Australian War Memorial amends Ben Roberts-Smith display after former soldier charged with war crimes

Text on plaque in Hall of Valour updated to include references to war crime – murder charges and the ongoing legal process

The Australian War Memorial has updated the display dedicated to Ben Roberts-Smith after the former Special Air Service (SAS) corporal was officially charged with five counts of the war crime of murder.

The changes, implemented on Friday, mean nearly half of the descriptive plaque in the museum’s Hall of Valour is now dedicated to events occurring after his military service, beginning with the initial reports of misconduct in 2016.

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‘Good for Russia, good for China, bad for America’: How the Iran war is reshaping global economies and power – Fortune

  1. ‘Good for Russia, good for China, bad for America’: How the Iran war is reshaping global economies and power  Fortune
  2. America’s war on Iran has changed the Middle East—for the worse  The Economist
  3. Opinion | The Iran ceasefire pushes the Gulf toward what it fears most  The Washington Post
  4. The war on Iran: Nobody won, everyone paid  Al Jazeera
  5. Has US achieved its war objectives in Iran?  BBC
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Pakistan’s defense minister calls Israel ‘cancerous’ ahead of US-Iran talks in Islamabad – The Times of Israel

  1. Pakistan’s defense minister calls Israel ‘cancerous’ ahead of US-Iran talks in Islamabad  The Times of Israel
  2. Pakistani defense minister blasts Israel over genocide in Lebanon  PressTV
  3. Asif calls Israel ‘evil’, retracts after Netanyahu’s ‘outrageous’ retort  Tribune India
  4. Pakistan calls Israel as ‘Evil, Cancerous State’ ahead of U.S.-Iran ceasefire talks in Islamabad  MSN
  5. Pakistan’s defense minister describes Israel as a “curse for humanity”  EDNEWS
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Immigration board denies Mahmoud Khalil’s appeal – NPR

  1. Immigration board denies Mahmoud Khalil's appeal  NPR
  2. Anti-Israel agitator Mahmoud Khalil one step closer to deportation with immigration board ruling  Fox News
  3. Activist Mahmoud Khalil wants ex-Justice Department official off panel of judges weighing his appeal  AP News
  4. Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil loses latest bid to halt deportation  WPDE
  5. Immigration board denies Mahmoud Khalil appeal  The Hill
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Sánchez to Push China to Hand Over Tech Secrets on Beijing Trip – Bloomberg.com

  1. Sánchez to Push China to Hand Over Tech Secrets on Beijing Trip  Bloomberg.com
  2. Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning’s Regular Press Conference on April 8, 2026  fmprc.gov.cn
  3. Spanish prime minister to make fourth trip to China in as many years  Reuters
  4. Four visits in four years – why are China-Spain relations so ‘resilient’?: Global Times editorial  Global Times
  5. Spain woos China risking clashes with Trump – and Europeans  Euractiv
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Australia fuel watch tracker: check current petrol and diesel prices, service station outages and shipments – in charts

How much fuel does Australia have left today, and when could we run out? Track how much petrol and diesel prices have risen near you in Sydney, Melbourne and across the country.

Hundreds of service stations across Australia have run empty, fuel prices are elevated and oil shipments have been cancelled.

Australia is battling a fuel crisis as Iran’s closure of the strait of Hormuz continues to bite. The federal government has released fuel reserves, cut fuel excise taxes and rolled out a national fuel security plan.

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As ceasefire halts fighting, Iran war becomes a battlefield for votes – The Times of Israel

  1. As ceasefire halts fighting, Iran war becomes a battlefield for votes  The Times of Israel
  2. Iran's speaker says negotiations with U.S. can't start without Lebanon ceasefire, asset release  CNBC
  3. Opposition leaders say PM failed to achieve Iran war goals: 'When you win, you don't need to declare it every few days'  The Times of Israel
  4. Iran plays hardball on Lebanon, threatening US ceasefire talks  The Hill
  5. Iran closes strait, challenges U.S. to rein in Israel: 'the world is watching whether it will act on its commitments'  Fortune
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Xi tells Taiwan opposition leader people on both sides of strait are Chinese in rare meeting

Cheng Li-wun’s visit to Beijing has sparked controversy in Taiwan, with critics accusing her of being too close to China

In a rare meeting with Taiwan’s opposition leader, China’s president, Xi Jinping, declared that people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait were Chinese and wanted peace.

The meeting in Beijing between Xi and Cheng Li-wun, the chair of Taiwan’s Kuomintang (KMT), is the first such contact in a decade. The visit has sparked controversy in Taiwan, with Cheng’s critics accusing her of being too close to China, a country that many in Taiwan see as a threat.

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Iran says no delegation sent to Pakistan, talks still suspended – state media – Investing.com

  1. Iran says no delegation sent to Pakistan, talks still suspended - state media  Investing.com
  2. Live updates: US and Iran negotiators arrive in Pakistan for peace talks  CNN
  3. What are the main talking points at the US-Iran negotiations in Pakistan?  Reuters
  4. Iran war live: Vance arrives in Pakistan to lead ceasefire talks  Al Jazeera
  5. U.S.-Iran talks set to begin in Pakistani capital after delegations arrive  CNBC
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Japanese Tankers Head Closer to Hormuz as More Ships Gather – Bloomberg.com

  1. Japanese Tankers Head Closer to Hormuz as More Ships Gather  Bloomberg.com
  2. U.S. oil slips below $100 as Trump demands reopening of Strait of Hormuz  CNBC
  3. With Iran setting limits, the Strait of Hormuz remains thorny politically  The Seattle Times
  4. How many ships are crossing the Strait of Hormuz?  BBC
  5. Strait of Hormuz traffic slow despite ceasefire and design flaw raises re-entry risk for Artemis II: Morning Rundown  NBC News
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Nato split over US access to European bases in Iran war – Financial Times

  1. Nato split over US access to European bases in Iran war  Financial Times
  2. Allies Fear They Are Tied to an Erratic U.S. and Now Have Nowhere to Turn  WSJ
  3. Trump pays the price for making America an unreliable ally  The Hill
  4. Europe Has Leverage in the Iran War. It Should Use It.  Council on Foreign Relations
  5. Iran is a turning point for Europe’s liberation – from Donald Trump  The Guardian
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Quote of the Day: Suez Signaled Britain’s Slide. Could Iran Do That for U.S.? – The New York Times

  1. Quote of the Day: Suez Signaled Britain’s Slide. Could Iran Do That for U.S.?  The New York Times
  2. Is Iran Trump’s Suez crisis, or just a passing thunderstorm?  The Guardian
  3. Is this America’s Suez Crisis? It could turn out to be worse  The Times
  4. The day the US became Britain at Suez  Bangkok Post
  5. A blow to American credibility  The Star
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Islamabad prepares to host historic negotiations between Iran and the US

In Pakistan’s capital, the army has been deployed, a public holiday has been declared and the streets are eerily empty

The streets of Islamabad were on strict lockdown as Pakistan’s capital prepared to play host to historic negotiations between Iran and the US that have dangled the promise of an end to war that has devastated the Middle East.

Even as the US-Iran ceasefire looked increasingly precarious, amid Israel’s continued bombardment of Lebanon and disputes over the terms of the talks, Pakistani officials insisted that the make-or-break peace negotiations would be going ahead over the weekend as planned.

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