Latest news for 2 April 2026

UNITED STATES

A day of firsts.

Donald Trump has become the first US president to attend an oral hearing at the US Supreme Court (on his administration’s bid to end birthright citizenship), while NASA’s big Artemis II moon mission we explored took off without a hitch. (WaPo)

COOK ISLANDS

Security pact.

The Cook Islands has signed a security pact with its bigger free-association partner, New Zealand, a year after rattling the Kiwis via a surprise strategic partnership with China. (Guardian)

Comment: Ever since China surprised the West with its Solomon Islands pact in 2022, the resulting competition has put more leverage in the hands of Pacific Island nations — in this instance, the Cooks (pop. ~15,000) seem to keep their China deal and revive their NZ financial support, in return for clearer security ties and pledges.

CHINA

Robotaxi fail.

A massive robotaxi outage in the city of Wuhan has caused at least 100 driverless cabs to stop mid-street, seemingly causing at least one highway collision. (BBC)

UNITED KINGDOM

Strait talkin’.

Prime Minister Starmer will today (Thursday) host a virtual summit with 35 world leaders to discuss Hormuz and the related energy crisis. (France 24)

Comment: The guestlist features last month’s signatories (mostly US allies and partners across Europe and Asia) pledging readiness to help secure safe passage through Hormuz. That suggests today’s summit might be aimed at an audience of one (Trump) after weeks of him pushing partners to get more involved.

INDIA

Start counting!

Delhi has launched history’s biggest population census, in an effort that’ll cost over $1B, require three million census officials, and take over a year. (Al Jazeera)

ARGENTINA

Poverty down.

Argentina’s poverty rate has fallen to its lowest level since 2018. (BA Times)

Comment: While President Milei is unorthodox, his economic ideas are not — the drama came more from his blunt pledge to apply them amid such unorthodox conditions, but he’s now got recent records in poverty, growth, and inflation as vindication. His challenge is now a) all the disruption has tanked his approval ratings, and b) the global energy crisis now risks tapping the brakes on his inflation progress.

ISRAEL

Another buffer.

Defence Minister Katz has confirmed Israel will seek to establish a 30km buffer in southern Lebanon (~10% of the country) to fend off Hezbollah. Israeli authorities are also encouraging local Christian and Druze community leaders in the area to oust Shiites (Hezbollah’s traditional base) in exchange for safety. (NYT $)