With aircraft orders worth more than $50 billion (Dh183.6 billion) at present for more than 250 aircraft, including Boeing 787s, 777s, Airbus A350s, A380s and A320s, Qatar Airways is on an aggressive expansion spree. The airline currently flies to 113 destinations operating a fleet of 108 aircraft.

Besides the planned 11 new routes to be launched this year, the airline also plans to double its US network by starting flights to Atlanta, Chicago, Boston and Detroit within the next year, as Al Baker reportedly said recently. “The only thing that stopped us from going earlier is the delayed delivery of the 787s,” he stated. Once again lashing out at the planemakers, Al Baker said delays in plane deliveries will “stifle the growth opportunities” that the airlines in the Middle East have, and that it poses a huge challenge to the region’s airlines, thereby preventing them from achieving their planned growth. He added that both Airbus and Boeing have “plans that are slipping”.

Calling the European Union’s ETS (emissions trading scheme) as the biggest possible challenge today for the airlines. It is a cover-up for the inefficiencies of the EU’s management of its finances. This is only an indirect way of collecting more taxes — but I don’t know what they will do with all this money — and to cover up the mismanagement that they have been having in their finances for the last couple of decades.

With China on way to becoming an aircraft manufacturing hub in the next 10-15 years, Qatar Airways CEO says he would be keen to look eastwards to buy planes. If the east can make planes that are safe, efficient and state-of-the-art, and meet our requirements, there is nothing wrong with looking at the east for planes. If it suits our requirement, why should we not look at the east for airplanes? Chinese will compete with the existing plane manufacturers at a better price.

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The statistics, from Flurry Analytics, suggested 242 million apps were also downloaded on the same day. The peak time for downloading new apps on Christmas Day was between 7pm and 10pm, the company said. It gathered its data via its analytics tool which monitored downloads and usage of 140,000 apps in both Google’s Android Market and Apple’s App Store. Flurry Analytics did not break down numbers for the individual operating systems. It said the figures showed an increase in activations of 353% when compared to the daily average between 1 and 20 December. App downloads were up 125% over the same period.

For the meantime, figures from IBM Coremetrics suggested that online shopping on Christmas Day was up 16% on last year. It said traffic from mobile devices rose significantly with the iPad leading the way, accounting for 7% of all purchases. James Atkinson, former editor of Mobile magazine, said the activation numbers were particularly impressive for Apple given that many had expected the iPhone 5 to launch ahead of the Christmas break, rather than the revamped iPhone 4S.

Mr Atkinson believed much of the rise is due to smartphones becoming more affordable in the past 12 months. Mr Rubins tweeted earlier in December that, on average, 700,000 Androids were being activated every day – up from 500,000 in June. The Android operating system can be found on a wide range of models produced by many different manufacturers, whereas Apple’s iOS is only found on iPhone, iPad and certain models of its iPod music player. Demand for the iPhone has reached such a level that China-based manufacturer Foxconn is looking to double production to 400,000 units per day, China Daily reported.

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Toyota is the world’s biggest carmaker. The company said that production in Japan “will be adjusted based on an ongoing assessment of the parts supply situation at each individual production line”.

The floods have dented Toyota’s production numbers. Amiko Tomita, a spokeswoman for Toyota, told the BBC that suspension of production in Thailand was expected to resulted in the loss of 69,000 units between 10 October and 5 November. At the same time, output at Japanese factories is projected to be down by 22,000 units between 24 October and 5 November.

To make matters worse, the company warned that if the situation in Thailand does not improve, it may have to cut production in other countries including, the US, Canada, South Africa and Philippines starting next week. “A decision on production from 14 November onward will be made based on an assessment of the situation as it develops,” the company said.

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“The acquisition signals a new phase rich of opportunities for Emirates NBD and Dubai Bank. This step reflects the government’s flexibility in dealing with the economic variables and crystallizes the future vision designed at empowering local banking entities so they can fully play their roles with the local economy and reflects the will of granting a strong impetus for national financial institutions to compete regionally and globally. Shaikh Ahmad Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of Emirates NBD, stressed that this step is a practical translation of Dubai Government’s commitment to implement comprehensive and integrated financial and economic approach that contributes to strengthening the domestic banking sector and enhancing the UAE’s leading financial position in the Gulf and Middle East”.

Shaikh Ahmad expressed confidence that the takeover would achieve its fruitful objectives shortly and would reflect positively on the performance of UAE banking in general in the coming period. He indicated that adopting a flexible approach and taking initiative are the core of the Dubai Government’s perspective that enables it to deal successfully with global economic changes, especially during the past few years by applying a series of strategic and decisive steps as per the directives of Shaikh Mohammad in keeping up with market demands and providing supportive environment to business sectors. Such approach will consolidate the UAE’s position as a regional and international hub for trade and economy.

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Shares in the firm fell 54% on Friday as fears persist about its future. It has not made a profit since 2007. Kodak, synonymous with film photography for more than 100 years, has struggled to adapt to the digital age. Last week it announced plans to borrow $160m for “general corporate purposes”.

Kodak is now continuing to explore a sale of its digital imaging patents, worth an estimated $2bn. Mark Kaufman, an analyst at Rafferty Capital Markets, said: “I don’t believe bankruptcy is inevitable. This is a pretty valuable portfolio, they should get a good price. They need to get this [sale] out of the way. They need to sell this portfolio, raise some type of cash.”

The company currently has a market value of $210m. This compares with $31bn at its height in February 1997.

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Few people were on the streets, with 100km/h (60mph) winds shredding umbrellas and making it hard to walk. Local radio reported that two people, including a taxi driver, were injured when scaffolding collapsed onto a taxi. And a large cargo barge crashed into the seafront after slipping its moorings, television footage showed. About 50 people had to be evacuated from a nearby block of flats.

Some flights have been delayed. Lynn Chan, a lawyer who works in the city’s central business district, said she struggled through the wind and rain only to find her office was closed. “I am the only person here. I guess I should have listened to the news before I set out,” she said.

At noon local time (04:00 GMT), Typhoon Nesat was 370km (230 miles) southwest of Hong Kong and was moving towards China’s Hainan Island. At least 18 people were killed when the typhoon swept through the Philippines earlier this week. The Hong Kong Stock Exchange has shut for the day, with the Hong Kong Observatory saying the number eight storm signal would be hoisted for most of Thursday. Government offices and courts have also closed, delaying the announcement of a landmark ruling on a closely watched immigration case.

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HTC is not the only smartphone maker involved in a legal tussle with Apple. Samsung Electronics, which makes the Galaxy series of smartphones and tablet PCs, has also been fighting a legal battle against Apple. Apple has filed complaints against the South Korean manufacturer, accusing it of infringing its patents. It said that Samsung had copied the design and look of Apple’s iPhone and iPad devices. Samsung has counter-sued Apple, saying it infringed Samsung’s wireless patents.

Both HTC and Samsung use Google’s Android operating system in most of their smartphones. Analysts said that HTC’s latest legal action, which uses patents it acquired from Google, indicates that the tussle is becoming a much bigger issue than just a simple fight between two manufacturers.

The companies have been stepping up their legal action against each other this year. And in the early salvos, Apple seems to have got the upper hand. Last month, a court in the Netherlands banned Samsung from selling three models of its Galaxy smartphones in a number of European countries after Apple filed a claim for patent infringement. Earlier this week, Samsung pulled out its new Galaxy Tab 7.7 from the IFA electronics fair in Berlin, one the world’s largest electronics shows, after a court blocked sales of the product in Germany.

Analysts said the regularity with which these companies have been taking legal action against each other was also an indicator they may be using it as a competition tool. The rapid growth in the smartphone and tablet PC sector had turned the segments from being a niche market to a mainstream one. This resulted in an increased push from various players for a bigger market share.

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The US uncertainty led to a week of turmoil on the world financial markets. There were fears that the US could be heading for a double-dip recession and that the sovereign debt crisis in the eurozone could spread to Italy and Spain. The compromise US debt deal, which was passed in the Senate on Tuesday, raises the debt limit by up to $2.4tn (£1.5tn) from $14.3tn, and makes savings of at least $2.1tn in 10 years.

Mr Carney said the deal had been “an important step in the right direction”, but added that “the path to getting there took too long and was at times too divisive. He said the US must now “do better to make clear our nation’s will, capacity and commitment to work together to tackle our major fiscal and economic challenges”. President Barack Obama would now encourage the bipartisan fiscal committee and members of Congress to “put our common commitment to a stronger recovery and a sounder long-term fiscal path above our political and ideological differences”, Carney continue to say.

In its report issued late on Friday, S&P said the US deal did not go far enough, and that the “political brinkmanship” shown in debates was proof that “the effectiveness, stability, and predictability of American policymaking and political institutions have weakened”. The credit rating downgrade, the first in the history of the US, is being seen as a major embarrassment for Mr Obama’s administration and could raise the cost of US government borrowing.

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The spat began in June, when Osram accused Samsung and another firm of violating its LED patents. LEDs are used in electronic displays in cars mobile phone screens and TVs. The Samsung unit also filed a lawsuit in a court in Delaware seeking damages.

On Friday, Samsung LED filed its complaint with the US International Trade Commission (ITC) against Osram and its units Osram Opto Semiconductors and Osram Sylvania Inc. Osram is owned by the German manufacturing giant Siemens.

Should the complaint be upheld by the ITC then it may lead to a ban on the import of some Osram LED products into the US. However, the complaints may also be settled by the payment of licensing fees. In a separate move, Samsung filed a lawsuit in Delaware against Osram, alleging eight patent infringements and an outright ban on the Osram products it identified.

Samsung said it “intends to vigorously enforce its intellectual property rights, and these lawsuits reflect Samsung LED’s commitment to that enforcement”, the company said in a statement.

Other Samsung companies are also taking an aggressive stance in the world of global technology. Samsung Electronics is in the middle of fighting multiple lawsuits with Apple over technology used in its smartphones and tablets.

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However, the carrier’s plans to start flying soon were dealt a big blow as Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority said on Thursday that it is seeking an extension of the grounding till 1 August. Should the budget carrier – which drove prices down after it entered the Australian market in 2007 – be beyond salvage, then its domestic rivals, Qantas and Virgin Australia, would be expected to raise fares by up to 15%.

Christopher Zinn, the director of campaigns at Choice, an independent consumer watchdog, believes the airline – which advertised one-way tickets between Sydney and Melbourne for 39 Australian dollars ($41; £26) – will struggle to recover.

Tiger Airways, partly owned by Singapore Airlines, has issued a statement saying it is cooperating with Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA). Peter Marosszeky, from the School of Aviation at the University of New South Wales, says with such powerful backers, the low-cost carrier should bounce back.

With its aircraft stuck on the tarmac, Tiger is losing about one and a half million Australian dollars a week, which is bad news for a company that was already losing money. Regulators stepped in after Tiger flights flew too low on an approach to Avalon airport near Melbourne last week and again heading into the city’s Tullamarine airport in June.

A review of the airline’s training and monitoring of its pilots is a key part of the safety investigation. Australian and International Pilots Association vice president Capt Richard Woodward says Tiger has had insufficient time to convince the authorities it is fit to fly. As Tiger tries to fend off extinction, its rivals are ready to pounce, and this week shares in both Qantas and Virgin Australia have risen sharply.

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