Pocket Reader - News in English

Avdiivka: The Death Throes of a Ukrainian City NYT » World News Toward the end of Russia’s long assault, hundreds of civilians still remained in Avdiivka. Those who escaped in the last weeks spoke of relentless devastation.

Sydney Asbestos Problem Grows as Taylor Swift Venue Tests Negative NYT » World News Officials have found the toxic mineral at 34 sites, including schools and parks. The grounds outside a Taylor Swift concert venue tested negative.

Against a Canvas of Despair, Gaza’s Artists Trace Their Struggle NYT » World News An exhibition in the Israeli-occupied West Bank features works evoking Palestinian life and protest. But the show is as much about the art that cannot be displayed, lost forever in the war.

Thaksin Shinawatra, Former Thai Prime Minister, Freed on Parole NYT » World News Thaksin Shinawatra, a divisive and compelling figure even in his years of exile, was once hailed as a champion of the common people. His recent moves have disillusioned followers.

Netanyahu Says He Won’t Bow to Pressure to Call Off Rafah Invasion NYT » World News The Israeli leader has come under international pressure to drop a threatened incursion into the city where more than a million Palestinians are gathered, seeking refuge from the war.

Tel Aviv Protesters Show Anger Toward Netanyahu and Israel’s Government NYT » World News The demonstrations took a pause after the Oct. 7 attacks, but the anger at the Israeli leadership never went away.

Navalny’s Health Was Imperiled by Prison Conditions NYT » World News Although Aleksei A. Navalny’s cause of death is not known, his staff often worried that brutal conditions imposed on him in ever crueler prisons might lead to his death.

Hundreds of Navalny Mourners Detained Across Russia NYT » World News At least 400 people have been detained across Russia since Aleksei Navalny’s death, a rights group reported. Those who came to lay flowers found solace in the company of others.

Maps: Where Ukraine Is Fighting to Hold Back Russian Onslaught NYT » World News Outmanned and outgunned, Ukrainian ground forces are in perhaps their most precarious position since the opening months of the war.

Fall of Avdiivka: What to Know After Russia Captures Ukrainian Stronghold NYT » World News Russia’s capture of a city that had been a stronghold of Ukrainian defenses in the Donetsk region is a strategic and symbolic blow.

‘Dictators Do Not Go on Vacation,’ Zelensky Warns Washington and Europe NYT » World News President Volodymyr Zelensky pushed back against skepticism of a Ukraine victory, calling on world leaders not to ask when the war would end, but why Russia was still able to wage it.

The Fall of Avdiivka: What to Know NYT » World News Russia’s capture of a city that had been a stronghold of Ukrainian defenses in the Donetsk region is a strategic and symbolic blow.

Indian Burglars Return Filmmaker’s Medal NYT » World News Thieves in southern India kept the cash, the gold and most of the silver, but returned to the scene of the crime with one item, and an apology note.

Aleksei Navalny’s Allies Confirm His Death NYT » World News A spokeswoman for the team that has continued Mr. Navalny’s work said his mother had received the official notification.

How to Rest NYT » World News It’s a long weekend. How will you balance the urge to accomplish with the urge to go climb back into bed?

Residents Oppose Expanding Drug Use Sites to Suburban Vancouver NYT » World News Council chambers in Richmond, one of British Columbia’s largest cities, turned raucous this week amid debate over a possible safe consumption site.

With Prison Certain and Death Likely, Why Did Navalny Return? NYT » World News An activist who thrived on agitation, he feared irrelevancy in exile. Winning new respect as he continued to lambast the Kremlin from behind bars cost him his life.

Newly Vulnerable, Israelis Remain Traumatized and Mistrustful NYT » World News Despite U.S. pressure, the idea of a Palestinian state seems farther away than ever, as Israel’s Jews move rightward and its Palestinians fear a backlash.

As a Son Risks His Life to Topple the King, His Father Guards the Throne NYT » World News A student’s vow to overthrow one of Africa’s last ruling monarchs faces a roadblock: his own father, a soldier sworn to protect the throne.

Avdiivka, Longtime Ukraine Stronghold Ukraine, Falls to Russia NYT » World News With Ukraine’s forces at risk of encirclement, the top military commander ordered a retreat. In startlingly candid accounts, soldiers described disarray and despair.