Luxury Car Sales in the Middle East Take a Hit Amid Iran War 
Microsoft Eyes $7B Texas Energy Deal to Power AI Data Centers 
Nike Beats Q3 Estimates but China Weakness and Margin Pressure Weigh on Outlook 
What’s the difference between baking powder and baking soda? It’s subtle, but significant 
The ghost of Robodebt – Federal Court rules billions of dollars in welfare debts must be recalculated 
How to support someone who is grieving: five research-backed strategies 
Can your cat recognise you by scent? New study shows it’s likely 
RBC Capital: European Medtech Firms Show Minimal Middle East and Energy Risk Exposure 
RBI Clamps Down on Rupee NDF Activity, Banks Face Steeper Losses 
MATCH Act Targets ASML and Chinese Chipmakers in New U.S. Export Crackdown 
TSMC Japan's Second Fab to Produce 3nm Chips by 2028 
Europe's Aviation Sector on Track to Meet 2025 Green Fuel Mandate 
Trump's FY2027 Budget: Major Defense Boost and Domestic Spending Cuts 
U.S. Futures Drop as Trump Issues Iran Military Deadline, Oil Prices Jump 
Cathay Pacific Holds Firm on Flight Capacity Amid Middle East Conflict and Rising Fuel Costs 
Trump Administration Plans 100% Tariffs on Pharmaceutical Imports 
The COVID-19 Omicron variant is upending holiday plans for tens of thousands of American travelers with US airlines canceling over 700 more flights Sunday, but holiday sales rose at the fastest pace in 17 years, according to one spending measure.
Flight-tracking website FlightAware noted that Sunday’s cancelation was down from nearly 1,000 on Saturday.
So far, over 50 flights for Monday were already canceled.
According to US airlines Delta, United, and JetBlue, the Omicron variant caused staffing shortages that forced cancellations.
On Sunday, JetBlue canceled 10 percent of its flights, while Delta canceled 5 percent, and United canceled 4 percent. The three airlines canceled over 10 percent of their flights on Saturday.
Globally, there were about 2,200 flights that were scrapped as of Sunday morning, down from over 2,800 cancellations the day before, FlightAware’s data showed.
However, Mastercard Spending Pulse, which tracks all payments from cash to debit cards, reported Sunday that sales jumped 8.5 percent from a year earlier, posting the biggest annual gain in 17 years.
The results covered sales from Nov. 1 through Dec. 24 and were fueled by purchases of clothing and jewelry. Holiday sales are 10.7 percent higher than the pre-pandemic 2019 holiday period.
