Reuters Commercial Bank of Qatar (CBQ), the Gulf Arab state’s third-largest lender by assets, reported a 99 percent fall in fourth-quarter net profit, according to Reuters calculations. This meant it widely missed analysts forecasts as it was hit by provisions and weakness among its overseas investments. The bank earned a net profit of 1.4 million riyals ($384,499) in the …

  Bloomberg It took Alphabet Inc.’s Waymo seven years to design and build a laser-scanning system to guide its self-driving cars. Uber Technologies Inc. allegedly did it in nine months. Waymo claims in a lawsuit that was possible because a former employee stole the designs and technology and started a new company. The complaint intensifies Alphabet’s rivalry with Uber, one …

  Bloomberg French fraud watchdogs are investigating potential abusive clauses in the terms and conditions applicable for users of Twitter Inc., WhatsApp, Alphabet Inc.’s Google + and Snap Inc.’s Snapchat. Facebook Inc. was the first social platform to come under scrutiny but the Menlo Park, California-based company amended its user terms in December after the watchdogs identified several issues, Nathalie …