Pocket Reader - News in English

Aid agencies rush supplies into Gaza as fragile cease-fire holds for now. NYT » World News The United Nations and other relief organizations delivered tents and other help into the enclave as the truce continued despite a standoff between Israel and Hamas.

Singing to Trees to Make Good Cider: An Ancient English Ritual Is Back NYT » World News The centuries-old tradition of wassailing is making a comeback in rural England, with rituals and revelry meant to chase away evil spirits and the winter blues.

Between Russia and Elon Musk, German Voters Face a ‘Dual Front’ of Disinformation NYT » World News In the first major European vote since President Trump’s re-election, influence campaigns are targeting Germany from two sides.

Trump Says Saudi Arabia May Host Talks With Putin on Ukraine NYT » World News The kingdom has increasingly emerged as a mediator in the Russia-Ukraine war, leveraging ties with both sides as well as with President Trump.

Putin’s Call With Trump Delivers a Victory for Russian Leader NYT » World News Vladimir Putin’s call with President Trump reinforced the Russian leader’s view that Moscow and Washington should decide the fate of Ukraine — and other weighty matters.

Tropical Cyclone Zelia Heads Toward Australia’s Pilbara NYT » World News The storm is expected to make landfall late Friday, with wind gusts of up to 180 miles per hour. A port crucial to the global economy has shut down.

Taiwan Prepares for Trump’s Tariffs, and a Changed Washington NYT » World News Taiwanese officials, facing a more transactional U.S. relationship, have traveled to Washington to float energy deals and defend the island’s semiconductors.

Thursday Briefing NYT » World News President Trump’s call with Vladimir Putin.

State Dept. Draws Up List of Cartels to Be Labeled Terrorist Groups NYT » World News The move against a half-dozen organizations followed an executive order from President Trump that said the United States would ensure their “total elimination.”

USAID Lifesaving Aid Remains Halted Despite Rubio’s Promise NYT » World News A new directive puts further exemptions on hold. Aid workers also say the U.S. government has made it impossible to pay partners around the world.

Czech Dam Project Was Stalled by Bureaucracy. Beavers Built Their Own. NYT » World News The dam project, drafted in 2018 and based on a former military training site south of Prague, had been delayed by land negotiations. Local beavers built several dams, saving the government more than one million euros.

Thursday Briefing: Trump and Putin Discuss an End to Ukraine War NYT » World News Plus, Thailand braces for the “White Lotus” effect.

Australian Health Workers Suspended After Threatening Israeli Patients NYT » World News Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of Australia denounced the comments, caught on video amid a spate of antisemitic incidents, as “sickening and shameful.”

California’s Scary Product Warning Labels Might Be Working, Study Says NYT » World News Products must state if they contain chemicals tied to cancer or other risks. As a result, manufacturers have pulled back from using the chemicals, researchers found.

Belarus Frees an American and 2 Others as It Tries to Thaw Relations NYT » World News Aleksandr G. Lukashenko, Belarus’s autocratic president and Russia’s closest ally, has taken steps to soften his country’s isolation from the West.

‘Ultrahigh Energy’ Neutrino Found With a Telescope Under the Sea NYT » World News It’s the most energetic particle of its kind ever discovered, and scientists have no idea where it came from.

Trump Says Call With Putin Is Beginning of Ukraine Peace Negotiations NYT » World News Among the topics the leaders discussed in their first confirmed conversation of President Trump’s second term was ending the war in Ukraine, he said.

U.N. Calls Bangladesh Protest Crackdown a Possible Crime Against Humanity NYT » World News As many as 1,400 people were killed in former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s violent response to a student-led revolt, according to a U.N. inquiry.

Austrian Coalition Talks Collapse, Averting, for Now, a Far-Right Chancellor NYT » World News The plan by the far-right Freedom Party to run Austria was halted by a disagreement over who would lead the all-important Interior Ministry.

Hegseth Says Return to Ukraine’s Prewar Borders Is ‘Unrealistic’ NYT » World News In his first trip abroad, the new U.S. defense secretary told Ukrainian and NATO officials that a durable peace could only come ‘with a realistic assessment of the battlefield.’