Day: 8 April 2025
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has confirmed “progress” in contract negotiations, with his current deal expiring at the end of the season.
What’s leading The Herald today?
What’s leading the Daily Mirror today?
Tuesday’s newspapers are, unsurprisingly, focused on the market chaos caused by last week’s US tariffs. Several headlines look at the growing trade war between the two largest economies in the world as China retaliated with their own tariffs on the US – which led to Donald Trump telling them to back down from their tariffs or face a further 50% tariff on Wednesday. China has said it won’t back down.
The UK government is under scrutiny for not implementing Graduated Driving Licences (GDLs), despite evidence from Canada showing an 83% reduction in deaths among young drivers after their introduction.
King Charles and Camilla have touched down in Italy, starting a four-day state visit aimed at improving Britain’s relationship with its European allies. The trip also coincides with the couple’s 20th wedding anniversary – with new images of the pair released to mark the occasion.
In other royal news, the King’s youngest son, Prince Harry, has touched down in Britain today as he prepares for a two-day court case where he will challenge the decision over his – and his family’s – security when they are in Britain. Harry says he can’t bring his wife or children to the UK due to the row over security and says the threat to him and his family remains high.
Several of the UK newspapers reported on the story of a British woman who gave birth to a baby girl after a womb transplant. Grace Davidson, 36, was born without a functioning uterus and received her sister’s womb in 2023. It marks the UK’s first successful womb transplant.
Season three of Channel 4’s The Piano features a new judge, Jon Batiste, replacing Lang Lang, who is currently on tour; both Mika and Winkleman express excitement about the change in energy.
Trading has just restarted in Europe and all the main stock markets are showing a slight rebound from the previous falls.
Tuesday’s headlines continue to be dominated by the ongoing chaos caused by Donald Trump’s tariffs, especially since the US president announced that if China doesn’t retract its retaliatory tariffs, the US will impose a further 50% tariff on China – on top of the initial tariff slapped on the country. China has hinted that if Trump goes ahead with more tariffs on China, it will respond with even more tariffs, and it won’t back down.
Much of the coverage looks at the global stock markets and their reaction. Almost $6 trillion has been wiped off the markets since the tariffs were announced last week. On Monday, the FTSE, Wall Street and the Asia-Pacific suffered heavy losses, with the S&P 500 set to enter a bear market after a 20% fall since December. The chaos has economists predicting a global recession.
The UK stock markets are predicted to open about 2% higher today after a more positive performance from Asian markets. European and UK shares are expected to see a rebound when trading starts at 08:00 BST this morning.
Elsewhere, a British woman gave birth to a healthy baby girl after having a womb transplant – a first for UK medicine that could benefit thousands of others.
The King and Queen have arrived in Italy for a state visit where they will meet with the Italian president and prime minister, and Charles will deliver a speech to both houses of Italy’s parliament. Prince Harry is also back in the headlines as the royal returns to Britain for a two-day court case regarding his security.
The Manchester derby ended in a disappointing 0-0 draw, highlighting both teams’ struggles, with City failing to create significant chances and United managing only one shot on target.
Donald Trump announced that the US is engaged in direct talks with Iran regarding its nuclear programme, stating that Iran would face “great danger” if negotiations fail.
Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq were responsible for 90% of recorded executions in 2024, with Iran leading at 972 executions, a significant increase from the previous year.
China has responded to President Trump’s threat of a 50% tariff on its imports by stating it will “fight to the end” and take countermeasures to protect its interests. The Commerce Ministry condemned the U.S. actions as “completely groundless” and labelled them as unilateral bullying.
Germany’s leadership in Europe has weakened following Angela Merkel’s retirement, leaving Olaf Scholz’s government operating as a caretaker amid crises, including economic pressures and geopolitical tensions.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 has achieved significant commercial success, selling over 2 million copies in its first two weeks and receiving acclaim for its historical accuracy and immersive gameplay.
China has warned of potential “countermeasures” in response to Donald Trump’s proposed 50% tariff on Chinese imports, describing US actions as unilateral bullying and illegitimate.
A quick view of the top 10 biggest FTSE 100 share price losses in April 2025. Between April 1 and April 7, 2025, the FTSE 100 index experienced massive declines, influenced by global market reactions to newly announced U.S. tariffs.
Thibaut Courtois acknowledged Real Madrid’s preparations to counter Arsenal’s set-piece capabilities ahead of their Champions League quarterfinal clash.
Prince Harry’s is back in court to appeal the level of police security he receives in the UK in the Court of Appeal, after a High Court ruling dismissed his challenge.
Pre-orders for the Nintendo Switch 2 are already selling out, indicating potential scarcity during the Christmas season, despite Nintendo’s efforts to combat scalping.
Colossal Biosciences claims to have successfully “de-extincted” the dire wolf by creating three pups, genetically modified from grey wolves, using a complete dire wolf genome reconstructed from ancient DNA.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) has successfully enhanced their performance by effectively utilising their Indian players, with notable improvements from Devdutt Padikkal and Jitesh Sharma this season.