PRESS REVIEW – Thursday, April 10: Trump's tariffs continue to make front pages around the world and in particular in China. In Germany, a coalition between the Conservatives and the Social Democrats has been reached, five months after the collapse of Olaf Scholz's government. Meanwhile, data centres are running out of space, and might be sent to the Moon. Next, Paris Saint-Germain are celebrated after their win against Aston Villa. Finally, the UK has new postboxes, but with a technological twist.
Donald Trump's change of plan on tariffs is on all the front pages. The Guardian calls it a pause, but The Independent dubs it a U-turn. The tabloids have fun with the news. The Daily Mirror calls it "Erratic Trump’s New Gamble" and "Great War of China". The Chinese press is also covering the story. China Daily says that the government is ready to stand firm in defence of the multilateral trading system. The article says Trump's latest move is a "mistake upon a mistake". The Global Times also has a defiant tone. It highlights Chinese resilience, and adds that China will not be intimidated by US protectionism. The Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post has an interesting two-page spread focusing on the consequences of a trade war. The article describes how some Chinese exporters are abandoning their shipments mid-voyage and giving up their containers to avoid the crushing costs of tariffs.
Elsewhere, a coalition between the Conservatives and the Social Democrats has been reached in Germany, five months after the previous government collapsed. The tabloid Bild says the black and red coalition is rolling. Whereas the Rheinische Post speaks of relief in North Rhine-Westphalia. The Frankfurter Allgemeine describes incoming chancellor Friedrich Merz's coalition as brave but uncomfortable. The Tagesspiegel is more critical. The paper wonders if the coalition will be strong enough to handle the world's crises.
Data centres might soon be moving to the Moon. One US compnay is certainly hoping to do so, according to the BBC. With the increasing use of artificial intelligence, world demand for data centres is skyrocketing, but it is getting hard to find places to put them as they take up a huge amount of space and use a lot of water. The Guardian is focusing on this issue. Their investigation reveals that Amazon, Google and Microsoft are building water-thirsty data centres in some of the world's driest regions.
In sports news, Paris Saint-Germain have been celebrating after a win over Aston Villa in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals. The French sports paper L'Équipe calls it "Strikes of Genius". The mood was a tad bitter in the UK. The Mirror headlines with a sad pun: "Eiffel Sour". Meanwhile in Spain, papers were celebrating Barcelona's win over Dortmund and the festival of goals there.
Finally, the Royal Mail has unveiled the "postbox of the future". The new postboxes include a scanner, solar panels and an extra-large opening hatch for parcels.
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