The canonisation of Carlo Acutis, the first millennial candidate for sainthood, has been postponed following the death of Pope Francis, with no rescheduled date announced.

Pope Francis declared the death penalty inadmissible in all circumstances, urging for its abolition and advocating for improved prison conditions to honour human dignity.

The IMF has significantly downgraded the UK’s growth forecast for this year to just 1.1%, citing the adverse impacts of the global trade war and rising inflation.

A recent meeting in Paris involved Marco Rubio, Steve Witkoff, and senior European officials, where they discussed the non-negotiable aspects of a potential Ukraine peace deal.

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.