Netflix Inc. soared during the pandemic as people flocked to the video-streaming giant to occupy themselves at home amid widespread public-health restrictions. But now that much of the world has reopened, Netflix has staged a reversal of fortune.The company forecasted a loss of two million subscribers Tuesday in the second quarter this year, on top of a loss of 200,000 subscribers in the first quarter – its first drop in 10 years. Shares in Netflix plunged 35 per cent on the news Wednesday, erasing about US$54-billion in market value.It’s a sharp contrast from the past two years, when tens...…Netflix Inc. soared during the pandemic as people flocked to the video-streaming giant to occupy themselves at home amid widespread public-health restrictions. But now that much of the world has reopened, Netflix has staged a reversal of fortune.The company forecasted a loss of two million subscribers Tuesday in the second quarter this year, on top of a loss of 200,000 subscribers in the first quarter – its first drop in 10 years. Shares in Netflix plunged 35 per cent on the news Wednesday, erasing about US$54-billion in market value.It’s a sharp contrast from the past two years, when tens...WW…

Sylvain Charlebois is a professor of food distribution and policy, and director of the Agri-Food Analytics Lab, at Dalhousie UniversityTim Hortons is finishing what is likely one of the strangest years in its history. Most of the iconic chain’s decisions have left Canadians scratching their heads. Many of its choices in recent months have been simply inexplicable.Take the Beyond Meat burger and breakfast sandwich: Tim Hortons took the well-promoted plant-based burger off its menu in September, 2019, only two months after introducing it at most of its 4,300 locations across the country. The...…Sylvain Charlebois is a professor of food distribution and policy, and director of the Agri-Food Analytics Lab, at Dalhousie UniversityTim Hortons is finishing what is likely one of the strangest years in its history. Most of the iconic chain’s decisions have left Canadians scratching their heads. Many of its choices in recent months have been simply inexplicable.Take the Beyond Meat burger and breakfast sandwich: Tim Hortons took the well-promoted plant-based burger off its menu in September, 2019, only two months after introducing it at most of its 4,300 locations across the country. The...WW…

Since the 2016 shocker, there’s always been a tendency to give Donald Trump the benefit of the doubt when talking about his re-election chances.When all his negatives are raised, knees invariably start jerking. “Ah, but look what happened last time,” comes the response. He was counted out and still won. When it’s noted that he’s been trailing in the polls virtually every day in the past 3½ years, there’s the same reply: Look what happened last time.But it’s finally time to forget what happened then. Chances of it happening again this time are going up in smoke. Mr. Trump is running with a...…Since the 2016 shocker, there’s always been a tendency to give Donald Trump the benefit of the doubt when talking about his re-election chances.When all his negatives are raised, knees invariably start jerking. “Ah, but look what happened last time,” comes the response. He was counted out and still won. When it’s noted that he’s been trailing in the polls virtually every day in the past 3½ years, there’s the same reply: Look what happened last time.But it’s finally time to forget what happened then. Chances of it happening again this time are going up in smoke. Mr. Trump is running with a...WW…

Tanzania, tanzaniaThe Associated PressImages are unavailable offline.The U.S.-China dispute has been escalating over the pandemic, which has circled the globe causing over 300,000 deaths.DAN KITWOOD/AFP/Getty ImagesChina is going after the United States over more than $1 billion that the Trump administration owes the United Nations in unpaid dues for its regular operating budget and arrears for the separate budget for the U.N.’s far-flung peacekeeping operations.The unusual singling out of the U.S. non-payment by China’s U.N. mission comes as President Donald Trump continues to accuse...…Tanzania, tanzaniaThe Associated PressImages are unavailable offline.The U.S.-China dispute has been escalating over the pandemic, which has circled the globe causing over 300,000 deaths.DAN KITWOOD/AFP/Getty ImagesChina is going after the United States over more than $1 billion that the Trump administration owes the United Nations in unpaid dues for its regular operating budget and arrears for the separate budget for the U.N.’s far-flung peacekeeping operations.The unusual singling out of the U.S. non-payment by China’s U.N. mission comes as President Donald Trump continues to accuse...WW…

An aging 12-storey office building in Edmonton sat vacant after its tenants moved to a more modern building. The initial choices for landlord Strategic Group in a market with a glut of office space were to renovate in hopes of attracting enough office tenants to cover the operating costs or tear the building down and start fresh. But there was a third option: convert the building in a desirable location to a fully rented residential building.It’s a reuse many owners of smaller, older buildings are contemplating across Canada in an office market destined to change in a post-COVID-19 economy,...…An aging 12-storey office building in Edmonton sat vacant after its tenants moved to a more modern building. The initial choices for landlord Strategic Group in a market with a glut of office space were to renovate in hopes of attracting enough office tenants to cover the operating costs or tear the building down and start fresh. But there was a third option: convert the building in a desirable location to a fully rented residential building.It’s a reuse many owners of smaller, older buildings are contemplating across Canada in an office market destined to change in a post-COVID-19 economy,...WW…

Future of Cities Are you ready for what will change our cities next? Explore these questions and more in The Globe’s new editorial series, “The Future of Cities,” a collection of articles and essays to help you understand the road ahead for our cities, and whether you see city dwelling in your future THE RSC TASK FORCE ON COVID-19 Science. Independence. Expertise. The Royal Society of Canada's community of experts is providing informed perspectives, peer-reviewed reports, and essays to equip Canadians with accurate information about our response and recovery. RSC POLICY BRIEFING ON...…Future of Cities Are you ready for what will change our cities next? Explore these questions and more in The Globe’s new editorial series, “The Future of Cities,” a collection of articles and essays to help you understand the road ahead for our cities, and whether you see city dwelling in your future THE RSC TASK FORCE ON COVID-19 Science. Independence. Expertise. The Royal Society of Canada's community of experts is providing informed perspectives, peer-reviewed reports, and essays to equip Canadians with accurate information about our response and recovery. RSC POLICY BRIEFING ON...WW…

WashingtonNearly 2½ years ago, Michael Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI, the first former Trump administration member convicted in Robert Mueller’s investigation of Russian meddling in U.S. politics.Now, in a sudden about-face, the Justice Department has dropped the charge, arguing that the ex-national security adviser’s statements to the FBI did not matter because they were inconsequential to the investigation and he had done nothing wrong.In between these two moments was a legal battle by Mr. Flynn to change his plea and a push by President Donald Trump to have him exonerated.To...…WashingtonNearly 2½ years ago, Michael Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI, the first former Trump administration member convicted in Robert Mueller’s investigation of Russian meddling in U.S. politics.Now, in a sudden about-face, the Justice Department has dropped the charge, arguing that the ex-national security adviser’s statements to the FBI did not matter because they were inconsequential to the investigation and he had done nothing wrong.In between these two moments was a legal battle by Mr. Flynn to change his plea and a push by President Donald Trump to have him exonerated.To...WW…

Democrats in Congress on Saturday launched an investigation into President Donald Trump’s move to oust the State Department’s internal watchdog, accusing the president of escalating his fight against any oversight of his administration.Late on Friday, Trump announced the firing of Inspector General Steve Linick, who was appointed to the role in 2013 under the Obama administration.Trump said in a letter to U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that he no longer had confidence in Linick’s ability to serve, though Trump did not give the reason for his loss of confidence.Pelosi described Linick’s...…Democrats in Congress on Saturday launched an investigation into President Donald Trump’s move to oust the State Department’s internal watchdog, accusing the president of escalating his fight against any oversight of his administration.Late on Friday, Trump announced the firing of Inspector General Steve Linick, who was appointed to the role in 2013 under the Obama administration.Trump said in a letter to U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that he no longer had confidence in Linick’s ability to serve, though Trump did not give the reason for his loss of confidence.Pelosi described Linick’s...WW…

LondonThe series of events that led to Tuesday’s catastrophic explosion in Beirut appears to have begun in late 2013, when technical problems forced a cargo ship to make an unscheduled stop in the city’s port.Lebanon’s port authorities were shocked when they boarded the vessel to inspect it. Not only was the merchant vessel Rhosus, flying a Moldovan flag, unfit to continue on its journey – it was carrying an astonishing 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate in its hold.That ammonium nitrate – which was eventually taken off the ship and stored in a warehouse at the port – is believed to have been...…LondonThe series of events that led to Tuesday’s catastrophic explosion in Beirut appears to have begun in late 2013, when technical problems forced a cargo ship to make an unscheduled stop in the city’s port.Lebanon’s port authorities were shocked when they boarded the vessel to inspect it. Not only was the merchant vessel Rhosus, flying a Moldovan flag, unfit to continue on its journey – it was carrying an astonishing 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate in its hold.That ammonium nitrate – which was eventually taken off the ship and stored in a warehouse at the port – is believed to have been...WW…

Former Liberal justice minister Irwin Cotler, a leading international champion of human rights, is blaming the Chinese government for the scale and spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, saying he believes transmission of the novel coronavirus could have been dramatically reduced if China had acted earlier.He also says the world would have been far more prepared to handle the outbreak if Chinese Communist Party officials had acted sooner, alleging government authorities covered up and hid early news of the outbreak.Mr. Cotler is urging Canada to impose Magnitsky-style sanctions on Chinese...…Former Liberal justice minister Irwin Cotler, a leading international champion of human rights, is blaming the Chinese government for the scale and spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, saying he believes transmission of the novel coronavirus could have been dramatically reduced if China had acted earlier.He also says the world would have been far more prepared to handle the outbreak if Chinese Communist Party officials had acted sooner, alleging government authorities covered up and hid early news of the outbreak.Mr. Cotler is urging Canada to impose Magnitsky-style sanctions on Chinese...WW…