Newspaper headlines from around the world - Friday, 18 July 2025
If you wish to stay up-to-date – for FREE – on the latest international and South African news, then bookmark The South African website for all that plus the latest in the world of finance, sport, lifestyle – and more.
Did we mention it was 100% free to read …?
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
TimesLIVE
16 minutes ago
- TimesLIVE
Trump accuses Obama of treason in escalating attacks over 2016 Russia probe
A 2020 bipartisan report by the Senate intelligence committee found Russia used Republican political operative Paul Manafort, the WikiLeaks website and others to try to influence the 2016 election to help Trump's campaign. 'Nothing in the document issued last week [by Gabbard] undercuts the widely accepted conclusion that Russia worked to influence the 2016 presidential election but did not successfully manipulate any votes,' Obama spokesperson Patrick Rodenbush said. Trump, who has a history of promoting false conspiracy theories, has frequently denounced the assessments as a 'hoax'. In recent days, Trump reposted on his Truth Social account a fake video showing Obama being arrested in handcuffs in the Oval Office. Trump has been seeking to divert attention to other issues after coming under pressure from his conservative base to release more information about Jeffrey Epstein, who died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. Backers of conspiracy theories about Epstein have urged Trump, who socialised with the disgraced financier during the 1990s and early 2000s, to release investigative files related to the case. Trump, asked in the Oval Office about Epstein, quickly pivoted into an attack on Obama and Clinton. 'The witch hunt you should be talking about is they caught president Obama absolutely cold,' Trump said. He suggested action would be taken against Obama and his former officials, calling the Russia investigation a treasonous act and the former president guilty of 'trying to lead a coup'. 'It's time to start, after what they did to me, and whether it's right or wrong, it's time to go after people. Obama has been caught directly,' he said. Democratic Representative Jim Himes responded on X: 'This is a lie. And if he's confused, the president should ask @SecRubio, who helped lead the bipartisan Senate investigation that unanimously concluded there was no evidence of politicisation in the intelligence community's behaviour around the 2016 election.' Former Republican Senator Marco Rubio is now Trump's secretary of state. Since returning to office, Trump has castigated his political opponents whom he claims weaponised the federal government against him and his allies for the January 6 2021 attack on the US Capitol by his supporters and his handling of classified materials after he left office in 2021. Obama has long been a target of Trump. In 2011 he accused then-president Obama of not being born in the US, prompting Obama to release a copy of his birth certificate. In recent months, Trump has rarely held back in his rhetorical broadsides against his two Democratic predecessors in a way all but unprecedented in modern times. He launched an investigation after accusing former president Joe Biden and his staff, without evidence, of a 'conspiracy' to use an autopen, an automated device that replicates a person's signature, to sign sensitive documents on the president's behalf. Biden has rejected the claim as false and 'ridiculous'. Gabbard's charge that Obama conspired to subvert Trump's 2016 election by manufacturing intelligence on Russia's interference is contradicted by a CIA review ordered by director John Ratcliffe and published on July 2, a 2018 bipartisan Senate report and declassified documents Gabbard released last week. The documents show Gabbard conflated two separate US intelligence findings in alleging that Obama and his national security aides changed an assessment that Russia probably was not trying to influence the election through cyber means. One finding was that Russia was not trying to hack US election infrastructure to change vote counts and the second was that Moscow probably was using cyber means to influence the US political environment through information and propaganda operations, including by stealing and leaking data from Democratic Party servers. The January 2017 US intelligence assessment ordered by Obama built on that second finding: that Russian President Vladimir Putin authorised influence operations to sway the 2016 vote to Trump. The review ordered by Ratcliffe found flaws in the production of that assessment, but it did not contest its conclusion and upheld 'the quality and credibility' of a highly classified CIA report on which the assessment's authors relied.
The Citizen
16 minutes ago
- The Citizen
Big move in US Bill's bid to sanction ANC officials
The Bill was introduced by Republican representative Ronny Jackson, who took to social media on Tuesday to celebrate the milestone. US President Donald Trump meets with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on 21 May 2025. Picture: AFP A Bill to review the bilateral relationship between the United States (US) and South Africa, and to impose sanctions on government and ANC officials, has made significant progress. The US-South Africa Bilateral Relations Review Act of 2025 (H.R.2633) was introduced in April and this week moved through US Congress' foreign affairs committee with minor amendments. This paves the way for the Bill to be debated and voted upon. It was introduced by Republican representative Ronny Jackson, who took to social media on Tuesday to celebrate the milestone. 'Today, my Bill to fully review America's relationship with South Africa and give President Trump the tools necessary to hold their corrupt government accountable passed through committee. The days of allowing our so-called 'allies' to walk all over us are over!' Afriforum welcomes the move In reaction, head of public relations at AfriForum, Ernst van Zyl, said the ANC's 'years of reckless and extremist diplomatic actions and rhetoric are now bearing bitter fruit'. 'AfriForum maintains that ordinary citizens of the country should not be punished for the extremism and corruption of politicians. 'AfriForum has never advocated for sanctions that target South Africa as a whole. Therefore, the introduction of targeted sanctions against these politicians will be a welcome development,' Van Zyl added. This is a developing story
IOL News
an hour ago
- IOL News
Economist cautions against interest rate hikes amid economic uncertainty
South African Reserve Bank (SARB) governor Lesetja Kganyago has strongly advocated for the country to lower its inflation target from 4.5% to 3%. Image: Thobile Mathonsi / Independent Newspapers South African Reserve Bank (SARB) governor Lesetja Kganyago has strongly advocated for the country to lower its inflation target from 4.5% to 3%. Experts argue that a lower inflation target would improve price stability, reduce borrowing costs and enhance investor confidence in the long term. However, many feel it would entail some short term 'pain' for the sake of long-term gain. Yet tightening monetary policy could be a dangerous move in the current economic climate, warns Frederick Mitchell, chief economist at Aluma Capital. The US says it intends to impose a 30% tariff on South African goods, with threats of a further 10% tariff targeting BRICS countries. This could plunge many industries into crisis. Industries that rely on exports, such as vehicles, citrus and mineral commodities, are particularly vulnerable. These sectors are already under stress and additional tariffs could hinder economic growth and exacerbate the country's already high unemployment rate of over 30%. Within this context, the SARB faces a constrained path, Mitchell said. 'Conventional wisdom suggests that raising interest rates can curb inflation, yet in the current environment, where inflation remains subdued but economic growth is threatened, tightening monetary policy may exact an economic toll without addressing the underlying trade issues,' Mitchell explained. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ As SARB Governor Lesetja Kganyago has noted, inflation is expected to remain within the target range, but global trade war uncertainties loom large. Higher tariffs and potential retaliatory measures could put a damper on South Africa's economic recovery. 'Increasing interest rates in such a fragile environment risks stifling growth further, especially as global economic slowdown cues stemming from China's potential slowdown and trade tensions compound the problem,' he added. 'Given that South Africa's economy is highly reliant on exports and sensitive to external shocks, the restrictive monetary stance could deepen recessionary pressures without equipping the economy to withstand the imminent trade disruptions.' Although the government's fiscal space remains limited, an over-reliance on monetary policy to counteract trade barriers would neither be prudent nor effective. Mitchell believes the focus should remain on defending economic stability through fiscal prudence and resistance to over-tightening monetary policy in relation to inflation. Furthermore, policymakers should prioritise diplomatic engagement and trade negotiations. 'While efforts to curb inflation are vital, the scope for interest rate hikes in response to global trade tensions and tariffs is limited. Such measures risk further slowing economic growth, increasing unemployment, and undermining investor confidence,' Mitchell said. 'A prudent approach would involve safeguarding industry competitiveness and fostering diplomatic solutions, recognising that the health of South Africa's economy hinges on resilient trade relations and sound fiscal management rather than aggressive rate hikes amid uncertain international conditions.' Get your news on the go, click here to join the Cape Argus News WhatsApp channel. Cape Argus
