Mac Margolis Every four years, political leaders have tried to set aside feuds and celebrate the world’s best athletes as they compete for medals and glory — a tradition that harkens back to the first Olympic Games held in Greece some 3,000 years ago. Apparently, the Brazilians didn’t get the message. One day before the opening ceremonies for the …

  Bloomberg Mercedes-Benz is planning its own distinct line of electric vehicles, challenging BMW and Tesla Motors Inc. in a bet that alternative-fuel cars have the potential to become profitable. Mercedes will add two electric sport utility vehicles and two sedans, according to two people familiar with the plan, who asked not to be named because the details haven’t been …

  Bloomberg MTN Group Ltd. will consider raising its full-year dividend above forecasts if business conditions improve after the settlement of a record fine in Nigeria led to the first-ever half- year loss at Africa’s biggest mobile-phone carrier. The company will consider a higher full-year payout than the forecast 7 rand-a-share “if operating conditions improve materially,” the Johannesburg-based carrier said …

  Bloomberg Deliveroo, a London-based maker of an app for ordering take out, announced it has raised $275 million to fuel growth and take on well-funded competitors. The deal values Deliveroo at more than $1 billion, according to a person familiar with term sheet who asked not to be named as the deal is private. The same figure is also …

  Bloomberg Apple Inc., which is spending $850 million on a 130-megawatt solar farm near San Francisco over 25 years, can begin selling power into wholesale markets in the latest foray by a technology company into the energy business. Apple’s subsidiary Apple Energy LLC may sell energy, capacity and other services needed to maintain reliable power, according to an order …

  KUALA LUMPUR / AP Malaysia acknowledged for the first time that one of the pilots of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 had plotted a course on his home flight simulator to the southern Indian Ocean, where the missing jet is believed to have crashed. Australian officials overseeing the search for the plane last month said data recovered from Capt. Zaharie …

Bloomberg Air Berlin Plc is introducing business-class seats in Europe in a push to position the airline in a more lucrative segment of the market following years of losses. The carrier will begin reserving the first row of German and European flights later this year for premium customers, who will enjoy priority check-in and boarding, fast-lane security and lounge access …

  Bloomberg Qantas Airways Ltd. said it doesn’t want the remaining eight A380s it still has on order because the dozen it operates now are sufficient to meet demand, further dimming future sales prospects for the largest passenger plane that’s struggled to find buyers. “Our intention is that we’re not taking those aircraft,” Qantas Chief Executive Officer Alan Joyce said …

  CONCORD / AP In a small town just south of New Hampshire’s capital, General Electric runs two plants filled with workers building jet engines for the world’s leading airlines. With 800 workers, GE Aviation is the largest employer in town. But in the next five to 10 years, about a third of those workers are expected to retire. The company …

  Bloomberg For real estate developers such as Jeff Peterson, losing construction workers who can hang drywall, install plumbing and pour concrete in the San Francisco Bay area has become routine. “Guys are literally going to jobs and saying to the concrete crew, ‘Hey, what are you making per hour?’” said Peterson, a purchasing director at Trumark Cos., a San …