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Iran says 10 foreign-linked 'mercenaries' arrested for espionage  Iran’s intelligence organisation in Khorasan Razavi said it arrested 10 suspected foreign-linked “mercenary elements” accused of espionage activities, Tasnim news reported. Officials said four of those detained were "spying by collecting information and the location of sensitive places and economic infrastructures".  They added that a core group of three suspects allegedly planned operations that were disrupted in an intelligence operation.

After Australia gave humanitarian visas to seven team members, only two decided to stay - the BBC's Katy Watson explains what happened.

Asked which of the four living ex-presidents had supposedly praised his chaotic war effort, Trump only said: ‘I can’t tell you that’

In a city where thousands of buildings lack safe rooms offering protection from Iranian rockets, many residents run to improvised spots rich with historical significance The post Pre-state vaults and ancient cisterns provide shelter for Jerusalemites again under siege appeared first on The Times of Israel.

SYDNEY, March 17 (Reuters) - The two players from the Iranian women's soccer squad who chose to remain in Australia after seeking asylum have been pictured training with a local A-League club as they begin their new lives in the country. Midfielder Fatemeh Pasandideh and defender Atefeh Ramezanizadeh were among seven members of Iran's delegation granted humanitarian visas amid fears of possible persecution if they returned home after competing in the women’s Asian Cup in Australia.

British maritime authority reports tanker hit near Fujairah British maritime authority on Tuesday said a tanker was struck by an unidentified projectile while docked about 23 nautical miles east of Fujairah. The authority said the vessel sustained minor structural damage but reported no injuries among the crew. Earlier, fire broke out at the Fujairah Oil Industry Zone in the United Arab Emirates after drones targeted the site.

By Kanishka Singh and Mike Scarcella WASHINGTON, March 16 (Reuters) - A federal jury in Los Angeles convicted a former Syrian government official, who headed the Damascus Central Prison under the government of ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, of torture, the U.S. Justice Department said on Monday. Samir Ousman Alsheikh, 73, was convicted on one count of conspiracy to commit torture and three counts of torture for his involvement in the torture of prisoners at Adra Prison as it is colloquially known, in Damascus,the Justice Department said in a statement.

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WASHINGTON, March 16 (Reuters) - Secretary of State Marco Rubio has designated as wrongfully detained in Iran 70-year-old Iranian-American Kamran Hekmati, his cousin said on Monday. "This designation is an official recognition by the U.S. Government that Kamran is being held on false charges in an effort by the Iranians to leverage the U.S. Government," Shohreh Nowfar said in a statement. (Reporting by Jonathan Landay; Editing by Chris Reese)

Emergency responders carried patients out of a government hospital in Odisha, India.

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Republican donors said to be impressed with secretary of state and ready to back him for presidential tilt, despite Vice President JD Vance long looking like the favorite for the role

Exclusive: Israel to keep Al-Aqsa Mosque closed through Eid al-Fitr and beyond Lubna Masarwa on Mon, 03/16/2026 - 11:19 Sources tell MEE Israel has limited Al-Aqsa access to just 25 Waqf staff per shift for over two weeks A drone view shows the Dome of the Rock in Al-Aqsa Mosque amid heavy restrictions on worshippers accessing the holy site, 6 March 2026 (Reuters/Ilan Rosenberg) Off Israel is set to keep Al-Aqsa Mosque closed through the upcoming Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr and beyond, Middle East Eye has learnt. Sources familiar with the occupied East Jerusalem mosque’s affairs said Israeli authorities informed the Islamic Waqf, the body responsible for administering the site, of the decision in recent days. Al-Aqsa Mosque, one of the holiest sites in Islam, was closed by Israeli authorities earlier this month, citing the “security situation” amid the US-Israeli war on Iran. The unprecedented closure, particularly during the month of Ramadan, has been condemned by Palestinians as the latest attempt by Israel to exploit security tensions to impose further restrictions and consolidate control over Al-Aqsa. This has been the first Ramadan since Israel seized East Jerusalem in 1967 that Palestinians have been unable to perform Friday prayers at the mosque. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Last week, eight Muslim-majority countries condemned the “unjustified” closure, saying Israel has “no sovereignty” over the revered site and must lift the restrictions immediately. However, the closure has continued unchecked. Friday prayers and Ramadan night prayers remain banned, and Palestinians have been barred from reaching the site, with a heavy presence of Israeli forces in the Old City. Since the closure, no more than 25 Waqf staff members have been allowed inside the vast mosque complex per shift. A source told MEE that Israeli authorities even rejected a request for an additional staff member from the manuscripts department to enter the site. Police reportedly told the Waqf that if any additional employee were allowed in, Israeli settlers would be permitted to resume their daily incursions into the mosque. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); The source added that Waqf officials suspect Israeli forces have also installed cameras inside prayer halls within Al-Aqsa Mosque, including inside the Dome of the Rock, enabling constant surveillance of the site. Old City shutdown The closure of the mosque has been accompanied by a near-total lockdown of the Old City, where Al-Aqsa Mosque and dozens of normally vibrant Palestinian-run markets are located. Only residents of the Old City have been allowed inside since the war with Iran began, leaving the area deserted. Meanwhile, life has continued largely uninterrupted just metres away outside the Old City’s ancient walls. Sunday was the Laylat al-Qadr, the holiest night in the Islamic calendar. Israel deployed hundreds of police to block routes to the mosque, forcing worshippers to pray on the streets under the threat of violence. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); “Closing the Old City in this manner has never happened before,” said Dr Mustafa Abu Sway, a professor who teaches at Al-Aqsa Mosque and a member of the Islamic Waqf Council in Jerusalem. “There is an inconsistency when you compare what is happening inside the Old City with what is happening outside it, where people are moving freely, praying in mosques, and life in the city continues as normal.” Abu Sway added that if the concern were people’s safety, worshippers could take shelter in the prayer halls beneath Al-Aqsa, which can accommodate thousands. Palestinian worshippers pray outside the walls of Jerusalem's Old City on Laylat al-Qadr due to Israeli restrictions, 15 March 2026 (Ahmad Gharabli/AFP) Aouni Bazbaz, director of international affairs at the Islamic Waqf, told MEE earlier this month that the closure has raised concerns about long-term change. “This has fuelled fears that what is presented as a temporary measure could gradually become a permanent or semi-permanent arrangement, particularly if people become accustomed to the restrictions or if patterns of access to the site are altered,” he said. Al-Aqsa Mosque has been governed under a decades-long status quo, or international arrangement, preserving its religious status as an exclusively Islamic site. Under this status quo, the administration of the site, including control over access, falls to the Islamic Waqf in Jerusalem, the Jordanian-appointed religious endowment responsible for managing the mosque complex. However, since Israel’s occupation of East Jerusalem in 1967, Palestinians say this arrangement has been gradually eroded through increasing restrictions on Muslim access while Jewish presence and Israeli control have expanded. Israel’s control over East Jerusalem, including the Old City, violates several principles of international law, which stipulate that an occupying power has no sovereignty over the territory it occupies and cannot make permanent changes there. War on Iran Jerusalem News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0

EU announces 458 million euros in humanitarian aid for Middle East The European Union on Monday announced 458 million euros ($525 million) in humanitarian aid for the Middle East, in response to the conflicts in the region such as the US-Israeli war with Iran and Israel's war in Lebanon. "In a war-torn Middle East, the European Union is stepping up while others step back," said Hadja Lahbib, the EU's commissioner in charge of humanitarian crises.

Fire in the city of Cuttack likely caused by a short circuit, which is common in India due to poorly maintained wiring.

Israeli attacks displace over 800,000 in Lebanon and kill more than 800, as the UN launches an urgent aid appeal.

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DUBAI, March 16 (Reuters) - The Israeli military said on Monday it had destroyed a plane used by Iran's late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei at Tehran's Mehrabad airport overnight. It said the aircraft had been used by senior Iranian officials and military figures to travel domestically and internationally and coordinate with allied countries. Mehrabad is one of Tehran's oldest airports, now serving domestic and regional flights. In addition to being the busiest civilian domestic airport, it is a dual-use facility housing air force assets.

Israel claims to have destroyed plane used by Iran’s late supreme leader The Israeli military claimed on Monday it had destroyed a plane used by Iran's late supreme leader Ali Khamenei at Tehran's Mehrabad airport overnight. It said the aircraft had been used by senior Iranian officials and military figures to travel domestically and internationally and coordinate with allied countries. Mehrabad is one of Tehran's oldest airports, now serving domestic and regional flights. In addition to being the busiest civilian domestic airport, it is a dual-use facility housing air force assets.

Iran's sports minister has said it was impossible for the players to participate in the tournament amid the conflict in the Middle East