海角大神

President Donald Trump mulls seizing a crucial Iranian island. He openly mused about taking Iran鈥檚 Kharg Island oil terminal in the Persian Gulf, even as there were signs of progress in nascent ceasefire talks. Mr. Trump said Iran had promised to allow 20 oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz as a gesture while mediators work on talks aimed at a ceasefire. 鈥� The Associated Press

About 2,500 U.S. Marines arrived in the Middle East. Their arrival came as foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Egypt gathered in Islamabad for Sunday鈥檚 talks to discuss how to end the fighting in the region. The war has threatened global oil and natural gas supplies, sparked fertilizer shortages, and disrupted air travel. Iran鈥檚 grip on the strategic Strait of Hormuz has rattled markets and prices. 鈥撀燫别耻迟别谤蝉

Yemen鈥檚 Houthi rebels join the war. The Iran-aligned Houthis launched missiles at Israel on Saturday and said they would continue until 鈥渁ggression鈥� on all fronts ended. Meanwhile, Israel said it carried out a wave of attacks on Tehran, hitting targets in Lebanon, where it has resumed fighting against Iran-backed Hezbollah. The attacks killed three Lebanese journalists and a Lebanese soldier. 鈥撀燫别耻迟别谤蝉

President Donald Trump moved to pay TSA employees.聽Mr. Trump聽signed a promised executive action Friday to ease long security lines at many of the nation's airports after聽a deal that sought to do the same stalled in Congress, with House Republicans rejecting a Senate-passed bill to fund most of the Department of Homeland Security. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said TSA workers 鈥渟hould begin seeing paychecks as early as Monday.鈥澛�鈥� AP

French police thwart suspected bombing outside U.S. bank in Paris.聽French authorities say that police stopped a suspected bombing outside a Bank of America building in Paris on Saturday. An investigation has been opened, and one person is now in custody. Interior Minister Laurent Nu帽ez praised the rapid police response. He said that security forces have stayed on high alert amid international tensions.聽鈥撀燗笔

President Donald Trump has 鈥渘o problem鈥� with a Russian oil tanker off Cuba. The tanker is delivering relief to the island, which has been hit hard by a U.S. oil blockade. When asked if the tanker would be allowed to reach Cuba, Mr. Trump said: 鈥淚f a country wants to send some oil into Cuba right now, I have no problem whether it鈥檚 Russia or not.鈥� 鈥� AP

Texas lawmakers will study the implications of annexing parts of New Mexico. There are longstanding tensions between southeastern New Mexico and Santa Fe, but the New Mexico legislature is now considering a constitutional amendment that would create a process for counties to secede from the state. The Texas House of Representatives will conduct a study of the 鈥渃onstitutional, statutory, fiscal and economic implications鈥� of the state adding parts of New Mexico. 鈥� Staff

Paintings by three French masters have been stolen from an Italian museum. A gang of four entered the Magnani Rocca Foundation villa near Parma on the night of March 22 and left with paintings by Renoir, Matisse, and C茅zanne, estimated to be worth 鈧�9 million, in three minutes. Italian media reported that the thieves seemed intent on stealing more artwork but were interrupted by the museum鈥檚 alarm system. The robbery follows on the brazen jewelry heist at the Louvre Museum in Paris last October. 鈥� Staff

For the first time in decades, France has updated its national policy on nuclear weapons, focused on 鈥渇orward deterrence.鈥� The change will have ramifications for an important U.S. ally, and for France鈥檚 neighbors in Europe.

As President Donald Trump鈥檚 approval rating hit a new low, demonstrations against his policies spanned the U.S. and might have added up to the largest event ever. The history of American protests shows that in order to achieve tangible goals, a movement must do more than have high turnout on a single day of action.

The Iran war is taking a toll on India, simultaneously undercutting its energy security, remittances, and geopolitical influence 鈥� making Delhi one of the biggest losers in a war it isn鈥檛 even fighting.

As some U.S. cities try to lower crime rates, they find old approaches lacking and turn to new ideas. In Baltimore, targeted policing and vigorous intervention combine to offer alternative paths for potential offenders. So far, results show that a belief in the possibility of change, and commitment to a new strategy, can pay off.

Politics in Washington might be downbeat and divided, but nothing unites the U.S. capital 鈥� and many thousands of tourists 鈥� in a spirit of optimism and anticipation like the spring blossoms of the city鈥檚 iconic cherry trees. 鈥淧EAK BLOOM! PEAK BLOOM! PEAK BLOOM! It鈥檚 official!鈥� the National Park Service gleefully announced Thursday.

The news confirmed that the last weekend of March would be the best time to visit the Tidal Basin and National Mall, joining in conversation and contemplation along the pink-hued and perfumed walkways lined with more than 3,000 Japanese cherry trees given as a gift by the city of Tokyo in 1912.

鈥淭he first cherry trees helped crystallize an image of what Washington could look like,鈥� Thomas Luebke, secretary of the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, said on the centenary of the gift that helped transform and soften the landscape of the United States鈥� seat of power.

For students of history and culture, the cherry trees鈥� delicate flowers and gnarled trunks speak to the enduring soft power of global goodwill, culture, and faith in a better future to overcome division, including wartime enmity and destruction. After Japan bombed Pearl Harbor in 1941, the cherry trees in Washington were occasionally vandalized. But in 1952, as the U.S. shepherded post-World War II reconstruction, budwood from the Washington trees was transferred to Tokyo to restore the damaged original parent grove. This year, an additional 250 cherry trees sent by Japan to commemorate the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence will be planted in Washington.

Beyond political gestures, cherry blossom celebrations point to near-universal interpretations of springtime as a season of renewal and fresh beginnings. The Japanese practice of hanami 鈥� gathering with family and friends to view the blossoms, share conversation, and enjoy leisurely picnics 鈥� has spread around the U.S. as well as to cities including London, Paris, and Stockholm.

In an international context that currently feels fragile or fractured, and alongside increasing isolation especially among urban populations, this spring tradition spreads a priceless joy and connection. The Washington Post last year highlighted a couple who have held a sunrise picnic during cherry blossom time for more than 25 years 鈥� and are now regularly recognized and greeted by passersby.

As Japanese poet Kobayashi Issa expressed in a classic haiku some 200 years ago:

Under the cherry blossoms
strangers are not
really strangers