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Israel lifts restrictions at holy sites in Jerusalem after fragile ceasefire announced

April 11, 2026
Israel lifts restrictions at holy sites in Jerusalem after fragile ceasefire announced

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Worshippers were able to pray again at Jerusalem's holy sites Thursday after Israel lifted restrictions it imposed on large public gatherings throughout the war with Iran nearly six weeks ago.

Associated Press Patriarch Theophilos III, the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, center left, performs the Washing of the Feet ceremony, at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, after restrictions were lifted following a ceasefire reached between Iran, Israel and the United States, in Jerusalem's Old City, Thursday, April 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean) Ethiopian Orthodox Christian worshippers pray at Deir Al-Sultan monastery on top of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre after restrictions were lifted following a ceasefire reached between Iran, Israel and the United States, in Jerusalem's Old City, Thursday, April 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean) Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men pray at the Western Wall, the holiest site where Jews can pray, after restrictions were lifted following a ceasefire reached between Iran, Israel and the United States, in the Old City of Jerusalem, Thursday, April 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean) A Muslim women take a selfie next to the Dome of Rock shrine at Al-Aqsa Mosque compound following a ceasefire reached between Iran, Israel and the United States. in Jerusalem's Old City, Thursday, April 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean) A Muslim man prays in the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound following a ceasefire reached between Iran, Israel and the United States. in Jerusalem's Old City, Thursday, April 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean) A man displays his goods for sale in front of his shop at a market, after restrictions were lifted following a ceasefire reached between Iran, Israel and the United States, in the Old City of Jerusalem, Thursday, April 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean) An Ultra-Orthodox Jewish man prays at the Western Wall, the holiest site where Jews can pray, after restrictions were lifted following a ceasefire reached between Iran, Israel and the United States, in the Old City of Jerusalem, Thursday, April 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)

Israel Iran War

Jerusalem’s police said on Wednesday that they would liftrestrictions on all holy sitesand deploy hundreds of officers and volunteers in the city.

Access had been prohibited altogether, or restricted to a few dozen faithful at a time, at Christian, Jewish and Muslim sites during the now-paused conflict, when missile attacks from Iran often sent Jerusalem residents into shelters.

The restrictions subduedLent,PassoverandRamadancelebrations for many in some of the holiest sites for adherents of Christianity, Islam and Judaism.

The Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, closed for much of the holy month of Ramadan and the Eid al-Fitr holiday, reopened with dawn prayer Thursday, according to Jerusalem’s Islamic Waqf, the Jordanian religious authority that administers the compound. At the adjacent Western Wall in the Old City — the holiest site in the world where Jews can pray — dozens of men and women were seen bowing their heads in prayer.

The lifting of the restrictions comes just in time for Orthodox Christians, who celebrate Easter on Sunday, a week after Catholic and Protestant observances and before the centuries-old ceremony known as the Holy Fire that is associated with it.

On Saturday, thousands of Christians will gather in the cavernous Church of the Holy Sepulchre holding unlit candles as they pack into thesprawling 12th-century basilicabuilt on the site where, according to tradition, Jesus was crucified and buried. The Greek patriarch will light candles and then the flame is passed from one candle to the next.

The restrictions sparked backlash last month when Israeli police prevented Catholic leaders from entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre to celebrate a private Mass on the Christian holiday of Palm Sunday for the first time in centuries. That set off a wave of criticism from the United States and others.

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said there was no “malicious intent” and thatCardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballawas prevented from accessing the church because of safety concerns. He was later allowed to enter on Easter Sunday.

On Thursday, worshippers reveled as they entered Al-Aqsa for the first time in weeks.

“It is as if human beings are reborn,” said Mohammed Al-Qassas. Being unable to pray during this period is like “feeling hungry all the time,” he said.

“It’s impossible to describe this feeling ... It was one of the most happiest moments in my life," said Biljana Vaslic, a tourist from Serbia who, until now, hadn't been able to enter the church.

Still, others accused Israel of using the war as an excuse to restrict access. "This is a grace from God after 40 days of using the war as a pretext, but God has granted steadfastness in this mosque," said Omar al-Kiswani, director of the mosque.

Even before the war, there were already heightened restrictions on people being able to access Al-Aqsa.

During Ramadan prayers on Friday in early February, Israel restricted the number of Palestinians allowed to enter from the West Bank to 10,000, and only allowed men over 55 and women over 50 as well as children up to 12. It has imposed similar restrictions in the past, citing security concerns.

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’scollaborationwith The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

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How did the Grays Ferry parking garage collapse? What officials say

April 11, 2026
How did the Grays Ferry parking garage collapse? What officials say

Oneperson is deadand two are still unaccounted for following aparking garage collapse in Grays Ferryon April 8.

USA TODAY

Officials, including Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker, said Wednesday evening that search and rescue operations would proceed after the structure was stabilized, though a timeline was not clear.

The missing had not been found as of early Thursday evening.

Here's what we know about how the structure collapsed.

How did the Grays Ferry parking garage collapse?

According to an incident report summary delivered by Parker Wednesday night, all seven levels of the structure's stair system failed on the 30th Street side stairwell.

Subcontractors were in the process of installing precast concrete floor decking and roof segments, when a precast roof segment failed, falling to the level below and "literally triggering a progressive collapse of connected sections across all seven levels," Parker said.

The precast sections had been manufactured off site and installed by the manufacturer, officials said.

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What is precast concrete?

Precast concrete is concrete that has already been molded and cured before being transported and assembled.

How tall is the Grays Ferry parking garage?

The under-construction garage is seven stories.

Officials confirmed that the project was a non-accessory parking garage with ground floor retail space.

Who owns the Grays Ferry parking garage that collapsed?

The structure is owned by the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and was intended for use by roughly 1,000 hospital employees.

Who was building the Grays Ferry parking garage? Who contracted the Grays Ferry garage?

The project was under the operation of general contracting firm HSC Builders and Construction Managers.

The firm is based out of Exton, Pennsylvania and services areas of Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware.

Kaitlyn McCormick is a Philadelphia-based reporter writing all things trending, breaking and city-related for USA TODAY's Philadelphia Metro Connect Team.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:How did the Grays Ferry parking garage collapse? What happened

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US Army veteran charged with leaking classified information to journalist

April 11, 2026
US Army veteran charged with leaking classified information to journalist

By Kanishka Singh

Reuters

WASHINGTON, April 8 (Reuters) - A U.S. Army veteran was charged on Wednesday with providing classified information to a journalist for a book that alleged drug trafficking, murder and corruption at a military ‌base where she had worked, the Department of Justice said.

Courtney Williams, 40, of Wagram, North Carolina, was ‌indicted by a federal grand jury on charges related to "her alleged transmission of classified national defense information to individuals not authorized to receive it, ​including a journalist," the Justice Department said in a statement. Prosecutors alleged Williams violated a provision of the U.S. Espionage Act.

The case comes as free-speech advocates have raised concerns about the Trump administration's aggressive posture toward media leaks from government employees upset with U.S. policies and actions.

Williams worked from 2010 to 2016 for a special military unit at the U.S. Army base in Fort ‌Bragg, North Carolina, and held a "Top Secret/Sensitive ⁠Compartmented Information security clearance," the Justice Department said.

Prosecutors allege that between 2022 and 2025, Williams repeatedly communicated by phone and text message with a journalist who was seeking information for an ⁠article and book about the unit. Williams and the journalist spent more than 10 hours on phone calls and exchanged more than 180 messages, the department said.

While court filings did not identify the reporter, journalist Seth Harp wrote a book published last year titled "The Fort ​Bragg ​Cartel: Drug Trafficking and Murder in the Special Forces" and an ​accompanying article that named Williams as a source ‌and attributed specific statements to her.

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The Justice Department alleged that some of those statements contained "classified national defense information." Prosecutors also said Williams made what they called unauthorized disclosures of national defense information through her social media accounts.

A representative for Williams could not immediately be reached for comment.

Harp said after the indictment that Williams was a "courageous whistleblower who exposed rampant gender discrimination and sexual harassment in the U.S. Army's Delta Force." He also said Williams wanted to be quoted by name ‌in his work and cast the charges against her as "vague and ​weak."

The Justice Department cited messages from Williams to the journalist from the ​time of the book's release in which she expressed ​concerns "about the amount of classified information being disclosed." She also messaged another person the department ‌did not identify expressing fear that she might get ​arrested for the disclosure, prosecutors ​said.

Williams signed a classified information non-disclosure agreement when she joined the special military unit in 2010 and again when she left that job, according to the complaint filed against her.

Prior U.S. administrations have on rare occasions also ​pursued legal cases against sources of leaks ‌to the media that have aimed to expose government wrongdoing, dating as far back as the "Pentagon Papers" ​from the Vietnam War and as recently as the Iraq war logs in this century.

(Reporting by Kanishka ​Singh in Washington; Editing by Colleen Jenkins and Lincoln Feast.)

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Starmer Says He's 'Fed Up' With Trump as Europe Splinters From U.S. Over Iran War

April 11, 2026
Starmer Says He's 'Fed Up' With Trump as Europe Splinters From U.S. Over Iran War

BritishPrime Minister Keir Starmersaid he is “fed up” with people in the U.K. encountering economic instability due to the actions ofPresident Donald Trump.

Time U.S. President Donald Trump and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer hold a press conference conference in Aylesbury, England on Sept. 18, 2025.

Starmer Says He's 'Fed Up' With Trump as Europe Splinters From U.S. Over Iran War

"I'm fed up with the fact that families across the country see their bills go up and down on energy, businesses' bills go up and down on energy, because of the actions of [Russia’s President Vladimir] Putin or Trump across the world," hesaidin an interview with ITV.

Starmer emphasized the need for greater energy resilience and independence, arguing that the people of the U.K. shouldn’t have to be subjected to the “international market,” nor should they be “paying” for a war the country is not actively involved in.

The Prime Minister went further in an opinion piece for theGuardianThursday, during which hesaidthe Iran war must serve as a warning for Britain to “build resilience” at home and with allies in Europe.

“Throughout this conflict, I have been guided by the principle that Britain’s national interest is best served by de-escalation, diplomacy, and the swift reopening of the Strait of Hormuz,” he urged.

Starmer arrived in Qatar Friday to round-off his three-day visit to the Gulf states, where he participated in talks on how to best reopen theStrait of Hormuz,as Iran continues its hold over the critical maritime chokepoint despite the temporary cease-fire.

Talking to reporters, Starmer emphasized the importance of regional involvement in the unblocking of the waterway and relayed his conversation with Trump from the night before.

"I had a discussion with President Trump last night and set out to him the views of the region here, these Gulf states are the neighbours of Iran, and therefore, if the ceasefire is to hold, and we hope it will, it has to involve them,” hesaid.

Trumpissuedfresh criticism of Iran’s handling of the Strait late Thursday. Responding to reports that Tehran may becharging tollsfor passage, he said: “They better not be and, if they are, they better stop now.”

Meanwhile, when asked aboutTrump's threats to pull the U.S. out of NATO, Starmer again highlighted the U.K.’s utmost support for the alliance and argued it’s “in America’s interest” to maintain its membership.

The Iran war has caused significant strain on what is often referred to asthe “special relationship” between the U.K. and U.S.

Starmer’s refusalto become actively involved in the war, and his initial hesitation in allowing the U.S. to access U.K. bases for strikes, has earned him public rebuke from Trump.

Speaking during a White House Easter event on April 1, TrumpmockedStarmer for allegedly saying he needed to “ask” his team when approached about sending British ships to the Middle East.

But it’s not only the U.K. and U.S. relationship that has shifted since the start of the Iran war on Feb. 28.

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Other European leaders have also distanced themselves from Trump, urging for restraint and a permanent end to the conflict, even at times when the U.S. President threatened escalation.

They have voiced grave concern over the instability of the global economy asoil and gas prices have surgedat various points due to transits via the Strait of Hormuz coming to a virtual halt.

Trump’s threat to pull the U.S. out of NATO, and his condemnation of nations who refused to become active participants of the war, has also tested the Europe-U.S. alliance.

European leaders welcomed news of the temporary cease-fire being agreed upon earlier this week, but some reaffirmed their criticism of how the war unfolded in the first place.

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen struck a cautious tone.

“Is the world a better place today than yesterday? Undoubtedly. Than 40 days ago? More than doubtful,” hesaid.

Kaja Kallas, the European Commission’s high representative for foreign affairs,describedthe cease-fire as a “step back from the brink” after weeks of escalation.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez,a vocal critic of the Iran war, reflected on the damage inflicted by the conflict.

“Cease-fires are always good news. Especially if they lead to a just and lasting peace. But this momentary relief cannot make us forget the chaos, the destruction, and the lives lost,” hesaid

“The Government of Spain will not applaud those who set the world on fire just because they show up with a bucket. What’s needed now: diplomacy, international legality, and peace.”

Sánchez notably refused to allow the American military access to Spanish airbases, turning down requests early on, and in late March, Spain closed its airspace to U.S. aircraft involved in the Iran war.

Trump has also been criticized for his rhetoric during the conflict.

French President Emmanuel Macron—who has previously enjoyed a strong working relationship with the U.S. President, urged Trump to take a more “serious” approach to the war and its surrounding discourse.

"This is not a show. We are talking about war and peace and the lives of men and women," he told reporters in South Korea last week during a state visit.

"When you want to be serious, you don't say every day the opposite of what you said the day before," he argued. "And maybe you shouldn't be speaking every day. You should just let things quieten down."

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Prosecutors move to subpoena Tiger Woods' prescription drug records after Florida DUI arrest

April 11, 2026
Prosecutors move to subpoena Tiger Woods' prescription drug records after Florida DUI arrest

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Prosecutors are seekingTiger Woods' prescription drug records from a pharmacy, a week afterhis vehicle crashedin Florida and he was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence.

Associated Press

Prosecutors in Florida on Tuesday said they planned to issue a subpoena seeking copies of all prescription medication records for the legendary golfer on file at Lewis Pharmacy in Palm Beach, Florida from the start of the year through the end of last month.

Prosecutors in Martin County, Florida, want the times the prescriptions were filled, the number of pills, the dosage amounts and any instructions that accompanied the pills, such as warnings about driving while taking them, according to documents in an online court docket.

Any objections to the subpoena must be filed with the State Attorney's Office within 10 days. Neither Lewis Pharmacy nor Woods' attorney, Doug Duncan, immediately responded to emails seeking comment.

Woods pleaded not guilty inhis driving under the influence casein Florida last week, hours after a sheriff’s report said deputies found two pain pills in his pocket and he showed signs of impairment after his SUV clipped a trailer and rolled over on its side.

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Woods was traveling at high speeds on a beachside, residential road on Jupiter Island with a 30 mph (nearly 50 kph) speed limit when the accident occurred, authorities said. The truck had $5,000 in damage, according to an incident report. Woods agreed to a Breathalyzer test that showed no signs of alcohol, but he refused a urine test, authorities said.

Woods said last week that he is stepping away to seek treatment.

It’s the second time Woods has taken a leave following a car crash. In 2009, after his SUV plowed into a fire hydrant and tree outside his home near Orlando, he took a leave of absence to work on being a better person. That lasted four months and he returned at the Masters.

He also was in a 2021 car crash in Los Angeles that damaged his right leg so badly he said doctors considered amputation.

Follow Mike Schneider on the social platform Bluesky:@mikeysid.bsky.social.

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