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Argentina's Debt - and Moldova's Wines

Katy Watson tries to separate fiery government rhetoric from hard financial reality in Buenos Aires; Stephen Sackur explores the worries besetting Moldova's vineyards and cellars.

What does 'default' actually mean? Dispute has been raging in Argentina over what the country really owes to its international creditors - and what sort of role the world can or should play in lending to the 'global south'. Katy Watson tries to separate fiery government rhetoric from hard financial realities in Buenos Aires.

Stephen Sackur visits Moldova, the former Soviet republic sandwiched between Ukraine and Romania. It is the poorest country in Europe, yet also consistently one of the top 10 wine exporters in the world. Moldova's vineyards and cellars have long kept Russian tables supplied with wine - and it's home to a huge personal wine collection held by President Vladimir Putin. But now, following the crisis in Ukraine and a diplomatic spat with Moscow over its links with the UE, the country has been threatened with a boycott of its produce.

Producer: Polly Hope
Photo: A woman passes by posters decrying foreign 'vulture funds' in Buenos Aires, June 18, 2014. (ALEJANDRO PAGNI/AFP/Getty Images)

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11 minutes

Last on

Mon 11 Aug 2014 19:50GMT

Broadcast

  • Mon 11 Aug 2014 19:50GMT