A Modern Day Evita

From Our Own Correspondent

BBC

News, News Commentary

4.4 • 1.3K Ratings

🗓️ 31 October 2019

⏱️ 29 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Argentina has elected a new president at a moment of deep economic crisis. Out goes the centre-left, back come the Peronists. Katy Watson reports on a sense of deja vu, with the role of Eva Peron filled this time by Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, a former president, now returning to power as vice president.

The winds of change are blowing through the Vatican, after bishops meeting in Rome voted in favour of relaxing the rules on celibacy among the clergy. David Willey reflects on how Pope Francis is conducting a papacy that reflects a changing world.

Liberia in West Africa is one of the poorest countries in the world. It has still to recover from a civil war that ended more than 15 years ago. More recently it suffered a devastating Ebola epidemic. Lucy Ash goes to meet the Zogos, a group of people who've suffered more than most.

Imran Khan used to be best known as a flamboyant international cricketer. Today he's the prime minister of Pakistan and thousands of people are on the streets of Islamabad today in protest against his economic policies. Secunder Kermani says they are also suspicious of his links to the army.

Buddhism in China, a country that has often had an uneasy relationship with religion, is enjoying official approval. President Xi sees it as a way of promoting his country's status. Richard Dove has been to meet some monks high in the mountains and to eat peanut biscuits.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	BBC Sounds, music radio podcasts.
0:05.0	Good morning.
0:06.1	Today, the wooden statues floating in the Tyber
0:09.4	that speak volumes about change in the Vatican. A former footballer is in charge in Liberia but
0:16.1	he's not winning the game against crime. The former cricketer in
0:20.2	charge in Pakistan also has his detractors, thousands of them have been heading towards Islamabad all
0:26.7	week. The atmosphere in the Chinese mountains, by contrast, is tranquil. Our correspondent eats peanut biscuits with Buddhist monks.
0:36.4	But first on Sunday they elected a new president in Argentina, a country in deep economic crisis. The winner, Alberto Fernandez, a man of the
0:45.2	centre left, the loser, the incumbent, Mauricio Macri. Mr Macri had failed to keep
0:50.4	the crisis at bay. Unemployment is rising. Inflation is at 50% and one in
0:56.0	three people now live in poverty. But Katie Watson in Buenos Aires says Mr.
1:01.1	Fernandez victory represents not only a shift of power, but a shift of philosophy
1:06.5	and an echo of the past, the return of the Peronists.
1:10.3	It's not that we're good, It's just that the others are worse.
1:15.0	Those are the words of former President Juan Perron and the founder of the uniquely
1:19.2	Argentinian phenomenon that's Peronism.
1:21.6	With a Peronist leader elected once again, I thought it was
1:25.1	worth reflecting on that from the man who started it all. Because it kind of sums up
1:30.1	what's happening now. Argentinians voted to get rid of Maricio Macri who promised economic miracles.
1:36.9	He came to power in 2015 saying he would make lives better, but seems to have done nothing of the sort.
1:44.6	Economically, Argentina is broken, and just last year, Mr Macri went to the IMF for a $57 billion
1:52.0	rescue deal, the largest in the organization's history.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from BBC, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of BBC and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.