Hardtalk

In a special edition of HARDtalk, recorded in front of an audience in the Indian capital Delhi, Stephen Sackur talks to one of India's most intriguing young politicians, Omar Abdullah. He is Chief Minister of the Indian State of Jammu and Kashmir - a long disputed territory once described by former president Bill Clinton as the most dangerous place on earth. Is there any hope of Kashmir becoming a place of peace, not conflict?

In a special edition of Hardtalk, recorded in Delhi, Stephen Sackur speaks to India's Finance Minister, Palaniappan Chidambaram - one of the most influential and long serving members of the Congress Party dominated government. India has enjoyed a decade of unprecedented economic growth, with signs of a new era of wealth and consumerism visible in every major city. But has this vast country squandered an opportunity to fundamentally reform itself for the 21st century?

When Harris Georgiades became Finance Minister of Cyprus one year ago he was obliged to impose some tough austerity measures in return for a 10 billion Euro bailout from the Troika of the European Central Bank, the EU and the IMF. Now, the economy is shrinking, unemployment will perhaps reach 20% this year and wages are being slashed. He tells Zeinab Badawi that a total collapase of the banking system in Cyprus has been avoided and the economy is proving more resilient than might have been expected.

As Egypt prepares to mark the third anniversary since the revolution that brought down Hosni Mubarak, Shaun Ley speaks to the former Muslim Brotherhood Minister, Yehia Hamed. The Brotherhood has now been banned in Egypt, and designated a terrorist organisation. Its leaders are in jail or living in exile. Yehia Hamid is in Istanbul. He insists the Brotherhood is non-violent but backs his partys call for its supporters to "topple the leaders of the treacherous military coup."

The British government is "going all out for shale". Those are the words of the Prime Minister about his plan to allow companies to try to extract shale gas from deep underground. It's a contrast to most European countries - many have banned it until they're convinced it can be done safely without damaging the water supply. Sarah Montague speaks to Britain's Energy & Climate Change secretary - the Liberal Democrat Ed Davey. If we want clean, green and affordable energy, what role should fracking have?

In a special edition of HARDtalk recorded in New York City, Stephen Sackur speaks to the former US Defence Secretary Robert Gates. In his newly published memoirs he gives the inside story on arguments and tensions inside the Obama White House – particularly over Afghanistan. He has called his book Duty but are some of his revelations an act of disloyalty?

Eight hundred million Europeans’ fundamental rights and liberties are supposed to be safeguarded by the European Court of Human Rights. It is an institution steeped in European idealism and ambition, but does it work? HARDtalk speaks to the President of the Strasbourg based court Dean Spielmann. Critics condemn it as an undemocratic, unaccountable infringement on national sovereignty; do they have a case?

When a US drone kills a jihadi militant in Pakistan has a law been broken? What if the missile kills women and children too? Who can be held to account? HARDtalk speaks to Ben Emmerson, the British lawyer addressing these questions for the United Nations. He says drone strikes and other exceptional counter terror measures simply breed more terror - but does this liberal lawyer really know what's best in the struggle to make the world a safer place?

Is English justice all it’s cracked up to be? HARDtalk speaks to Keir Starmer, the top barrister who's just stepped down after five years as the Director of Public Prosecutions; in effect the chief prosecutor in England and Wales. Are the pillars of the English judicial system, the laws and the courts really fit for purpose?

HARDtalk speaks to photographer, Giles Duley. Twelve years ago he abandoned the world of celebrity and fashion photography to focus on stories of human suffering - he was in Afghanistan in 2011 when a landmine blew off both of his legs and an arm. Since then he's defied the odds, not just surviving but returning to work, even revisiting Afghanistan. He's still a photographer, but does he see the world through a different lens?

HardTalk's Stephen Sackur talks to Mike Mack, CEO of one of the world's leading agribusinesses, the Swiss based Syngenta which specialises in selling seeds, chemicals and agricultural know-how to farmers around the world. One of the great global challenges of the next half century will be feeding a human population set to rise beyond 9 billion. Can bio-science and genetic modification help farmers meet an enormous productivity challenge?

HARDtalk speaks to Mark Cavendish, who over the past five years has enjoyed the reputation of being the fastest man on two wheels. He is a cycling phenomenon - an explosive sprinter, a world champion and the winner of more Tour de France stages than any other Briton. He also has a reputation for blunt talk in a sport tainted by illegal drug use. So, has cycling cleaned up its act and thrown out the cheats?

HARDtalk speaks to artist Jeremy Deller, who defies all the labels and categories of the art world. He is a visual artist who can’t paint, can’t draw and professes no great technical skill - yet he is widely regarded as one of the most important artists in Britain today. He uses images, objects, words and real people to present a portrait of the modern world, from the factory floor to the Iraq War. What is at the heart of his creative vision?

HARDtalk is in Monte Carlo at the World Policy Conference, an international gathering of politicians and business leaders from across the world. Stephen Sackur speaks to one of France’s most influential and outspoken CEOs, Christophe de Margerie, boss of the energy giant Total. Does Europe have what it takes to meet the triple challenge of economic competitiveness, climate change and energy security?

Under Tony Blair's leadership the world grew used to a British Labour government that was the United States’ staunchest ally in a series of military interventions. But with the Blair era long gone and the party preparing for an election battle in 2015 has Labour's world view changed? HARDtalk speaks to Labour's chief foreign policy spokesman, Douglas Alexander. Does Labour have a compelling vision of Britain’s role in the international arena?