Apple delivers higher profit as iPhone X launches on Friday

Apple profits rose on the back of strong iPhone sales in the past quarter, the company reported today, as the US tech giant begins selling its newest flagship handset.

Net profit rose 19 per cent from a year ago to $10.7 billion in the fiscal fourth quarter to September 30, Apple said. Revenues were up 12 per cent to $52.6 billion.

Release of the earnings figures pushed Apple shares up more than three percent to $173.20 and came as iPhone X models began hitting the market in some time zones.

Apple sold more iPhones, iPads and Mac computers than it did in the same quarter a year earlier. Smartphones sales climbed by about a million units to 46.7 million in the three months winding up the California company's fiscal year, according to the earnings report.

"We're happy to report a very strong finish to a great fiscal 2017, with record fourth-quarter revenue, year-over-year growth for all our product categories, and our best quarter ever for services," Apple chief executive Tim Cook said in the release.

"We're looking forward to a great holiday season, and with the launch of iPhone X getting underway right now, we couldn't be more excited as we begin to deliver our vision for the future with this stunning device."

Apple closed out its fiscal year posting a full-year profit of $48.35 billion, up 5.8 per cent, on revenues of $229 billion, a rise of 6.3 per cent from the previous year.
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'Fake news': Donald Trump's favourite phrase named word of the year

Fake news, a term heavily popularised by US President Donald Trump, been named the word of the year by Collins dictionary due to its widespread use around the world.

The UK-based lexicographer found that the use of "fake news" registered a 365 per cent rise in the last 12 months, reflecting Trump's consistent use of the word in the wake of the 2016 presidential election in retaliation to unflattering media coverage.

Defined as "false, often sensational, information disseminated under the guise of news reporting", fake news takes over from Brexit which was named the definitive word last year after the June 2016 referendum in favour of the UK's exit from the European Union (EU).

"'Fake news', either as a statement of fact or as an accusation, has been inescapable this year, contributing to the undermining of society's trust in news reporting," said Helen Newstead, Collins' head of language content.

The US President has regularly used the phrase to criticise certain media reports and most recently claimed this week that the "fake news is working overtime" in connection with the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.

But Trump has not been alone in using the term.

Both British Prime Minister Theresa May and Opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn have included it in speeches, and social media has been littered with accusations of fake news.
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On-board computers and sensors could stop the next car or truck-based attack

In the wake of car- and truck-based attacks around the world, most recently in New York City, cities are scrambling to protect busy pedestrian areas and popular events. It’s extremely difficult to prevent vehicles from being used as weapons, but technology can help.

Right now, cities are trying to determine where and how to place statues, spike strip nets and other barriers to protect crowds. Police departments are trying to gather better advance intelligence about potential threats, and training officers to respond – while regular people are seeking advice for surviving vehicle attacks.

These solutions aren’t enough: It’s impractical to put up physical barriers everywhere, and all but impossible to prevent would-be attackers from getting a vehicle. As a researcher of technologies for self-driving vehicles, I see that potential solutions already exist, and are built into many vehicles on the road today. There are, however, ethical questions to weigh about who should control the vehicle – the driver behind the wheel or the computer system that perceives potential danger in the human’s actions.

A computerized solution

Approximately three-fourths of cars and trucks surveyed by Consumer Reports in 2017 have forward-collision detection as either a standard or an optional feature. These vehicles can detect obstacles – including pedestrians – and stop or avoid hitting them. By 2022, emergency braking will be required in all vehicles sold in the U.S.
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Jerome Powell rose to top of Trump's list as safe, savvy choice for Fed

Jerome Powell was not on President Donald Trump's early radar as a possible successor to Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen, and was angling instead for a job as the U.S. central bank's vice chair for supervision.

But when he was passed over for that position last summer, it was one in a chain of events that set the stage for the 64-year-old Fed governor and former investment banker to take over as head of the world's most powerful central bank.

Trump on Thursday nominated Powell to replace Yellen when her term expires in early February, saying at the White House that the 64-year-old lawyer and former investment banker has the necessary "wisdom and leadership."

Other contenders for the job fell for different reasons, as Trump soured on top White House economic adviser Gary Cohn, decided against renominating Yellen despite largely approving of her policies and came to view two others as posing risks to the economy, according to current and former Fed and government officials familiar with the decision.

In the end it was Powell, a Maryland native, avid cyclist, and guitar hobbyist, who checked all the boxes that mattered but carried none of the negatives.

If confirmed by the U.S. Senate, Powell would become the first person without an advanced economics degree to hold the job since William Miller in the late 1970s.
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Airbus begins external search for new sales chief to replace John Leahy

Airbus has embarked on a fresh search for a sales chief to take over from soon-to-retire John Leahy as the aerospace group seeks a clean break from turmoil over investigations into the use of middlemen, said three people familiar with the plans.
Leahy's deputy, Executive Vice-President Kiran Rao, had been identified as Leahy's successor earlier this year, but his appointment to one of the industry's most visible jobs was never confirmed as Leahy's retirement slipped towards end-year.

Chief Executive Tom Enders has now decided to look outside the core part of the company in a bid to denote a fresh start, but Rao is not being targeted in the compliance investigation which centres mainly on a defunct headquarters team, the people said.

Rao confirmed he would not be in the running for the post.

"I can confirm I am no longer pursuing the position of commercial director and intend to concentrate on Airbus product strategy," Rao told Reuters.

An Airbus spokesman declined comment on personnel matters.

The search comes as the Airbus marketing machine is seen as demoralised as a result of British and French probes, which have also sparked a blanket internal investigation.

Enders told a recent sales meeting Leahy would stay till the year-end but failed to confirm Rao's appointment, leaving what insiders described as a sense of vacuum amid dwindling sales.
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US bombers train over South Korea ahead of Donald Trump's visit

Two US strategic B-1B bombers conducted drills over South Korea on Thursday, the US Air Force said, days before President Donald Trump arrives in the country amid high tensions with North Korea over its nuclear weapon programme.

News of the drills was first reported by North Korean state news agency KCNA on Friday, which said the exercises involving South Korean and Japanese fighter jets were a “surprise nuclear strike drill”.

“The reality clearly shows that the gangster-like US imperialists are the very one who is aggravating the situation of the Korean peninsula and seeking to ignite a nuclear war,” KCNA said.

Trump arrives in Asia on Sunday, beginning his first trip to the region as president in Japan before heading to South Korea and China, then Vietnam and the Philippines.

A series of missile tests by North Korea and its sixth and largest nuclear test have fuelled the most critical international challenge of Trump’s presidency.

The goal of Trump’s visit will be to increase international support for efforts to deprive North Korea of resources as leverage to coerce it to give up nuclear weapons, US officials said.

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Trump's Twitter deactivated for 11 minutes because of 'human error'

Twitter blamed "human error" on behalf of an unnamed employee after United States President Donald Trump's personal Twitter account disappeared for 11 minutes on Thursday evening.

A tweet issued by Twitter's Government and Elections team said that the account was down for 11 minutes due to human error by a Twitter employee.

"Earlier today @realdonaldtrump's account was inadvertently deactivated due to human error by a Twitter employee. The account was down for 11 minutes, and has since been restored. We are continuing to investigate and are taking steps to prevent this from happening again," the post read.

Earlier in the day, those who tried to access @realDonaldTrump on Twitter just before 7 p.m. Eastern came across a "Sorry, that page doesn't exist!" message.
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