The New York Times: Μια απόφαση του Τζάστιν Τριντό να παραιτηθεί από την πρωθυπουργία του Καναδά – Τα τελευταία από τον πόλεμο στην Ουκρανία – Μπορούν τα σκυλιά να «μιλήσουν;» – Ο Τριντό θα παραιτηθεί από πρωθυπουργός – Οι ΗΠΑ χαλάρωσαν ορισμένους περιορισμούς στη βοήθεια προς τη Συρία – Η Ρωσία κατέλαβε μια πόλη-κλειδί στην Ουκρανία – Αϊτή: Περίπου 150 ξένοι αξιωματικοί έχουν φτάσει στη χώρα, καθώς στοχεύει να αντιμετωπίσει τις καλά οπλισμένες συμμορίες που έχουν σκοτώσει εκατοντάδες ανθρώπους – Πατώντας τα κουμπιά τους

Justin Trudeau announcing his resignation. Cole Burston for The New York Times

Trudeau will resign as prime minister

Justin Trudeau, who has served as Canada’s prime minister for almost a decade, said that he would step down in the coming months, bowing to an angry electorate at a time of uncertain economic prospects and political infighting. He has suspended Parliament until March 24, he said.

The announcement has left Canada in political flux just as the incoming Trump administration has vowed to impose punishing tariffs on Canadian imports. Trudeau’s replacement will be chosen through a nationwide Liberal Party election.

He is the latest leader in the West to be swept aside by a mood of anti-incumbency, a backlash against immigration and anger at the lingering effects of a spike in inflation during the coronavirus pandemic. Although inflation in Canada has receded to below 2 percent, unemployment remains high, at above 6 percent.

Quotable: “It’s time for a reset,” Trudeau said, adding: “I truly feel that removing the contention around my own continued leadership is an opportunity to bring the temperature down.”

By the numbers: According to a poll released last month by Ipsos, 73 percent of Canadians — including 43 percent of Liberal voters — believed he should step down as party leader.

A destroyed neighborhood in Damascus, Syria, last month.  David Guttenfelder/The New York Times

The U.S. has eased some restrictions on aid to Syria

Weeks after rebel forces toppled the Assad family’s 50-year authoritarian grip on the country, the Biden administration lifted some restrictions on humanitarian aid to Syria but kept sweeping sanctions in place.

The Treasury Department’s decision, which lasts six months, allows humanitarian groups to operate more freely without running afoul of U.S. sanctions, including by helping to provide basic services such as electricity, energy, water and sanitation.

Sanctions remain one of the most pressing concerns for Syria’s new administration, as it tries to chart a path forward, and Ahmed al-Shara, the leader of the rebel coalition that overthrew the government, has called on the U.S. to begin easing restrictions.

Background: During Syria’s civil war, the U.S. and its allies routinely looked to apply economic pressure on the now-ousted President Bashar al-Assad, his inner circle and the country’s economy writ large. Washington is now taking cautious steps to navigate its approach to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the main rebel faction that took down the government in Damascus.

From the region:

A Ukrainian armored vehicle in Kurakhove in September. Nicole Tung for The New York Times

Russia seized a key town in Ukraine

Russia said yesterday that it had seized control of Kurakhove, a town in the southern Donbas region of Ukraine, closing in on its forces there.

Ukrainian forces made their own advance with a renewed push into the Kursk region of southern Russia. Combat footage, located by military analysts, indicated that Ukraine was trying to break through Russian defenses in at least three directions — its first significant attempt to advance in the region since Ukraine’s initial incursion in August.

The stakes: Taking Kurakhove and the surrounding towns could allow Russia to broaden its assault on the city of Pokrovsk, a focal point of the war in recent months, military analysts said. Russia is trying to encircle the city, hoping to avoid brutal and prolonged urban combat.

Analysis: The dueling offensives underscored how both the Kremlin and Kyiv are seeking to demonstrate strength, as Donald Trump prepares to take office, experts said. Trump has vowed to bring the war to a quick end but has not said how.

Adriana Zehbrauskas for The New York Times

Elise Blanchard for The New York Times

The Taliban is desperate for a cash injection after losing billions in international aid. Now, they’re looking underground to an estimated $1 trillion of mineral deposits and gemstones beneath Afghanistan’s rugged landscape.

But it remains to be seen whether the Taliban can do what the U.S. couldn’t: control the country’s deeply chaotic industry enough to profit from it.

Maurizio Cattelan and Pierpaolo Ferrari for The New York Times

Pushing their buttons

Many creators online have trained their pets to communicate by stepping on multicolored plastic buttons on the floor, expressing concepts like FOOD, MORE and even I DOG. For some commenters, the posts incite fervent ridicule; others are amazed and even inspired.

But what do scientists think? “Ostensibly, the interest in having dogs is that they’re another species. There’s something unknown about them, and that’s wonderful,” said Alexandra Horowitz, the head of a dog-cognition lab at Barnard College. “Why do we lean into forcing them to wear clothes and speak our language?”

Read more about efforts to teach pets to speak.

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Linda Xiao for The New York Times

Cook: This Japanese cabbage dish is addictive. (It’s in the name.)