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The World in Brief from The Economist

European leaders hail peace progress; Ukraine claims first underwater-drone strike, and more

The World in Brief from The Economist

The Economist

News, Daily News, News & Politics, Global News

4.11.2K Ratings

🗓️ 16 December 2025

⏱️ 5 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Friedrich Merz, Germany’s chancellor, said there was a “real chance” of peace in Ukraine, following a second day of negotiations in Berlin between officials from Ukraine, America and Europe.

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Transcript

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0:00.0

Hello, you're listening to the free edition of the world in brief from The Economist.

0:11.2

As a reminder, if you subscribe to The Economist, you'll get access to a deeper look at the day ahead, updated three times a day.

0:20.1

If you're already an Economist subscriber, visit

0:22.9

economist.com slash espresso or visit our espresso app to start listening. Here's today's

0:29.5

free edition.

0:35.3

This is the world in brief from The Economist.

0:42.1

Our top stories.

0:45.1

Friedrich Mertz, Germany's Chancellor, said there was a real chance of peace in Ukraine,

0:50.7

following a second day of negotiations in Berlin between officials from Ukraine,

0:56.5

America and Europe. Volodymy Zelensky said discussions about territory with America were

1:03.0

difficult and should be settled fairly. Germany also unveiled a 10-point defense plan to deepen

1:09.8

cooperation with Ukraine, including joint

1:13.0

weapons procurement and sharing battlefield data. Meanwhile, Ukraine's intelligence agency said

1:21.1

it successfully used for the first time underwater drones. The apparent attack with Ukrainian-made subsea baby drones struck a Russian

1:30.3

submarine in Novorosisk, a Black Sea port. Ukraine claims the Varsha-Vianca-class submarine,

1:37.3

which carries launches for caliber cruise missiles, suffered critical damage. Russia, however, denied the Black Sea Fleet was harmed.

1:48.2

Ford, an American carmaker, said it would take a $19.5 billion hit to its profit over the next

1:56.2

two years as it shifts production away from electric vehicles in favour of gas and hybrid ones.

2:03.0

The pivot to what Jim Farley, Ford's boss, called Higher Return Growth Opportunities,

2:08.7

comes after Mr Trump scrapped EV tax credits and began relaxing fuel standard regulations.

2:16.7

Newly qualified doctors in Britain voted to begin a five-day strike on Wednesday amid

2:22.2

disputes over pay. The country's main doctors union said members rejected a final round of

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