At least 10 Palestinians were injured in attacks in the occupied West Bank by Israeli settlers, who rampaged through nearby villages after holding a funeral for a settler killed in a car crash a night earlier. The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said the wounded in Deir al-Hatab included a 45-year-old man shot in the foot and a woman suffering from smoke inhalation. Videos obtained by The Associated Press show cars and homes set ablaze as army flares lit up the sky near the village east of Nablus and next to the Israeli settlement of Elon Moreh. The arson and assaults in four Nablus-area villages on Sunday came a day after the official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported simultaneous attacks in at least six communities overnight the latest spates of violence in the occupied West Bank. Sunday night's rampage came after mourners in the settlement of Elon Moreh held a funeral for Yehuda Sherman, an 18-year-old Israeli settler. Authorities said he was killed in a collision with a Palestinian vehicle in an area north of the villages attacked. Police said they were investigating the settlers' claims that the collision was deliberate. Israel's military did not respond to questions about Sunday night's attacks. The violence came as Israel's government presses ahead with new settlements in the occupied West Bank and attacks by settlers -- including arsons, shootings and beatings have intensified as attention shifts to the Iran war. Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, the Israeli military's chief of general staff last week condemned such attacks and said it was especially unacceptable during wartime for the military "to confront a threatening minority from within." WAFA reported Saturday night's attacks in the villages of Silat al Dahr and Fandaqumiya, both near Jenin; in Jalud and Salfit, both south of Nablus; and in the agricultural regions Masafer Yatta and the Jordan Valley. Homes and cars were set ablaze, Palestinians were pepper-sprayed and at least five people were wounded in the overnight assaults, which took place during the Eid al-Fitr holiday marking the end of Ramadan, the agency said. Israel's military said it responded to Israeli civilians carrying out "arson against structures and property, as well as engaging in disturbances in the area" on Saturday night, but did not report any arrests or indicate whether investigations were opened. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported 25 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli settlers and soldiers this year as of March 15. Also on Sunday, four Palestinians were killed in Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip, hospital authorities said. One strike hit a vehicle in the central Nuseirat refugee camp and killed three police officers, according to the Awda Hospital, which received the casualties. Ten others were wounded, it said. Another Palestinian was killed in Gaza City, according to Shifa Hospital. The deaths were the latest fatalities among Palestinians in the coastal enclave since an October ceasefire deal attempted to halt a more than 2-year war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. While the heaviest fighting has subsided, the ceasefire has still seen almost daily Israeli fire. Israeli forces have carried out repeated airstrikes and frequently fire on Palestinians near military-held zones, killing more than 670 Palestinians, according to Gaza health officials. The Israeli military did not immediately comment on Sunday's strikes but has previously said Israel will respond to violations of the ceasefire threats to its soldiers. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
23 March,2026 11:45 AM IST | Ramallah | APThe Ghaziabad Police have arrested six persons and taken nine juveniles into custody for recording footage of railway and security sites and distributing it internationally. Interrogations revealed that they were directed by a foreign handler to set up solar-powered, SIM-based CCTV cameras in key areas. Additional Commissioner of Police Raj Karan Nayyar said arrests were made on March 14 by Kaushambi police in Ghaziabad. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
23 March,2026 09:50 AM IST | Ghaziabad | AgenciesResearchers have recreated birch tar using techniques associated with Neanderthals and tested whether it could slow bacterial growth. Their results suggest the material may have done double duty in prehistoric life, helping attach stone tools while also offering a way to treat wounds. That possibility raises the question of whether Neanderthals recognised useful healing properties in natural substances and applied them deliberately. Birch tar is a thick substance made from birch bark and is commonly found at Neanderthal archaeological sites in Europe. Because traces of it are often attached directly to stone artifacts, archaeologists have long thought its main use was as an adhesive for joining separate parts together. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
23 March,2026 09:47 AM IST | London | AgenciesDrawing on updated stellar data and planetary records, researchers have compiled a catalogue of rocky exoplanets located within habitable zones – regions around stars where liquid water could potentially exist. The study highlights 45 planets as the candidates for supporting life, out of more than 6000 confirmed exoplanets discovered to date. A further subset of 24 planets falls within a more restrictive definition of habitability. The concept of the habitable zone remains central to the search for life beyond Earth. It refers to the orbital region around a star where the temperatures aren’t too extreme. Water, essential for life, makes this zone a primary target for astronomers. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
23 March,2026 09:43 AM IST | Texas | AgenciesAccording to the WHO, about six per cent of people worldwide who get Covid later develop a long-lasting form of the illness. That shows the condition remains a significant public health challenge. In 2021, Belgian researchers launched a study to see whether long-term symptoms could be predicted during the acute phase of infection. After five years of research, scientists identified an important role for Dolosigranulum pigrum, a bacterium that naturally lives in the respiratory microbiome. Higher levels of this bacterium were associated with a lower likelihood that long Covid symptoms would persist. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
23 March,2026 09:38 AM IST | Belgium | AgenciesPresident Donald Trump warned the US will “obliterate” Iran’s power plants if it doesn’t fully open the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours, prompting Tehran to say it would respond to any such strike with attacks on US and Israeli energy and infrastructure assets. Iranian missiles, meanwhile, struck two communities in southern Israel late on Saturday, leaving buildings shattered and dozens injured in dual attacks not far from Israel’s main nuclear research centre. More than 100 people, including children, were injured after ballistic missiles fired by Iran struck the southern Israeli towns of Arad and Dimona. Meanwhile, a nuclear-powered British submarine, the HMS Anson, has reportedly arrived in the Arabian Sea. The vessel is said to have departed from the Australian city of Perth on March 6 and is believed to be taking up a strategic position near the Strait of Hormuz. Equipped with advanced weaponry, the HMS Anson is fitted with “Tomahawk Block IV land-attack missiles” with a range of 1600 km and “Spearfish heavyweight torpedoes,” providing formidable offensive capabilities. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
23 March,2026 09:26 AM IST | Washington | AgenciesIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday said the recent missile attacks on Diego Garcia shows that Iran has the capacity to reach deep into Europe and poses danger to the entire world. Netanyahu was visiting the southern Israeli city of Arad which faced Iranian missile strikes on Saturday evening when he also said his country and the US are fighting together on behalf of everyone, reported PTI "If you want proof that Iran endangers the entire world, the last 48 hours have given it. In the last 48 hours, Iran targeted a civilian area. They're using that as a mass murder weapon. "Luckily, no one was killed, but that's due to luck, not their intention. Their intention is to murder civilians," Netanyahu said. Netanyahu warns Iran can hit deep into Europe after Diego Garcia strike According to PTI, pointing out that Iran fired an intercontinental ballistic missile on Diego Garcia, Netanyahu said, "That's 4,000 kilometres. I've been warning all the time. They now have the capacity to reach deep into Europe. They already have fired on European countries -- Cyprus. They are putting everyone in their sights." For the past two decades, Israel has been referring to the Iranian ballistic missile programme, arguing that such weapons with nuclear capabilities would pose a grave threat not only to itself but also to Europe. Iran fired missiles at the UK-US air base on the island of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean on Saturday. The Israeli prime minister also drew attention to the Iran's attack on Jerusalem right next to the holy sites of the three monotheistic faiths, the Western Wall, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the Al Aqsa Mosque and said, "By dint of a miracle, again, no one was hurt, reported PTI. "The three sites were nevertheless the targets," he said. A fragment from a ballistic missile fired by Iran fell quite close to the Al Aqsa mosque and the Western Wall on Friday. It was a second such attack during the recent escalation when the old city of Jerusalem, home to the three holy sites of the three faiths, was impacted, reported PTI Missile debris near holy sepulchre as Netanyahu slams Iran's blackmail According to PTI, in an earlier attack, debris from the intercepted missile fell quite close to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, leaving marks of destruction on some nearby buildings. Netanyahu also said Iran is stopping the maritime international route, energy route and "trying to blackmail the entire world." "What more proof do you need that this regime that threatens the entire world has to be stopped? Israel and the United States are working together for the entire world," he claimed. Calling upon the international community to come together in the fight against Iran, the Israeli leader said he is happy to see some of them beginning to move in that direction, but claimed that more is needed, as per PTI. "(US) President Trump's call to have the international community confront this terrorist, fanatic regime of zealots, that is a call not only for the security of America and the security of Israel, it's for the security of the entire world. And it's time for them to act," he asserted. Israel targeting Iran's nuclear and missile programme says Netanyahu As per PTI, responding to questions from reporters, Netanyahu said that Israel is responding to these attacks "with great force" but not targeting Iranian civilians. "We've defined two clear goals. One is to completely break their nuclear programme, their missile programme and their capacity to produce the components for both of these programmes. We're well on our way in achieving it," the Israeli premier claimed. "We've also set a goal of creating conditions for the Iranian people to overthrow this tyranny that has tormented them and made life miserable, and is making life miserable for the entire world. And I hope we achieve that too," he reiterated. The missile strike in Arad Saturday evening left 115 people injured with nine of them in serious condition, rescue services said, reported PTI. (Inputs from PTI)
22 March,2026 08:13 PM IST | Jerusalem | mid-day online correspondentAmid rising tensions in West Asia, recent developments have once again placed Iran, Israel, and the United States at the centre of global attention. Former diplomat K. P. Fabian says that Iran’s strategic moves are being closely watched internationally, particularly following attacks on nuclear and energy facilities. Fabian, while noting his opinion amid the ongoing global turmoil, said, "First Iran said that the Strait of Hormuz is open for everyone; ships belonging to America and Israel are open. And I think Iran will repeat this. Because you know that the Japanese Prime Minister was in the White House," as per ANI. Japan's PM, Sanae Takaichi, was on an official visit to the US recently, in which she met with US President Donald Trump at the White House. While briefing the media at the White House in the US, she said she had briefed Trump on what support Japan could provide under its laws. Trump had earlier called on Japan and other countries to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz that Iran has closed in retaliation for the US-Israeli attacks. Meanwhile, Fabian noted that discussions between Iran and Japan reportedly paved the way for the release of two Japanese nationals previously detained in Iran. Emphasising the calculated nature of Tehran's actions, the diplomat further added, "One was released by Iran, and the other will also be released. This means that Iran plays such a chess game that there won't be another announcement. Look, they are open. Only America and Israel." International monitoring agencies keeping a close eye on the West Asian conflict International monitoring agencies have also weighed in on the situation. The former diplomat also said, "The secretary of the National Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA, has also taken it to social media that the missile attack news was reported and the nuclear research centre has no sign." Also, according to ANI, no unknown radiation level has been found. Reflecting on regional history, the diplomat recalled the Suez Canal crisis of 1956, underscoring the long-standing complexities in the region: Britain, Israel, or France conspired. When Israel attacks Egypt, France and Britain will withdraw. But Egypt is the Egyptian territory. At that time, France, Israel and America had information. When the American president got to Israel, he said, 'Stop it.' But Israel did stop. The American president said, 'Let's—this is now radiation, but before that, Israel attacked Natan's nuclear facility.' It means that Israel started first. Iran only retaliated. This is very important." Fabian expresses concern amid the ongoing attacks Highlighting the humanitarian aspect, Fabian stressed the irony of the attacks occurring during Eid. "Eid is a time of peace. Now, on that day, to do such a thing shows how much hatred there is in people's minds, which is very, very sad. People are going mad," he said. The regional energy situation has also been affected. "Our condition is not good. You know there is a shortage of LPG. Qatar, from which we have a big contract because of Iran's attack, has had its production capacity brought down by 17 per cent, and Qatar has made it clear it is going to lose about 20 billion dollars yearly, and it will take a couple of years for it to restore the full production capacity," he noted. (With inputs from ANI)
22 March,2026 06:34 PM IST | New Delhi | mid-day online correspondentNearly 200 people were injured in Iranian strikes in Israel's Dimona and Arad, with 11 of them seriously injured, according to medics, after Israeli air defences did not intercept at least two ballistic missiles, local media reported on Sunday. After the strikes, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel Defence Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff Lt General Eyal Zamir announced that Israel will continue to fight country's enemies on "all fronts." Later, the IDF said that the Air Force was carrying out strikes in Tehran targeting Iran's infrastructure. Those seriously injured in the strikes in the south were a 12-year-old boy suffering from shrapnel injuries due to a strike in Dimona and a five-year-old girl in the subsequent strike in Ranad. The missiles were fired amid continuous Iranian attacks on the Dimona area on Saturday, The Times of Israel reported. Soroka Medical Center in Beer Sheba said it provided treatment to 175 people injured in the attacks on Arad and Dimona. In addition to the boy listed in serious condition from the Dimona strike, a woman in her 30s was moderately injured by glass shards and another 31 people were treated for light injuries in the city, the Magen David Adom emergency service said, The Times of Israel reported. The injuries were primarily caused by shrapnel or sustained while running for shelter. Another 14 people, who were injured, were provided treatment for acute anxiety. The ambulance service released a video of a residential building ablaze in the town. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever.
22 March,2026 06:23 PM IST | Jerusalem | IANSMore than 5,500 people have been evacuated as the Hawaiian island of Oahu suffered its worst flooding in over 20 years, authorities said. Heavy rain and thunderstorms will continue to pass over the US state of Hawaii on Saturday (local time), posing major risks to Oahu and Maui County, local officials warned. Hawaii Governor Josh Green said in a video on X that more rain is expected over the weekend. "The storm will deliver another 4 to 6 inches of rain on Oahu throughout this weekend, but it's now moving to Maui, where we expect somewhere between likely 4 to 8 inches but as much as 10 to 12 inches in some areas," said Green. "No loss of life so far. A few serious injuries. But don't take this storm lightly," he said. The governor noted that conditions remain dangerous because the ground is already saturated, meaning it will take much less rain to trigger flooding, road closures and damage. He told the media on Friday that the cost of the storm could top 1 billion US dollars in estimated damages to private and public property, reports Xinhua news agency. While confirming that more than 230 people have been rescued during the storm, officials cautioned that a 120-year-old dam could fail. Authorities told residents Friday to leave the area downstream of the Wahiawa dam, a 120-year-old dam on Oahu, warning it was "at risk of imminent failure." More than 200 National Guard members have been activated during the storm to assist with rescues, road closures, door-to-door checks and other public safety needs, according to Green. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever.
22 March,2026 06:21 PM IST | Oahu (Hawaii) | IANSSri Lanka's state-owned Ceylon Petroleum Corporation announced a revision of fuel prices. All fuel products, including auto diesel, petrol and kerosene, saw price hikes ranging from 60 rupees (0.19 US dollars) to 90 rupees per litre effective from midnight on Saturday. Lanka IOC, another major petroleum company in Sri Lanka, said it would align its prices with the revised rates set by the corporation. This marks the third price hike of fuel in Sri Lanka in less than a month's time. Previously, the country's petroleum companies adjusted fuel prices on February 28 and March 9. The price of auto diesel, for instance, has now reached 382 rupees per litre, compared to the pre-price-hike price of 281 rupees per litre. Due to the sharp increase in fuel prices, around 90 per cent of privately operated buses were expected to be withdrawn from service on Sunday, according to the Lanka Private Bus Owners' Association (LPBOA). LPBOA President Gemunu Wijeratne said bus owners had decided not to operate services after fuel prices were raised on March 21, describing the increase as the highest percentage hike recorded. He noted that diesel prices had risen by 31 per cent. He added that bus services are expected to resume once fares are revised, as operators have indicated that current rates are not sufficient to cover costs under the new fuel pricing. The LPBOA said that a minimum fare increase of 15 per cent is expected. The National Transport Commission, Sri Lanka's public bus service provider, also said it would implement measures to revise bus fares on March 22, with calculations currently underway. Bus operators have previously pointed out that several earlier fuel price increases were not followed by fare adjustments. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever.
22 March,2026 06:17 PM IST | Colombo | IANSADVERTISEMENT
-1774188890644_d.png "Benjamin Netanyahu speaks to media during a visit to the southern Israeli city of Arad, which faced Iranian missile strikes. Pic/PTI")
-1774184658914_d.png "Representational image. AFP")
-1774178344143_d.png "Officials in Hawaii ordered some 4,000 people living near an aging dam on the island of Oahu to evacuate the area immediately. Pic/AFP")
-1774179693131_d.png "Representational Image")