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
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
President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia on Thursday did not rule out a U.S. and Ukrainian proposal for a monthlong cease-fire, but he set down numerous conditions that would most likely delay any truce — or could make one impossible to achieve. Mr. Putin’s comments during a news conference highlighted the balance he was trying … Read more
Chained, detained for weeks and eventually deported, two German tourists trying to enter the United States were recently tangled in a system responding to President Trump’s push to sharply restrict entry and deport people en masse. The cases of Jessica Brösche, held for 46 days, and Lucas Sielaff, held for 16, and accounts of their … Read more
