Bloomberg Wesfarmers Ltd. posted a 1.2 percent increase in first-half profit and created a new department stores division as the nation’s largest retailer seeks to trim costs. Net income was A$1.39 billion ($1 billion) in the six months ended December 31, up from A$1.38 billion, the Perth, Western Australia-based company said in a regulatory statement Wednesday. That compared with expectations …

CAPE TOWN / Bloomberg South Africa is considering merging two state-owned airlines and selling off a stake in the enlarged carrier to private investors, Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan said. The government will “explore the possibility of merging South African Airways (SAA) and SA Express, under a strengthened board, with a view to engaging with a potential minority equity partner,” Gordhan said …

Bloomberg On the southeast coast of Australia, a A$5.7 billion ($4.1 billion) processing plant to turn the ocean into a source of drinking water has sat idle since it was built in 2012. That could change soon. The state of Victoria will decide by April whether to switch it on, sucking water from the Bass Strait through an underground tunnel …