Newshour

Pope Francis has died early this morning at the age of 88. He was the first Latin American Pope. The Vatican said his life had been dedicated to the service of the Lord. Francis's body will tonight be placed in a coffin, which could be moved to St Peter's Basilica as early as Wednesday. The funeral will take place within a week. We hear tributes and reactions from those who knew him.

(Photo: Pope Francis waves to people during his weekly general audience in St Peter's Square, Vatican City, 20 November 2024 (reissued 21 April 2025) Credit: Photo by Fabio Frustaci/ EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

The deputy commander of the unit involved has been dismissed "for providing an incomplete and inaccurate report during the debrief". Fifteen emergency workers were killed in Gaza on the 23 March.

Also on the programme: a rare interview with a former senior colonel in the Chinese army; and we hear about the plight of women under the new regime in Syria.

(Picture: Screenshot from a video published by the Palestinian Red Crescent showing the last moments during the incident in which fifteen aid workers were killed by Israeli fire in the southern Gaza Strip)

Ukraine and Russia have accused each other of breaching an Easter Sunday truce announced by Moscow. We hear about the latest from Kyiv.

Also on the programme: a rare interview with a former senior colonel in the Chinese army; and as busking is banned in Leicester Square in London, we'll hear from a professional musician who began her career playing on the streets.

(Photo: A view shows a building hit by Russian military strikes in the frontline town of Kostiantynivka, in Donetsk region, Ukraine April 19, 2025. Credit: Iryna Rybakova/REUTERS)

Iran's Foreign Minister calls the second round of talks with the US 'a step forward' and agrees to further negotiations about its nuclear programme next Saturday in Oman. We spoke to Fred Fleitz, former chief of staff of the US National Security Council during President Trump's first term.

Also in the programme: President Putin declares a truce for Easter, but Ukraine says fighting is continuing; and vegemite wins the day in Canada.

(Photo: A copy of an Iranian magazine titled 'Iran and US Alongside History' reporting about Iran and US nuclear talks, in a kiosk in Tehran, Iran, 19 April. Credit: ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

A second round of indirect negotiations between Iran and the US on Tehran's nuclear programme is taking place in Rome. Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, is at the talks with the White House envoy, Steve Witkoff.

Also, we follow a day in the life of a doctor in Gaza as she tries to help patients and look after her own children who have been displaced nine times with her.

And a rights group in the United States says it's received by the US Supreme Court's decision to pause the deportation of dozens of Venezuelan migrants.

(Photo: Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Antonio Tajani (R) welcomes Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi (L) in Rome, Italy, 19 April 2025. Credit: EPA)

Donald Trump has said his administration will abandon efforts to broker a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine unless there are rapid signs of progress. Echoing comments made earlier by the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, Mr Trump said he was prepared to walk away. The White House says Mr Rubio presented a peace proposal yesterday to a Ukrainian delegation in Paris and to Russian officials by telephone.

Also in the programme: More than eighty people have been killed in the deadliest attack yet by the US on the Houthi movement in Yemen; and deep sea scientists have had a very rare encounter with a colossal squid.

(Photo: President Donald Trump. Credit: Reuters)

The US will abandon trying to broker a Russia-Ukraine peace deal within days unless there are clear signs a truce can be reached, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has warned.

Also on the programme: the Houthis in Yemen say almost 60 people have been killed in a US attack on a fuel depot; and the archive being built of the sonic riches at world heritage sites.

(Photo: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio poses for photos upon his arrival at the Quai d'Orsay, France's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, before a bilateral meeting with his French counterpart in Paris. Credit: Reuters)

President Trump has attacked the head of the US central bank Jerome Powell for refusing to cut interest rates, saying he should be terminated from his position. We speak to economists for and against sacking the president's latest critic.

Also on the programme: The French President Emmanuel Macron has spoken positively about a day of talks on Ukraine in Paris, involving both US and European representatives; and the astronomers searching for life on a distant planet might have found an indication.

(Photo: A trader works, as a screen broadcasts a live interview with US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) April 16, 2025. Credit: Reuters/Brendan McDermid)

Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and top diplomat Marco Rubio hold talks with European counterparts in Paris. Will Washington take a tougher line with Moscow?

Also on the programme: Palestinian officials in Gaza say Israeli airstrikes overnight hit camps for displaced people, killing dozens; and scientists have found new but tentative evidence that a faraway world orbiting another star may be home to life.

(Photo: France's President Emmanuel Macron (L) shakes hands with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (R) next to US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff before a meeting at the Elysee presidential palace in Paris. Credit: EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

Just weeks into a vicious trade war between the world's two largest economies, Beijing admits it's feeling the pressure; we look at China’s strategy moving forward.

Also in the programme: we report from newly uncovered secret prisons in Bangladesh; and nature as you've never heard it before – Stewart Copeland of The Police collaborates with 'the David Attenborough of sound'.

(IMAGE: Chinese President Xi Jinping visits Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur on what has been termed an 'economic charm offensive tour' in the context of the trade war with the US - 16 Apr 2025 / CREDIT: Fazry Ismail/POOL/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)