Global News Podcast - Six-day state funeral for Jimmy Carter begins in Georgia

Episode Date: January 5, 2025

A motorcade carrying the body of the former US president, Jimmy Carter, has arrived in Atlanta -- the capital of his home state, Georgia. He will lie in repose for a few days for the public to pay their respects.

This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK. Hello, I'm Katya Adler, host of the Global Story podcast from the BBC. Each weekday, we break down one big news story with fresh perspectives from journalists around the world. From artificial intelligence to divisive politics tearing our societies apart, from the movements of money and markets, to the human stories that touch our lives, we bring you in-depth insights from across the BBC and beyond. Listen to The Global Story wherever you get your BBC podcasts. This is The Global News podcast from the BBC World Service. I'm Janet Jalil and in the early hours of Sunday the 5th of January

these are our main stories. The six-day state funeral of the former US President Jimmy Carter has begun in his home state of Georgia. Coalition talks between Austria's two biggest centrist parties have collapsed. The chancellor has said he'll resign. Rwandan-backed rebels have made rapid advances in the mineral-rich Democratic Republic of Congo, capturing two towns in two days. Also in this podcast, if you thought typewriters were obsolete... They weigh between five and a half and six kilos. It's there for learning to read and for writing. We tell you about one type that's still very much in use.

We begin in the US state of Georgia where America has begun bidding a long farewell to the former president Jimmy Carter. The band of the 282nd Army played America the Beautiful in Atlanta as the coffin was carried into the Carter Presidential Center for a service and prayers. Jimmy Carter's eldest grandson was the first to address the congregation. All of us have been thinking about this day and planning for it for a long time, but it is obviously still hard for all of us. For us, my family, and I'm sure I can see on your faces for many of you, I appreciate that.

But just know that while we mourn my grandfather's passing, I know in my heart, and you all do, that his legacy will live on, not only because of the millions of people that he touched across the globe, but very specifically because of your spirit and your knowledge and the work and the track record that you do every day. Pastor Tony Loudon remembered cherished times with the former president. Today's Saturday and usually every Saturday I'm making the pilgrimage down to Plains Georgia and sitting beside President Carter in the compound. You walk in the room he's wrapped in a blanket that has Psalms 23 on it. One of his favorite Psalms. Then the former president's son, Chip Carter, paid tribute to his father and also his late

mother Rosalind. He was an amazing man and he was held up and propped up and soothed by an amazing woman. And the two of them together changed the world. It was an amazing thing to watch from so close and to be able to be involved in. Thank you for your service. Earlier the court urged carrying the former president's coffin accompanied by his children, his grandchildren and his great-grandchildren passed by the small farm in the town of Plains where he grew up. Our correspondent, Karl Nasman, has been covering events throughout the day from Atlanta.

We're right outside of the Carter Presidential Center and Library here in Atlanta. This is really the headquarters, if you want to think about it, that way of his post-presidency where over many decades, far longer of course than when he was in the White House, Jimmy Carter along with his wife Rosalynn Carter worked to combat many different things. They worked to promote democracy across the world, combat infectious disease, worked towards all kinds of different diplomatic missions.

This really is the center of his life after 1981 when he left the White House. But what we're seeing today is an outpouring of tributes and memorials for the former president just watching that motorcade go through these very rural areas of Georgia, Plains, Georgia, where he grew up, his boyhood town, the boyhood farm where he grew up, where there was no running water or electricity back in 1924 when Jimmy Carter was born there. Many people are remembering his legacy and what he meant as a president, but also as a diplomat, as someone who advocated for civil rights, someone who advocated for health care and vaccines around the world.

So Jimmy Carter left quite the legacy and those are the stories and memories that of course are being shared today here, not only in Georgia but across the country. And tell us what we're expecting to see over the course of the next few days. This is just the beginning of a multi-day state funeral here in the United States. It will

then move on to the Capitol, Washington DC. He'll be lying in repose in the Capitol building for a couple of days before a big national memorial. We know that Jimmy Carter personally asked President Joe Biden to deliver the eulogy for him at that memorial service in the National Cathedral. And then after all that pop and circumstance, appropriate, a very humble man from humble beginnings will return back to that small town of Plains, Georgia. That's where he wishes to be buried alongside his late wife, Rosalind. And briefly, in this polarized age, he has been a unifying figure. Yeah, Jimmy Carter, when he left the White House, really wasn't a very popular president. His approval ratings were some of the lowest that we've ever

seen historically for a president. But ever since then, Jimmy Carter has earned respect for the work that he has done building houses with a group called Habitat for Humanity. Of course, his work through the Carter Center. He has always had that kind of respect as a person, a very religious man who even taught Sunday school into his later years, just years before he did passing away. Jimmy Carter even got the respect of someone who he has not always agreed with. The next president, Donald Trump, who paid his respects in a very gracious way just a couple of days ago in a social media post. So those memories being shared in the White House now and in the future White House too.

Karl Nassman in the US state of Georgia. Talks between Austria's two main centrist parties on forming a coalition government collapsed on Saturday, prompting the conservative Chancellor Karl Neyhammer to announce that he would step down. After the breakdown of the talks I will therefore do the following. I will resign as Chancellor and also as leader of the People's Party in the next few days, thus enabling an orderly transition. This transition is particularly important to me because I have always stood for stability in our country and in the People's Party. A third party, NIOS, had walked away from the talks a day earlier on Friday. The negotiations had been complicated by the decision of these parties to exclude a far-right party,

the FPO, that won the largest share of the vote in elections last year. Here's our Vienna correspondent, Bethany Bell. The head of the Conservatives, Chancellor Karl Neyhammer, said his party and the Social Democrats had failed to agree on key issues. He said he would resign as chancellor and party leader in the coming days. The far-right Freedom Party, the FPO, won the general election in September, but Mr. Neyhammer and the other parties had ruled out forming a coalition with the FPO leader Herbert Kieckl. Analysts say the collapse of the talks means that likely options could be a coalition between the Freedom Party and the Conservatives or a snap election. Bethany Bell, and Austria is not the only European country struggling to form a stable government

as the far right is on the rise again. Germany is holding its own snap elections next month and it seems that Elon Musk wants to get involved. The world's richest man is due to host a conversation with the leader of the far right German party, the AfD, which polls suggest could come second in the elections. Mr Musk has also attacked Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Here's our Berlin correspondent Jessica Parker. The Chancellor Olaf Scholz told a German magazine he's staying cool about Elon Musk's activities. He added it's the will of citizens that counts, not the erratic statements of a billionaire. Elon Musk has previously described him as a fool and recently penned a controversial opinion piece endorsing Alternative für Deutschland or the AFD. The AFD is a far-right party that's even classed

as extremist in certain German states by domestic intelligence. Mr Musk dismissed such allegations and claimed he'd earned the right to speak out on German politics because of his significant investments in the EU's largest economy. Notably, Mr Musk's electric car-making brand Tesla has a huge factory in the eastern state of Brandenburg, just outside Berlin. Now this coming week, Mr Musk is expected to hold a live online discussion with the AFD's candidate for Chancellor Alice Weidel. This all comes just weeks ahead of Germany's snap federal election. The vote will take place on February 23rd, following the collapse of Germany's bickering

three-way coalition, that comprised of Chancellor Scholz's Social Democrats, the Greens and the FDP Liberals. The AFD, despite polling second, has little prospect of taking power because other parties won't work with it, while Olaf Schultz's chances of retaining the chancellery have long looked slim. Nevertheless, Germany looks set to be the next electoral testing ground for Elon Musk's apparent willingness to wade in to national politics. Jessica Parker, let's turn now to political turmoil not in Europe but in Asia. The freezing cold weather in South Korea's capital Seoul is not taking the heat out of the political

crisis there. A month after its president, Yeung Sung-il, stunned this young democracy by trying to impose martial law. A day after investigators were forced to abandon an attempt to arrest the impeached president after being blocked by hundreds of his security personnel, protesters turned out in force again on Saturday. The demonstrations, which went late into the night, were both for and against the suspended president. What kind of situation is this country suffering right now? Eight years ago they unjustly removed the president and now they're trying to remove President Yoon as well, based on absurd charges. In this kind of unjust society, we're not just going to comply.

We're holding this protest to oppose the government. I hope every one of us will come together so that our country moves towards a true democracy. This comes as the US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, is on his way to South Korea. Our Asia Pacific editor, Miki Bristo, told me more about the latest demonstrations there. Tens of thousands of people, as we heard there, protesters from both sides of the divide. That's people who want to see the suspended president not only arrested but they want to see him prosecuted and completely

removed from office. There are also his supporters who want to see the impeachment which was voted for by the National Assembly still got to be approved but they want to see that impeachment rescinded. So both sides of the divide out protesting throughout Seoul, central areas mainly, but also around the presidential compound. And that's complicated matters about trying to arrest the president or this former president because investigators want to speak to him. They want to arrest him. They haven't been able to do that yet. And these protesters out on the streets are making that even more complicated. And South Korea is supposed to be a democracy and yet somehow the president seems to be

able to resist this attempt by the investigating authorities to arrest him. Yeah, it's all quite complicated and it does appear to be that scenario. They've had impeached presidents before but never before has a sitting president faced this kind of situation where he is essentially wanted by the authorities who want to arrest him. That hasn't arisen before. We have people around President Youn who essentially were given the job as presidential security service, given the job of protecting him. That's what they are doing. Everyone's doing their job, but it's not clear how this legal situation is going to be resolved.

And meanwhile you've got a country that's reeling from a devastating plane crash. A lot of people are very concerned about the short-lived attempt last month by the suspended president to impose martial law. Is the absence of clear leadership being felt? Well obviously the absence of any clear leadership in any country is going to be a problem, particularly in South Korea which faces a number of important threats. North Korea for one thing, and in fact the US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, is on his way to Seoul. He's going to be holding talks on Monday to discuss a number of issues. North Korea will be among them. So clearly, Anthony

Blinken will want to go to Seoul and he wants to have a conversation with somebody who's in charge who can affect and make decisions and understand what the latest thinking of the South Korean government is. It doesn't appear from the outside that person exists. But having said that, South Korea is not a one-party state. I'd imagine the country is still getting on with the basic levels of government, but at the higher levels it seems functioning is broken down. Miki Bristo. The world's oldest person has died in Japan at the age of 116. Tomiko Ituka died in a nursing home near Osaka, the city where she was born. Grant Ferich reports.

The local mayor paid tribute to Tomiko Ituka, saying her long life had given hope and courage to others. Born in 1908, she went on to fit a pattern common to many supercentenarians. She stayed close to her birthplace for much of her 116 years. She also ate healthily, expressing a fondness for bananas. Exercise was an important part of her life. She was into her 70s when she became interested in mountaineering. And unlike many Japanese pensioners, she avoided social isolation, living with her daughters for several decades. Grant Ferrett. It's just a couple of weeks or so before Donald Trump is due to be sworn in as US President.

His campaign promise to deport millions of immigrants has many people living in fear and trying to get their paperwork in order. Nowhere more so than in California, which has the largest immigrant population in the US. But the Democratic governor there says he will protect them. Reagan Morris reports from Los Angeles. Good morning. Buenos dias, familia. Como estan? Immigrants packed into a public school in Los Angeles

to get free legal advice. Workshops to help immigrants get their papers in order have been held across California since Donald Trump was elected in November. Many here say they are afraid of being deported. I am feeling anxious about what is going to happen in the next four years. I'm worried of my safety. Andrea is 33 and came to the U.S. from Mexico as a child. Like everyone else at this workshop, she didn't want her full name used to protect her identity.

I want one day for my kids to come home and I'm not home because I was deported. So yeah, it's just because I'm worried and I have a family here. I pay my taxes. I'm a teacher as well. Like many people in California, some members of Andrea's own family supported Donald Trump for president, including her mother, who herself is vulnerable to deportation. Although unable to vote, Andrea's mother urged others to support Trump because she believes he will be better for the economy

and that he will only deport criminal immigrants. Since the election, Californians have come out demonstrating in support of immigrant rights, and the state has vowed to defend its immigrant population. California sued the Trump administration more than 120 times last time Donald Trump was president. And California Governor Newsom convened a special session of the legislature to prepare for possible future lawsuits. As it relates to the special session, that's a special session to focus on litigation, preparation as it relates to the reality.

It's not a theoretical exercise. We know what happened the last time Donald Trump was president. Although Donald Trump lost California, as was expected, he did better here this election than four years ago with 38% of the Golden State's vote. And he won the presidency with the promise of deporting millions of people. I will rescue every city and town that has been invaded and conquered. I will launch the largest deportation program in American history.

Critics say he will struggle to keep his promises. Immigration attorneys say the system is so backlogged that they don't see how anyone could deport so many people. Tess Feldman is an immigration attorney for the Los Angeles LGBT Center. She says many of her clients seeking asylum had their cases started under the first Trump administration. When I appear before a judge, I often request the first available court date for my client to be heard on their case. And oftentimes that's a two or three year scheduling wait. So to hear that hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions more people, families, children would

be processed through this system that is already operating with a two, three, four year lag, I am curious how this would be physically possible in this country. Many are curious how that will work. But critics say any attempt to Trump-proof California is premature and that people should focus on the facts, not the rhetoric. Although the Biden administration was blamed for letting the border get out of control, the fact is his administration deported more immigrants in 2024 than Donald Trump ever did, more than 270,000 people. That was the highest tally of deportations since Obama was in office

10 years ago. That report by Reagan Morris. Still to come, we hear why many highly qualified Chinese graduates are struggling to find work. China is now a country where your high school's handyman may have a master's degree in physics, where a cleaner could be qualified in environmental planning, delivery driver, perhaps studied philosophy. Delve into a world of secrets, the BBC's Global Investigations podcast, breaking major news stories around the world.

A BBC investigation finds that Mohammed Al Fayed, former owner of Harrods, was accused of raping five members of staff. Mohammed Al Fayed was like an apex predator. From the top of British society to the heart of global fashion brands. The former boss of clothing brand Abercrombie and Fitch is accused of exploiting young men for sex. That world has eaten up and spit out a lot of young and attractive guys.

Gripping Investigations, available to listen to now, with more coming soon. Search for World of Secrets wherever you get your BBC podcasts and click, follow or subscribe so you never miss an episode. You're listening to the Global News Podcast. Even as there's been a renewed push yet again to reach a ceasefire in the Gaza war and secure the release of Israeli hostages, there's been a surge in Israeli attacks and the number of Palestinians killed. Israel doesn't allow foreign journalists independent access to Gaza, so we have to rely on figures from the Hamas-run health authorities there. On Saturday,

they said a total of 136 people had been killed over the past 48 hours, among them a family of 11, most of them children. Emma Nader is following developments from Jerusalem. A series of heavy Israeli airstrikes have hit the Gaza Strip as pressure builds on both sides taking part in the ceasefire negotiations in the Qatari capital Doha. In one attack at dawn, civil defence officials reported that around a dozen displaced people were killed when a building in Gaza City was hit by an Israeli strike. Ahmed Ayan lives nearby. At around 2 a.m., we were woken by the sound of the huge explosion, and we were surprised

to find that it was on the house of our neighbors. It was filled with people. Around 14 or 15 were staying there. Most of them are women and children. They are all civilians. There is no one there who shot missiles, nor is from the resistance. The Israeli military has said that in the past week it had struck more than 40 Hamas gathering points and command centers throughout the Gaza Strip, but hasn't commented directly on the latest strikes. Hamas has published a video of one of the hostages taken during its attack on the 7th of October 2023. It shows Liri Albag, who's 19.

She had been serving in the Israeli military. In a still image, which was released from the video by a group representing the families of the Israeli hostages, she is seen holding her head in her hands. In a statement, Liri Albag's parents said the video had torn their hearts to pieces, and they appealed to the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to make decisions as if your own children were there. In a court in Lira Albaq's parents, the Israeli President Isaac Herzog said his country's delegation must remain at the negotiating table until all 100 hostages were returned home. The hostage families group believe there is pressure on both sides to reach an agreement

ahead of President Trump's inauguration this month. The incoming president has warned they would be held to pay if a deal wasn't concluded by the time he takes office. Emma Nader. It's a country blessed with virtually every type of mineral, but for the Democratic Republic of Congo, its huge natural wealth has been a curse over the centuries. Having shaken itself free of the shackles of colonialism, Congo is still trying to fight off outsiders. Among them a Rwandan backed rebel group, the M23, which having taken vast swathes of mineral rich territory in the past four years has now taken two towns in North Kivu province in just two days, with the Congolese army and its allied militia apparently unable to stop them. Our Africa regional editor Will Ross told me more.

I think the capture of Masisi is significant. This is the capital of an administrative area and we understand that the Congolese army sent a lot of ammunition there to try and defend this town. It's somewhere that's been very well defended before and has been seen as a kind of prize, but the army and the militias couldn't defend it. It was taken over by the M23. This is a group that's been imposing taxes on the mines that it captures in the areas it seizes and people are looking at the map and kind of wondering where is next but this is clearly part of a very rapid expansion by this M23 rebel group. And tell us about Rwanda's involvement with this group. So Rwanda initially denied being involved but doesn't really counter the

claims now and there has been a lot of evidence that they're supporting this M23 rebel group and that there have been Rwandan troops in Congo. Rwanda has always said that this Tutsi population in Eastern Congo is under threat and this is a Tutsi led group, the M23, fighting to really protect the Tutsi population which Rwanda says has kind of been discriminated against for many years. So the M23 itself says, you know, we are simply fighting for our rights, but then the whole mineral question comes in and people look at the minerals that are moving through Rwanda to get onto the global market. These are vital minerals for the whole energy

sector and for our mobile phones. And the Rwandan government's also concerned about the presence of Hutu rebels in eastern Congo and it's always blamed the Kinshasa government for working with those rebels and not doing enough to stop them from being active and helping Rwanda. Will Ross, the once high octane Chinese economy is currently struggling. As a result, many highly qualified graduates haven't been able to get the jobs they thought they would and are instead having to work as cleaners, couriers or waiters, often to the disappointment of their parents. Our China correspondent Stephen MacDonald went to meet some of these overqualified

workers. China is now a country where your high school's handyman may have a master's degree in physics, where a cleaner could be qualified in environmental planning, a delivery driver perhaps studied philosophy, and where a PhD graduate from the prestigious Tsinghua University can end up applying to work as an auxiliary police officer. These are all real cases and it's not hard to find others, like 25-year-old Sun Jun who graduated with a master's degree in finance. We met him in the southern city of Nanjing where he's employed as a waiter in a hotpot restaurant.

My dream job was to work in investment banking. If I could invest in some good company stocks, I could make a lot of money. And has he looked for such work, I asked. I've looked for such a job, but with no good results. China is churning out millions of university graduates every year, and in some fields there just aren't enough jobs to soak them all up. When Sun Jun ended up as a waiter, this was met with displeasure by his parents. My family's opinions are indeed a big concern for me. After all, I studied for many years

and went to a pretty good school. For me to do a job with no threshold makes them feel embarrassed. Big budget movies require lots of extras to fill out their scenes and in China's famous film production town of Hongdian, southwest of Shanghai, there are plenty of university graduates looking for acting work including one we met who studied computer programming. This is the situation in China isn't it? The moment you graduate you become unemployed. I've come here to find work while I'm still young. When I get older I'll find a stable

job. Another graduate who studied electronic information engineering spoke to us before heading off to play a bodyguard. The 26 yearold laughed that his good looks have helped him become employed as an extra. I mainly stand beside the protagonist as eye candy. I am a foreground actor with a good appearance who is seen next to the lead actors but with no lines. I asked if he likes it. I don't make much money but I'm relaxed and feel free.

He said people often come to Hangdian and work for just a few months at a time. In his case, he said it was just a temporary fix till he could find something permanent. 29-year-old Wu Dan says her Hong Kong University of Science and Technology classmates have all found it hard to secure decent positions after returning to the mainland. The job market has been really tough. It's difficult to find work. For many of my masters' degree classmates, it's their first time hunting for a job and very few of them have ended up landing one. Even a friend who are employed can feel quite lost. In fact, they are quite confused and feel that the future is unclear.

Those with jobs are not satisfied with them. Also, they don't know for how long they can hold on to these positions. It's unclear when and even if this will all turn around in China. But in the meantime, you should never assume you know what has led this country's waiters or cleaners or movie extras to where they are today. That report by our China correspondent Stephen MacDonald. today. That report by our China correspondent Stephen McDonald. In these days of laptops, tablets and smartphones, typewriters might seem like long-outdated technology. But one form of typewriter is still very much in use here in the UK. Despite advances in technology, the Perkins Braille typewriters are still a vital communication tool for blind users and

Alan Thorpe is Britain's last certified fixer of them. He took some of the machines to a special conference to mark World Braille Day in Britain on Saturday and to mark the 200th anniversary of the Frenchman Louis Braille inventing embossed type. One of his machines dates back to the 1880s. Jane Hill asked Alan, who is blind himself, to describe the Perkins Braille typewriter. They weigh between five and a half and six kilos. It's used by people of all ages, from small children all the way through to pensioners and older generations. It's there for learning to read and for writing.

So I've been using one for nearly 45 years. It's recuted that there are about 500 parts inside a Perkins Brailler. Some tiny, tiny little springs the size of a grain of rice to larger bits A drum for actually winding the paper round. It is fiddly work and I enjoy doing it I'd like somebody else to learn. We never knew what's around the corner for us. I've now just turned 60 and I think it's time that somebody else sort of took it on a bit. I'm self-employed and do this. I'm probably not in a position to employ somebody to do it, but happy for somebody to come along and be shown how to do it, I would still be on hand. But more for somebody to become

that entrepreneur themselves, learn how to do it, do some servicing under their own steam and I support them as long as I can. Alan, you talk about being self-employed, but is it partly a hobby as well? I mean, do you actually really love this and the challenge of working out what's wrong with the machine and then making it right again? Yes. If a machine just comes for a service, it's just boring. It's just routine. Say, the bottom off, the top, the back. The screwdriver knows its own way. You've been used that many times. Not any screwdrivers I use.

But then actually trying to diagnose what the problem is. Trying to get parts shipped over from America, because again, it's the only place you can get them from. There's quite hefty costs where there are some machines which are being used for donor parts because they've had a hard life. Yes, I've got a machine here what's nearly 70 year old and still working. I've got a few which are probably 40 or 50 year old which are still working. If an apprentice doesn't come along and if there isn't someone who comes to you who you can train up, what does that mean, do you think? If nobody comes along, I would assume the servicing might still take place, but somebody

to actually know and have the skills passed on for actually doing the major repairs, it probably wouldn't be anybody around. It's hard to imagine nobody being around for it, but it probably is the actual realistic answer. Alan Thorpe, who for now is Britain's last certified fixer of the Perkins Braille typewriter. And that's all from us for now, but there will be a new edition of the Global News podcast later. If you want to comment on this podcast, you can send us an email. The address is globalpodcast at BBC.co.uk. This edition was mixed by Tom Bartlett, the producer was Liam McShepard, the editor is Karen Martin. I'm Janet Jalil. Until next time, goodbye.

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