While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, April 22, 2025
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A photo of Pope Francis is displayed in the St John's Archcathedral in Warsaw's Old Town on April 21.
PHOTO: AFP
Pope Francis died of stroke and heart failure, Vatican says
Pope Francis died of a stroke, the Vatican announced hours after the death on April 21 of the 88-year-old reformer, who inspired devotion but riled traditionalists during his 12 years leading the Catholic Church.
The Argentine pontiff died at his Santa Marta residence in the Vatican almost a month after leaving hospital following a five-week stay battling double pneumonia.
One day after he greeted Easter crowds in St Peter’s Square, mourners gathered in the plaza, many in tears, to mark his passing.
“He’s actually returned to the Lord – and Godspeed,” Italian Cesarina Cireddu told AFP.
‘Total chaos’: Hegseth’s unsettled Pentagon starts turning against him
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth had allegedly shared confidential information with a group that included his wife and brother.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
Mr Pete Hegseth wanted to make waves at the Pentagon. But less than 90 days since being sworn in as US defence secretary, he appears put off balance by the very turbulence he himself created.
A ex-Fox News host, Mr Hegseth on April 21 accused his former trusted advisors of turning against him following revelations that he texted sensitive US military strike plans from his personal phone to his wife, brother, attorney and others.
The White House saw a conspiracy against Mr Hegseth stretching far beyond the small cadre of his once loyal aides, who were fired after accusations they leaked sensitive information, to include the Department of Defence itself. Mr John Ullyot, who was ousted from his job as a Pentagon spokesperson after two months, said Mr Hegseth’s Defence Department was in “total chaos.”
US imposes new duties on solar imports from South-east Asia
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
The US set new duties on solar imports from four South-east Asian nations that together provide the country with the bulk of its panels.
The decision is the culmination of a yearlong trade probe that found solar manufacturers in South-east Asia are unfairly benefiting from government subsidies and are selling their exports to the US at rates lower than the cost of production. The investigation was sought by domestic solar manufacturers and initiated under former president Joe Biden.
While the duties on solar cells and panels completed in Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam are a clear win for manufacturers based in the US, they threaten to raise development costs for a renewable power sector already facing policy and economic headwinds. US President Donald Trump is attempting to boost fossil fuels and has moved to slash support for green projects.
Trump warns US economy could slow if Powell doesn’t cut rates
PHOTO: AFP
President Donald Trump warned that the US economy may slow if the Federal Reserve does not move to immediately reduce interest rates, in his latest broadside against Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell.
Mr Trump asserted in a social media post on April 21 that “there can be almost no inflation” because of falling energy and grocery prices.
“But there can be a SLOWING of the economy unless Mr Too Late, a major loser, lowers interest rates, NOW,” Mr Trump said, referring to Mr Powell.
US stocks suffer steep losses following Trump’s anti-Powell tirade
PHOTO: REUTERS
US stocks suffered steep losses on April 21 as US President Donald Trump ramped up his attacks on Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, prompting investors to worry about the central bank’s independence even as they grapple with the effects of Mr Trump’s ongoing, erratic trade war.
All three major indexes tumbled more than 2 per cent, with big losses in the “Magnificent Seven” group of megacap growth stocks weighing heaviest on the tech-laden Nasdaq.
The S&P 500 closed 16 per cent below its Feb 19 record closing high. If the bellwether index closes 20 per cent below that all-time high, that will confirm the index has entered a bear market.
