Smoke and flames rise from an Israeli airstrike that hit the Qasmiyeh Bridge near the coastal city of Tyre, Lebanon, on Sunday, March 22. AP/PTI
LIVE: Iran threatens to 'completely' close Strait of Hormuz
US President Donald Trump has set a 48-hour deadline for Iran to open the Strait
Here is the top, trending news of Monday, March 23, 2026, including Iran war, Indian politics, states' politics, geopolitics, federal issues, economics, development issues, sports, entertainment, and so on.
Read updates below.
Live Updates
- 23 March 2026 8:43 AM IST
Mysterious blast near former sarpanch’s house in Samba; no casualties
A mysterious blast occurred in a village in the Samba district of Jammu and Kashmir early Monday (March 23), officials said.
The blast took place near the main gate of the residence of former sarpanch Jai Ram Sharma at Gawala Talab, some 10 km from the International Border in the Ghagwal sector around 2 am, the officials said.
They said the blast uprooted the gate and a portion of the boundary wall but caused no casualties.
A team of forensic experts visited the site and took samples from the scene to ascertain the cause of the explosion, they said.
Police have registered an FIR, the officials said, adding senior officers are on the scene and further investigation is on.
- 23 March 2026 8:36 AM IST
Historic Hawaii floods leave 2,000 people without power
More than 2,000 people remained without power on Sunday (March 22) afternoon after Hawaii suffered its worst flooding in more than 20 years when heavy rains fell across the islands.
Heavy rains fell on soil already saturated by downpours from a winter storm a week ago. Raging waters lifted homes and cars, causing an expected USD 1 billion in damages. The storm prompted evacuation orders for 5,500 people north of Honolulu -- though they were later lifted -- and more than 200 people were rescued from the rising waters.
No deaths have been reported as of yet, Molly Pierce, spokesperson for Oahu's Department of Emergency Management, said Sunday afternoon.
By Sunday afternoon, Hawaiian Electric restored power to about 1,200 people in Waialua on the North Shore of O'ahu, according to the company. Customers' power was proactively turned off Friday because of the flooding.
Crews continue to assess the damage and make repairs, and Hawaiian Electric expects to return power to 2,000 more people later Sunday. On Maui County about 100 people were without power Sunday afternoon, and all major outages were addressed on Hawai'i Island, according to the company.
- 23 March 2026 8:31 AM IST
Air raid sirens sounded in Bahrain
Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates said early Monday their air defenses were dealing with missile and drone attacks as air raid sirens sounded in Bahrain
- 23 March 2026 6:42 AM IST
Israeli settlers smash cars, set fires in West Bank as 4 Palestinians killed in Gaza
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.
- 23 March 2026 6:42 AM IST
Iran threatens to 'completely' close Strait of Hormuz and hit power plants after Trump ultimatum
The United States and Iran threatened to target critical infrastructure Sunday as the war in the Middle East, now in its fourth week, puts lives and livelihoods at risk throughout the region.
Iran said the Strait of Hormuz, crucial to oil and other exports, would be "completely closed” immediately if the US follows up on President Donald Trump's threat to attack its power plants. Trump late Saturday set a 48-hour deadline to open the strait.
Israeli leaders visited one of two southern communities near a secretive nuclear research site struck by Iranian missiles late Saturday, with scores of people wounded. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it was a “miracle” no one was killed.
Netanyahu claimed Israel and the US were well on their way to achieving their war goals. The aims have ranged from weakening Iran's nuclear programme, missile programme and support for armed proxies to enabling the Iranian people to overthrow the theocracy.
There has been no sign of an uprising, nor of an end to the fighting that has shaken the global economy, sent oil prices surging and endangered some of the world's busiest air corridors. The war, which the US and Israel launched February 28, has killed over 2,000 people.
