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Episode details

World Service,06 May 2025,26 mins

Merz elected German Chancellor - at second time of asking

World Business Report

Available for over a year

Will Bain hears from Germany where Friedrich Merz has become Chancellor - after unexpectedly suffering a setback in the first round of voting in Parliament. His party ,the Christian Democrats, have agreed a coalition with the centre-left Social Democrats, promising a responsible and stable administration that'll boost Germany's stagnant economy. The UK and India have announced a free trade deal after years of negotiations, which the British prime minister Kier Starmer called a historic day for both countries. Canada's Prime Minister, Mark Carney, is set to sit down with President Trump to discuss easing some of their trade tensions. OpenAI, the parent of artificial intelligence service ChatGPT, has announced a new governance plan after a bitter power struggle over the business and criticisms from the world’s richest man, Elon Musk.

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