Canadians Brace for Cultural Changes as Marijuana Becomes Legal

Trees Station, an illegal marijuana dispensary in Toronto, has avoided being shut down. It has presented itself as if it were a medical dispensary.CreditCole Burston for The New York Times

For one of Canada’s largest legal cannabis companies, the vote in Parliament this week to legalize recreational marijuana use represents a broad opportunity to develop new products, including marijuana infused drinks.

Trump Will Meet Queen Elizabeth II Next Month, His Ambassador Says

Queen Elizabeth II in London this month. As Britain’s head of state, she meets with foreign leaders frequently at the behest of her ministers.CreditNiklas Halle'N/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

President Trump will meet Queen Elizabeth II during his long-delayed first trip to Britain next month, the United States ambassador to Britain said on Wednesday, an encounter that could reignite furor among British critics who oppose his deeply divisive policies and his polarizing personality.

As Kim Ends Beijing Visit, China and North Korea Craft New Messages

Images of the meeting between Kim Jong-un, the North Korean leader, and President Xi Jinping of China were displayed on outdoor screens in Beijing on Tuesday. CreditAndy Wong/Associated Press

Propaganda departments in China and North Korea were in full swing on Wednesday as Kim Jong-un, the North Korean leader, concluded a two-day tour of China that painted the once-reclusive autocrat as a forward-looking leader.

Hungary Criminalizes Aiding Illegal Immigrants

Asylum seekers crossing the border between Hungary and Serbia in 2015. Few migrants have tried to enter Hungary in the years since, but Prime Minister Viktor Orban continues to present migration as a threat to the fabric of society.CreditSergey Ponomarev for The New York Times

The Hungarian Parliament approved a package of laws on Wednesday that criminalizes the act of helping undocumented migrants and creates a parallel court system that some fear will be used for politically sensitive cases, accelerating efforts by Prime Minister Viktor Orban to transform the country into what he calls an “illiberal democracy.”

Kim Jong-un Returns to China, This Time With Leverage

President Xi Jinping of China welcomed North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Tuesday. Analysts said the trade conflict between China and North Korea put Mr. Kim in an enviable position.CreditKorean Central News Agency, via Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, arrived in Beijing on Tuesday amid an escalating trade conflict between China and the United States, one that gives him an opening to play the powers against each other as Washington presses him to dismantle his nuclear arsenal.

Vote in Canada Paves the Way for Legalization of Marijuana

Canadians celebrated National Marijuana Day in Ottawa in April 2016. On Tuesday, Canada’s Senate voted to legalize marijuana for recreational use, though Canadians will not be able to buy it legally for a few more months.CreditChris Roussakis/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Canada’s Senate passed legislation on Tuesday that will make Canada the first country with a major economy to legalize recreational marijuana use.

Facing Defeat on Brexit, May Gives Ground to U.K.’s Parliament

Anti-Brexit demonstrators outside Parliament in London.CreditDaniel Leal-Olivas/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Britain’s prime minister, Theresa May, on Tuesday promised greater control for Parliament over withdrawal from the European Union, after a threatened rebellion by lawmakers forced her into a new and potentially significant retreat in the country’s troubled exit from the bloc.

Macedonia Agrees to Change its Name to Resolve Dispute With Greece

Demonstrators in Pella, Greece, protesting the use of the name “Macedonia” in any solution to a dispute between Athens and Skopje over the former Yugoslav republic’s name.CreditAlexandros Avramidis/Reuters

Macedonia agreed to change its name to resolve a decades-old dispute with Greece, the two countries said on Tuesday, and Greece said it would drop its objection to the neighboring country’s entry into the European Union and NATO if the changes are formally adopted.

Trump Concession Over Military Drills Blindsides Many South Koreans

South Koreans at a train station in Seoul watching television coverage of the Singapore summit meeting between President Trump and North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un.CreditAhn Young-Joon/Associated Press

For South Koreans who have long felt threatened by nuclear war, seeing President Trump and North Korea’s leader shake hands and sign an agreement on improving ties brought relief, if not closure, to the decades-old standoff.

Pentagon and Seoul Surprised by Trump Pledge to Halt Military Exercises

South Korean troops and American Marines take part in a joint military drill in Pohang, South Korea, in 2016.CreditJung Yeon-Je/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

President Trump’s pledge on Tuesday to cancel military exercises on the Korean Peninsula surprised not only allies in South Korea but also the Pentagon.