It is a day associated with new beginnings, but for a growing number of Syrian refugees in Lebanon, marriage has become a trap. Strapped for cash, unfamiliar with the local laws, and often unable to find someone to conduct the wedding, growing numbers of couples are tying the knot illegitimately. But the consequences of such marriages can be severe.

ON THIS DAY IN AMERICAN HISTORY On March 19, 2003, in a televised address, US President George W. Bush tells Americans that Operation Iraqi Freedom has begun. The announcement comes as explosions rock Baghdad, Iraq’s capital. Bush and his advisors say the war in Iraq is necessary because Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein possesses or is close to possessing weapons of mass destruction. No weapons of mass destruction are ever found in Iraq. (Tomahawk missiles launched off the USS Donald Cook head toward their targets in Iraq early March 20, 2003, beginning the US offensive against Saddam Hussein.)

VIDEO: The country of Montenegro has sent its first cadet to West Point. Nevena Nikolic and fellow cadets from other countries are getting a rare opportunity to see the world and America through the lens of its prestigious US military academy. Foreign students are nothing new to the academy, which has accepted ‘internationals’ for more than a century.

Are you ready to pay for a purchase with a fingerprint? Visa, the financial services giant, thinks so. The company is testing cards that have a built-in fingerprint reader.By using their fingerprint, customers can skip entering a PIN or signing off on a purchase.

Move over Spider-Man and Captain America. Make way for Ms. Marvel … a young shape-shifting crusader for today’s diverse American society. Kamala Khan, a Pakistani-American teenager from Jersey City, is Ms. Marvel — the first Muslim superhero to have her own dedicated series. And the woman who created her hopes readers from all backgrounds will see themselves in this Muslim girl from the Marvel universe.

Humans playing alongside a robot orchestra could be the prototype for experimental bands of the future. A two-man band from Germany is already on tour with robotic musicians.

VIDEO: ‘The most violent and murderous gang in the US,’ is how President Trump refers to MS-13, alleging that the gang’s violent activities are a consequence of a broken US immigration system. Notorious for its brutal tactics, the gang originated in the 1980s at the end of El Salvador’s civil war, when thousands of refugees fled to the US to escape the violence. What started as a social and protection group, quickly morphed into a violent, aggressive gang.