Newshour Extra

South Africa is one of the richest countries in Africa. Its businesses and investments have been a catalyst for growth on the continent and according to the World Bank, African immigrants have made a positive impact on South Africa’s economy. Yet foreign workers come under regular attack in South Africa. In the most recent spate of violence, hundreds of foreign owned businesses were damaged by protestors who said foreigners were taking their jobs. Several people died. The South African government condemned the attacks; but fell short of calling them xenophobic. Others on the continent aren't so sure. From Ethiopia to Zambia to Nigeria the reaction has been fierce. Artists have cancelled events, radio stations have boycotted South African music and hundreds of Nigerians were repatriated to Lagos. Julian Worricker and a panel of expert guests discuss the latest signs of anti-foreigner intolerance in South Africa. Why are immigrants being targeted in the Rainbow Nation and what impact will the negative reaction have on the country?

Every summer at a mountain resort in Wyoming, the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas hosts a symposium of central bankers and academics to discuss the global economy. This year at Jackson Hole, the outgoing Governor of the Bank of England, Mark Carney, grabbed headlines by calling for a new global monetary system to replace the US dollar as the world’s main currency reserve. A new digital currency, he said, based on a basket of currencies and provided by the public sector, could be more stable and sustainable than the dollar in today’s volatile, multi-polar world. But what would such a shift mean? Is this actually an old idea, revived by our digital age? And how could the rise of the private crypto-currencies such as Facebook’s Libra change the way money - and governments - work? Join Chris Morris and our panel on The Real Story this week as we ask: how is money changing, and could different systems be better for people and countries?

The Amazon rainforest is an essential part of maintaining the earth's ecosystem and weather patterns. But this year thousands of fires are ravaging there - the most intense blazes for almost a decade. Brazil's indigenous and environmental groups have raised alarm at the rate of deforestation caused by the fires, many of which are thought to have been started deliberately by farmers and loggers. The G7 group of industrial nations have offered tens of millions of dollars to countries in the region to fight the fires. President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil, after initially blaming the environmental groups of overreacting, has deployed soldiers to help fight the blaze. But he has shown little enthusiasm towards the international offer of help, and said that the Amazon was being treated as a colony or no-man's land by countries like France. So what's the best way to decide the future of the Amazon forests? Should they be treated as a world treasure with a global consensus over its preservation? Or, should the Amazon countries have sovereignty over the forests and their natural wealth and have the final say. And what about the rights of the indigenous groups and farmers? Join Paul Henley and a panel of expert guests as they discuss the future of the Amazon.

The on-going protests in Hong Kong and Russia come as Eastern Europe begins to mark the 30th anniversary of one of the most important geopolitical shifts of the 20th century - the collapse of Communism. The 20th century struggle against communist dictatorships lasted decades and claimed thousands of victims but eventually reached its aims. So, what about the protests of the 21st century? We have watched the Green Movement in Iran, then the Arab Spring, revive people’s hopes for democracy - then crush them. Yet today, protesters in Moscow, Khartoum, Hong Kong and elsewhere are still fighting for change. Paul Henley and a panel of expert guests discuss what the latest wave of protesters have learnt from the failures of the Arab uprisings. What are the challenges and advantages for protesters in the age of social media and how have the authorities adjusted to new tactics?

The British Green MP, Caroline Lucas, this week called for an 'emergency cabinet' of women from across the UK’s political spectrum to help prevent Britain from leaving the European Union without a deal. Women, she said, were better placed to deal with 'difficult, intractable problems'. So, is this true? Women have had to fight to gain a place in national politics in countries around the world, and when they make it, their challenges are far from over. Just last week, for example, the Kenyan MP, Zuleika Hassan, was ejected from the national parliament after she brought her baby into the chamber. So how does this compare to some of the other obstacles facing female politicians as they develop their careers? Do women govern differently to men, how does policy change when they're in charge and do women need to join the boys club to get ahead? Julian Worricker and a panel of guests ask - how do women change politics?