apparel
US holiday retail sales stronger than last year, Mastercard says
Holiday shoppers opened their wallets at the last minute in search of good deals on online platforms in a sign that household finances remain healthy.
ad revenue
Apple seeks to defend Google’s billion-dollar payments in search case
Apple has asked to participate in Google’s upcoming U.S. antitrust trial over online search, saying it cannot rely on Google to defend revenue-sharing agreements that send the iPhone maker billions of dollars each year.
Abril Elfi
Musk: Do Not Donate To ‘Wokepedia’
Elon Musk has urged his X followers to not donate to Wikipedia until “they restore balance to their editing authority,” referring to it as “Wokepedia.”
Airport
Christmas Eve Travel Chaos: American Airlines Grounded Flights Cause Massive Delays Nationwide
After a brief outage that grounded and delayed all American Airlines flights during one of the most popular travel periods of the year, the airline says it has resumed normal service operations Tuesday morning.
7-year-old
Florida: Christmas Show Drones Fall On Crowd, Multiple Injuries Reported Including Minor In ER
Multiple injuries have been reported after several drones at a Christmas show in Florida collided mi-air and fell from the sky, allegedly hitting numerous people, including a 7-year-old boy who is now in the emergency room.
automobiles
Nissan And Honda To Merge, Forming World’s Third-Largest Automaker
A massive move in the auto industry has taken place as Honda and Nissan have announced plans to merge, forming the world’s third-largest automaker by sales.
$4 trillion market valuation
Apple approaches $4 trillion valuation as investors bet on AI momentum
Apple is closing in on a historic $4 trillion stock market valuation, powered by investors cheering progress in the company’s long-awaited AI enhancements.
Android
Feds Urge Usage Of End-To-End Encryption Following Massive Telecom Breach By Suspected Chinese Hackers
Following a massive telecom breach, Apple and Android users are being urged to restrain from receiving two-factor authentication codes through text, risking exposure of non-encrypted messages by suspected Chinese hackers.
AI technology
Russia Introduces New ‘Cancer Vaccine’ Utilizing AI Tech To Attack Specific Cells, Scientists Express Skepticism
Russian President Vladimir Putin revealed that the country will unveil a new vaccine that allegedly fights all types of cancer, which he claims will be available to cancer patients beginning in early 2025, amidst skepticism from a number of scientists.
Bitcoin
Losses from crypto hacks jump to $2.2 bln in 2024, report says
Funds stolen by hacking cryptocurrency platforms surged 21% from a year ago to $2.2 billion in 2024.