Friday briefing: The EU support agreement for Ukraine
The EU has signed an aid deal for Ukraine
The EU yesterday reached a multi-year financing deal for Ukraine worth around $54 billion, providing a crucial lifeline to the country. President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked his neighbors and quickly nodded to a $60 billion aid package languishing in the US Congress.
The European commitment would, Zelensky said, “send a signal across the Atlantic.”
With U.S. funding for Ukraine held up in Congress, the breakthrough deal is particularly important. For Ukraine it means stability and security as the country continues to wage a heavy war. And for the EU, it showed the leaders' determination to act united against Russia.
Details: The EU's breakthrough came after Viktor Orbán, the Hungarian prime minister and close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, abandoned his opposition. Orban has long made himself an opponent of the EU
What's next: The European Parliament plans to vote on the fund, possibly this month. Ukraine urgently needs the money, which is expected to last until 2027, to keep basic services running.
Related: Russia plans to seize the property of anti-war citizens living abroad. It urges other countries to take action against them as well.
Biden imposed sanctions on Israeli settlers
President Biden has ordered broad travel and financial sanctions against Israeli settlers accused of attacking Palestinians in the West Bank. His executive order appeared aimed in part at appeasing Arab-American voters angered by his support for Israel in the Gaza war.
This move cuts off colonists from the US financial system and any assets they have in the US, preventing them from traveling to America. It goes further than a directive issued by the State Department in December that imposed a visa ban on dozens of settlers who had committed acts of violence in the West Bank.
Context: The violent actions of Israeli settlers aimed at driving Palestinians from their homes reached record levels before the October 7 attacks. They have accelerated since then.
A visual analysis from Times: Israeli ground forces have carried out a wave of controlled demolitions, razing entire neighborhoods in Gaza.
TikTok lost Taylor Swift and other music artists
Many TikTok videos featuring songs from stars like Taylor Swift, Lana Del Rey and Drake Grande have gone silent. This is due to a public dispute between the platform and Universal Music Group, the world's largest music company.
Earlier this week, Universal Music published a letter to TikTok, saying the company had not adequately addressed concerns about AI-generated music on the platform or agreed to a satisfactory royalty rate. The record company, whose deal with TikTok expired on Wednesday, said it would revoke its licenses if an agreement was not reached. The deadline came and went. TikTok confirmed yesterday that it had started removing songs.
The endless scroll: After just a few years, scrolling through TikTok's seemingly endless cornucopia of charms is more like rummaging through a junk drawer.
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Around the world
Bullfighting is in limbo at La Plaza México, the world's largest arena dedicated to the sport, in Mexico City. A legal ruling recently brought back the fighting after a nearly two-year ban, after which another judge cracked down on Wednesday in response to an animal rights petition.
Lives lived: Jack Jennings was a British prisoner of war during World War II who worked as a slave laborer on the Burma Railway, which inspired 'The Bridge on the River Kwai'. He died at the age of 104.
A Grammy preview
The 66th annual Grammy Awards on Sunday are poised to be a celebration of a dominant year for women in pop music. SZA, Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo and Billie Eilish compete in the major categories. This is what we have in mind:
A quick cleanup: If Swift's “Midnights” wins, she will become the first four-time champion in the album of the year category. But while Grammy voters love a success story, they can rebel against any idea they have must anointing a star – or whether sales and fame alone should determine excellence.
Making history: SZA's “SOS” is widely seen by critics as a strong contender for album of the year. She could be the first black woman in 25 years to receive the award, since Lauryn Hill for “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.”
Spoiler alert: Disruptions are as much a part of the evening as awkward stage combinations and closing speeches. The top candidates for a region this year are the indie group boygenius and Jon Batiste, the only male artist on the ballot in the top categories.