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The British prime minister, Keir Starmer, declared yesterday that \u201cwe are at a crossroads in history,\u201d and announced that European countries would assemble a \u201ccoalition of the willing\u201d to defend Ukraine against Russia. Read more here<\/a>.<\/p>\n The announcement followed a meeting in London of 18 European leaders that Ukraine\u2019s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, attended. Starmer said that \u201ca number\u201d 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. <\/p>\n Context:<\/strong> The gathering took on greater urgency after Zelensky\u2019s heated meeting with President Trump and Vice President JD Vance<\/a> in the Oval Office on Friday, which raised fears that the U.S. would try to force Ukraine into making a peace deal.<\/p>\n Ukraine: <\/strong>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<\/a>?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Israel said yesterday that it was immediately halting the entry of all goods and humanitarian aid<\/a> 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\u2019s roughly two million inhabitants. Israel said the restrictions would not apply to water<\/a>.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s gambit, referring to the aid halt as \u201ccheap blackmail,\u201d but said it was still willing to negotiate the second stage of the deal. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n What\u2019s next: <\/strong>Hamas is unlikely to accept a new offer without further negotiations, said Aaron David Miller, an analyst. Israel\u2019s proposal, he said, would allow \u201cIsraelis to get hostages back without making reciprocal commitments.\u201d <\/p>\n The militia group M23 has swept through the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n Part of the problem is that M23, an experienced militia, is backed by Rwanda, the U.N. says. But that\u2019s not the whole story. Congo\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n 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\u2019s a bit cumbersome right now, but someday you might be able to taste a recipe from the comfort of your home<\/a> before buying groceries.<\/p>\n Lives lived:<\/strong> Antonine Maillet, a Canadian writer who became the first non-European to win France\u2019s most prestigious literary prize, died at 95<\/a>.<\/p>\n The new Amazon series \u201cHouse of David\u201d looks as if it could be an alternate universe of \u201cGame of Thrones.\u201d 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 \u201cMary,\u201d a film about the mother of Jesus that cast the Oscar winner Anthony Hopkins as King Herod.<\/p>\n 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<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThe sheer size of the audience is enormous,\u201d said Jon Erwin, who pitched \u201cHouse of David\u201d to Amazon. \u201cIt is the largest underserved niche audience in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nIsrael halted Gaza aid and proposed a new deal<\/h2>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\nCongo\u2019s vast army is struggling with a small militia<\/h2>\n
CONVERSATION STARTERS <\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Turning scripture into scripts<\/h2>\n