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THE NEWS, PERIOD.
The Daily Blerb
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Tuesday, April 7, 2026
Australia's most-decorated living soldier arrested over alleged war crimes
BBC
Ben Roberts-Smith, who denies all wrongdoing, previously lost a landmark defamation case over the alleged murders.
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Vance to Visit Hungary to Boost Orban Before Election
A scheduled visit by the American vice president, JD Vance, makes clear that Russia is not the only country invested in a victory for Hungary’s leader, Viktor Orban.
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Why Hungary’s Election Could Swing on Roma Votes
Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s policies affecting the Roma minority have put those voters in play in upcoming parliamentary elections. In a tight race, they could make the difference.
— See Page 3
Trump Says Iran Proposal Isn’t Enough to Stop Attacks on Bridges and Power Plants
President Trump has told Iran it must open the Strait of Hormuz by 8 p.m. Tuesday or face the consequences, although he has delayed previous deadlines.
NYT
Ben Roberts-Smith arrested: former Australian soldier to be charged with five war crime murders in Afghanistan
Roberts-Smith previously failed in his attempt to sue three newspapers which published allegations he murdered unarmed civilians and bullied comrades Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Australia’s most decorated living soldier, Ben Roberts-Smith, has been arrested at Sydney airport in relation to alleged war crimes. The Australian federal police and the Office of the Special Investigator announced details of the investigation in Sydney on Tuesday. Continue reading...
Guardian
As the astronauts lose contact with Earth, NASA isn’t worried.
As the astronauts lose contact with Earth, NASA isn’t worried.
NYT Science
The hundreds of mementos aboard Artemis II include a flag that never made it to the moon.
The hundreds of mementos aboard Artemis II include a flag that never made it to the moon.
NYT Science
Accused Pinochet agent turned Bondi nanny Adriana Rivas to be extradited to Chile
Woman denies allegations of aggravated kidnapping during Augusto Pinochet’s 1970s military dictatorship Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast A former Sydney nanny and cleaner accused by Chile of being a torturer and kidnapper for Augusto Pinochet’s military dictatorship in the 1970s will be extradited to Chile to face court over kidnapping allegations after losing her seven-year battle to remain in Australia. Adriana Elcira Rivas, now in her 70s, is accused of participating in the disappearances of seven people in 1976 – including a woman who was five months pregnant – while working for Pinochet’s secret police force. Continue reading...
Guardian
How Trump’s Endorsement in California Could Backfire Against Republicans
President Trump endorsed Steve Hilton, a Republican, in the governor’s race, which could help Democrats avoid being shut out of the general election.
NYT
Watch: Artemis II mission loses contact with Earth for 40 minutes
Once contact was regained, astronaut Christina Koch said: "It is so great to hear from Earth again."
BBC
The first earthlings to the moon weren’t humans. They were tortoises.
The first earthlings to the moon weren’t humans. They were tortoises.
NYT Science
Ukraine war briefing: Zelenskyy reiterates truce offer ahead of Orthodox Easter
Ukrainian president says Russia unlikely to accept – ‘for them, nothing is sacred’; Australian police arrest army reservist for joining war. What we know on day 1,504 Ukraine’s president has renewed his offer to Russia of a mutual ceasefire on strikes against energy infrastructure. “If Russia is ready to stop strikes on our energy infrastructure, we will respond in kind,” he said. “This proposal has been conveyed to the Russian side through the Americans.” Volodymyr Zelenskyy offered last week to observe a ceasefire for Easter, which Orthodox adherents mark on Sunday (13 April) in Russia and Ukraine. In his remarks on Monday, after an overnight attack on the Black Sea port of Odesa killed three people and injured at least 16, Zelenskyy said Russia appeared unwilling to agree to the ceasefire. “We have repeatedly proposed to Russia a ceasefire at least for Easter,” he said. “But for them, all times are the same. Nothing is sacred.” Ukrainian drones attacked the Caspian Pipeline Consortium’s oil shipping terminal in southern Russia early on Monday, damaging a mooring point and setting four oil tanks on fire, the Russian defence ministry claimed. The Ukrainian army said it had attacked a different terminal in the port of Novorossiysk – without mentioning the CPC, which did not immediately comment. The CPC pipeline handles about 1% of the world’s oil supplies, as well as about 80% of Kazakhstan’s oil exports. A reservist in the Australian army has been charged after allegedly working as a drone operator for Ukraine. The 25-year-old man from Felixstow, in the South Australian city of Adelaide, was charged by the Australian Federal Police with working for a foreign military without authorisation, the AAP news agency reported. It is the first time someone has been charged with the offence, with the man facing up to two decades in jail if found guilty. Australian laws limit the work defence personnel can perform with a foreign military, government or company without authorisation. The man allegedly travelled to Ukraine in May 2025 and returned to Australia in January 2026. A Russian ship carrying wheat believed to have sunk in the Sea of Azov after a drone attack has been found and towed to shore, Russia’s state news agency Tass said on Monday. The death toll has risen to three, it added. Crew abandoned the ship last Friday and made it to shore on Monday, according to Russian reports. Russia jailed on Monday a former governor of the Kursk border region, where Ukraine’s army broke through in 2024, for 14 years over alleged kickbacks for government contracts related to the construction of fortifications. Since August 2024, the Kremlin has gone after top regional and military officials for failing to stop the incursion – a massive embarrassment for Vladimir Putin. Alexei Smirnov, the former Kursk governor, was “sentenced to 14 years in prison and a fine of 400 million rubles [£3.8m/US$5m]”, a court statement said. Another former Kursk governor, Roman Starov
Guardian
Olympic cyclist Rohan Dennis says he never wanted to hurt wife Melissa Hoskins and attacks media’s ‘false narrative’
Dennis, whose car fatally struck Hoskins in 2023, wrote on Instagram ‘I have ALWAYS been against any sort of abuse against women’ Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast The Olympic cyclist Rohan Dennis has lashed out at journalists on social media, saying they created a “false narrative” about him after his wife’s 2023 death. “The narrative which the media ran with was clear,” the former professional cyclist wrote on Instagram late on Monday night. “They wanted me to look like the husband who abused his wife.” Continue reading...
Guardian
The crew will see a solar eclipse while on the far side of the moon.
The crew will see a solar eclipse while on the far side of the moon.
NYT Science
Children to get free flu vaccine via nasal spray in NSW, with minister spruiking ‘needle-free alternative’
NSW follows Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia in offering free treatments for kids four and under, saving up to $70 Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Hundreds of thousands of children will be able to access a painless, needle-free flu vaccination for free as governments attempt to curb falling vaccine rates. New South Wales has become the latest state to offer a nasal spray flu vaccine to children for free, following Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia. Continue reading...
Guardian
✦ ADDITIONAL COVERAGE ✦
Hegseth Likens Easter Rescue of U.S. Airman to Resurrection of Jesus Christ
President Trump also asserted that God supports the American war against Iran “because God is good, and God wants to see people taken care of.”
NYT
Trump Threatens Jail if Journalists Protect Certain Iran Sources
The president indicated he would ask an unnamed media outlet to reveal the sources behind its coverage of Iran’s successful strike on a U.S. fighter jet, and of its crew.
NYT
Call for parents to teach online privacy like road safety
Three in four parents fear their child cannot make safe choices about personal data online, the data watchdog finds.
BBC
Clock ticks on Trump's Iran ultimatum with little sign of breakthrough
The US president is in a delicate political position as the final hours to Tuesday's deadline for Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz tick down.
BBC
Disruption expected as six-day doctors' strike begins
The NHS is advising patients in England to only use emergency services when necessary but attend any confirmed appointments.
BBC
The Dark Side of the Moon Is Really the Far Side
Scientists prefer to call the backside of the moon its “far” side.
NYT Science
The League of Legends KeSPA cup will air globally on Disney+
Disney has inked a deal with the Korea Esports Association that will bring several gaming tournaments to the its streaming platform. Disney+ will be the global live streaming home for Esports Champions Asia Jinju 2026, the 2026 League of Legends KeSPA CUP and some preliminary events ahead of the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026. This agreement expands KeSPA's arrangement with Disney, which only streamed its esports events to viewers in Asia last year. Esports Champions Asia is the first event on the calendar, occurring April 24-26 with professional teams from across the continent squaring up in tournaments for games including Street Fighter 6, The King of Fighters XV, TEKKEN 8 and the eFootball series. Disney+ will also be an official streamer for the PUBG Mobile and Eternal Return competitions during that weekend. It could be helpful for western esports fans to have a single location for watching the major events happening in Asia. However, many tournaments are currently free to watch on Twitch or YouTube, so now needing a Disney+ subscription to catch some of these international competitions might feel onerous. Esports might run the risk of turning into the fragmented set of rights deals that plagues traditional sports leagues, where a game could be on one of a half dozen different paid services each night. It's also likely going to mean co-streamers take a hit to their viewership, since Disney seems unlikely to offer the same sort of broadcast access that has made the practice popular on Twitch. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/the-league-of-legends-kespa-cup-will-air-globally-on-disney-224455083.html?src=rss
Engadget
After court loss, RFK Jr. gives himself more power over CDC vaccine panel
The charter renewal gives Kennedy broad authority to pick anyone for the panel.
Ars Technica
From folding boxes to fixing vacuums, GEN-1 robotics model hits 99% reliability
New model can respond to disruptions and figure out moves it wasn't trained for.
Ars Technica
Sports bets on prediction markets ruled to be "swaps," exempt from state laws
Court rules US preempts states from applying gambling laws to prediction markets.
Ars Technica
Trump threatens to take out Iran in 'one night' if no deal before deadline
The US president wants Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global energy route, before his Tuesday deadline.
BBC
How to Follow NASA’s Artemis II Around the Far Side of the Moon
The astronauts will head into a communications blackout at 6:44 p.m. Eastern time as they become the first people to travel around the moon since 1972.
NYT Science
A Redistricting War in Florida, Georgia’s Runoff and the Latest Politics News
As deadlines approach in the next two weeks, neither is going quite according to the partisan plan.
NYT
The Artemis II crew breaks a distance record.
Three Americans and one Canadian traveling on NASA’s Orion spacecraft surpassed a milestone set by the crew of Apollo 13 in 1970.
NYT Science
Trump's next budget once again calls for massive cuts to science
Congress rejected huge cuts to science in 2026, but Trump is trying again.
Ars Technica
6 Takeaways From Trump’s News Conference on Iran
President Trump described the risky mission to rescue an Air Force colonel whose fighter jet had been shot down, but he offered no clear path out of the war.
NYT
Schools in knife crime hotspots to get specialist training
A new partnership will provide training for school leaders about knife-crime risk, the government says.
BBC
Artemis II Astronauts Name Moon Crater After Carroll, Reid Wiseman’s Late Wife
The crew shared an emotional moment with mission control and the family of Reid Wiseman, whose wife, Carroll, died in 2020, on the ground in Houston.
NYT