Newspaper headlines from around the world - Friday, 20 June 2025

A bundle of newspapers on the table. Image: The South African/CANVA
Here are the stories that made headlines on the front pages of newspapers worldwide on Friday, 20 June 2025. The New York Times front page reported that Iranians struck an Israeli hospital as the US sought to buy time. The Wall Street Journal front page reported that Iran's allied militias have chosen to lie low amid the Israel conflict. The Jerusalem Post's front page reported that Soroka Hospital suffered heavy damage from an Iranian missile. China Daily's front page reported that Xi said a ceasefire is a priority for restoring peace. The Daily Mail's front page reported that Jenrick said, 'I will vote no to assisted dying for my nana's sake.' The Guardian front page reported that the US has dropped charges against an LA protester accused of assaulting officers, calling it a huge relief.
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Crude sinks as Trump delays decision on Iran strike

A fire blazes in the oil depots of Shahran, northwest of Tehran, on June 15 after further attacks from Israel. Speculation had been swirling that Trump would throw his lot in with Israel, but on Thursday he said he would decide "within the next two weeks" whether to involve the United States, giving diplomacy a shot to end the hostilities. Image: Atta Kenare / AFP Oil prices tumbled Friday and equity traders fought to end a volatile week on a positive note after Donald Trump said he would consider over the next two weeks whether to join Israel's attacks on Iran. Speculation had been swirling that Trump would throw his lot in with Israel, but on Thursday he said he would decide "within the next two weeks" whether to involve the United States, giving diplomacy a shot to end the hostilities. While tensions are sky high amid fears of an escalation, the US president's remarks suggested the crisis could be prevented from spiralling into all-out war between the Middle East foes. Since Israel first hit Iran last Friday, the two have exchanged deadly strikes and apocalyptic warnings, though observers said the conflict has not seen a critical escalation. European foreign ministers were due to meet their Iranian counterpart on Friday in Geneva. In a statement read out by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, the president said: "Based on the fact that there's a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks." 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 Next Stay Close ✕ Ad Loading Leavitt added: "If there's a chance for diplomacy the president's always going to grab it, but he's not afraid to use strength as well." Both main oil contracts were down around two percent Friday but uncertainty prevailed and traders remained nervous. "Crude still calls the shots, and volatility's the devil in the room -- and every trader on the street knows we're two headlines away from chaos," said Stephen Innes at SPI Asset Management. "Make no mistake: we're trading a geopolitical powder keg with a lit fuse. "President Trump's two-week 'thinking window' on whether to join Israel's war against Iran is no cooling-off period -- it's a ticking volatility clock." Stocks were mixed following a public holiday in New York, with Hong Kong, Taipei, Mumbai and Bangkok all up with London, Paris and Frankfurt. Seoul's Kospi led the gains, rising more than one percent to break 3,000 points for the first time in nearly three and a half years. The index has risen every day except one since the June 4 election of a new president, which ended months of political crisis and fuelled hopes for an economic rebound. Tokyo fell as Japanese core inflation accelerated, stoked by a doubling in the cost of rice, a hot topic issue that poses a threat to Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba ahead of elections next month. There were also losses in Shanghai, Sydney, Singapore, Manila and Jakarta. The Middle East crisis continues to absorb most of the news but Trump's trade war remains a major obstacle for investors as the end of a 90-day pause on his April 2 tariff blitz approaches with few governments reaching deals to avert them being imposed. "While the worst of the tariffs have been paused, we suspect it won't be until those deadlines approach that new agreements may be finalised," said David Sekera, chief US market strategist at Morningstar.

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Skills for a changing world: embracing the youth for meaningful economic participation

Amid a rapidly transforming global economy, one truth remains constant: South Africa's greatest asset is its young people. This Youth Month, as we reflect on the courage of the 1976 generation, we must also confront the urgent task before us — ensuring today's youth are equipped with the skills they need not only to participate in the economy, but to lead and shape it. We are not short of talent or ambition. Young people are brimming with ideas, energy and vision. What they lack are pathways. The skills crisis we face is not just about education — it's about access, equity and relevance. The exclusion of black South Africans from meaningful skills training under apartheid has left deep scars. Designed to limit, not uplift, apartheid's education and labour policies robbed generations of the opportunity to thrive. Today's high youth unemployment — over 45% — is not just an economic failure; it is the legacy of a deliberate historical injustice. Yet we cannot only look to the past. Our failure to reform outdated models of education and training is also perpetuating the crisis. Too many of our systems are still preparing young people for jobs that no longer exist. I agree with Deputy President Paul Mashatile's statement during his Youth Day address that, 'South Africa must address the structural challenges in its economy to tackle inequality and the growing mismatch between education and labour market demands'. He went on to say: 'There is urgent need to future-proof our young people with adaptable skills and the necessary capabilities to navigate the evolving labour market and contribute meaningfully to the growth of our economy and industries in an era of rapid technological and social transformation.' Being conscious of what has contributed to the issues young people face, we must now concentrate on paths rather than pit stops. As stated explicitly by Mashatile, , 'This is more than just a financial issue. It is a moral emergency. It affects our whole society and demands urgent action from all sectors, including government, business and communities at large.' Let us commit to a South Africa where a girl in a rural village has the same opportunity to code, create and lead as anyone else. Let us build systems that don't just prepare youth for work but prepare them to reshape the future of work No-one should be left behind; we must ensure that every young South African leaves school with a tangible next step: into a job, a business, a skill or further education. To prepare for the South African economy of the future, we must: Modernise education, especially Stem and TVET; Expand digital and green infrastructure in townships and rural areas; Reform public procurement to favour youth- and women-owned businesses; Support fintech solutions for youth credit access; and Embed entrepreneurial education and financial literacy from an early age. The 21st century economy demands a new vision that includes digitisation, climate change, artificial intelligence and the rise of the green economy, which is reshaping work. We must therefore prioritise: Digital skills — from coding to cybersecurity and data analytics; ensure authenticity in AI and data analytics, we must centre human behaviour, acknowledging its influence on data, algorithms and decisions. This means designing systems that are not only intelligent but also ethical, transparent, and accountable to the people they serve; Green skills — including sustainable agriculture, renewable energy and climate resilience; Entrepreneurial and co-operative skills — empowering youth to create rather than wait for opportunities; Critical thinking and civic engagement — enabling youth to understand and transform their environments; and Land Skills — including agribusiness management, mechanisation, drone technology, commercial and enterprise development, industrial and economic skills. These skills should further include export market and trade skills. Skills development must not just serve the labour market; it must serve society. Young people must be equipped not only to find work, but to build a more just, sustainable and inclusive economy. This is where the Human Resource Development Council (HRDC) comes into the picture. The HRDC aims to reduce the scourge of poverty, inequality and unemployment through creating platforms for social partners to deliberate on the country's skills and human capital development. Our economic transformation must be people-centred. Skills must foster critical consciousness, not just compliance. As education theorist Paulo Freire argues, we must move from 'banking education' to empowering pedagogy — helping youth understand their world and act to change it. Young people must take up opportunities that are available to them to build a better future. Government has made available initiatives like: the Youth Employment Service; NYDA grants; Sefa loans; the Presidential Employment Stimulus, which provide valuable stepping stones; and a South African National Service Institute (Sansi), which create a range of nationwide interventions and programmes with sustainable and clearly defined opportunities in sectors such as agriculture, artificial intelligence, coding and robotics, energy and related value chains, among many others. The Youth of 1976 have paved the path and we do not start from scratch. Let us commit to a South Africa where a girl in a rural village has the same opportunity to code, create and lead as anyone else. Let us build systems that don't just prepare youth for work but prepare them to reshape the future of work. The future imagined and fought for by the generation of 1976 is the one of dignity, equity and shared prosperity. In the words of the Mashatile, young people deserve nothing less than a future in which their skills, creativity and determination may thrive in a world that is constantly changing. • Gadija Brown, special economic adviser to the deputy president