The EU floats a controversial sanctions plan; immigration raids in New Orleans, and more
The World in Brief from The Economist
The Economist
4.1 • 1.2K Ratings
🗓️ 4 December 2025
⏱️ 5 minutes
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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, |
| 0:22.6 | visit 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. |
| 0:42.0 | Our top stories. |
| 0:45.0 | The European Commission put forward a controversial plan to fund Ukraine by raising up to |
| 0:50.8 | 210 billion euros or 245 billion billion backed by frozen Russian state assets. |
| 0:59.1 | It would use emergency powers to bypass the EU's unanimity rule on sanctions, neutralising Hungary's |
| 1:06.1 | veto. |
| 1:07.5 | Belgium also objects fearing liability, since most of the assets are held by a clearinghouse in Brussels, |
| 1:14.9 | Ukraine would not repay the loan until Russia pays reparations. |
| 1:20.1 | The Trump administration expanded its immigration raids to New Orleans, Louisiana. |
| 1:26.7 | The Department of Homeland Security said it would target |
| 1:30.0 | and arrest undocumented immigrants who had been released from local jails, quote, thanks to sanctuary |
| 1:36.4 | policies, rules that protect such individuals from deportation by limiting cooperation with federal |
| 1:43.3 | immigration authorities. |
| 1:45.0 | But some worry the sweep will catch people without criminal records, as past raids have done. |
| 1:52.0 | Israel said it received the body of a dead hostage from Hamas. |
| 1:57.0 | Earlier, the country said it would open the rapid crossing between Gaza and Egypt within days, |
| 2:03.1 | allowing thousands of Palestinians needing medical care to leave for treatment in Egypt. |
... |
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