Taylor Scollon

Middle East conflict ratchets up with Iran attack

Violence in the Middle East escalated over the weekend with an Iranian attack on Israel. 

Catch up: Iran launched more than 300 drones and missiles at targets in Israel on Saturday, 99% of which were intercepted in the air by Israel and its allies.

AI finds cancers that doctors missed

When it comes to medical diagnoses, it’s always good to get a second opinion. Getting a third from an artificially intelligent healthcare tool might not be a bad idea, either.

What happened: An AI tool called Mia caught multiple small cancers missed by doctors in a test of 10,000 women’s mammograms performed by Britain’s National Health Service (NHS).

Supersonic travel makes a comeback with Boom test flight

We’re one step closer to being able to fly from Vancouver to Tokyo in 6 hours — barely enough time to get through two in-flight movies (or one recent Scorcese flick).

What happened: Boom, an aviation startup building supersonic commercial jets, completed the first test flight of its prototype aircraft, the XB-1. 

Boeing woes likely leading to higher airfare

The odds that Boeing’s quality control issues will impact you directly — say, by a panel blowing off your plane mid-flight — are still low. The odds that they’ll impact you indirectly through pricier airfare, however, are quite high. 

Driving the news: Airlines are warning that they are facing delays for new planes from Boeing, which will reduce the number of routes they can fly and likely push up prices for flyers. 

Gold hits new highs and may not be done yet

Sure, it’s easy to poke fun at cheesy cash-for-gold infomercials, but maybe the Russell Olivers of the world knew something we didn’t about where gold prices were heading.

What happened: The price of gold reached a new all-time high of US$2,185 per ounce on Friday, part of a rally that’s seen gold’s value jump 30% since the end of 2022. 

Meta’s retiring from the newsroom

Like a jaded and world-weary beat reporter who’s seen too much, Meta wants out of the news game.

What happened: Meta announced that it wouldn’t sign any more deals with news publishers in the U.S., Australia, U.K., France, and Germany. 

Pro women’s hockey league racks up early wins

Less than two months after hitting the ice, North America’s new pro women’s hockey league is already breaking records.

What happened: A Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) match between Toronto and Montreal last week drew 19,285 fans to a sold-out Scotiabank Arena, breaking the attendance record for any women’s hockey game. 

Temu really wants you to shop like a billionaire

If you tuned into the Super Bowl on Sunday, you were bombarded with no fewer than three ads (plus more before and after the game) urging you to “shop like a billionaire.” That was part of a hyper-aggressive marketing campaign by Chinese e-commerce retailer Temu to conquer the North American market.

Why it matters: Temu’s big spending marketing blitz — one 30-second Super Bowl ad spot was selling for US$7 million, and Temu had six — is unprecedented, and its sheer scale is disrupting both retail and ad markets in North America.

Why investors are feeling the love for Meta again

Everyone you know under the age of 40 may have logged off Facebook years ago, but that’s not doing anything to slow down parent company Meta’s surging stock.

What happened: Share prices in Meta — which owns Facebook, Instagram, and Whatsapp — jumped more than 20% last week after an earnings announcement that had investors smashing the “Like” button.