business

Canada Gets a New Leader Amid Trump’s Trade War

With a trade war brewing, President Trump gave the Mexican president a sign of grudging respect: “You’re tough,” he told her in a phone call last month, according to four people with knowledge of the exchange. By their most recent conversation, the two leaders were trading compliments and carving out a reprieve from some tariffs … Read more

When Pope Francis first appeared to the world on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, he humbly requested that the faithful “pray for me.” Those simple words became the punctuation marks of his pontificate, as he ended practically all his speeches, greetings, weekly benedictions and casual conversations with the appeal. Now, 12 years since his … Read more

It was not even three months ago when it seemed like Canadians couldn’t wait for an end to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s nearly decade-long stint as their leader. On Jan. 6, he announced his intention to step down with polls showing most Canadians deeply unhappy with the state of their country. But as Mr. Trudeau, … Read more

Ingrid Daubechies, a mathematician at Duke University, is an expert on many matters, not least the baking of cookies in the shape of pi, the mathematical constant that equals the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter, or roughly 3.14159. A sugar cookie recipe works fine, Dr. Daubechies says. But she prefers a savory … Read more

In times of tumult and uncertainty, a society can come together over resounding, unequivocal disdain against a common villain. This week, Australia, which is gearing up for a divisive election, found that antagonist in an American social media influencer. The woman — known as “Sam Jones” from Montana on Instagram — snatched a baby wombat … Read more

Friday Briefing

In times of tumult and uncertainty, a society can come together over resounding, unequivocal disdain against a common villain. This week, Australia, which is gearing up for a divisive election, found that antagonist in an American social media influencer. The woman — known as “Sam Jones” from Montana on Instagram — snatched a baby wombat … Read more

Makoto Watanabe has never forgotten the day when his previous employer, one of Japan’s biggest newspapers, retreated from its biggest investigative scoop about the Fukushima nuclear disaster: that workers had fled the plant against orders from the plant’s manager. It was 11 years ago, and the Asahi Shimbun had come under fire from other media … Read more

President Trump said Thursday he saw “good signals” toward finalizing a 30-day cease-fire agreement between Russia and Ukraine, as U.S. officials visiting Moscow were expected to meet with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia. The remarks, delivered in the Oval Office while meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, came as Mr. Putin made clear … Read more