hello and welcome to business today. i'm steve lai. germany's centre—right cdu party are on course to win office in the country's pivotal elections, with their leader — largest economy. merz will now begin coalition talks and says he wants a new government in place by easter. as investors continue to monitor election results. for more on this, let's speak to our business reporter sura njana tewari. what more can you tell us? election at a very time globally. uncertain time globally. germany's is so uncertain time globally. germany': to is so uncertain time globally. germany': to the is so important to the european but important te the eurepeen but china importehtrte the eurepeeh but china is the union, but also china is the eu's second largest trading ear ”fibiit? ,, , ,, z but relations between partner, but relations between the bloc and beijing have been strained �*some time make—up of the coalition that is eventually formed will be very important to economies and

partners in china, but trading partners ianhine. but here trading partners ianhina. but here in trading partners ianhina. iadt here in asia more broadly. trading partners ianhina, iadt here i biggest ore broadly. trading partners ianhina, iadt here i biggest trading adly. germany's biggest trading partner is us, but since partner is the us, but since coming into office, trump has threatened to slap tariffs on threatenedto slap tariffs on imports, them vehicles, 7 77 vehicles, and 77 if ”fivehiclesfandthe; ” vehicles, and thgsupply german vehicles, and the supply chains for the manufacture of vehicles run all the way those vehicles run all the way through here in a chair, places like thailand, vietnam and merz has a india. friedrich merz has a strong ”as--.” america m euro-e ex-erts m and europe experts three times as much to the us to as much to the us compared to china, so he may want to invest that relationship, but is in that relationship, but is there opportunity for in that relationship, but is there opportunityforchina there an opportunity for china here? with the trump administration being hostile to the eu, china does have some leverage. is "5321173;le " 7 not doing well, the car industry is a big part of inddatrg ia a laig partat " m ' economy, plus sales germany's economy, plus sales of german vehicles are actually down in china with such stiff competition from brands. competition from local brands. in the past, merz has made some in which he loved speeches in which he loved

with north korea, china with russia, north korea, iran as axes of autocracies, what he called them, but he might have to walk back some of those views given everything is going on in the certaihe has uite a world. certainly he has quite a to net world. certainly he has quite a i to get through. _ world. certainly he has quite a i to get through. suranjana, | lot to get throdgh. so ra nja na. you very lot to get thrddghss-ara njana. you very much, in our thank you very much, in our newsroom. for growth in the us, or the global economy. for answers on why they're not budging, economist, qian wang. when we are talking tariffs, it is a supply shock the us economy and the to the us economy and the rest of the world. will of the world. they will to lower economic actually need to lower economic growth and inflation. part oi part of the part oi the lie economy ”that thatthey w

tthattheyrhazvew w 57thiai’tiiéyrhliv;£3inth is that they have benefited from stronger productivity growth over the past several years. technology, innovation, ai, government on manufacturing, construction, so thatis manufacturing, construction, so that is actually going to help that is act-aalltuafina “heir drag from that is act-aaiheafina “heir drag from a tighter mm tariff and policy and immigration policies. so everyth|ng w'ev’éiy'iiiiagm | putting everything together, i would still say us is still to grow around 2% in wbutther ' ' w z : zbutthe wtias been 2025, but the other... has been quite lucky, they do not have the same strong growth, so growth elsewhere is likely much weaker so we are only be much weaker so we are only expecting about 0.5% growth in 0.7% in the uk, and europe, 0.7% in the uk, and china is also expected to slow this year to 4.5% from somewhat this year to 4.5% from 5% last year. somewhat this year to 4.596 from 5% last year-— somewhat this year to 4.596 from 596 last year-— 596 last year. tell us more about china. _ 596 last year. tell us more about china. how- 596 last year. tell us more about china. how do - 596 last year. tell us more about china. how do you | 596 last year. tell us more i about china. how do you see 596 last year. tell us more - about china. how do you see the impact of the trump administration on the mic administration on the second largest i mic administration on the second laruest ~ second largest economy? i think when ou second largest economy? i think when you - at—

second largest economy? i think when you - at the _ second largest economy? i think when you - at the chinese - when you look at the chinese . we do see an economy, we do see an rebound in the encouraging rebound in the economic growth in terms economic growth'in'terms of even the housing consumption, even the housing a bit. sector rebounded a little bit. but largely of the but largely because of the policy system they policrsystemthey'imote'me'nted late september. however, in late september. however, when you look at i think when you look at it, i think rebound is unlikely to . |t wwithwrobably w w w w wwithwrobablywillw w w sustain. it probably will extend into the quarter extend into the first quarter of this year, but i think going of this year. butl think going you're properly w -wwwww w the rebound w w w w the rebound actually w w -w to fade and i would say start to fade and i would say if you're looking at the fundamental, the structure —= the housing market has possess, the housing market has not bottom, given the long—term structural imbalance. in indonesia, dozens of

the indonesia, dozens of students protested against budget cuts. the is budget cuts. the president is to free up money hoping to free up money to fund plans. hoping to free up money to fund lans. ~ ., hoping to free up money to fund lans. . . ., , the backdro - , m in the backdrop, what has these protests are cuts, so wcuts, so thewgovernment budget cuts, so the government has tried to make fiscal space because of the social sector programmes are social assistance programmes that had a”"a"'e 2�*23'“""�*:" that has w ——— — e ——— w they had been announced. they have had , rationalise spending been announced. they have had . rationalise spending and ww w -ww w w because of thatthey eventually through and at the base cut through and at the base is to be _ f _ * spendin-, to non—developmental spending, to any of the excesses by mean any of the excesses by ministries, those are being w -w w targeted, but you're going to see over time that they could some developmental be some developmental expenditure as well that will be cut. i think the protests

have also been about the education ministry at there w w w {rears wtwhewrewhawdeween there had been sone where there had been some in allocation reductions in allocation towards primary as well as towards oriroary as well as ~——— —— education, so that secondary education, so that being the premise, from these w particular, of protests in particular, as of now we do not see any impact on growth, but certainly something be watchful of because a torbe watchful: of because a between increasing choice between increasing revenues or rationalising the government is at spending, the government is at this point for spending this point'opted forspending instead. this pointropted'forspe -' 9 instead. , cuts instead. the president is t in: cuts instead. the president is trying i make _ cuts instead. the president is trying i make good - cuts instead. the president is trying i make good on - cuts instead. the president is trying i make good on the i wwhew w he made he made on trail. are w w w trail.warwewthewyw trail. are they not campaign trail. are they not been received as well as he thought, especially when it thought. especially when it to cost—cutting measures? comes to cost—cutting measures? incoming president was very lncamins arssidsnt aces cars "www "fwm’ in terms lncamins arssidsnt ates can; "' " " " �* in terms of his promises clear in terms of his promises and campaign assurances and i and campaignass'urances and i as soon as he has think'as' soon'as he has taken late last year, he office late last year, he has tried to bring all of that to fruition and as you mentioned, free meals programme, there the free meals programme, there is also the pre—health checkups www he is pushing for

and he is pushing for higher support for the housing wwwwell:w|wthiwnk wwwqewu. w|wthiwan thweww well. i think the general as well. i think the general is to boost ie�*ca ic. t�* luz" ""c~""“ ' "' families, vulnerable parts help famitiesc—vutnerabte parts society, so that been of society, so that has been important and i think it is necessary as well. over time, we really need to invest into cwapital and i think that human capital and i think that is what this process is is what this whole process is trying to of course, trying to achieve. of course, by the time i: you www w to these w "ms" w w w wwwwithianwawnwwwww w w w i think an waywwwould and i think an ideal way would be to raise revenues. the vat rate was wrate was expected to wrate was expectetho bew w tax rate was expected to be increased this year, has increased this year, that has been put on hold, they could be some of w dividends as well, state bank, dividends as well, which might not be able to add to the state a to the state coffers. as a revenue —wise, there will be less support, which a less support, which means a of spending. re—prioritisation of spending. usually this kind of usually when this kind of programme is undertaken, there ww-w w to bea of w w to be a of hesitation tends to be a bit of hesitation general allocations, as the on general allocations, as the

ministry will be wary of or overspending. i certainly w certainly it w certainly it willw certainly it willee think certainly that it will be an ongoing exercise, i inte ntiwon intention was correct, but the intention was correct, but i think it needs to be balanced and perhaps a bit on the ww side thanjust side than just spending revenue side than just spending or spending. revenue side than just spending or- spending-— whnt wha_ you sometimes it is not what you do, how do it. you very much. artifical intelligence remains a major buzzword in the world of business, butjust how crucial is it for improving performance and boosting profits? that's the findings from professional networking for a closer look at this study and what it means for al the company's chief economic opportunity officer. it is to push us a �* economy, it is to push us a �*economy, i'm calling it the new economyri�*rn calling it the economy, that innovation economy, but that economy for humans will anchor oui’ ...°,u.r,,... ability w w wwwowuwi’www ww ngility asww ww wwwowuwi’www ww ngility aswa ww on our unique ability as a species of to on our unique ability as a species 0— on our unique ability as a secies o�* ., .,.

cs, curiously, compassion, five cs, curiously, compassion, thatis five cs, curiously, compassion, that is how we creativity, that ishowwe have adapted as species, so real revenue of ai the real revenue gains of ai will come when companies see it is not as an end itself, is not as an end in itself, but means to an end of more he means to an end of more human �* he means to an end of more human ~ ., ., , human work. and one of the big amon: human work. and one of the big - among humans - human work. and one of the big - among humans as - human work. and one of the big - among humans as job | and what means for security. and what a! means for we have seen in the us that. we haveseen in the us big ai advocate elon the big ai advocate elon musk trying to slash dobbs his trying to slash dobbs with his —— trying to slash jobs with his doge organisation. i -- trying to slash jobs with his doge organisation. weekeee emanate-an cup repeqe meanness-an cup is repeqe fiancee-an cup is half empty w www look at human today. for a look at human todayseor— .......s.......,,..u iven a look at human todachs-rr— . given to any goods millennia, given to any goods economy, largely based on a physical abilities, from w move from the farm to the factory. it has been a half—century that we moved into a economy, computers, a knowledge economy, computers, big intellectual labour big data, intellectual labour and ability starts to come to z— w-w w of work. a lot the centre of work. a lot of the centre of work. a lot of the fear that al has been, what is left for humans at work if ai is able to do of the

ai is able to do more of the intellectual �* mac? ai is able to do more of the intellectual �*mac? and intellectual labour mac? and thatis intellectual labour mac? and that is the wrong question. the question to ask is what is possible because there a possible because there is a whole that these whole other questionthatthese capabilities that social capabilities that have not been in work, that's it not been in work. that's it the . of iq and e0. crossroadsof ifi'and eq. i�*m we have not had crossroadsof ifi'and eq. i�*m buying i have not had crossroadsof ifi'and eq. i�*m buying all ve not had crossroadsof ifi'and eq. i�*m buying all vs their|ad to be, but that capabilities to be, but that said, humans are using ai are to be competitive oi’ or not. than humans'or not ... thank you for me note, thank you forjoining me here on business today, see you soon.

hello and welcome to sportsday, i'm jane dougall. and extend their lead at the top of the premier league to 11 points. and france run riot in rome,

scoring 11 tries as they put hello there. liverpool took a step closer to a second premier league in the 14th minute. but curtisjones was denied by var. first manager to do the double over pep guardiola in a very good win. a very difficult one

because we had to defend a lot, we had to suffer a lot. they had a lot of ball possession. but especially the second half, i liked the way we defended, could score without them having big chances, better, in my opinion. right to the by—line. but we played really, really good, side newcastle united, who held on to beat nottingham forest callum hudson—odoi had given forest the lead early