• The U.S. struck Houthi rebels: Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen said a series of airstrikes hit the capital, Sanaa, Saturday night. U.S. President Donald Trump said he ordered the strikes, which came days after the Houthis said they would resume attacks on Israeli vessels near Yemen in response to Israel’s blockade on Gaza. – The Associated Press
• Storm sweeps across U.S.: More than 35 people have been killed in a storm affecting much of the U.S. The most fatalities as of Saturday afternoon were in Missouri. In Oklahoma, nearly 300 homes were damaged or destroyed before the storm headed east. – AP
• Canadian leader in Europe: New Prime Minister Mark Carney arrived in Paris to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron, seeking support from one of Canada’s oldest allies on issues around Canada’s sovereignty and economy. He will next land in London to meet with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and King Charles III.
• Nightclub fire draws international aid: A fire at nightclub in North Macedonia killed 59 people and injured 155 during a concert. At least 15 people have been detained; the club exceeded its capacity and lacked a proper license. Authorities accepted emergency aid from neighboring countries. – AP
• Militants reject Syrian constitution: The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Council, which governs northeast Syria, rejected a constitutional declaration issued by the new leadership in Damascus. The declaration upheld the central role of Islamic law. The Kurdish group said it did not adequately protect the rights of Syria’s diverse communities. – Reuters
• Europe invests in South Africa: European Union leaders announced that they will deliver South Africa an investment package totaling €4.7 billion (about $5.1 billion) to support green energy transition and other development. They also agreed to start talks on new trade deals. – AP

Over the weekend, U.S. President Donald Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, which he says gives him power to deport dangerous immigrants – in this case, Venezuelans he accuses of belonging to a notorious gang. Late Saturday a federal judge issued an order blocking the deportations, but by Sunday it became clear that more than 100 immigrants had been taken to El Salvador. Confusion over the timing of the deportation operation has led to questions about whether the administration defied the order. Beyond issues of compliance, the administration made clear that it disagreed strongly with the judge’s ruling, and is doubling down in its latest claim to expansive executive authority.

Moscow says it agrees with the U.S. proposal for a Ukraine ceasefire, but wants to know the details of the plan. The kicker: It is not clear whether those exist. More discussions will be needed to clarify whether President Vladimir Putin’s slow-walking approach is an attempt to bury the U.S. plan, or just evidence of an abundance of caution. President Trump told reporters last night that he and Mr. Putin would speak on Tuesday. “Putin is … ready to stop fighting, but on certain terms,” says a foreign policy expert in Moscow. “We don’t want to go back to the situation where there is a united front of Europe and the U.S. against Russia.” However, the expert says, “the idea of a ceasefire without preconditions is completely unacceptable to Russia.”

On Friday afternoon, former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte appeared before the International Criminal Court at The Hague, where he was detained on charges of crimes against humanity linked to the deadly war on drugs he oversaw while in office. One of his fiercest critics in those days was Maria Ressa, the founder of the Rappler news website. Her vigorous reporting earned her Mr. Duterte’s enmity on the one hand, and a Nobel Peace Prize on the other. How does Ms. Ressa feel, now that the tables are turned? We asked her.

From the start, U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan for rebuilding Gaza faced fierce resistance over the relocation of its Palestinian residents. A plan formed in Saudi Arabia last month and announced at a recent Arab League summit in Cairo now has gained Arab world backing. It avoids relocation and sets its sights on regional peace. “Gaza 2030” faces major hurdles. But there is “a convergence among regional and international powers,” says Jawad Anani, a former Jordanian foreign minister and an expert on Arab-Israeli relations, “an agreement that this plan should take place.” We explore the details of the five-year plan.

From the delays in retrieving a small team from the International Space Station – the effort to do so picked up again with a new mission launch Friday night and a successful docking a day later – a narrative grew that the astronauts were “stranded” in space. An elementary school in Needham, Massachusetts, is named for Sunita L. Williams, one of the astronauts. The narrative there? It’s one of adaptability and strength. “This is unexpected, but she’s trained for this, and she has provisions ... and she’s doing something she enjoys,” Principal Kiana Brunson says she and other adults tell the children.

Many Americans are moved by Abraham Lincoln’s 1863 Emancipation Proclamation, which dissolved the bonds of slavery. We look at two excellent new books – “Somewhere Toward Freedom” and “Last Seen” – that focus on abolition’s aftermath and the experiences of formerly enslaved people. From the joy of reunion to the despair of never finding loved ones, from the jubilation surrounding emancipation to the failures of Reconstruction, these books capture the mixed legacies of the post-Civil War era in dramatic and compelling ways.

After multiple territorial wars over more than 35 years, Armenia and Azerbaijan, two small countries ringed by big powers, announced March 13 that they had agreed on a draft peace agreement. That alone prompted praise across a conflict-riddled Eurasian continent. Yet a portion of praise went to only Armenia, population 3 million, for something else.

Following the country’s latest military defeat in 2023, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan not only offered concessions to Azerbaijan but also launched a campaign at home to lift the national identity beyond ethnicity, a trait that exudes exclusivity and lies at the heart of many wars.

The “Real Armenia,” he said in a February speech, resides in all citizens living within the country’s recognized borders – ethnic minorities included – as “the source of the legal order,” along with spiritual values that bring harmony and happiness.

The “supreme bearer of power,” he said, lies in each individual’s desire for prosperity, freedom, creativity, justice, and a caring society.

Mr. Pashinyan’s call for a transformed identity is part of his long hope to change the constitution and improve on what he describes as the country’s “striving democracy.” Since independence in 1991 after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Armenia has held three constitutional referendums before finally reaching a popular democratic revolution in 2018.

With the agreement on peace, the prime minister plans a referendum next year on a new charter, one that would include dropping an indirect reference in the current constitution about Armenian claims to an enclave now controlled by Azerbaijan.

Peace with Armenia’s nearby nations – especially Russia, Turkey, Iran, and Azerbaijan – rests on individuals building up their democracy to end an outsize dependency on other countries. The current Armenian consciousness, Mr. Pashinyan implied, often does not rely on rights and duties.

“The future of Armenia depends on one person and that person is you!” he said in the televised speech, asking citizens to “deepen the skill of reflection.”

A secure Armenia, in other words, lies in a redefined national identity above ethnic bloodlines.