergei skripal, or the recent assassination of a chechen rebel fighter in berlin. my guest today thinks he can piece together truths from the world wide web. he is eliot higgins, the founder of investigative website bellingcat. in an age beset by fake news, has he really found a way to distinguish fact from fiction? eliot higgins, welcome to hardtalk. i want to start if i may with a self—definition. would you describe yourself as a journalist or a data analyst or some sort of online detective? i like online detective. we do acts ofjournalism and some of the work we are doing but really, the way we work with bellingcat uses open source investigation on a whole range of topics that go beyond journalism. i find it very difficult to define what we do beyond saying we do investigations. do you have to be a specialist in terms of your use of the world wide web? do you need specia

now on bbc news it's hardtalk with stephen sackur. welcome to hardtalk, i'm stephen sackur. the human preoccupation with sex is nothing new, but the internet has made it so much easier to explore and exploit every shade of desire. the online porn industry makes billions of dollars in profit every year, but the big winners are corporate players, not the women and men performing the sex acts. my guest today is mia khalifa. she was briefly a porn actress, garnering worldwide notoriety when she appeared in a sex video wearing the islamic hijab. after years of threats and insecurity, she's speaking out. what does her story tell us about the porn industry and 21st century culture? mia khalifa, welcome to hardtalk. thank you for having me. by many measures, you are a very famous woman. for instance, you have, what, more than 16 million followers on instagram. but the origins of your fame lie in your brief involvement in the porn industry. is that hard for you to deal with? absolutely. after i left, i deleted my... well, i didn't delete my instagram, it got hacked by isis sympathise

now on bbc news, it's hardtalk with stephen sackur. welcome to hardtalk, i'm stephen sackur.he human preoccupation with sex is nothing new, but the internet has made it so much easier to explore and exploit every shade of desire. the online porn industry makes billions of dollars in profit every year, but the big winners are corporate players, not the women and men performing the sex acts. my guest today is mia khalifa. she was briefly a porn actress, garnering worldwide notoriety when she appeared in a sex video wearing the islamic hijab. after years of threats and insecurity, she's speaking out. what does her story tell us about the porn industry and 21st century culture? mia khalifa, welcome to hardtalk. thank you for having me. by many measures, you are a very famous woman. for instance, you have, what, more than 16 million followers on instagram. but the origins of your fame lie in your brief involvement in the porn industry. is that hard for you to deal with? absolutely. after i left, i deleted my... well, i didn't delete my instagram, it got hacked by isis sympathisers

welcome to hardtalk, i'm stephen sackur.he long 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. one agent was my guest today, 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 1985 to qui

now on bbc news, it's hardtalk with stephen sackur. welcome to hardtalk. i'm stephen sackur.t's 18 years since al-qaeda's 9/11 attack on the united states. the impact still reverberate even as memories fade. the us government responded by adopting a counterterrorist strategy embracing enhanced interrogation, that was a euphemism for torture. we know what happened because of the work of my guest today, danieljones, who led a six—year investigation into the caa's darkest secrets. now his story has been turned into a movie, but did america long ago sees to care? —— cease. danieljones, welcome to hardtalk. thank you for having me. a film has just come out betraying your battle to write this report into what the caa did and it's counter tourism operations up 9/11 —— cia. it was sometime ago, but is it you like unfinished business to you? in so many ways, the terms of how the united states responded to 9/11 from a policy perspective on the war on terror is still unfolding and impacting how we buy these battles today with isis and other foreign adversaries. but this report of yours,

welcome to hardtalk, i'm stephen sackur.end of the second decade of the 21st century, does anybody still believe in the ability of the so—called ‘international community‘ to stop wars, disarm dictators and protect civilians? look at the scale of suffering in syria, the renewed unrest across the middle east, the imminent american withdrawal from afghanistan. my my guest acro one has been a us envoy in all of those places over the past decade was up is it about time to acknowledge the irrelevance of the international peacemakers? staffa n d e of the international peacemakers? staffan de mistura, welcome to hardtalk. thank you. it is pretty much a year since you left your post as the un envoy in assyria. you have had a time for reflection. —— syria. on reflection, do you think that mission was doomed from the moment you took it? i have been thinking exactly about that. when i was asked to ta ke exactly about that. when i was asked to take up from the past, it was told that it was mission impossible. two of them had given up. he

i'm stephen sackur. my guest today is an extremist of a very special kind.othing to do with his political views, but recognition of a lifetime spent embracing physical challenges at the extreme limit of human endurance. sir ranulph fiennes has taken on and conquered the polar ice, the world's highest peaks and the most gruelling deserts. he's been described as one of the world's greatest living explorers. so, what is the motivation for this life of extreme adventure? sir ranulph fiennes, welcome to hardtalk. thank you very much. seems to me, your entire life, you have spent testing yourself, challenging yourself. why this preoccupation with tests? it doesn't come about in that particular way, it comes about because of being brought up in south africa, arriving in the uk, not getting a—levels, that's what it comes from, because that's not what i wanted to do, it's what my dad had done, commanding the royal scots‘ greatest tank regiment when he was killed in the second world war, and i wanted to command that same wonderful scottish regiment, but in his day, it

now on bbc news, it's hardtalk with stephen sackur. welcome to hardtalk, i'm stephen sackur.tain's election provided binary clarity. borisjohnson has the kind of parliamentary mandate the conservative party hasn't seen since the thatcher era, to take the uk out of the eu and roll out a tory vision for the country. and the labour party? well, after one of the most crushing defeats in its history, it faces an existential crisis. my guest is alastair campbell, close adviser to tony blair in the new labour years, passionate opponent of brexit. where does the left go now if it's ever win again? alastair campbell, welcome to hardtalk. thank you. i want to begin with that election result itself. when you saw it, as a tribally labour man, labour all your life but who has run into a series of problems withjeremy corbyn and his leadership, how did you respond to that result? i wasn't wholly surprised. i had privately predicted about 50, 60. majority for the tories. yes, and the reason for that is, i think, the country decided some time ago that it's not electing jeremy corbyn as prime

welcome to hardtalk, i'm stephen sackur. the fight for afg hanistan‘s future has beenjoined far beyond the frontlines between government forces and the taliban. my guest today is engaged in the struggle using her own potent weapons — that is her voice, her songs, and a spirit of defiance. aryana sayeed is afghanistan's biggest pop star. she has braved death threats to campaign for women's rights and artistic freedom. so is this a fight she can win? aryana sayeed, welcome to hardtalk. thank you so much. thanks for having me. it's nerve wracking to be on your show. well, it's a pleasure to have you in our london studio. i just wonder, how intimately connect do you feel to your homeland, afghanistan today? i know you go there a great deal, to work, to perform. but is that connection looser today? i still feel very connected to my country, and to my roots, of course, and ifeel for my people in afghanistan, back home. and that connection started... well, i left afg ha nista n and that connection started... well, i left afghanista

, i stephen sackur.cale of the conservative party triumph in last week's uk election promises to have seismic consequences. borisjohnson can get brexit done on terms and a timetable of his choosing. parliamentary rouble guaranteed. not since margaret agger is a tory leader had such an opportunity to remake written. well, my guest is conservative mp and former cabinet minister andrew mitchell. boris johnson has been handed immense power. what will he do with it? andrew mitchell, welcome to hardtalk. thank you. i want to begin with some very interesting words coming from the mouth of boris johnson after his election victory. he said, "this election has changed this government and this conservative party for the better." what did he mean by that?” conservative party for the better." what did he mean by that? i think he's right. i think what he meant was that the paralysis that has characterised the past 3.5 years of mrs may's government has been swept away. there is a decisive conservative majority and it's

welcome to hardtalk, i'm stephen sackur.es it takes an outsider, armed with just a sharp eye and curiosity, to get us to see ourselves as we really are. and that would explain the enduring popularity of the american—born writer bill bryson, whose wry take on britain and the british has generated two best—selling books. now, in recent years his travels have taken him deep into the realms of science and human biology. from the mysteries of afternoon tea to the power of the human brain, what has bill bryson learned from his gentle search for understanding? bill bryson, welcome to hardtalk. i'm delighted to be here, stephen. thank you for having me. well, it's a pleasure. seems to me that you've lived a life driven by curiosity, by a determination to get explanations. ami a determination to get explanations. am i right? i get a lot of credit for that, and i'm not sure i entirely deserve it. i mean, i won't argue with you if you want to praise me for it, but i think we're all driven by curiosity. what else gets us driven by curio

welcome to hardtalk, i'm stephen sackur. the scale of the conservative party triumph in last week's uk election promises to have seismic consequences. borisjohnson can get brexit done on terms and a timetable of his choosing. parliamentary approval guaranteed. not since margaret thatcher is a tory leader had such an opportunity to remake written. an opportunity to remake britain. well, my guest is conservative mp and former cabinet minister andrew mitchell. boris johnson has been handed immense power. what will he do with it? andrew mitchell, welcome to hardtalk. thank you. i want to begin with some very interesting words coming from the mouth of boris johnson after his election victory. he said, "this election has changed this government "and this conservative party for the better." what did he mean by that? i think he's right. i think what he meant was that the paralysis that has characterised the past 3.5 years of mrs may's government has been swept away. there is a decisive conservative majority and it's sprung from the

now on bbc news, hardtalk‘s stephen sackur speaks

now on bbc news it's hardtalk with stephen sackur. welcome to hardtalk. i'm shaun ley.ometimes a tv drama does more than entertain, it brings alive to an audience a world they've failed to see. for many, in the united states and beyond, the wire, which methodically dissected america's war with drugs, was an eye—opener. playing detective bunk moreland brought wendell pierce international attention. now he's on stage in london as willy loman, the protagonist in arthur miller's play, death of a salesman. wendell pierce describes the part he's playing as the american hamlet but is today's american reality, "you're on your own"? theme music plays wendell pierce welcome to hardtalk, thank you very much for coming into the studio. thank you for having me, shaun. let's begin, if we may, 1a years ago, hurricane katrina, you were visiting your parents when the evacuation was mandated. it was your family home, the city you had grown up in, the city where all your friends were from, and where your family still live. how vivid now are the pictures in your mind, the memories of what

i'm stephen sackur. it's 18 years since al-qaeda's 9/11 attack on the united states.nterterrorist strategy embracing enhanced interrogation, that was a euphemism for torture. we know what happened because of the work of my guest today, danieljones, who led a six—year investigation into the cia's darkest secrets. now his story has been turned into a movie, but did america long ago cease to care? danieljones, welcome to hardtalk. thank you for having me. a film has just come out betraying your battle to write this report into what the cia did and it's countertourism operations up 9/11. it was some time ago, but is it you like unfinished business to you? in so many ways, the terms of how the united states responded to 9/11 from a policy perspective on the war on terror is still unfolding and impacting how we fight these battles today with isis and other foreign adversaries. but this report of yours, it was sort of six years

stephen sackur talks to conservative mp and former

i'm stephen sackur. 80 years ago, hundreds ofjewish children were smuggled out of nazi—occupied europeain in a covert humanitarian mission which became known as the ‘kindertransport‘. my guest today, dame stephanie shirley, was one of those children. she went on to live an extraordinary life of achievement and philanthropy, blazing a trail for women in business. so, what lessons can we learn from a woman determined to make the most of a life so nearly extinguished in childhood? theme music plays. dame stephanie shirley, welcome to hardtalk. thank you for inviting me. we've invited you almost 80 years — exactly 80 years — from that moment when you were forced to leave your home. your father put you on a train — it's called the ‘kindertransport‘ — and you ended up in an alien country, in london, in england. what do you remember of that journey? well, of course, i was only five years old, so all the things that i remember, the childish things. i remember the little boy that kept being sick, i remember losing my doll and then finding her again. and the general — what is england, what is ha

welcome to hardtalk, i'm stephen sackur.ces. borisjohnson can get brexit done on terms and a timetable

now on bbc news, it's hardtalk with stephen sackur.olding up placards outside the funerals of dead american soldiers, celebrating schoolroom massacres, westboro baptist church has been described as the most obnoxious, hate—filled group in america. megan phelps—roper was part of that group. she was born into the church. she carried those hate—filled placards from the age of five years old. but as an adult, firing off tweets against online critics, megan began to doubt. eventually, she left the church altogether, but she paid a high price. the church was founded by her grandfather. she was shunned by those she loved the most. can she still really regard the people who taught her to hate, to desire more death, that the world was going to hell, as her beloved, wonderful mum and dad? megan phelps—roper, welcome to hardtalk. from the age of five, in 1991, you were involved in your family's demonstrations, later taking part in pickets of the funerals of dead soldiers in the united states. can you just give us a sense of what these events mean

welcome to hardtalk, i'm stephen sackur.imes it takes an outsider, armed with a sharp eye and curiosity, to get us to see ourselves as we really are. and that would explain the enduring popularity of the american—born writer bill bryson, whose wry take on britain and the british has generated two best—selling books. now, in recent years, his travels have taken him deep into the realms of science and human biology. from the mysteries of afternoon tea to the power of the human brain, what has bill bryson learned from his gentle search for understanding? bill bryson, welcome to hardtalk. i'm delighted to be here, stephen. thank you for having me. well, it's a pleasure. it seems to me that you've lived a life driven by curiosity, by a determination to get explanations. am i right? i get a lot of credit for that, and i'm not sure i entirely deserve it. i mean, i won't argue with you if you want to praise me for it, but i think we're all driven by curiosity. what else gets us out of bed in the morning, you know? and all i've done,

and dame stephanie shirley — the it entrepreneur and philanthropist — speaks to stephen sackur in hardalf an hour, here on bbc news. a 19—year—old british woman has been found guilty of lying of men in cyprus. the teenager was arrested that she was attacked by 12 israeli men at a hotel in the resort of ayia napa injuly. she was found guilty at a court today of the charge of causing public mischief and could face a custodial sentence. but the woman said police compelled her to make a false confession, something they deny, and the woman's lawyers say they are planning to appeal. our europe correspondent kevin connelly has the story — his report does contain flash photography. when these legal proceedings began, the young british woman at the heart of the case was a victim, making a complaint of rape. she came to court today to be found guilty of making a false statement about what the law in cyprus says was an imaginary crime. her lawyers say both the police investigation and the court process were flawed. we believe that there have been many violations in the procedure and the rights of

welcome to hardtalk, i'm stephen sackur. the scale of the conservative party triumph in last week's uk election promises to have seismic consequences. borisjohnson can get brexit done on terms and a timetable of his choosing. parliamentary approval guaranteed. not since margaret thatcher is a tory leader had such an opportunity to remake written. well, my guest is conservative mp and former cabinet minister andrew mitchell. borisjohnson has been handed immense power. what will he do with it? andrew mitchell, welcome to hardtalk. thank you. i want to begin with some very interesting words coming from the mouth of boris johnson after his election victory. he said, "this election has changed this government "and this conservative party for the better." what did he mean by that? i think he's right. i think what he meant was that the paralysis that has characterised the past 3.5 years of mrs may's government has been swept away. there is a decisive conservative majority and it's sprung from the loins of the brexit argument in bri