World News

Monday Briefing

The thousands of people who work for the U.S. government’s main agency for humanitarian aid and disaster relief have been on the front lines of efforts to fight famine, contain virulent infectious diseases like H.I.V. and Ebola, and rebuild infrastructure in impoverished and war-torn countries. On Friday evening, just hours before the vast majority of … Read more

Hamas released three Israeli hostages on Saturday in exchange for 183 Palestinians jailed by Israel, in a staged handover where rifle-toting Hamas fighters prodded their gaunt captives to give short speeches, effectively at gunpoint, thanking the militants who had held them captive for 16 months. The events made an already tenuous cease-fire more fragile, possibly … Read more

The State Department has given Congress formal notification that it plans to move forward with sales of more than $8 billion in weapons to Israel, bypassing an informal review process that was underway in a House committee. The move took place just days after President Trump met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel and … Read more

Three Israeli Hostages Are Released for 183 Palestinian Prisoners

A large, 7.6-magnitude earthquake struck the Caribbean on Saturday evening, prompting a tsunami warning across much of the region, including Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Honduras and Cuba. The warning was later lifted. The quake struck about 130 miles south-southwest of George Town, Cayman Islands, at 6:23 p.m. local time, according to the U.S. Geological … Read more

For decades, some members of the white Afrikaner minority have been trying to convince anyone and everyone who would listen that they are the true victims in post-apartheid South Africa. They have made claims of mass killings of their people and widespread land grabs by a Black-led government that they insist is seeking retribution for … Read more

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine is an independent, 162-year-old nongovernmental agency tasked with investigating and reporting on a wide range of subjects. In recent years, diversity, equity and inclusion — collectively known as D.E.I. — have been central to its agenda. But the Academies’ priorities changed abruptly on Jan. 31. Shortly after … Read more

Federal courts might be the last guard against Trump More than 40 lawsuits have been filed in recent days by state attorneys general, unions and nonprofits seeking to erect a barrier against President Trump’s blitzkrieg of executive orders. Vice President JD Vance yesterday accused any judges who might block the president’s orders of acting illegally. … Read more

To many Chinese, DeepSeek’s success is a victory for China’s education system, proof that it equals that of the United States or has even surpassed it. The core team of developers and scientists behind DeepSeek, the Chinese start-up that has jolted the A.I. world, all attended university in China, according to the company’s founder. That’s … Read more