10 Things Global News - 18 July 2025
News that matters from around the world
British spies and special forces exposed in Afghan data breach
Felix Baumgartner dies in paragliding accident in Italy
Slovakia lifts veto on EU’s 18th Russia sanctions package
France withdraws military from Senegal after 65-year presence
House approves $9 billion DOGE cuts
Trump orders move to unseal Epstein grand jury transcripts
Japan’s core inflation eases slightly but remains elevated
Germany’s Merz admits to free riding
Europeans warn Iran of UN sanctions if nuclear talks stall
Medvedev claims Russia is ready to launch pre-emptive strike
More than 100 British intelligence operatives, including members of MI6 and the SAS, were named in a catastrophic data breach tied to the UK’s Afghan resettlement programme, newly unsealed court documents reveal. The breach, which occurred in February 2022 but remained undiscovered until August 2023, involved a UK Special Forces official mistakenly emailing over 30,000 applications—including highly sensitive personal data—to an unauthorized recipient. The data belonged to nearly 19,000 Afghans seeking relocation due to Taliban reprisals and also included British MPs, ministers, and military officials who supported the applications.
A two-year superinjunction initially blocked reporting on the breach. On Thursday, parts of the order were lifted following a High Court hearing, prompting new revelations about the extent of compromised British personnel. Officials admitted that 4,500 Afghans have since resettled in the UK, with another 2,400 expected. Former armed forces minister James Heappey described the situation as “gut-wrenching,” while defence officials remain under pressure to explain the prolonged secrecy and ongoing security risks.
Felix Baumgartner, the Austrian extreme sports icon known for breaking the sound barrier during a 2012 freefall from the stratosphere, died Thursday in a paragliding accident in Porto Sant’Elpidio, Italy. He was 56. Local reports say he lost consciousness mid-flight and crashed into a hotel swimming pool, lightly injuring an employee. Just hours before, Baumgartner posted “Too much wind” on Instagram. The city’s mayor confirmed his death, describing him as a global symbol of courage and flight.
Baumgartner rose to international fame with his jump from 39 kilometers above Earth, reaching 834 mph and becoming the first person to break the sound barrier in freefall. The feat, part of a Red Bull-sponsored mission, set records for both altitude and speed. Beyond that historic leap, Baumgartner performed thousands of jumps, including from iconic landmarks, and later worked as a stunt pilot. He had recently stirred controversy for political views expressed publicly in Austria and Germany.
Slovakia will no longer block the European Union’s 18th sanctions package against Russia, Prime Minister Robert Fico announced Thursday. After six vetoes, Fico said further opposition would now harm Slovak interests. The shift follows written guarantees from the European Commission addressing Slovakia’s concerns about the bloc’s plan to end all Russian gas imports by 2028.
Slovakia had pushed for clarity on emergency measures in the event of supply shortages or extreme price spikes and sought EU support in potential legal disputes with Gazprom. The Commission committed to helping with litigation, implementing price controls, and reducing cross-border gas tariffs. Fico confirmed that “all negotiating options have been exhausted.”
The sanctions package, designed to target Russia’s energy revenues, financial sector, and military industry, includes a revised oil price cap set at 15% below the three-month average market price. EU ambassadors are expected to approve the measures Friday. Malta, which had also hesitated, will now back the package.
France formally handed over its last two military bases in Senegal on Thursday, ending a 65-year continuous military presence in the country. In a ceremony attended by top French and Senegalese officials, Camp Geille and the airfield at Dakar airport were returned to Senegal. Around 350 French soldiers stationed there will now depart, completing a withdrawal process that began in March.
The pullout follows President Bassirou Diomaye Faye’s 2024 election pledge to remove foreign troops by the end of 2025 while maintaining diplomatic ties with France. Unlike other Sahel nations that severed relations with Paris after military coups, Senegal has vowed continued cooperation. General Mbaye Cisse described the handover as a significant chapter in the countries’ shared history, while French General Pascal Ianni called it a shift toward “reinventing partnerships” in Africa.
France now retains just one permanent military base on the continent, located in Djibouti, as regional governments increasingly reject foreign military footprints.
The U.S. House has passed a $9 billion spending cuts package targeting foreign aid and public broadcasting, handing President Donald Trump another legislative victory under his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiative. Approved 216–213, the bill uses a rare budget maneuver to bypass the Senate filibuster and now heads to Trump’s desk.
Roughly $8 billion will be cut from foreign aid programs, including funds for refugee services, food, and development projects. Another $1.1 billion will be stripped from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, eliminating its funding for the next two years. Some lawmakers from rural states raised concerns about losing local stations that provide emergency alerts.
While two Republican senators joined Democrats in opposing the bill, most GOP members backed it, despite unease over ceding congressional spending authority. The cuts follow previous GOP moves to slash taxes and spending. The White House has indicated more rescissions packages may follow, citing taxpayer value and fiscal discipline.
President Trump has directed Attorney General Pam Bondi to request the unsealing of grand jury testimony from the Jeffrey Epstein investigation, following renewed pressure from his political base and criticism over perceived secrecy. Bondi confirmed she would file the motion in court Friday, though legal experts say the release is unlikely to be swift due to federal confidentiality rules protecting grand jury materials.
Trump, facing backlash after a Justice Department memo concluded Epstein had no “client list” and died by suicide, dismissed the case as a partisan “scam.” His move comes just hours after a news report alleged Trump had sent Epstein a suggestive birthday letter in 2003 — a claim he denied, threatening to sue the publication.
While Bondi previously pledged transparency, critics argue the administration’s limited action falls short of demands to release all investigative materials. Legal observers say any disclosures could take months and may face opposition from victims or witnesses.
Japan’s inflation rate slowed modestly in June but stayed well above the central bank’s target, maintaining pressure on Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s coalition ahead of Sunday’s upper house election. Consumer prices excluding fresh food rose 3.3% year-on-year, down from May’s two-year high of 3.7%, as government energy subsidies helped contain price growth. However, a deeper inflation gauge excluding both food and energy rose 3.4%, the fastest pace since January 2024.
The data underscore persistent price pressures, especially for food items like rice, which has doubled in price over the past year. That spike has drawn national attention and prompted the government to release emergency stockpiles. Service prices also edged higher to 1.5%, marking the sharpest increase since December.
While the Bank of Japan is expected to keep rates steady at its July 31 meeting, officials may revise their inflation outlook upward. The central bank continues to monitor U.S.-Japan tariff talks and broader economic conditions before further tightening.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz acknowledged that Europe had underinvested in its own defence, saying Europe had been “free-riders” but was now stepping up. In his first UK broadcast interview, Merz said he was aligned with U.S. President Donald Trump and spoke weekly with him to coordinate efforts on Ukraine and trade, including the looming threat of 30% U.S. tariffs on EU exports.
In London, Merz joined Prime Minister Keir Starmer to sign the Kensington Treaty — the first bilateral UK-Germany treaty since WWII — which covers defence cooperation, joint weapons development, a future London–Berlin train line, and student exchanges. Merz also proposed a “strategic axis” between the UK, Germany and France on defence and migration. Germany will amend laws to help crack down on smugglers storing boats for Channel crossings. While expressing regret over Brexit, Merz said deeper coordination was now essential given instability in Ukraine and uncertainty over America’s long-term role in NATO.
European powers have warned Iran that they will trigger the UN “snapback” mechanism to reimpose sanctions if Tehran fails to make concrete progress toward reviving the nuclear deal by the end of summer. In a joint call with Iran’s foreign minister, officials from the UK, France, Germany, and the EU urged an immediate return to diplomacy, citing the urgency of a verifiable and lasting agreement on Iran’s nuclear programme.
The warning follows Israeli and U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear sites in June, which halted talks mediated by Oman. Though both Washington and Tehran have since expressed interest in resuming negotiations, Iran has insisted it will not give up its right to enrich uranium.
Under the 2015 nuclear agreement, UN sanctions can be reinstated if a signatory claims non-compliance. With the deal’s underlying UN resolution set to expire in October, European diplomats are seeking tangible steps from Iran before the end of August.
Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev has proposed adding a fourth “D”—deparasitization—to the list of conditions Russia seeks for Ukraine, joining demilitarization, denazification, and democratization. In an interview marking the 80th anniversary of the Potsdam Conference, Medvedev compared Ukraine’s current political and social structure to the late-stage Nazi regime, citing economic decline, militarization, and suppression of dissent. He argued that Ukraine must be “deparasitized,” meaning its citizens should become self-reliant rather than dependent on foreign backing.
Medvedev also reiterated Russia’s readiness to launch preemptive strikes against Western targets if NATO escalates support for Ukraine. He described the current conflict as a full-scale war, driven by what he called the West’s historical hostility to a strong, independent Russia. Citing past failures by Western allies to enforce denazification after WWII, Medvedev warned that Russia must not repeat the mistake of assuming good faith from its adversaries.