European leaders urge security guarantees; Germany pushes for lower car tariffs, and more
The World in Brief from The Economist
The Economist
4.1 • 1.2K Ratings
🗓️ 19 August 2025
⏱️ 5 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 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. |
| 0:35.2 | This is the world in brief from The Economist. |
| 0:41.7 | Our top stories. |
| 0:45.1 | Donald Trump reportedly interrupted his White House meeting with Vladimir Zelensky and other European leaders to phone Vladimir Putin. |
| 0:57.1 | Earlier, Mr Trump expressed confidence he could organize a trilateral meeting with the Russian and Ukrainian president. Mr. Zelensky |
| 1:02.9 | thanked Mr. Trump for his efforts to end the war and for hosting the best talks yet. |
| 1:08.8 | European leaders emphasized the importance of security guarantees for Ukraine. |
| 1:14.4 | Germany's Chancellor, Friedrich Meitz, said that there were complicated negotiations ahead. |
| 1:21.9 | Germany said America must lower tariffs on cars before a trade deal with the European Union can be finalized. |
| 1:29.8 | The EU and America agreed to a framework deal in late July, but many details remain unclear. |
| 1:37.1 | The proposal would reduce America's duties on car imports from Europe, from 25% to 15%. The German car industry estimates even those lower |
| 1:47.8 | tariffs could cost the sector billions of euros annually. American Home Builder's sentiment |
| 1:55.3 | fell unexpectedly to its lowest levels since 2022. The monthly index of housing conditions, published by the National |
| 2:03.8 | Association of Home Builders and Wells Fargo, dropped to 32 in August from 33 in July. Two-thirds of |
| 2:12.4 | builders said that they had used incentives to boost sales. Over one-third cut prices to tempt buyers |
| 2:19.1 | discouraged by high mortgage rates. Myanmar will hold its first general election since the military |
| 2:26.9 | coup in 2021. The vote will be held in stages, beginning on December 28. Critics fear that the junta will use a shampole |
| 2:36.8 | to entrench its power. Many people will not be allowed to vote in parts of the country where |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from The Economist, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of The Economist and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.