It’s another wet and windy start in the capital, with grey skies hanging over the city and suits marching off to work. I’m sure most are looking ahead to the long weekend. But until then, there’s still a lot happening across the country and around the world that you need to know!

The headlines are packed with various domestic and international stories, with no one story really dominating that much – although we expect that’ll change later today when the US stock markets open.

For now, the Birmingham bin strikes, a potential UK-US deal and a splash of budget talks and celebrity gossip lead the headlines.

The sports headlines look at how agonisingly close Aston Villa came to overturning their second-leg goal deficit. Other headlines look ahead to tonight’s Real Madrid vs Arsenal second leg – the North London club go into the clash ahead thanks to a 3-0 win in the first leg.

It’s a wet and windy morning here in the capital, but lots is happening in the news – grab yourself a coffee and let’s dive into the headlines.


The ongoing Birmingham bin strike is a popular story in the country this morning as unions overwhelmingly rejected a deal to end the strike. Several newspapers suggest the strike could spread outside the city – and there are reports on the growing concerns over a potential health crisis as residents report streets being overrun by large rats and trash.


There is backlash from China amid the British Steel crisis – after the government dramatically took over control of the Scunthorpe plant over the weekend – as Beijing warns the UK to avoid politicising the situation. There are concerns from the top that the Chinese owners are intentionally trying to sabotage the UK steel industry to force the country to become more reliant on cheap Chinese steel.


On the international front, there are reports on the all-female Blue Origin team that took a trip to space. Katy Perry and Gayle King were amongst the crew.


The business publications continue their heavy coverage of the US tariffs saga amid an investigation into the semiconductor and pharmaceutical trade – which could lead to their tariff exemptions ending. In recent news, JD Vance has said there is a good chance the UK will secure a trade deal with the US.


In sports news, Newcastle manager Eddie Howe is in hospital with pneumonia, he is set to miss more matches. Several publications look ahead to tonight’s Champions League match involving the English club Aston Villa. The Birmingham club need to overturn a 2 goal deficit.

A week after Donald Trump unleashed his destructive and ill-thought-out tariffs on the world, US politics has stopped dominating the front splashes in the UK. 

Monday’s headlines lead with domestic news such as the race to save British steel, the Army being sent in to deal with the Birmingham bin strikes and reports on the Manchester bomber plotter attacking three prison guards with boiling oil and a homemade knife. 

Liverpool and Newcastle’s weekend Premier League wins dominate the sports pages.

Friday’s UK headlines cover a variety of domestic and international stories. There is, of course, continued coverage of the fallout from the Trump tariff debacle amid claims of market manipulation and calls for an investigation into potential insider trading.

Royal news continues to be highlighted on the front pages – in print and online – with Prince Harry making a surprise visit to Ukraine and Prince William talking football after Villa’s 3-1 loss. Charles and Camilla are pictured on several tabloids after marking their 20th wedding anniversary with a state visit to Italy, where the pair exercised their soft power in a bid to rebuild relations with the rest of Europe. 

The UK is set for another sunny day with temperatures reaching over 23C in some parts – and in Scotland, there are warnings of potential wildfires. 

Thursday’s UK headlines, like much of the rest of the world, are, of course, dominated by the latest from the escalating trade war between the United States and the rest of the world. Trump announced a 90-day pause on the highest tariffs, dropping them all down to 10% except for China, which was hit with 125% levies. The stock markets have bounced back since the announcement, but the ball is very much back in China’s court, and all eyes are on Beijing to see how it responds. Everything that is coming out of China at the moment suggests they won’t back down and believe they can ride this out. 

A little closer to home, there are a handful of royal headlines, including King Charles’s state visit to Italy, which is being viewed as Britain exercising the royal family’s soft powers to help reset Britain’s relationship with the rest of Europe, nine years on from the Brexit mess. Charles and Camilla met with politicians and the Pope during their visit.

Wednesday’s headlines continue to be dominated by Donald Trump’s widespread tariffs amid an escalation between the world’s two biggest economies: the United States and China. Trump’s retaliatory tariffs against China’s retaliatory tariffs sees the US tariffs on Chinese goods now at a rate of 104%. China has said it won’t back down and will continue to fight ‘until the end’ – the battle between the two has raised fears of a global recession.

Elsewhere, Prince Harry is back in Britain to attend a two-day hearing over the decision to cut back his security following his move to the United States. The royal has argued that the country isn’t safe enough for him to bring his wife and children and that his security team in the US does not have access to the level of information needed to ensure his family is safe. Harry has said the UK is always his home and is central to his children’s heritage.

A Universal Studio theme park is set to be built in the UK which could bring an extra £50 billion to the economy, creating 28,000 jobs. The resort would be the first in Europe under the brand behind blockbusters such as Wicked, Harry Potter, Shrek and The Minions movie franchise – and joins six others around the world.

Last night’s football action dominates many UK headlines as English club Arsenal battered Real Madrid 3-0 in the first leg of the quarter finals. England’s Lionesses suffered a 3-2 loss to Belgium in the Women’s Nations League after winning the reverse fixture 5-0 at home only a few days earlier.