While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, April 24, 2025
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People queuing to pay their last respects as Pope Francis lies in state in St Peter's Basilica, at the Vatican, on April 23.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Tens of thousands bid farewell to Pope Francis as he lies in state
Tens of thousands of mourners queued to say their last goodbyes to Pope Francis at St Peter’s Basilica on April 23, as the body of the late Argentine pontiff began three days of lying in state.
By the afternoon, the wait to enter the church was more than four hours, as the long line of pilgrims and tourists wishing to pass by the pontiff’s open coffin circled the vast St Peter’s Square.
“We wanted to say thank you to one of the most humble popes,” said Portuguese medical student Francisca Antunes, 21, after leaving the basilica with a friend.
“It felt really good to be in there,” she told AFP.
Trump lashes out at Zelensky for not accepting Crimea loss
AFP
US President Donald Trump lashed out at Volodymyr Zelensky on April 23, blaming the Ukrainian president’s refusal to accept Russian occupation of Crimea for failure to end the war.
Mr Trump said in a Truth Social post that a deal was “very close” but that Mr Zelensky’s refusal to accept US terms for ending the conflict – which began with Russia’s invasion – “will do nothing but prolong the ‘killing field’.”
Ahead of Mr Trump’s broadside, Vice-President J.D. Vance laid out the US vision for a peace deal where Russia would get to keep already occupied swathes of Ukraine, which include Crimea. Mr Zelensky rejected this as a violation of Ukraine’s constitution.
US, China tariffs both need to fall for trade talks to start
REUTERS
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on April 23 that he believes that excessively high tariffs between the US and China will have to come down before trade negotiations can proceed, but said President Donald Trump would not unilaterally cut tariffs on Chinese imports.
Mr Bessent told reporters on the sidelines of International Monetary Fund and World Bank annual meetings that de-escalation was necessary for the world’s two largest economies to rebalance their trading relationship.
Asked whether that meant a reduction in the 145 per cent US tariffs on Chinese goods and China’s 125 per cent tariffs on US goods, Mr Bessent said: “I think that has to be, because again, neither side believes that these are sustainable levels. As I said yesterday, this is the equivalent of an embargo and a break between the two countries in trade does not suit anyone’s interest.”
Germany monitoring Russia’s use of ‘disposable’ agents
EPA-EFE
Germany said on April 23 it was monitoring changing Russian sabotage tactics, after media reports linked a plan to plant explosive devices on cargo planes to low-level operatives hired by Moscow.
European intelligence services believed that Russia was behind the plot, which saw parcels explode at two DHL depots in July 2024, the Sueddeutsche Zeitung daily and public broadcasters WDR and NDR reported.
Several people implicated in the operation were believed to be “disposable” agents with no official position in the Russian intelligence services, according to the report.
Arsenal held to leave Liverpool on brink of title
REUTERS
Arsenal kept Liverpool’s Premier League title-winning champagne on ice but only just as they were twice pegged back to draw 2-2 at home by Crystal Palace on April 23.
First-half goals by Jakub Kiwior and Leandro Trossard looked like being enough for a lacklustre Arsenal against a lively Palace side who equalised with an Eberechi Eze volley.
But there was a late twist as Palace substitute Jean-Philippe Mateta produced a superb chipped finish over Arsenal keeper David Raya in the 83rd minute.
