Here’s What Happened Around The World In April 2025
Here’s what happened around the world in April 2025.
Here’s what happened around the world in April 2025.
1. Pope Francis died and requested the final people to bid him farewell are migrants, trans people, prisoners and the homeless
Pope Francis died, age 88, on Easter Monday on April 21, at his residence in the Vatican’s Casa Santa Marta after a prolonged illness, and his funeral was held on Saturday, April 26.
At the end of the ceremony, a group of about 40 of the most vulerable people in society, gathered on the steps of the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome to be the last people to bid farewell to the pope, the Vatican News reported.
During his 12-year papacy, Francis consistently called for an “open church, a welcoming church, able to become close to each person and to heal the wounds of those who suffer,” reaching out to marginalized groups, including including women in influential meetings of bishops and traveling to often-forgotten countries to push for peace and improve relations.
He openly welcomed and included LGBTQ people in the Catholic church and encouraged the creation of spaces where marginalized people could find hope and community.
2. Trump met Netanyahu again and said that the Gaza Strip is an "incredible piece of real estate”
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with US President Donald Trump on Feb. 4, when Trump laid out his vision for the Gaza Strip, saying the US will “take over” and “own” Gaza and turn it into “the Riviera of the Middle East.”
Trump said Gaza would turn into a “freedom zone,” which he described as a no-conflict zone where people “aren’t going to be killed.”
He said that Gaza is an “incredible piece of real estate,” and that he did not understand why Israel gave it up, referring to Israel's withdrawal from Gaza in 2005.
Netanyahu said that he and Trump had discussed some countries that would take in Palestinians from Gaza without saying which countries, adding that they are hoping for good news with Trump’s plan soon.
3. Russian president Vladimir Putin declared a surprise one-day truce in its war on Ukraine for Easter but reportedly broke it
Russian president Vladimir Putin has declared a surprise one-day truce in its war on Ukraine for Easter.
"However, our troops should be ready to repel possible ceasefire violations and provocations by the enemy, any aggressive actions," he added.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy later wrote on X that Ukraine's top commander had said that Russian attacks and Russian artillery fire were still continuing despite the truce, pointing out that Russia had rejected a proposal by the US for a 30-day ceasefire, which Ukraine had accepted.
Zelenskyy then called on Russia to extend the ceasefire beyond Easter day on April 20.
"That is what will reveal Russia’s true intentions — because 30 hours is enough to make headlines, but not for genuine confidence-building measures. Thirty days could give peace a chance," he wrote.
4. China said it will fight Trump "to the end" as the two countries keep imposing more tariffs on each other
China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on April 8 that Beijing will "fight to the end" if the US is persists in disregarding “the common interests of both countries and the international community" with its tariffs.
The Foreign Ministry also accused Trump of using “pressure, threats and blackmail” and said China will take all "necessary countermeasures to firmly safeguard its legitimate and lawful rights and interests."
5. Italy's far-right prime minister rolled her eyes after Trump refused to stop increasing tariffs on the EU
On April 17, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni met US president Donald Trump at the White House to represent the European Union and seek a fair tariff agreement to avoid a trade war.
At the end of the meeting, a reporter asked Trump if Meloni had convinced him to change his mind about imposing tariffs, but Trump said he wouldn’t stop tariff as it is making the US rich.
Meloni was then caught on camera rolling her eyes as Trump delivered a lengthy monologue about tariffs and trade with the EU and other countries.
No immediate breakthroughs on tariffs were achieved from the two’s talks, though Meloni invited Trump to visit Rome, potentially to facilitate dialogue with other European leaders.
6. Palestine’s Red Crescent shared footage revealing Israel deliberately killed 15 medics in Gaza but Israel said it was an “operational misunderstanding”
Israeli forces had claimed they attacked vehicles “advancing suspiciously” without headlights or emergency signals.
However, a video obtained from the phone of medic Refaat Radwan, who was killed at the scene, showed the vehicles were visibly marked as ambulances with clear emergency headlights and the medics were wearing reflective gear.
Radwan kept filming until his last breath, saying, “Forgive me, mom, this is the path I chose: To help people.”
7. Syria’s president named a new and diverse transitional government including minorities and a woman
Syria’s new president Ahmed al-Sharaa has appointed a new and diverse transitional government made of 23 ministers to run the country over the next five years.
The cabinet, which was announced on Saturday, March 29, included members from all of the country’s main minority communities — the Kurds, Druze, Christians and Alawites — as well as a woman.
The government will not have a prime minister, as Sharaa is expected to lead the executive branch based on the temporary constitution he had signed on March 13.
“Together as a people and a government we will build a strong country,” he said, to “work through our hardships and create a Syria we deserve.”
8. France banned its main far-right leader from running for election after she was found guilty of corruption
56-year-old Le Pen, who is a member of the far-right National party, National Rally (RN) party, and the dominant far-right figure in France for over a decade, has run for the French presidency three times, losing twice to Emmanuel Macron.
A French court found her guilty of embezzling EU funds, accusing her of using more than 4 million euros (US$4.3 million) to pay her party’s staff and banned from running for office for five years on Monday, March 31.
The court also sentenced her to a four-year prison sentence, with two years under house arrest and two years suspended.
Le Pen will also have to pay a fine of €100,000 (about US$108,000), while the RN party will have to pay another €2 million, half the amount embezzled.
9. New Zealand lawmakers broke out into a Māori song after a bill rolling back Indigenous rights was rejected
The controversial Treaty Principles Bill proposed reinterpreting the Treaty of Waitangi, New Zealand’s foundational document, signed in 1840 between the British Crown and more than 500 Māori leaders, that promised Indigenous Māori people rights over their land and culture in return for British governance.
ACT New Zealand party, a junior partner in the country's center-right coalition government, had proposed the bill in November 2024, arguing that these rights should extend to all New Zealanders.
Although the bill passed its first reading, it was rejected on Thursday, April 10, by 112 to 11 votes,with lawmakers from the ACT Party being the only ones to support it at the second reading, according to the BBC.
To celebrate the bill’s rejection, the parliament broke out into "Tūtira Mai Ngā Iwi", a folk Māori song, also known as waiata.
The song is a song of unity in the country and is often sung by New Zealanders when they stand together and support each other.
10. Israel is now seizing more lands in Gaza, vowing to slice up the strip until Hamas releases the hostages
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday, April 2, that Israel is “switching gears in Gaza,” and “seizing territory, striking the terrorists and destroying the infrastructure,” warning that pressure on Hamas will intensify until hostages are released.
Netanyahu said that Israeli forces are creating a new security corridor, “the Morag Corridor” in southern Gaza, calling it as the "second Philadelphi Corridor".
“We are now dividing the Strip and increasing the pressure step by step, so that they will give us our hostages,” Netanyahu said.
11. South Korea’s president was officially impeached for declaring martial law by the top court
South Korean lawmakers voted to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol after he attempted to impose martial law on Dec. 3, 2024, to eliminate what he called “anti-state forces”.
Yoon’s presidential powers were suspended after lawmakers voted to impeach him, and prime minister Han Duck Soo became the acting president.
After months of reviewing Yoon’s impeachment, on Friday, April 4, the constitutional court removed him from office for “grave betrayal of people’s trust” by declaring martial law and throwing the country into chaos.
12. After bombing the country despite the earthquake, Myanmar’s military finally declared a ceasefire
The earthquake in Myanmar, which struck on March 28, was the biggest in more than 100 years and killed more than 3,000 people, injured nearly 4,500 and left 370 missing.
However, in the aftermath, the military government — also known as a junta — conducted at least 21 airstrikes in civilian areas held by rebels, with some strikes launched just hours after the earthquake hit, according to Irrawaddy News, an independent news outlet.
On Sunday, March 30, the National Unity Government (NUG), a shadow government made up of the ousted lawmakers and activists, announced that all anti-junta militias under its command are pausing all fighting, except self-defense, in earthquake affected areas for two weeks to assist with humanitarian relief efforts.
Faced with widespread criticism,the junta finally declared a temporary truce on Wednesday, April 2, set to last until April 22.
13. French lawmakers held up posters of children killed in Gaza in parliament to protest France's complicity
On Tuesday, April 8, far-left lawmaker Aymeric Caron from La France Insoumise (LFI) party gave a speech during parliament condemning the French politicians’ complicity in supporting Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s “fascist” government.
Just a day earlier on April 7, France allowed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plane to pass over its airspace as he flew from Hungary to the US, despite him facing an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes and crimes against humanity against Palestinians in Gaza.
“If there are so many accomplices here, it's because the lives of Palestinian children matter less to you than the lives of other children in the world. To you, they are just approximations, but to us, they are our children,” Caron said.
14.This Turkish TV anchor was interrupted by an earthquake during a live interview but kept going
A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck near Istanbul on Wednesday, April 23, being one of the strongest tremors to hit the city in recent years.
A video of CNN Türk presenter Meltem Bozbeyoğlu feeling the earthquake during a live broadcast, as since gone viral, showing her trying to maintain her calm while the studio rocked.
She then apologized to the viewers if she scared them, saying “I was frightened, I apologize if I made you panic.”
15. The Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda agreed to start working on a peace deal
This came after Rwanda-backed rebels seized a strategic city in the DRC in January, leading to a conflict that has killed more than 7,000 people, displaced hundreds of thousands of others and raised fears of a regional war breaking out.
But on Wednesday, April 23, the DRC and M23 said in a surprise announcement that after a round of negotiations in Qatar, they had agreed to pause fighting and work towards a broader peace deal.
Two days later, on Friday, April 25, DRC and Rwanda signed a separate agreement to respect each other's sovereignty and come up with a draft peace deal by May 2.
The DRC and Rwanda have agreed to at least six truces that later collapsed since 2021, according to Al Jazeera.
16. The UK ruled that the legal definition of "woman" refers to only “biological" women and does not include trans women
On Wednesday, April 16, the UK's Supreme Court ruled unanimously that the terms "woman" and "sex" in the Equality Act refer to "a biological woman" and biological sex."
The court said that trans people — including both trans women and trans men — would not be disadvantaged by its decision as they are still protected from discrimination under the Equality Act.
The ruling has been condemned by LGBTQ activists and rights groups, who say it threatens the legal rights and protections for trans people, who are already marginalized and attacked in society.
17. Namibia’s first woman president has made all public universities free for students starting from 2026
On April 24, Namibia’s first woman president Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah announced in her first speech to parliament that starting in 2026, students will no longer have to pay tuition or registration fees at public universities and technical colleges.
The move comes as more people in Namibia, including civil society groups and student unions, have been pushing for free education to fight economic inequality.
18 In a rare move, K-pop idol Bain from boy band JUST B publicly came out as gay during a concert
While performing solo on April 22 during JUST B’s final concert for its “JUST ODD” world tour, 24-year-old Bain, whose full name is Song Byeon-hee, took to the stage, saying to the crowd, “Tonight I want to share something with you guys. I’m fucking proud to be a part of the LGBTQ+ community as a gay person.”
This stands in stark contrast to the reality in conservative South Korea, where same-sex marriage still remains illegal and there is a lack of LGBTQ representation in the K-pop industry.
Bain said he didn’t come out to make an impact on the K-pop industry and had simply wanted to share his true self and be authentic with his fans.
19. Ukraine said it has captured two Chinese citizens fighting for Russia in Ukraine and there may be more
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the two Chinese fighters were found in possession of identification documents, bank cards and other personal data and are now in the custody of the Security Service of Ukraine.
Zelenskyy said that Ukraine has information that there are many more Chinese citizens in the occupier’s units than just these two.
China, which is an ally of Russia, has rejected the allegations that its citizens have been fighting with Russian forces in Ukraine, saying they are “absolutely groundless.”
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