WHAT’S BREWING: The Scene
Bollywood: SRK and Kajol unveiled a bronze DDLJ statue in Leicester Square, making it the first Indian film to join the "Scenes in the Square" trail.
Subway to Runway: Telugu model Bhavitha Mandava opened the Chanel Métiers d'Art show in NYC, which transformed a subway station into a high-fashion catwalk. A historic moment for representation!
YouTube's 2025 Culture Report dropped this week, and the vibes are specific: Labubu toy mania (those fuzzy blind-box critters are officially everywhere) and a massive resurgence of Squid Game hype ahead of Season 2. Also trending? The "fan-edit" era, where user remixes are outpacing official music videos.
Spotify Wrapped 2025 is dominating social feeds with a new "Listening Age" feature. Bad Bunny reclaimed the global crown from Taylor Swift (who still rules the U.S.), while Arijit Singh remained India's most-streamed artist for a record 7th consecutive year.
Holiday Lights & Decor: The season is officially open. First Lady Melania Trump revealed the "Home is Where the Heart Is" White House decorations, while she and President Trump lit up the National Christmas Tree in D.C. on Dec 4. The iconic Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree lit up NYC on Dec 3.
Christmas Nostalgia: We’ve come a long way. Home Alone turns 35 this season, while the first-ever text message, which simply read "Merry Christmas”, was sent exactly 33 years ago this week.
Streaming & Screaming: Stranger Things 5 has the internet talking, but keep an eye out for the horror-comedy Thamma coming to Prime Video mid-Dec.
Future Aesthetics: Start planning your mood boards; Pantone has looked ahead and declared Cloud Dancer the Color of the Year 2026.
Podcast Diplomacy: It’s the week of unexpected crossovers. NVIDIA’s Jensen Huang sat down with Joe Rogan, Elon Musk chatted with Nikhil Kamath, and in a surreal twist, Vladimir Putin gave an exclusive interview to Aaj Tak ahead of his India visit.
MONEY MOVES
The Fed: Wall Street is pricing in a December rate cut as necessary "insurance" for the labor market, a pivotal shift that effectively declares the inflation war over to prioritize lower borrowing costs and prevent a job-market recession.
Japan: The government's new stimulus spending is directly clashing with the central bank's tightening goals, creating a policy trap that will likely force the BoJ to hike rates next week just to defend the Yen from further volatility.
The Rupee: The RBI’s decision to cut rates to 5.25% today has pushed the currency past 90.30, a calculated gamble that sacrifices import purchasing power (making oil & tech costlier) to supercharge export competitiveness for Indian manufacturers.
Netflix acquires Warner Bros. Discovery in a historic $83B deal, effectively ending the streaming wars by bringing Game of Thrones, Harry Potter, and DC under the "Big Red N."
The "Trump Accounts" initiative got a massive boost with a $6.25B pledge from the Dell family, funding $250 grants for millions of children. Meanwhile, MrBeast confirmed at the DealBook Summit that he is officially launching financial services.
Prada acquired Versace for a bargain $1.4B, uniting the Medusa and Triangle under one Italian roof to finally rival the French luxury giants.
The Ethereum "Fusaka" upgrade went live Dec 3, a technical shift specifically designed to slash Layer 2 costs and boost scalability.
Luana Lopes Lara (29) became the world’s youngest self-made female billionaire after her prediction market, Kalshi, hit an $11B valuation.
The Excel World Championship finals took over LV, where Diarmuid Early won the title in a ruthless "Elimination Run."
PLAY BY PLAY
F1: Title Decider: The championship goes to the wire in Abu Dhabi this Sunday. After Max Verstappen’s chaotic win in Qatar, he trails Lando Norris by mere tenths in practice (FP2), setting up a winner-takes-all finale.
Cricket: The Ashes: Australia has roared back at the Gabba, reaching 378/6 on Day 2 to lead by 44 runs. England crumbled for 334 despite Joe Root’s heroic 138, and with dropped catches plaguing the field, Day 3 threatens to be a slip-up fest. Ind v SA: South Africa chased down 359 (Markram 110*) to tie the ODI series 1-1 against India, spoiling stellar centuries from Kohli and Gaikwad.
NFL Week 14: The Lions mauled the Cowboys 44-30 on Thursday Night Football, continuing their offensive dominance. Record Watch: Josh Allen just hit his 76th rushing TD, setting a new all-time QB record during the Bills' 26-7 win against the Steelers.
NBA: The Thunder (21-1) remain the team to beat after Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s 38-point masterpiece downed the Warriors. Meanwhile, the Pistons (17-5) are the season's shocker, rising from "worst-to-first" to lead the East; they are plotting revenge for Dec 15 after the Celtics snapped their franchise-record 13-game win run.
Soccer: In D.C., President Trump received the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize, as the 2026 World Cup Draw locked in the hosts: Mexico (Group A), Canada (B), and the USA (D). With the remaining pots packed with powerhouses like Spain and Argentina, the stage is now set for a tournament of high drama across North America. Beckham in Bharat: David Beckham is back in India and fully immersing himself in the culture. The football legend was spotted in Mumbai, where he didn't just eat the food, he stepped into the kitchen to learn how to make Dal Ki Chaat with the hotel chefs.
RAISING ROOTS: The Diaspora Tax Survival Guide
We’re tackling the three critical things every global citizen needs to review before December 31st. From avoiding the eye-watering penalties of a missed FBAR to choosing between the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion and Foreign Tax Credits, here is your cheat sheet for closing out the financial year strong. Read more
This week, we’re leaning into winter comfort with a side of viral debate. We test the internet-breaking "Chai Maska" dunk to see if it’s genius or a mess, share a Dubai-inspired hack for the ultimate veggie smash burger using frozen parathas, and pour a festive "Ruby Fizz" that gives your standard lager a holiday glow-up. Grab your cup, let’s get into it. Read more
COSMIC CHAI: Weekly Horoscope (Dec 5-12)
Mood: The reality check after the party. Sobering, but productive. Weekly Wisdom: The epiphany you had under last week’s Full Moon is worthless if it stays in your head. Information without execution is just noise. The gap between the vision you saw and the reality you live in is bridged by the boring, unsexy work you do on a Tuesday morning. Stop waiting for another sign, you already got it. Now, build the structure to support it. Full Horoscopes
Key Dates:
Dec 6: Sun square Saturn. A necessary pause to check foundations.
Dec 10: Venus trine Jupiter. Optimism and good fortune return.
EDITOR'S PICK: The Global Pivot
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UPCOMING WEEK
Dec 6: Mahaparinirvan Diwas (Dr. Ambedkar Remembrance)
Dec 10: Human Rights Day
Dec 11: International Mountain Day
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