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European allies pressed for regional stability in the Middle East. France, Germany, and the United Kingdom issued a joint statement Sunday evening reiterating their commitment to defend their interests and calling on Iran to stop its 鈥渞eckless attacks immediately.鈥� French President Emmanuel Macron said France will boost its military presence in the region after two Iranian drones hit a French naval base in the United Arab Emirates. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the U.S. could use U.K. bases for 鈥渄efensive鈥� missions. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen convened an emergency meeting of commissioners on Monday to discuss a coherent foreign policy response.

The Mideast conflict reached more US assets in Kuwait. Three US fighter jets crashed there on Monday, with no casualties. According to the US military, the Air Force fighter jets were mistakenly shot down in friendly fire by Kuwaiti air defenses during a blitz of Iranian missiles and drones. All six crew members ejected safely, CENTCOM said in a statement. During the same attack, multiple Iranian drones struck the US Embassy compound in Kuwait, forcing its closure. No injuries or casualties were reported. Six US service members were killed by Iranian strikes on a base in Kuwait Sunday.
Our coverage: Iran retaliates for killing of supreme leader, threatening regional security

With new trade deals, Canada and India reset ties. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said the nations have begun 鈥渁 prosperous, new relationship鈥� after meeting Monday with his Indian counterpart in Delhi and signing several trade deals worth $5.5 billion. Relations between the countries turned icy in 2024 after former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused India of assassinating Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian citizen. Mr. Carney has worked to repair relations, emphasizing the need for middle powers to work together amid a shifting world order. He says they are on track to secure a free-trade deal by 2027.
Our coverage: Canada-India relations are at a new low. Why China could be the winner.

Myanmar鈥檚 military junta granted amnesty to thousands of prisoners. Min Aung Hlaing, head of the military government in Myanmar, pardoned more than 7,000 people convicted on 鈥渢errorism鈥� charges, according to state-run media. The move is part of a larger amnesty for political prisoners, activists facing prosecution, and dissidents in hiding. Aung San Suu Kyi, the former leader ousted by Myanmar鈥檚 military in 2021, was reportedly not included in Monday鈥檚 move. For the first time in five years, Myanmar鈥檚 parliament is expected to convene this month, following an election observers say was neither free nor fair.
Our coverage: Why Myanmar鈥檚 鈥榮moke screen鈥� elections could still matter

Dutch museum makes a 鈥榥eedle in a haystack鈥� confirmation of Rembrandt painting. The Rijksmuseum says a painting once dismissed as 鈥渘ot a Rembrandt鈥� is now confirmed as a work by the Dutch Golden Age master. On Monday, the museum unveils 鈥淰ision of Zacharias in the Temple鈥� after two years of close study. Experts used high-tech scans and compared pigments and paint layers with other Rembrandt works. They also dated the wood panel to before 1633, the year on the painting. The work joins about 350 known Rembrandt paintings and raised hope there may be more. 鈥� The Associated Press

鈥� Compiled by Monitor writers around the world

Airstrikes against Iran were effective in the early days of the mission. But there鈥檚 more to do 鈥� both offensively and defensively 鈥� if the U.S. hopes to crack Iran鈥檚 regime.

Roughly one-fifth of the world鈥檚 oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz, and it鈥檚 also a key trade route for liquefied natural gas. Our briefing explains what鈥檚 at stake for global oil prices as the Iran conflict puts this narrow channel in the spotlight.

As Texans vote in primary elections Tuesday, our story from the campaign鈥檚 waning days highlights a hardball battle for the Republican U.S. Senate nomination, with incumbent John Cornyn struggling against MAGA firebrand Ken Paxton.

Mexico's diplomatic support to Cuba has long boosted the communist island. It also helps Mexico assert its independence from the United States.

Artificial intelligence is marketed as a problem-solver for daily life, but a one-week experiment by a Monitor reporter showed聽it might be too eager to help. Researchers say we should think carefully about how much of our lives we turn over to a chatbot.

American history is full of overlooked stories, like that of David Drake, an enslaved potter in the 18th century, whose beautiful wares fetch hundreds of thousands of dollars today. Why the intense interest? In a time when literacy for Africans was illegal, Drake inscribed verses on the pots themselves. His phrases show a longing for family, and also a sense of humor.聽

Fresh off a record 18 gold medals at the February Winter Olympics, Norway heads into the March Winter Paralympics holding the most cumulative golds in the history of those games (140).

But its international sports successes are not confined just to those performed on snow and ice, both of which are plentiful in Norway. The country of just 5.6 million people also fields winning athletes in soccer, tennis, golf 鈥� and even Olympic beach volleyball.

This record is all the more notable for Norwegians鈥� unconventional approach to developing high-caliber athletes: When introducing children to sports, schools, parents, and local sports clubs seek to build on their innate joy in the fun and friendship of physical activity. Youthful curiosity and interest in exploring a variety of sports are encouraged, through high school and up to college age. National guidelines forbid competitive teams, scorekeeping, or ranking for children below age 12. And they emphasize that children should help plan and execute sports activities, and determine their level of participation.

鈥淲hat the Norwegians know ... is that the most important thing is that children enjoy sport and come back again and again,鈥� observed former Olympian Cath Bishop in The Guardian recently. 鈥淣orway plays the long game.鈥� This hints at a patient trust in young people鈥檚 capacity to continually grow and develop new skills 鈥� athletic, technical, and personal.

Take Norwegian cross-country skier Johannes Kl忙bo, who has won the most golds of any Winter Olympian (11). As a young boy, he was an avid soccer player. It took several years of coaching and practice before he improved enough to specialize in skiing at the age of 15.

鈥淲hen you try different sports ... you develop the social skills to handle different kinds of people,鈥� Tore 脴vebr酶, Norway鈥檚 director of elite sports, told CNN recently. When youth have that 鈥渂road learning base,鈥� he said, it becomes 鈥渆asier to build a high-performance culture; they know who they are, what they want.鈥�

This view contrasts with the emphasis on early talent identification and specialization in other countries. In the United States, 81% of students ranked 鈥渉aving fun鈥� as their biggest motivation for playing sports 鈥� well above 鈥渨inning games/championships,鈥� according to a 2021 Aspen Institute survey. Yet, 70% of youth athletes drop out of organized sports by age 13, burned out by the pressure to win or due to injury.

鈥淭his not only diminishes the pipeline of elite athletes,鈥� according to Brad Stulberg, a University of Michigan academic and a proponent of the Norwegian model. 鈥淚t also creates a hindrance for healthy habits and all the character lessons kids can learn from sport.鈥�

As Mr. 脴vebr酶 had commented just before the previous Winter Olympics in 2022, Norway鈥檚 approach is akin to 鈥渄eveloping citizens and not only athletes.鈥� That鈥檚 proving to be a winning recipe 鈥� for the competitors and their country.