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Bloomberg Mercedes-Benz AG vehicles are more profitable than ever after the chip crisis sparked a worldwide shortage of cars, boosting the selling prices for models such as the flagship S-Class. The automaker exceeded its profitability target last year and the return on sales in the final quarter was the highest on record, a spokesman said. The global dearth of high-tech …

  Bloomberg Apple Inc confirmed plans to release its much-anticipated Tap to Pay feature on the iPhone later this year, giving merchants an alternative to Block Inc.’s Square technology. The option will let sellers accept payments through Apple Pay, credit cards and digital wallets without additional hardware, the company said in a statement. The system relies on near field communication, …

  Bloomberg Twitter Inc’s sales jumped 22% in the fourth quarter, signalling that the social network’s digital advertising business has held up even as changes to Apple Inc.’s data-collection rules hurt some larger rivals. Sales in the holiday quarter rose to $1.57 billion, compared with $1.58 billion analysts had predicted. Revenue in the current period will be $1.17 billion to …

  Bloomberg India, the world’s third-biggest energy consumer and a top grower of grains and sugar, targets to end the use of diesel in the farming sector in less than three years. The nation will focus on renewable fuels to achieve its aim of zero diesel use in agriculture by 2024, according to a government statement. India is working toward …

  Bloomberg Denmark’s government will pay a subsidy totaling 1 billion kroner ($153 million) to some of the country’s poorest households in compensation for higher energy costs. Under the Social Democrat minority cabinet’s deal with support from leftist parties, the Nordic country will pay the one-time subsidy to about 320,000 households with an annual income below 550,000 kroner to help …

  Bloomberg South Africa published proposed changes to the electricity regulation act that will facilitate the opening of the national power grid to private generators. State-owned Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd. has been the dominant supplier of power to Africa’s most industrialized economy for nearly a century, but its inability to meet demand from its poorly maintained coal-fired plants has resulted …

  Bloomberg Hong Kong reported another record number of coronavirus cases, as well as two more deaths, with the worsening outbreak straining health-care resources and ramping up pressure on the government’s steadfast push for Covid Zero. Authorities announced 1,325 infections on Friday, alongside more than 1,500 preliminary positive cases. That’s up from just 614 on Monday. The city said it …

  Bloomberg London’s Gatwick Airport will reopen its second terminal as easing Covid-19 restrictions give airlines confidence to add flights amid a budding travel rebound. The south terminal, mothballed nearly two years ago to cut costs, will help meet expected strong demand this summer, Gatwick said in an emailed statement. It will open on March 27, three weeks before Easter, …

  Bloomberg Ryanair Holdings Plc has seen a “dramatic recovery” in bookings over the past two weeks as the easing of pandemic travel curbs across Europe encourages people to fly again. The Irish low-cost carrier’s planes are flying about 75% full and could reach 90% of capacity by the peak of the summer high season, Chief Executive Officer Michael O’Leary …

  Bloomberg Frontier Group Holdings Inc.’s planned $2.9 billion purchase of Spirit Airlines Inc., positions Bill Franke, the self-proclaimed father of ultradiscounting, to expand his global network of carriers that offer bargain-basement fares while maintaining a laser focus on low costs. The deal comes as the industry’s recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic leans on domestic markets and leisure travelers —the …