Iran warns of "big surprise" for US after Trump's "stupid, nervous" ultimatum — 4 April 2026 (LINK)
Iran: US crew member from downed F-15 jet 'safe and sound' after rescue: he "sustained injuries, but he will be just fine," President Trump says: the rescue operation involved "dozens of aircraft" — 5 April 2026 (LINK)
Trump confirms that rescued wounded F-15E WSO evaded Iranian forces for over a day (LINK)
Trump warns Iran it has 48 hours left to open Hormuz (by Monday): threatened that the Islamic Republic would face "all hell" — 4 April 2026 (LINK)
— Average price of gas in the US climbs to $4.10
Floods, landslides triggered by heavy rain in Afghanistan leave 77 dead in 10 days, authorities say — (LINK) ground.news: 63 media reports — 4 April 2026 (LINK)
5.8 magnitude earthquake hits Afghanistan and Pakistan, killing 8 on outskirts of Kabul — 3 April 2026 (LINK)
At least 15 killed in Russian attacks on Ukraine as Zelenskyy meets Erdogan: at least one person is killed in a Ukrainian attack on southern Russia's Rostov region — 4 April 2026 (LINK)
Artemis II flight Day 3: crew prepares for first correction burn, readies to receive lunar observation assignment — 3 April 2026 (LINK)
Artemis astronauts pass half-way point on way to Moon — 3 April 2026 (LINK)
— AFP: The milestone was hit around two days, five hours and 24 minutes after liftoff, according to the NASA official broadcast. The US space agency's online dashboard shows that the Orion spacecraft carrying the astronauts is now more than 219,000 kilometres (136,080 miles) from Earth.
World food price rise set to continue if Iran war lasts, FAO says: Food Price Index rose 2.4% in March, reaching its highest level since September last year — (LINK) ground.news: 63 media reports — 3 April 2026 (LINK)
— Vegetable oil prices increased 5.1% in March, marking a third consecutive monthly rise, while sugar prices jumped 7.2% to their highest level since October 2025.
White House seeks massive increase in defence spending to $1.5 trillion, more than 40% compared to last year, and looks to slash housing, social services and health care — 3 April 2026 (LINK)
— CNN: Of the $445 billion that the administration wants to add to the defense budget, the White House is proposing that $350 billion of it be passed as part of forthcoming legislation that Republicans are planning to pass using a maneuver that requires only a majority vote in the Senate — and therefore would not need Democratic support.
— The budget proposal, by contrast, seeks to slash nondefence spending by 10% — a $73 billion cut that would primarily affect housing, social services, health care and other domestic programs that the administration has derided as "woke" — a word that is mentioned 34 times in the 92-page document. Trump's budget proposes cutting the Environmental Protection Agency's funding in half, eliminating a wide array of environmental programmes.