Apple has announced that customers have now downloaded over 50 billion apps from the App Store. The 50 billionth app — Say the Same Thing by Space Inch, LLC — was downloaded by Brandon Ashmore from Mentor, Ohio, who received a $10,000 App Store Gift Card to commemorate the milestone. “The App Store completely transformed how people use their mobile devices and created a thriving app ecosystem that has paid out over nine billion dollars to developers,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Internet Software and Services. “We’re absolutely floored to cross this milestone in less than five years.” A stock retreat spread around the world, with European markets down around 2 percent. Wall Street was also down in early trading.     WASHINGTON—Standing before members of the White House Press Corps Wednesday afternoon as aides lowered a bunch of grapes into his mouth, President Obama encouraged everyone gathered in the West Wing briefing room to abandon their inhibitions and rev... OKLAHOMA CITY—In the wake of yesterday’s devastating tornado that has so far left 24 dead and hundreds injured in the Oklahoma City area, citizens around the country reportedly dredged up what little remained of the nation’s rapidly dimi... Steven Aquino, who works with children with special needs and is himself visually impaired, describes in The Magazine how accessibility technologies like VoiceOver and Guided Access built into iOS “let those with disabilities use their devices with as much wonder and enjoyment as the fully abled.” Calling iOS “nothing short of a godsend,” Aquino notes that with iPad, a cognitively delayed student is able to “tap and swipe like a pro” and even master multitasking gestures without any demoing or prompting. He concludes: “Every time I pick up my iPhone or iPad, I feel extremely fortunate that I’m living in this time.” The company, using money it raised last week in the markets, is repaying the government nine years before its loan was due.     WASHINGTON—Citing a succession of tragedies that have darkened the majority of 2013, including the Boston Marathon bombing, the Bangladeshi garment building collapse, and yesterday’s Oklahoma tornado, media outlets across the nation confirmed ... In this video report from CNN, documentary film director Malik Bendjelloul talks about how he used a $1.99 iPhone app to finish shooting his Oscar-nominated film, “Searching for Sugar Man.” The film tracks the rise to fame of the Detroit musician Rodriguez, who never made it big in the United States but became a legend in South Africa. Bendjelloul started shooting the movie on film, but with just a few shots remaining, he found his budget depleted. That’s when he turned to an iPhone app called 8mm by Nexvio, which gave his video a retro feel. “It looks like real film,” says Bendjelloul. “You can’t tell the difference.” “Searching for Sugar Man” has garnered praise at the Tribeca film festival, SXSW Film, and the Los Angeles Film Festival. Stocks regained ground in New York after global investors were rattled by signs of a slowdown in Chinese manufacturing and a potential easing of central bank support for the economy.     In its annual rankings, Fortune magazine has named Apple the world’s most admired company for the sixth year in a row. Fortune calls Apple “a financial juggernaut,” citing Apple’s $13 billion in net income last quarter — earnings that made it the most profitable company in the world during that period. The magazine also applauds Apple’s “fanatical customer base” and the unprecedented success of the iPhone and iPad product lines. For over a century, Moore, Okla., has taken a battering in Tornado Alley. Despite the continual destruction, people have stayed put and rebuilt, while others have moved in.     After weeks of anticipation, Staten Island has seen some of the first of a brood of cicadas that has matured underground for 17 years, and which will be emerging in the coming days.     PHILADELPHIA—Samantha Curtis, a 29-year-old sales clerk who has reportedly cracked three separate iPhone screens over the years, is due to give birth to a baby boy this coming August, sources confirmed. The expectant mother, who has accidentally dam... Cameron Burrell will run the 100 meters at the New York Grand Prix on Saturday on Randalls Island, where his father and now coach, Leroy Burrell, set a world record in the race.     Amina Ajmal escaped Pakistan, describing years of captivity and forced marriage; now her father is suspected of ordering two murders in retaliation for her escape.     From Luxembourg to the British Virgin Islands, the authorities are scrambling to figure out how to change their secretive ways in banking without driving away lucrative foreign clients.     JPMorgan Chase is redoubling its efforts to move beyond a big trading loss following a resounding shareholder endorsement to keep Jamie Dimon as both chairman and chief of the bank.     Across the United States, teachers are using iPad and other tablets to reinvent the presentation and management of educational material. According to a report in Wired magazine, “tablets’ simplicity, ease of use and the massive range of academically minded applications available are drawing teachers and educational technologists to the platform in droves.” iPad is leading this charge, as “the most popular tablet among educators,” and “Apple’s iTunes U is one tool making iPad-based course integration easier by helping teachers create and curate a wholly digital curriculum.” Apple CEO Tim Cook was questioned by lawmakers today, following a congressional report that showed how the company used a complex web of offshore subsidiaries to keep the IRS from taxing at least $74 billion of its earnings over the past four years. With an eye toward helping students navigate the digital world, Burlington High School outside Boston adopted the iPad one-to-one program, which provides every student with an iPad. In its first year, the program has already made a big difference — students say they’re more excited and organized than in previous years, and teachers say they see a deeper level of learning. “Having a say in your education is really powerful,” says one student. “With iPad, you feel like you’re more in charge.” By Neil Campbell