GERHARD HEIBERG - Wednesday 30th April, 2008
Heiberg
is a man under pressure. His own country wants him to boycott the
Opening Ceremony, just as other European leaders are vowing to do, but
he's not caving in. .
Instead, he warns that continued pressure on China from the West could
have a disastrous effect: The Games could unravel and human rights will
suffer.
"That's what I'm afraid about. That's why I said the more we threaten
with the boycotts and so on, it's possible that they [the Chinese] say
to hell with you guys, we are going to do it our way, which may be very
different."
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DR RAJ PATEL - Wednesday 30th April, 2008
George Negus interviews academic, Dr Raj Patel about the global food
crisis and what can be done to fix it.
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more...
NINO RANDAZZO AND MARCO FEDI - Wednesday 23rd April 2008
George
catches up with newly elected Italian politicians, Nino Randazzo and
Marco Fedi.
George Negus asks the MPs how they're going to represent, and inspire,
the Italians in their constituency.
Have the pair been handed their dream jobs? Or a political
nightmare?
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THOMAS MAPFUNO INTERVIEW - Wednesday 16th April, 2008
Dubbed as the Lion of Zimbabwe, Mapfumo is known internationally for
blending traditional Shona mbira music with western instruments since
the early 70s. At the time, singing in Shona was uncommon, and in the
context of the escalating war, automatically political.
His songs often reflected the concerns of society; hardships in rural
areas and the oppression of Shona culture by white rulers.
However it wasn't until the late 80s when his music focused on
questioning the country's leadership, who he believed had failed the
people. In 1989 he released the album 'Corruption', which openly
criticised President Robert Mugabe and his government.
Shortly after the release, Mapfumo became the target of government
harassment which eventually forced him to flee to the United States.
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EDDIE CROSS INTERVIEW - Wednesday 2nd April, 2008
George Negus speaks with Eddie Cross, a senior MP from the opposition
Movement for Democratic Change led by Morgan Tsvangirai.
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ROBERT MUGABE INTERVIEW - Wednesday 2nd April, 2008
Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe is ready to step down after
accepting he failed to win the country's presidential election,
according to a senior source in his ruling party.
A ZANU-PF official said the long-ruling president was prepared to step
down but was still trying to win agreement from the army's chief of
staff Constantine Chiwenga.
"He is prepared to step down because he doesn't want to embarrass
himself by going to a run-off," the source said on condition of
anonymity. "There is only one person still blocking him, the army chief
of staff."
Two senior diplomats in the capital Harare meanwhile confirmed that a
deal had been done for Mr Mugabe to step aside in favour of opposition
leader Morgan Tsvangirai.
"Everything indicates that Mugabe will leave power smoothly," said one
of the sources.
When Robert Mugabe came to power in 1980s he was the people's hero, the
man who had brought an end to colonial rule in Rhodesia (soon to be
renamed Zimbabwe).
Where to next for Zimbabwean politics and the African nation?
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RICHARD BRANSON INTERVIEW - Wednesday 2nd April, 2008
George Negus interviews CEO and founder of the Virgin Group, Sir
Richard Branson.
The eccentric billionaire heads up one of the biggest and well known
brands in the world, dominating the financial, retail, music, soft
drink and travel industries.
However the 236th richest person in the world shows no signs of slowing
down his massive empire.
Currently Virgin Galactic is developing the world's first commercial
space aircraft, allowing anyone to fly to space – for a price
of $US 200,000.
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Please Note: More interviews will be added as time permits.