Headlines: 6-12 April 2026

Thursday, 9 April 2026

Iran accuses Israel of 'grave violation' as Lebanon attacks threaten ceasefire; Iran suggests it mined Strait of Hormuz — 9 April 2026 (LINK)

— President Donald Trump said that all U.S. ships, aircraft and military personnel will remain in place around Iran until a real agreement is reached and "fully complied with." Vice President JD Vance, set to lead a U.S. team in peace talks Friday in Pakistan, said Lebanon was a "legitimate misunderstanding" and Iran would be "dumb" to let talks collapse over it. Over 1,700 people have been killed in Lebanon, and 23 have died in Israel.

Kremlin threat to Baltic countries over Ukrainian drone transit — 9 April 2026 (LINK)

— Russian drones damaged a power substation in Ukraine's southern Odesa region on Wednesday, Ukrainian officials said. Officials also reported injuries from drone attacks in Sloviansk, near the frontline in eastern Donetsk region, and in Kherson region in the south and Sumy region on the border with Russia.

— Ukrainian drones blew up an oil terminal at Feodosia in Russian-occupied Crimea, Ukraine's drone commander announced on Wednesday. Robert "Magyar" Brovdi also listed attacks on a Buk-M3 missile system and Zoopark counter-artillery radar in the Zaporizhzhia region, and a Tor missile system in the Donetsk region, in the Zzaporizhia region.

— Ukraine's anti-monopoly committee has sent back an application for a $760m purchase of a stake in Ukraine's top drone and missile maker Fire Point by a UAE-based defence conglomerate, the agency told Reuters on Wednesday.

— France is to increase its explosive drone stocks by up to 400% by 2030, draft legislation showed on Wednesday. The French government is also moving to double penalties for ships that fail to fly a flag or refuse to comply, in a measure apparently aimed at Russia's "shadow fleet".

Russian warship escorts 2 sanctioned tankers through Channel directly challenging Britain's new seizure policy: Royal Navy ship shadowed the convoy but did not intervene — 9 April 2026 (LINK)

— Russia's shadow fleet, estimated at 700 to 1,000 aging tankers, carries a large share of its oil exports while using deceptive practices to evade sanctions.

Ukrainian drones increase Russian losses by 29% in March, Syrskyi says — 9 April 2026 (LINK)

Wednesday, 8 April 2026

Iran includes 'acceptance of enrichment' in Farsi version of its ceasefire plan, something missing from English versions — (LINK) ground.news: 39 media reports — 8 April 2026 (LINK)

Artemis II astronauts now under Earth's gravity again after leaving moon's sphere of influence — 8 April 2026 (LINK)

Six major Swiss banks begin pilot project for franc-backed stablecoin — 8 April 2026 (LINK)

US: Accused Gilgo Beach serial killer admits to strangling 8 women — 8 April 2026 (LINK)

Matthew Perry ketamine supplier known as the "Ketamine Queen" sentenced to 15 years in prison — 8 April 2026 (LINK)

Morgan Stanley debuts Bitcoin ETF as price slump rattles holders: the first Wall Street bank to launch its own Bitcoin-tracking exchange-traded fund — 8 April 2026 (LINK)

Marcel Duchamp at MoMA, review: a mega-retrospective: this show is a great one: last major Duchamp retrospective held in the US in 1973: on view until August 22 — 8 April 2026 (LINK)

Brit says he is not elusive Bitcoin creator named by New York Times — 8 April 2026 (LINK)

Gen Z (14-25) now the most frequent US moviegoers, study finds — 8 April 2026 (LINK)

Tuesday, 7 April 2026

Foreign Policy: U.S. and Iran agree to 2-week cease-fire — 7 April 2026 (LINK)

— The announcement came less than two hours before Trump’s deadline was set to expire. Though Iran has agreed to the truce, the warring parties offered conflicting accounts on the terms. Israel is also reportedly part of the cease-fire agreement and will halt bombing targets in Iran as negotiations take place over the next 14 days, although Israel has yet to officially confirm that.

Israel still carrying out strikes in Iran, military spokesperson tells CNN — (LINK)

Iran, Oman to charge for Strait of Hormuz passage — (LINK)

Portugal says U.S. uses Azores base on condition no civilian infrastructure targeted — (LINK) ground.news: 8 media reports — 7 April 2026 (LINK)

— Portugal authorized 76 landings and 25 overflights by United States aircraft at Lajes Air Base in the Azores, contingent on the condition that missions do not target civilian infrastructure during the Iran conflict.

Pope Leo calls Trump's threat against Iran 'truly unacceptable' — (LINK) ground.news: 103 media reports — 7 April 2026 (LINK)

Vatican aid convoy to southern Lebanese town, with the United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon escorting the three-truck delivery, forced back by bombardment — (LINK) ground.news: 8 media reports — 7 April 2026 (LINK)

Preliminary UN probe blames Israel and likely Hezbollah for deaths of three Indonesian peacekeepers in Lebanon last month — (LINK) ground.news: 12 media reports — 7 April 2026 (LINK)

Airlines cut flights and hike fares as fuel prices surge — 7 April 2026 (LINK)

— Fuel typically makes up 20-40% of operating costs. Last week, the benchmark European jet fuel price hit an all-time high of $1,838 per tonne, compared with $831 before the war began.

Artemis II Flight Day 7: first return correction burn complete — 7 April 2026 (LINK)

— NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, along with Koch and Hansen, are scheduled to test an orthostatic intolerance garment. During the test, the crew will evaluate the garments — specialized equipment designed to help astronauts maintain blood pressure and circulation during the transition back to Earth's gravity.

NASA to host media call with Artemis II crew on way home from moon at 9:45 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, April 8: scoverage will stream on NASA's YouTube channel — (LINK)

Artemis II's astronauts are on their way home—a six-figure salary (about $152,000 — on par with mid-career desk jobs and skilled trades career) but no overtime or hazard pay awaits them back on Earth — (LINK)

— They receive a small daily stipend — about $5 — for incidentals. Like other federal employees traveling for work, the astronauts' transportation, lodging, and meals are provided. NASA's class of 2025, announced last September, selected just 10 candidates from more than 8,000 applicants — an acceptance rate of roughly 0.125%, dwarfing even the most selective universities like Harvard or Stanford.

Indigenous Groups march in Brasilia: about 7,000 Indigenous people from 200 groups joined the 22nd annual encampment to oppose land-rights violations and resource projects — (LINK) ground.news: 33 media reports — 7 April 2026 (LINK)

— Research by MapBiomas found Indigenous territories lost just 1% of native vegetation over three decades, compared with 20% on private land, demonstrating their effectiveness in curbing Amazon deforestation.

CIA used secret 'Ghost Murmur' tool to find airman in Iran — (LINK) ground.news: 23 media reports — 7 April 2026 (LINK)

— Ghost Murmur successfully pinpointed the airman's location despite his survival beacon failing, enabling a rescue operation with no American casualties. "Never-before-used secret tool".

Over 80 migrants are missing from a boat that capsized with about 120 people departing from Tajoura, Libya, IMO says — (LINK) ground.news: 19 media reports — 7 April 2026 (LINK)

— The IOM said Tuesday that at least 990 deaths have been recorded so far this year, marking the deadliest start since 2014. In the Central Mediterranean alone, 765 deaths represent a 150% increase over the same period last year.

Detained aid worker Joseph Figueira Martin, who had been held in the Central African Republic for nearly two years, was freed Tuesday, his family told The Associated Press. — 7 April 2026 (LINK)

— Martin, a dual Belgian-Portuguese citizen and consultant for the American aid organization FHI 360, was arrested in May 2024, according to the Central African Republic prosecutor's office, over allegations of spying, being in communication with armed groups to plot a coup, and jeopardizing national security.

Trump-backed Republican Clay Fuller wins election to replace Marjorie Taylor Greene — 7 April 2026 (LINK)

Fox News: Trump warns Iran he may strike 'every power plant' as deadline to reopen Hormuz nears — 7 April 2026 (LINK)

— Vice President JD Vance has been in talks with Iran through Pakistan throughout the weekend. An Iranian official on Tuesday called on youths in the country to form human chains around power plants ahead of potential strikes. Iran has previously formed human-chain demonstrations, also known as human shields, around its nuclear sites during times of escalated tensions with Western nations.

US has struck Iranian military targets on Kharg Island — 7 April 2026 (LINK)

Australia's most decorated soldier charged with war crimes relating to the killing of unarmed civilians while on deployment in Afghanistan — 7 April 2026 (LINK)

Figures show ICE arrested more than 800 people after tips from US airport security agency — 7 April 2026 (LINK)

Microsoft stock is down 30% from its peak — 7 April 2026 (LINK)

First lady Melania Trump lauds the first conviction under the Take It Down Act against nonconsensual sexually explicit deepfakes, thanking federal prosecutors for "protecting Americans from cybercrimes in this new digital age" — 7 April 2026 (LINK)

Monday, 6 April 2026

Iran says IRGC intelligence chief Majid Khademi killed in US-Israeli strike — (LINK) ground.news: 27 media reports — 6 April 2026 (LINK)

NASA's Artemis II crew eclipses record for farthest human spaceflight previously set by the Apollo 13 mission in 1970: 400,00km — 6 April 2026 (LINK)

— At its farthest point, crew inside the Orion spacecraft will have traveled about 252,756 miles (406,752 km), before looping back.

Trump tells Artemis II crew he saved Nasa despite trying to slash agency's budget — 6 April 2026 (LINK)

Experiments refute dark matter claim — 6 April 2026 (LINK)