Sunday

Friday began peak cherry blossom season. Yesterday everything else bloomed. Pinks, dark pinks, white, yellow. It is beautiful. 

Half of the world’s cork comes from Portugal. 

The IMF completed a review that will allow it to disburse $400m to Ukraine for budget support. 

“Panama's maritime authority said on Friday that it has canceled the registrations of 107 vessels that were flying under the Panamanian flag and were included in international sanctions lists….” This makes it harder to operate the shadow fleet smuggling Russian oil and proving Russia with money to fund the war. 

This is exciting and not being reported here, at least not yet. “ A limousine reportedly from the Russian President Vladimir Putin's security fleet exploded and went up in flames in Lubyanka, near Moscow’s FSB headquarters. A video of the £275,000 ($3,55,796) Aurus Senat limousine has gone viral showing bystanders fleeing the spot and firefighters working to control the blaze.”