Dec 30 (Reuters) - The following are the top stories on the New York Times business pages. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

- Airlines canceled more than 900 flights in and out of U.S. airports on Wednesday, a sign of continuing stress for the industry and travelers ahead of the New Year's holiday weekend. https://nyti.ms/3mJ7KYq

- U.S. top federal health officials emphasized on Wednesday that data on skyrocketing coronavirus cases in the United States and from other countries reinforced early signs that the highly contagious Omicron variant was milder and less lethal than previous variants, even as it threatened to overwhelm health systems already on the brink from earlier surges. https://nyti.ms/3qD7ZFo

- U.S. President Biden will talk to President Vladimir Putin of Russia on Thursday about the grinding crisis at the Ukrainian border, White House officials said, the second time in a little over three weeks that the two leaders will speak directly about what Washington sees as Moscow's effort to redraw the map of Europe. https://nyti.ms/3Js8NWi

- The U.S. Pentagon is building a second courtroom for war crimes trials at Guantánamo Bay that will exclude the public from the chamber, it will permit two military judges to hold proceedings simultaneously starting in 2023. https://nyti.ms/3HpWU1d (Compiled by Bengaluru newsroom)