Pocket Reader - News in English

Who Is Friedrich Merz of Germany? NYT » World News If polls are correct, Olaf Scholz’s successor could be Friedrich Merz, 69, leader of the Christian Democratic Union. He is offering to get the German economic engine humming again.

The Once Booming Drug Town Going Bust Under Taliban Rule NYT » World News Funding its war against the United States, the Taliban reaped millions from boom towns trading opium, heroin and meth. Victorious, the group crushed the trade, leaving ghost towns in its wake.

Tiny Coffins: Measles Is Killing Thousands of Children in Congo NYT » World News Problems with getting vaccines to families have left many children unvaccinated and in danger of contracting the virus.

Suspect in Russian General’s Killing Detained Outside of Moscow NYT » World News The suspect, a 29-year-old citizen of Uzbekistan, confessed to planting the bomb that killed Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov in Moscow, a spokeswoman for Russian prosecutors said.

U.K. Police Chiefs Were Too Slow to Respond to Summer Riots, Report Says NYT » World News Police leaders waited too long — three days — to trigger a national mobilization to tackle the anti-immigrant violence that broke out in Britain this year, a report found.

Wednesday Briefing NYT » World News Here’s what you need to know.

Congressional Leaders Unveil Short-Term Spending Bill Tied to Disaster Aid NYT » World News What started out as a simple stopgap measure to avert a shutdown for a few months became a magnet for more than $100 billion in emergency disaster and farm aid, plus a host of unrelated policy measures.

China Lengthens Visa-Free Stays for Tourists NYT » World News In its efforts to attract visitors, the country extended stays from less than a week to up to 10 days for visitors between destinations.

Trump Mines Fraught Moment in Canadian Politics NYT » World News The president-elect’s threat to impose major tariffs on Canadian goods and other pointed comments have tapped into a treacherous moment in domestic politics.

Trump Mines Fraught Moment in Canadian Politics NYT » World News The president-elect’s threat to impose major tariffs on Canadian goods and other pointed comments have tapped into a treacherous moment in domestic politics.

Limits on Aid to Syria Threaten to Worsen the Country’s Humanitarian Crisis NYT » World News Major obstacles could stymie Syria’s new leaders as they struggle to find some footing and improve the country’s living conditions.

Video Captures Blast That Killed Russian General Igor Kirillov NYT » World News A video clip that recorded the assassination of Igor Kirillov, a high-ranking general, gives a few clues about the power and the placement of the explosive device.

Monday Briefing: Ukraine says it killed a Russian General NYT » World News Plus, the search for a van Gogh masterpiece.

Ahmed al-Shara Vows to Disband and Integrate Syria’s Armed Factions NYT » World News Ahmed al-Shara said that fighters would be brought under the defense ministry’s authority. The announcement came as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel visited captured Syrian territory.

Gas Exports Pose Some Risks to U.S. Economy and Environment, Study Says NYT » World News The long-awaited study was criticized by the oil and gas industry and could help environmental groups that want to stop new export terminals.

Why Optimism for a Cease-Fire in Gaza Is Rising NYT » World News The pace of peace talks has picked up, pushed by multiple factors, including wars in Lebanon and Syria that have seriously weakened Hamas’s allies, and election victory of Donald J. Trump.

A Grisly Discovery at a Bronze Age Mass Grave: The Victims Were Eaten, Too NYT » World News “It’s taken us all aback,” said a professor who led a study revealing that 37 people in a prehistoric site in England were likely consumed by their attackers.

France Rushes Aid to Mayotte, ‘Devastated’ by Cyclone NYT » World News Hundreds are feared dead after the storm razed entire neighborhoods in Mayotte, a series of islands off the eastern coast of Africa, before unleashing its destructive force on Mozambique.

Who Was Igor Kirillov, the Russian General Killed in a Moscow Bomb Blast? NYT » World News The general had faced sanctions for using chemical weapons in Ukraine.

Netanyahu Travels to Israeli-Controlled Syria, His Office Says NYT » World News The previously unannounced trip highlighted Israel’s military presence across the de facto border with Syria. Israeli forces have seized more Syrian territory since the fall of Bashar al-Assad.