The U.S. tech giant will focus on delivering its first-ever foldable iPhone and two non-folding models with upgraded cameras and larger displays for a flagship launch in the second half of 2026
International News via Reuters:
Apple is prioritizing production and shipment of its three highest-end iPhone models for 2026 while delaying the rollout of its standard model due to a marketing strategy shift and supply-chain constraints, Nikkei Asia reported on Friday, citing four people with knowledge of the matter.
Reuters could not immediately verify the report. Apple did not immediately respond to a Reuters’ request for comment outside regular business hours.
The U.S. tech giant will focus on delivering its first-ever foldable iPhone and two non-folding models with upgraded cameras and larger displays for a flagship launch in the second half of 2026, while the standard iPhone 18 is now slated to ship in the first half of 2027, the report said.
The move is aimed at optimizing resources and maximizing revenue and profits from premium devices amid rising cost of memory chips and materials, and to minimize production risks tied to the more complex industrial techniques for Apple’s first foldable device, according to the report.
“Supply chain smoothness is one of the key challenges for this year, and the marketing strategy change also played a part in the decision (to prioritize premium models),” an executive at an iPhone supplier with direct knowledge of the plan told Nikkei Asia.
Apple on Thursday beat Wall Street estimates for quarterly revenue, driven by strong iPhone demand and a sharp rebound in China, with CEO Tim Cook telling Reuters that demand for the latest handsets was “staggering.”
Reporting by Bipasha Dey in Bengaluru; Editing by Sonia Cheema and Mrigank Dhaniwala
The rocket maker is in discussions to merge with xAI ahead of a blockbuster public offering planned for this year
International News via Reuters:
SpaceX is exploring deals with other companies helmed by serial entrepreneur Elon Musk, leaving investors working through permutations between space, autonomous driving and artificial intelligence to analyze which combination makes the most sense.
The rocket maker is in discussions to merge with xAI ahead of a blockbuster public offering planned for this year, Reuters reported on Thursday. The combination would bring Musk’s rockets, Starlink satellites, X social media platform and Grok chatbot under one roof, according to a person briefed on the matter and two regulatory filings.
Reuters could not determine the deal’s value, timing or primary rationale.
SpaceX is also considering a merger with Musk’s electric vehicle maker Tesla, Bloomberg reported.
“I think it’s highly likely that (xAI) ends up with one of the two parties,” said Tesla shareholder Gene Munster, who is managing partner at xAI investor Deepwater Asset Management.
Musk, the world’s richest man, is CEO of SpaceX and artificial intelligence company xAI, which controls X. He also runs Tesla, tunnel company The Boring Co and neurotechnology firm Neuralink.
“What’s important for Elon is to have a massive vision that’s way out there that he’s early on,” Munster said. A compelling prospect would be Tesla taking xAI which would improve the EV maker’s robot and self-driving car plans, he said.
Predictions hub Polymarket late on Thursday put the chance of a SpaceX-xAI merger by mid-year at 48% and Tesla-xAI merger at 16%.
Musk, SpaceX, xAI and Tesla did not respond to requests for comment. Tesla’s share price rose 3% in after-hours trade.
SpaceX plans to go public some time this year with a valuation likely above $1 trillion, Reuters and other media reported. It is the world’s most-valuable privately held company – at $800 billion in a recent private share sale. xAI was valued at $230 billion in November, the Wall Street Journal reported. Tesla’s market capitalization is $1.4 trillion.
For SpaceX, a massive deal may complicate its IPO but add momentum to efforts to launch data centers into orbit, a key goal in the escalating AI race against the likes of OpenAI, Meta Platforms and Alphabet’s Google.
Some Tesla shareholders have long advocated bringing Musk’s companies together. Bloomberg reported that investors have been pushing the idea of joining SpaceX and Tesla.
“Musk has too many separate companies,” said Dennis Dick, chief market strategist at Stock Trader Network. “A major risk thesis for Tesla is that Musk is spreading himself out too much. As a Tesla shareholder, I applaud further consolidation.”
Under a SpaceX-xAI merger, xAI shares would be exchanged for SpaceX shares. Two entities have been established in Nevada to facilitate, said the person briefed on the matter, requesting anonymity because discussions are confidential.
Filings showed those entities were set up on January 21 but did not detail their purpose or role in any deal. One lists SpaceX and its chief financial officer, Bret Johnsen, as managing members. The other lists Johnsen as sole officer.
Johnsen did not respond to a request for comment.
Some xAI executives could be given the option to receive cash instead of SpaceX stock as part of the deal, said the person briefed on the matter. No final agreement has been signed and the deal timing and structure remain fluid, the person said.
DATA CENTERS IN SPACE
Space-based AI processing, powered by solar energy, is aimed at cutting the cost of generating the computing power that runs and trains AI models such as xAI’s Grok. Billionaire Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin has announced a high-capacity backbone network of thousands of satellites, while Google is researching space-based data centers under Project Suncatcher.
Speaking in Davos, Switzerland, last week, Musk – whose timing projections are rarely realized – said “the lowest cost place to put AI will be in space. And that will be true within two years, maybe three at the latest.”
Building data centers in space is a risky proposition considering AI is evolving rapidly and unpredictably. Analysts and executives have questioned whether envisioned cuts in energy consumption are worth the cost of tailoring systems for space.
Folding in xAI could also boost SpaceX’s prospects for contracts at the Pentagon, which has sought to ramp up AI adoption in military networks, said Caleb Henry of space research and advisory Quilty Analytics.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth this month visited SpaceX’s Starbase development site in Texas where he said xAI’s language model and chat platform Grok will be integrated into military networks as part of an “AI acceleration strategy” aimed at speeding up military decision-making and planning.
xAI has a contract worth as much as $200 million to provide Grok products to the Pentagon. Through xAI, Musk is building out a supercomputer for AI training in Memphis, Tennessee, called Colossus.
Starlink and national security variant Starshield already rely heavily on AI, such as for automated satellite maneuvers in orbit. Starshield, under a contract with a U.S. intelligence agency, is building a network of hundreds of classified satellites equipped with sensors that are widely expected to use AI to help track moving targets on Earth.
LATEST MERGER BETWEEN MUSK COMPANIES
Musk already has been combining businesses. In 2016, he used Tesla stock to buy solar-energy company SolarCity. Last year, he folded X into xAI in a share swap that gave the AI startup access to the microblog’s data and distribution.
xAI also received a $2 billion investment commitment from SpaceX as part a $5 billion equity fundraising, the Wall Street Journal reported last year.
This month, xAI raised $20 billion in an upsized Series E funding round, exceeding its $15 billion target at a valuation of $230 billion. It also gained a commitment of about $2 billion from Tesla on Wednesday.
Ross Gerber, CEO of Tesla and xAI investor Gerber Kawasaki Wealth and Investment Management, said he could envision a marriage of Musk businesses.
“It’s like a bunch of overvalued companies merging together into one big overvalued mess run by Elon. But it’s a pure play now. It’s like, you want to invest in Elon? Here you go. Like, you get all this. And it’s much more attractive, actually, as an investment.”
Reporting by Echo Wang and Joey Roulette; Additional reporting by Milanna Vinn, Sabrina Valle, David Jeans and Abhirup Roy; Editing by Paritosh Bansal, Peter Henderson and Christopher Cushing
Trump said he intends to name his pick to replace Fed Chair Jerome Powell on Friday, following news that former Fed Governor Kevin Warsh visited the White House
International News via Reuters:
The dollar rose on Friday, clawing back some of its slide on the week, after U.S. President Donald Trump said he would soon announce his nominee to head the Federal Reserve while optimism grew for Washington to avert a government shutdown.
Trump said he intends to name his pick to replace Fed Chair Jerome Powell on Friday, following news that former Fed Governor Kevin Warsh visited the White House. The Japanese yen fell, and cryptocurrencies tumbled.
The greenback recovered some of this week’s losses after tension between Trump and Cuba, Iran, Venezuela, Greenland and Europe hit some investors’ confidence in U.S. assets.
“The appointment of Warsh, if it’s true, will be seen as someone who can, in a way, remain independent, and not someone seen as likely to be subservient to Trump’s wishes,” said Khoon Goh, head of Asia research for ANZ in Singapore.
“Any sensible market participant would not want to carry a big position into the weekend,” he added. “So some of this could just be positioning lightening up. If you’re short dollars, you’ve done well, take your chips off the table.”
The dollar index, which measures the greenback against a basket of currencies, rose 0.4% to 96.55, trimming its weekly slide to 0.9%.
The euro dipped 0.4% to $1.1922, while the yen weakened 0.5% to 153.85 a dollar. Sterling slid 0.4% to $1.3751.
Bloomberg News said Warsh would get the nod to replace Powell at the Fed, while a person familiar with the matter told Reuters he met Trump at the White House on Thursday.
The dollar also received a lift after Republican and Democratic lawmakers hammered out a deal to stave off a looming government shutdown.
Escalating conflict abroad and unease over domestic immigration crackdowns have hammered the U.S. currency, driving the dollar index to a four-year low earlier this week.
Overnight, the White House said Trump signed an executive order for tariffs on countries that provide oil to Cuba, while he threatened new tariffs on Canada and said the United States was decertifying business jets made there.
With tension simmering in Iran, Trump said on Thursday he planned to speak with leaders in Tehran, even as the U.S. dispatched another warship to the Middle East and Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said the military would be ready to carry out whatever the president decided.
The dollar closed last week with its biggest fall since last April, driven in part by the Trump administration’s tariff threats against European countries if they stood in the way of his ambition of buying Greenland.
The spat over Greenland was the start of wider geopolitical concerns that have dragged the currency broadly lower, said Westpac Group senior economist Mantas Vanagas.
“It’s the fact that the ‘Sell America” trade has resurfaced, and investors are questioning to what extent the United States is still a trustworthy partner for other economies,” he added.
The dollar found some support after the Fed held interest rates steady on Wednesday against the backdrop of what Fed Chair Powell described as a solid economy and diminished risks to both inflation and employment.
The yen broke back above 154 to the dollar, but is still poised for its second straight weekly gain, as Japanese policymakers hinted at possible coordinated currency market intervention with the United States to defend the currency.
The yen fell to a near 18-month low last week as concerns about Japan’s finances mounted before a snap election in which Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and her opponents are campaigning on a plank of tax cuts.
The Australian dollar weakened 0.7% versus the greenback to $0.6997, and the kiwi lost 0.5% to $0.6046.
In cryptocurrencies, bitcoin tumbled 2.2% to $82,519.22, touching the weakest since November 21, while ether sank declined 3% to $2,732.04.
Reporting by Rocky Swift in Tokyo; Editing by Sam Holmes and Clarence Fernandez
Organisers invited to submit national and signature events for Bermuda’s first National Events and Entertainment Calendar via the BNEEC online form.
The Bermuda National Events & Entertainment Committee (BNEEC), established under the Ministry of Tourism & Transport, Culture & Sport, is pleased to invite local event producers, cultural organisations, sporting bodies, creative practitioners, community groups, businesses, and stakeholders across Bermuda to review the draft calendar and submit their National and Signature Events for consideration for inclusion in the Bermuda’s first National Events & Entertainment Calendar.
The BNEEC invites event submissions that meet one or more of the following characteristics:
National Events: Events of broad public significance, cultural, economic or historical relevance, wide community participation, or meaningful national impact – reflecting Bermuda’s heritage, values, and shared identity.
Signature Events: Anchor experiences that elevate Bermuda’s profile, attract residents and visitors, drive economic activity, and deliver consistent, high-quality programming. These events typically serve as major pillars of Bermuda’s annual calendar.
The Minister of Tourism & Transport, Culture & Sport, the Hon. Owen K. Darrell, JP, MP, welcomed the call for submissions, stating: “Events and entertainment play a critical role in how we celebrate our culture, strengthen our communities, and position Bermuda on the global stage. This open call is about being inclusive and intentional – ensuring that our national and signature events reflect who we are as Bermudians, support local talent, and contribute meaningfully to our economic and cultural development. I encourage organisers across the island to bring forward their ideas and be part of shaping an exciting and impactful 2026 calendar.”
Chairwoman Melissa Looby emphasised the importance of broad participation: “Bermuda’s events and entertainment ecosystem is rich, diverse, and full of potential. By inviting submissions from all corners of our community, we are working to ensure that the National Events and Entertainment Calendar reflects who we are, what we value, and the experiences we want to share with residents and visitors alike. We encourage all organisers – large and small – to put forward their ideas and help shape vibrant years ahead.”
The BNEEC was mandated to design, coordinate, and deliver not only a consolidated Bermuda National Events & Entertainment Calendar for 2026 but annually thereafter with the goal of ensuring that the final schedule reflects Bermuda’s cultural, sporting, entertainment, and tourism priorities, while strengthening community engagement and supporting island-wide economic impact.
The Committee has presented the draft 2026 National Events & Entertainment Calendar to the Minister, which will be published for the first time in the coming months.
Submissions will help inform the Committee’s vetting and recommendations to the Minister, as the Calendar aims to showcase events that highlight Bermudian identity, amplify local creatives, promote inclusivity, support community development, and align with existing national policy frameworks – including the National Tourism Plan, National Cultural Heritage Policy, National Sports Policy, and the Ministry’s events and funding criteria.
Submissions will be reviewed using a transparent and inclusive process consistent with the Committee’s charge. Considerations may include:
Cultural, historical, or community value
Alignment with the National Tourism Plan’s focus on experience-rich, visitor-centric offerings
Incorporation of Bermudian creatives, tradition-bearers, and local businesses
Economic and social impact
Accessibility and inclusivity
Youth engagement opportunities
Stakeholders may submit events through the BNEEC’s online form found here, including event description, proposed dates, location, organiser contact information, and any supporting information. General queries can be directed to bneec@gov.bm or visit www.gov.bm
Education reform plans appear to have altered… Diallo Rabain, the original Minister who put them in place, says he will support current Minister Crystal Caesar
Does a change of minister equal a change of plan?
This certainly appears to have been the case when it comes to education reform.
There was confusion among public school parents last week, following a proposal to Government from Primary and Middle School Principals to physically maintain a three-tier school system.
This runs contrary to government’s stated plan to abolish middle schools by adding two additional upper years to primary schools, and one lower year to secondary.
This follows a number of changes implemented by Cystal Caesar in the first year of her tenure as Education Minister… those changes seemingly reversed plans that were put in place by the long-serving previous minister, Diallo Rabain.
Now Minister for the Cabinet Office & Digital Innovation, Mr Rabain pledged his support for Minister Caesar when we asked him about the changes.
Kendal Trott interviews Brittney Griner at Sundance
At the Sundance Film Festival, Kendal Trott attended the premiere of a new documentary ‘The Brittney Griner story’.
Griner, a renowned basketball star, was arrested at Moscow airport in 2022 after customs agents found nearly empty THC vape cartridges in her luggage. She was detained for months and found herself at the centre of international intrigue.
The film explores her career, personal resilience, and the global attention surrounding her story. Following the premiere at Sundance, our Kendal was on site as viewers reacted to the film and reflected on its impact.
Granting the absentee vote to overseas students will be progressed, Minister Rabain says, but racism in Bermuda’s voting history means difficult conversations must be had before the net is cast any wider
Granting the absentee vote to overseas students will be progressed.
This from Diallo Rabain, Minister for the Cabinet Office.
He says the recent Town Halls on electoral reform also brought up issues concerning accessibility at the voting locations, and there was interest in how campaign financing might be made more transparent.
And while there was support for overseas student voting, racism in Bermuda’s voting history requires that difficult conversations must be had before the net is cast any wider.
WATCH the report above
Elsewhere in the interview, Minister Rabain said a bipartisan focus group will be formed to further develop election reform plans, and the ongoing work is grounded in international standards.
In a press release today, the Minister maintains that the reform programme is on track to be completed by September 2026…
Trump launched his Board of Peace last week, initially designed to cement Gaza’s rocky ceasefire, but which he foresees playing a wider role that concerns other global powers
International News via Reuters:
New Zealand decided against accepting U.S. President Donald Trump’s invitation to join his Board of Peace, New Zealand’s Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said in a statement on Friday.
Trump launched his Board of Peace last week, initially designed to cement Gaza’s rocky ceasefire, but which he foresees playing a wider role that concerns other global powers.
He has invited dozens of other world leaders to join, and while Middle East powers including Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, as well as major emerging nations such as Indonesia, have joined the board, global powers and traditional Western U.S. allies have been more cautious.
Luxon said in an email statement that the decision had been made not to join the Board of Peace in “its current form.”
New Zealand’s Foreign Minister Winston Peters added in a post on X that a number of states, particularly from the region, have stepped up to contribute to the Board’s role on Gaza, and “New Zealand would not add significant further value to that.”
Peters post added that as a “a leading founder and longstanding supporter” of the United Nations, it is important that the Board’s work is complementary to and consistent with the UN Charter.
“It is a new body, and we need clarity on this, and on other questions relating to its scope, now and in the future,” Peters said.
Reporting by Lucy Craymer; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama
Adidas in October had warned of widespread discounting among retailers and consumers in response to concerns over whether tariffs would scare off consumers, at the time warning it would hurt its full-price sales
International News via Reuters:
Adidas on Thursday said it would launch a share buyback of up to 1 billion euros ($1.2 billion) on the back of record 2025 sales that the German sportswear maker said benefited from stable prices in the face of U.S. tariffs.
Adidas in October had warned of widespread discounting among retailers and consumers in response to concerns over whether tariffs would scare off consumers, at the time warning it would hurt its full-price sales.
CEO Bjorn Gulden, who led troubled peer Puma before joining Adidas in 2023, said the company had been successful in keeping the level of “full-price sell-throughs high and discounts under control”.
Sales rose 4.8% to a record 24.8 billion euros in 2025, with fourth-quarter revenues rising by 1.9% to 6.076 billion, with Adidas pointing to currency headwinds of around 1 billion.
Analysts polled by LSEG had, on average, expected sales of 24.95 billion for the full year and 6.189 billion in the fourth-quarter.
Operating profit rose by 54% to 2.06 billion, according to preliminary figures, the company said, pointing to double-digit growth in all markets.
Adidas shares are down 15% so far this year, with analysts pointing to a tough retail market, competition for investor attention from newer names like On and Asics, as well as a turnaround at U.S. rival Nike.
Frankfurt-listed shares in the company were still 2.4% higher at 1929 GMT, after the group also unveiled it would buy back up to 1 billion euros worth of stock in 2026, adding the programme would start in February.
Adidas, which will release full results along with its annual outlook in early March, said it would fund the buyback through what it said would be “strong cash flow generation in 2026”, adding it intended to cancel the repurchased stock.
($1 = 0.8367 euros)
Reporting by Gursimran Kaur in Bengaluru and Christoph Steitz in Frankfurt; Editing by Pooja Desai, Toby Chopra and Diane Craft
Government advances work on long-term plan to expand supply of affordable homes
More than 30 sites have been identified for potential housing development for the 2026/27 financial year.
This from Zane DeSilva, Minister of Housing and Municipalities as he sought to update the public on Government’s ongoing efforts to bolster the island’s stock of affordable homes.
You can read the full remarks delivered by Minister DeSilva, below.
The decision by the military rulers who seized power in September 2022 is the latest move to tighten control following the suspension of political activities after the coup
International News via Reuters:
Burkina Faso’s military-led government has dissolved all political parties and scrapped the legal framework governing their operations, according to a decree approved by the West African nation’s council of ministers on Thursday.
The decision by the military rulers who seized power in September 2022 is the latest move to tighten control following the suspension of political activities after the coup.
Burkina Faso’s Interior Minister Emile Zerbo said the decision was part of a broader effort to “rebuild the state” after what he said was widespread abuses and dysfunction in the country’s multiparty system.
He said a government review found that the multiplication of political parties had fuelled divisions and weakened social cohesion.
Before the coup, the country had over 100 registered political parties, with 15 represented in parliament after the 2020 general election.
The decree disbands all political parties and political formations. A law repealing the statutes and regulating party financing, and the status of the opposition leader, will be sent to the current transitional council, according to minutes of the cabinet meeting.
All the assets of the dissolved parties will be transferred to the state.
The Sahel nation, like neighbours Mali and Niger, has been struggling to contain Islamist insurgencies linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State that have killed thousands and displaced millions over the past decade.
Reporting by Dakar Newsroom Writing by Bate Felix; editing by Diane Craft
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