US Business

The holiday weekend began with governments wrestling with whether to focus on containing the spread of Omicron or trying to mitigate its effects, as staff outages and self-isolation requirements continued to disrupt travel.

The Covid-19 variant is sidelining pilots and flight attendants, forcing airlines to cancel hundreds of flights during the Christmas holiday rush.

Four years since the kingdom lifted a ban on theaters, local rivals have moved ahead of the U.S. giant.

Chains were hit by online rivals, then the pandemic. Now, independent stores are back.

Only a quarter of seafarers are vaccinated, which constrains the movement of crews on and off ships as countries erect new barriers to travel.

Fewer people are dining in restaurants, and rising case numbers are leading many businesses to close for a short period.

Some officials reduced isolation recommendations for those who contract Covid-19, with New York saying a range of workers, including teachers and grocery employees, could return to their jobs after as little as five days.

Steelmakers, glass manufacturers and other energy-hungry businesses in Europe are calling on governments to take action to stop record gas and electricity prices from hobbling the region’s economy.

A shortage of rental cars that emerged earlier this year is getting worse, with Hertz, Avis and other providers struggling to meet demand and charging more.

Even in the digital age, analog chips such as those the company makes are essential, and they are in short supply.