Good morning. We're covering a rift between Israel and its allies and reactions in Ukraine to Trump's peace efforts. Plus, the International Booker Prize.
Major allies sent Israel a sharp warningBritain said yesterday that it was suspending trade talks with Israel over its plan to escalate the war in Gaza and its blockade of humanitarian aid to Palestinians already at risk of famine. On Monday, Britain, France and Canada demanded that Israel stop this "wholly disproportionate" escalation. Their appeal amounted to the sharpest condemnation yet from some of Israel's most powerful supporters since the war began 19 months ago. The message made clear that Israel's conduct of the war, the high death toll and the abysmal humanitarian conditions were pushing the allies to the limits of what they would tolerate. "If Israel does not cease the renewed military offensive and lift its restrictions on humanitarian aid, we will take further concrete actions in response," Britain, France and Canada warned in a joint statement. Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, responded by saying that the three countries had handed Hamas "a huge prize," and accused them of encouraging a repeat of the Oct. 7 attacks that started the war. Waning U.S. support? The U.S., Israel's most powerful patron, has not publicly criticized the renewed Israeli offensive. But President Trump has increasingly bypassed Netanyahu, and he skipped Israel on his trip to the Middle East last week. Warning about aid: A senior U.N. humanitarian official, Tom Fletcher, told the BBC yesterday that 14,000 babies in Gaza could die in the next 48 hours unless truckloads of aid could enter.
Ukrainians are bracing for a longer warAfter a two-hour phone call with President Vladimir Putin, Trump appears to be stepping back from trying to end the war in Ukraine. For many Ukrainians, that means the devastating war will rage on with no end in sight. The call on Monday capped a chaotic effort that few in Ukraine believed had any chance as long as the Trump administration refused to apply pressure on Moscow. "America and Russia are playing a dirty and bloody game," Liliia Zambrovska, a pharmacist in Dnipro, said. But, she added, Ukraine would fight on "because our future belongs to us alone." Analysis: Putin has held firm against pressure to agree to an immediate cease-fire. But that diplomatic victory could undermine, or at the very least delay, his broader goal of normalizing relations with the U.S. Trump has said that renewed economic ties with Russia would come after peace in Ukraine, not before. Sanctions: The E.U. yesterday agreed to ramp up economic pressure on Moscow by targeting its "shadow fleet" of oil tankers that Russia uses to covertly transport and sell its oil. European officials said more such measures were on the way.
China's military got a boost from the Pakistan-India fightPakistan said it shot down multiple Indian fighter jets during the four-day conflict with India this month, a claim that resonated as far away as Beijing and Taiwan. The jets that Pakistan used were Chinese-made. Beijing has not confirmed Pakistan's claim, and India hasn't confirmed losing any jets. But in China, state media and commentators praised the performance of the new aircraft.
Business and Trade
What do teenagers know? It turns out, plenty. My colleagues at The Learning Network invited young people from around the world to explain a task to our readers. In this essay, Preyahathai Aroonvanichporn, a 16-year-old from Thailand, explains how to bargain like a local in Bangkok's street markets. Lives lived: Vlastimil Hort, a Czech chess grandmaster remembered for one of the game's greatest acts of sportsmanship, died at 81.
A story collection won the International Booker Prize"Heart Lamp," a collection of stories about the daily struggles of Indian Muslim women with bothersome husbands, mothers and religious leaders, won the International Booker Prize, the major award for fiction translated into English. Written by Banu Mushtaq and translated into English from the original Kannada by Deepa Bhasthi, "Heart Lamp" is the first story collection to win the award. Max Porter, the chair of the judging panel, praised Bhasthi for filling the translation with Indian phrases and ways of speaking that gave the stories "an extraordinary vibrancy." My colleague Alex Marshall, who covers European culture, said that "it was a surprise to see a short story collection" win. "It's rare enough for publishers to want to issue a short story collection, let alone for judges to want to anoint one the year's best book."
Bake: This is not your average chocolate chip cookie. Read: "Bear Witness" tells the story of two men who went from idealists to pragmatists. Watch: John Mulaney's "Everybody's Live" is the most ambitious, most anything-goes talk show in many years, our critic writes. Moderate: Here's how avoid the unpleasant effects of drinking. Play: Spelling Bee, the Mini Crossword, Wordle and Sudoku. Find all our games here. That's it for today. See you next time. — Justin We welcome your feedback. Send us your suggestions at briefing@nytimes.com.
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