The World in Brief from The Economist

Precious metals are set for a sparkling end of the year

America’s economy grew at an annualised rate of 4.3% in the third quarter of 2025, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis.Owing to the holiday, the next audio edition of The World in Brief will be published on Saturday morning, GMT. Until then, please check the Espresso or Economist apps for the latest news.

America’s Food and Drug Administration approved a daily pill version of Wegovy. Also, Volodymyr Zelensky said the attacks on Odessa aimed to disrupt his country’s maritime operations.

Larry Ellison, Oracle’s chairman and one of the world’s richest people, pledged a personal guarantee of roughly $40bn to backstop Paramount’s takeover bid for Warner Bros Discovery.

Larry Ellison, Oracle’s chairman and one of the world’s richest people, pledged a personal guarantee of roughly $40bn to backstop Paramount’s takeover bid for Warner Bros Discovery.

America’s coastguard said it was in “active pursuit” of an oil tanker which it claimed was part of Venezuela’s “illegal sanctions evasion”. Also, gold’s price has risen by around 66% this year, putting it on track for its biggest annual increase since 1979.

America’s coastguard reportedly boarded a second oil tanker this weekend off the coast of Venezuela, although details remain sketchy.

America stops vessels off Venezuelan coast; Australia mourns victims of Bondi attack, and more

Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine’s president, said America has proposed trilateral talks with Ukraine and Russia in Florida.