This week’s UK news is dominated by the death of Pope Francis, who died on Easter Monday at the age of 88. The Pope had suffered with poor health in the last few months and died of a stroke and heart failure. As tributes are paid, many are reminiscing about the 88 year old pontiffs dedication to the people, with may dubbing him the People’s Pope.

Liverpool are one step closer to winning the Premier League title thanks to Trent Alexander Arnold’s goal against Leicester City – who now find themselves joining Southampton in being relegated. Burnley and Leeds have secured promotion to the Premier League.

There is ongoing coverage of the US stock markets and the decline in the US dollar following another turbulent few weeks under Donald Trump.

As of 22 April 2025, U.S. stock markets remain volatile following the April 2nd crash, which wiped over $3 trillion in value after President Trump’s sweeping tariffs—up to 125% on Chinese imports—sparked global trade tensions. 

The trade war with China continues to escalate, with the U.S. imposing steep port fees on Chinese-built vessels and restricting AI chip exports, prompting retaliatory tariffs from Beijing. China has also warned it will retaliate against countries that negotiate trade deals with the US “at the expense of China’s interests”, fuelling global tensions as the world’s two economic superpowers face off over tariffs.

These developments have contributed US dollar weakening with the Dollar Index hitting a three-year low amid investor concerns over Federal Reserve independence and economic outlook.

The death of Pope Francis leads almost all the UK newspaper front pages this morning with heavy coverage in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland – the Welsh reserve much of their coverage for online. The papers dub Pope Francis the People’s Pope in this mornings headlines and describe him as ‘groundbreaking,’ ‘modern’ and someone ‘championing the poor.’ 

Tuesday’s headlines are a sombre affair with most global coverage – online and in print – paying tribute to Pope Francis, who died on Easter Monday morning after suffering with poor health in recent months including double pneumonia. It has since been confirmed that Pope Francis died from a stroke and heart failure. 

Despite the sadness of the pope’s death – which is being felt around the world. There is a sense of celebration as well, with many reports emerging of the pope’s kindness – including calling Gaza’s only church everyday since the Israeli ground invasion, his role in bringing Muslims and Christian’s together across Africa and shunning much of the privileges that come with being the pope. He attempted to make the Catholic Church more inclusive and less judgemental.

Online, many headlines are discussing funeral plans, noting his refusal for any of the pomp and ceremony associated with a pope’s death, and there is speculation over who might be in line to become the next pope.

The White House has expressed support for Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth amid reports that he shared sensitive military details in a second Signal messaging chat with family members, following a prior incident where information was shared with senior Trump administration officials.

The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah has mandated that all individuals wishing to perform Hajj this year must acquire a permit through the Nusuk platform, which works with the unified Tasreeh system for issuing official permits.