Christmas tree sales are booming as pandemic-weary Americans seek solace.


A Polarizing Documentary Spurs Debate Over a Violent Time in Quebec

Fifty years after separatist violence prompted the government to send soldiers to Montreal, Quebec is grappling with how to remember the 1970 “October crisis.”


Jupiter and Saturn Head for Closest Visible Alignment in 800 Years

On Dec. 21, Jupiter and Saturn will appear to be no more than a dime’s width apart in the night sky. The last time that could be seen was in 1226.


Suhaila Siddiq, Afghanistan’s First Female General, Is Dead

Also a renowned surgeon, she rose through the ranks of the Afghan Army and practiced medicine during the Soviet invasion and the Afghan civil war and under the Taliban’s rule.


Fred Sasakamoose, One of the First Indigenous N.H.L. Players, Dies at 86

He played only 11 games in hockey’s top league, but he inspired generations of athletes from Canada’s First Nations. He died after suffering complications of the coronavirus.


Report Points to Microwave ‘Attack’ as Likely Source of Mystery Illnesses That Hit Diplomats and Spies

A government-commissioned report provides the most definitive explanation yet for “Havana syndrome,” which struck scores of American employees, first in Cuba and then in China, Russia and other countries.


Mystery Couple Found in a Roll of Film From Nearly 70 Years Ago

Internet sleuths have been captivated by the photos, which were recently developed and document a couple’s trip to the Swiss-Italian border with a dachshund.


Vaccines End the Pandemic’s Political Harmony

Erin O’Toole, the Conservative leader, is using the government’s vaccine plans to begin his first big political attack on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.


German Phallus Statue Vanishes From Mountain, Then Reappears (Sort of)

The authorities are stumped by what happened to the wooden phallus, a popular Instagram stop for hikers. Along with all the monoliths, it has been quite a month for mysterious public art.


Frank Carney, Co-Founder of Pizza Hut, Dies at 82

When he was 19, Mr. Carney and his brother Dan borrowed $600 from their mother to start their business in Wichita, Kan. Before long it became the world’s largest pizza chain.