European leaders pledged to support Ukraine
The British prime minister, Keir Starmer, declared yesterday that “we are at a crossroads in history,” and announced that European countries would assemble a “coalition of the willing” to defend Ukraine against Russia. Read more here.
The announcement followed a meeting in London of 18 European leaders that Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, attended. Starmer said that “a number” of other nations had indicated that they could join with Britain and France and deploy troops to Ukraine in the event of a cease-fire between Kyiv and Moscow. He also announced plans to allow Ukraine to use 1.6 billion pounds in British export financing to buy more than 5,000 air defense missiles.
Context: The gathering took on greater urgency after Zelensky’s heated meeting with President Trump and Vice President JD Vance in the Oval Office on Friday, which raised fears that the U.S. would try to force Ukraine into making a peace deal.
Ukraine: Most people in the country this weekend appeared to be watching and waiting after the meeting between Trump and Zelensky. They wondered: Would the U.S. abandon them?
Israel halted Gaza aid and proposed a new deal
Israel said yesterday that it was immediately halting the entry of all goods and humanitarian aid into Gaza. The move was meant to force Hamas into accepting a temporary extension of the cease-fire after the first phase ended on Saturday. The halt makes the fate of the remaining hostages uncertain, and is likely to worsen conditions for Gaza’s roughly two million inhabitants. Israel said the restrictions would not apply to water.
Hours before the aid halt, Israel had proposed extending the cease-fire seven weeks, during which Hamas would release half the remaining living hostages and the remains of half the deceased ones. Hamas rejected Israel’s gambit, referring to the aid halt as “cheap blackmail,” but said it was still willing to negotiate the second stage of the deal.
What’s next: Hamas is unlikely to accept a new offer without further negotiations, said Aaron David Miller, an analyst. Israel’s proposal, he said, would allow “Israelis to get hostages back without making reciprocal commitments.”
Congo’s vast army is struggling with a small militia
The militia group M23 has swept through the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo in recent weeks. The Congolese military should have been able to easily stop the threat: It has somewhere between 100,000 and 200,000 troops, dwarfing M23. Instead, Congolese forces keep losing.
Part of the problem is that M23, an experienced militia, is backed by Rwanda, the U.N. says. But that’s not the whole story. Congo’s military is plagued by unmotivated soldiers, infighting, extortion and abuse. The government, left weakened by decades of colonialism, has struggled with unstable or predatory leadership since.
Remote snacking has moved a bit closer to virtual reality. A team of scientists has built a device that transmits tastes from a distance, helping volunteers experience flavors meant to represent different foods. It’s a bit cumbersome right now, but someday you might be able to taste a recipe from the comfort of your home before buying groceries.
Lives lived: Antonine Maillet, a Canadian writer who became the first non-European to win France’s most prestigious literary prize, died at 95.
CONVERSATION STARTERS
Turning scripture into scripts
The new Amazon series “House of David” looks as if it could be an alternate universe of “Game of Thrones.” The show is part of a wave of faith-based programming on streaming services. Last year, Netflix signed a deal for similar entertainment and released “Mary,” a film about the mother of Jesus that cast the Oscar winner Anthony Hopkins as King Herod.
A lasting religious revival in Hollywood is unlikely, scholars predict. But such projects could make up a good financial model for platforms looking to reach spiritual audiences.
“The sheer size of the audience is enormous,” said Jon Erwin, who pitched “House of David” to Amazon. “It is the largest underserved niche audience in the world.”
