Newshour Extra

A presidential race for the Elysee Palace that has torn up the rule book is nearing its tumultuous conclusion. France’s two main parties have cast aside their old leaders and an independent candidate, Emmanuel Macron - the youthful leader of a new left-leaning movement ‘En Marche’ - is now widely seen as the front runner. The only certainty throughout has been the strong support for the far-right Front National leader, Marine Le Pen, riding high in the polls on the populist, anti-establishment policies. Join Owen Bennett Jones and his guests as they discuss which two candidates will make it through to the second round in May, and what the consequences will be for France and the rest of Europe.

Six years ago this week the brutal repression of a protest in Libya's second city of Benghazi inspired a revolution that led to the fall of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi. Today the country is preyed on by more than 1500 militias. Different governments rule in the west around Tripoli and in the east from Tobruk. Now some international powers are considering abandoning the ineffectual UN-led attempts to find political solutions and instead are turning once again to a Libyan military leader to seize control. General Khalifa Haftar commander of a powerful militia, the Libyan National Army, is seen by his supporters as the only man to restore stability to the country. But his critics argue that the last thing Libya needs is a return to the rule of a strongman.(Photo: General Khalifa Haftar, commander of the Libyan National Army. Credit: Getty Images)

Robots, artificial intelligence and automation are spreading beyond the assembly line to compete for many of our jobs. Economists forecast that as many as half of current jobs in the developed world could be lost to computers in a generation, and as many as two-thirds in manufacturing-heavy China. But what about the new jobs that will emerge? And could we be at the threshold of a world in which robots do all the unpleasant work leaving us free finally, in the words of JM Keynes, to learn how to live ‘wisely, agreeably and well’? (Photo: Robot hand holding an apple. Credit: Getty Images)

Steve Bannon is widely seen as one of the most influential – and in some quarters one of the most dangerous - men in President Trump’s administration. He holds the key post of White House Chief Strategist, but who is he and what does he really believe? Join Owen Bennett Jones and his guests on Newshour Extra this week as they consider Mr Bannon's influence in the future direction of policy. How will his mix of right and left-wing views shape President Trump’s economic plans? How might his interest in fringe historical theories impact on social and foreign policy? And what are the consequences of his belief that the Judeo-Christian West is facing an existential crisis in its confrontation with the Islamic world?

Nuclear weapons and mutually assured destruction are associated with the Cold War but today more countries have the bomb than ever. An American president has the power to unilaterally start a nuclear war. In South Asia, India and Pakistan face off across a volatile border, both countries hold nuclear arsenals primed and ready to fire. Elsewhere, rogue-nation North Korea edges closer to nuclear capability, and a nuclear armed Israel sees its very existence threatened by Iran. So how safe are we from nuclear destruction? Join Owen Bennett Jones and his guests on Newshour Extra as this week they discuss the nature of the threats we face from nuclear weapons: how secure are global stockpiles, and what is the likelihood that any one of the many thousands of nuclear warheads across the globe could be launched intentionally or by accident?(Photo: Titan II nuclear capable missile Credit: Getty Images)

Turkey straddles the divide between Europe and Asia and is seen as a key ally against the rise of islamist extremism. Yet Turkey is at the same time facing its own potentially destabilising political and security crises. In the week of Donald Trump’s inauguration, Newshour Extra takes an in-depth look at the multiple crises facing Turkey, so important to the stability of Europe and the west. Join the BBC’s former Turkey correspondent, Chris Morris and his guests as they discuss the country’s multiple crises and why they matter to Europe’s stability and the future of the western military alliance.

Three years ago this winter hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians gathered in Kiev's Independence Square, demanding closer integration with Europe instead of Russia, and, eventually, forcing the government's resignation. But what's changed in the years since? Demonstrators continue to protest over poor economic conditions and entrenched corruption, and there has been an exodus of reformers from the government, claiming their attempts at change are being blocked. Meanwhile, despite intermittent ceasefires, the conflict in the eastern Donbass region with Russian-backed rebels seems no closer to peace. Join Owen Bennett Jones for a special edition of Newshour Extra in Kiev, as he and his expert panellists discuss the future of Ukraine.Contributor names:Svitlana Zalischchuk - Member of the Ukrainian Parliament and former journalist. Vladimir Gusak - Member of the Ukrainian Parliament. Taras Berezovets - Political analyst. Tom Burridge - BBC Kiev correspondent(Photo Credit: Getty Images)

In 2016 the murder rate in the American city of Chicago went up by 50% - there were were 762 killings. That's more killings in Chicago than Los Angeles and New York combined. The fact other cities have far lower levels of violence raises the question - what are they doing right? How have they brought murder rates down? Join Owen Bennett Jones and his panel of experts discussing the social, economic, political and policing issues that lie behind the numbers and the possible solutions to dealing with urban violence.(Photo: A march in Chicago to commemorate victims of gun violence held on New Year's Eve 2016. Credit: Getty Images)

BBC correspondents predict what's going to happen on the world stage in the coming year. Joining Owen Bennett Jones to look into the global crystal ball are Lyse Doucet, Jon Sopel, James Robbins and Kevin Connolly. So what are their predictions for Donald Trump's presidency, elections in France, Putin's ambitions and the various crises in the Middle East?

What should we make of the growing influence of Iran in the politics of the region? Along with Russia, Iran has been a key ally to President Assad in turning the tide the Syrian conflict. So is it right to cast this as the growing dominance of Shia powers and their allies over their Sunni rivals, or is this an over-simplistic interpretation of a complex regional power struggle? Join Owen Bennett Jones and his guests as they discuss the changing fortunes in Syria and the prospects for a better 2017 for the region.

The delicate balancing act over Taiwan has been a cornerstone of US-China relations for decades, but it appears that Donald Trump wants to shake it up. In early December he broke decades of diplomatic protocol by talking on the phone with the president of Taiwan. It was the first publicly-reported contact between a Taiwanese leader and a US President or president-elect in forty years, and China responded immediately, saying it had "serious concerns". On this week's Newshour Extra, Owen Bennett Jones and his international panel of experts consider the future of the US-China relationship, and what any changes could mean for the rest of the region and the world.

Opposition leaders in the Democratic Republic of Congo are warning that the country faces civil war if the current president, Joseph Kabila, refuses to step down at the end of his term of office. That term was due to end this month but elections will not now be held until April 2018, and his opponents have accused him of trying to cling on to power. The DRC is not only a key source of minerals required in modern technology, it also has the largest UN peacekeeping mission in the world. As tensions rise, can the negotiations overseen by the DRC’s Catholic bishops find a compromise? On this week’s Newshour Extra, Owen Bennett Jones and his expert guests discuss the future of the DRC, and whether further violence can be prevented.

On just his second day in office, President Obama signed an executive order to close the Guantanamo Bay prison within a year. It’s now approaching the end of his second term and prisoners are still being held there. Why has it been so difficult to close? And what will happen under President Trump, who made campaign promises to expand it? Join Owen Bennett Jones and his guests on this week’s Newshour Extra as they discuss what the Guantanamo Bay detention camp has achieved and what its future will look like.(Picture: razor wire and an American flag around the perimeter of the Guantanamo Bay detention centre in Cuba. Credit: John Moore/Getty Images)

Donald Trump has promised to tear up the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal – or TPP – on his first day in office. The massive trade deal agreed in 2015 would have lowered tariffs and deepened economic ties between twelve countries, which together cover 40% of the world’s economy. The demise of the TPP comes as other global trade deals, such as the TTIP between the US and EU, face calls to be dropped or renegotiated. On this week’s Newshour Extra, Owen Bennett Jones and his guests discuss why there is now such a backlash against multi-country trade deals, and whether this marks an end to the steady progress of globalisation.(Photo: People hold signs as they demonstrate against the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Credit: Nicholas Kamm/Getty Images)

This week, a special programme recorded in Damascus and Beirut looking at the Syrian conflict and its possible solutions. It’s a highly complex struggle. But is it right to characterise it as a civil war, a home-grown uprising to Bashar al-Assad’s brutal regime – as many in the Syrian opposition view it? Or is the conflict a war against Syria, conducted by militant jihadi groups supported by Syria’s enemies – as the Assad government would like it to be seen? In Damascus, Owen Bennett Jones talks to supporters of President Assad, and in Beirut he considers the same issues with a panel of Syrian government critics.(Photo: bereaved woman crying outside Aleppo hospital. Credit: Dan Isaacs, BBC)

What might American foreign policy look like under a Donald Trump presidency? Based on his rhetoric during the campaign, the scale of the departure from the status quo will be profound. He promises to upend long-standing relationships with both America's traditional allies and its foes; he says Europe and Asia should pay more for their own security; and his plans to defeat so-called Islamic State are bellicose but unfocussed. On this week's Newshour Extra, Owen Bennett Jones and his guests take Trump's campaign promises and hold them up to scrutiny. How much of what he's said does he really intend to implement - and will he be able to put policy into practice?Photo: Donald Trump on the campaign trail. Credit: Getty Images

Across the world we’re seeing the rise of a new kind of popular politics. The old established order is under threat and voters are turning to politicians who offer bold promises for a fresh start. Should we embrace these politicians as charismatic visionaries or deceitful populists manipulating truth in their desire for personal power? Owen Bennett Jones is joined by an expert panel for this special edition of the programme recorded at the Cambridge Festival of Ideas.(Picture credit: a Tea Party protestor holds two microphones)

Donald Trump says the US presidential election is rigged. To what extent are his complaints justified and just how do politicians and their supporters manipulate the results of elections in their favour? In this week’s Newshour Extra, Owen Bennett Jones and his guests consider the ways elections around the world can be tampered with and the means by which this these manipulations can be minimised.Photo: Polling station in British General Election Credit: Getty Images

South Africa’s universities are being rocked by increasingly violent student protests over tuition fees. The issue has become a flashpoint for a country struggling to provide education, jobs and housing, amid growing political divisions within the ruling ANC party. The president, Jacob Zuma, is facing strong criticism that his government is rife with corruption and mismanagement. Has South Africa failed to live up its promise as the “rainbow nation”? Owen Bennett Jones and his guests discuss South Africa’s growing economic and political crises.Photo: Student protests in Johannesburg. Credit: Getty Images

Is debt essential for economic growth? We look at the economics and morality of debt. Should countries burdened with huge debts be forced to repay them in full? And, if it is fine for an individual to borrow large sums to buy a house, why shouldn’t governments do the same to finance employment schemes or large infrastructure projects? Owen Bennett Jones and his expert panel are in front of a live audience at the How the Light Gets in Festival in Hay-on-Wye to discuss the problems of debt.(Photo: Students pull a mock ball and chain representing student debt. Credit: Getty Images)