The Gulf Time Newspaper One of the finest business newspapers in the UAE brought to you by our professional writers and editors.

Bloomberg The autonomous-car artificial intelligence (AI) from Alphabet Inc.’s Waymo avoided or mitigated crashes in most of a set of virtually recreated fatal accidents, according to a white paper the company. The simulations were based on 72 fatal crashes that occurred between 2008 and 2017 in Chandler, Arizona, where Waymo currently operates a small-scale autonomous ride-hail service based on its …

Bloomberg Alphabet Inc.’s Google is halving the percentage it takes from app developers on sales through its Google Play store, following a similar move by rival Apple Inc. last year. The Mountain View, California-based internet giant said it’s reducing the fees to 15% from 30% for the first $1 million in revenue on sales of apps and in-app-purchases each year. …

Bloomberg Top Indian government officials are debating whether to set a goal to zero out its greenhouse gas emissions by mid-century, an ambitious target that would require overhauling its coal-dependent economy. Officials close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi are working with senior bureaucrats and foreign advisers to consider ways to meet the 2050 deadline, according to people familiar with the …

Bloomberg Gazprom will export natural gas to Armenia via Azerbaijan for the first time in almost three decades as former Soviet neighbours work to reopen communication links following last year’s war. The Russian gas giant’s export arm signed a short-term transit deal with Azeri state energy firm Socar, both firms said. Azerbaijan’s pipeline will be needed as the link that …

Bloomberg NRG Energy Inc. withdrew an earlier full-year profit forecast and said it expects a $750 million loss due to the brutal cold snap that froze Texas and led to sweeping blackouts across the state. “Based on new information available to us, we are unable to provide financial guidance due to the unprecedented and unpredictable market outcomes resulting from winter …

Bloomberg US airlines rallied as improved summer leisure bookings and rising fares offered strong signs of a recovery a year after Americans began staying close to home. Sales over the past three weeks have been the best since the coronavirus pandemic began, American Airlines Group Inc. said, while United Airlines Holdings Inc. said high demand for spring and summer travel …

Bloomberg Sun Country Airlines Holdings Inc. priced its initial public offering (IPO) above range at $24 a share to raise about $218 million as it looks for a rebound in leisure travel. Minneapolis-based Sun Country sold about 9.1 million shares, according to a statement confirming an earlier Bloomberg News report. The company had marketed the shares for $21 and $23, …

Bloomberg Fashion designer Brandon Maxwell has dressed Lady Gaga, Michelle Obama and Meghan Markle. Soon, Walmart Inc. shoppers can wear his styles, too. The world’s largest retailer hired Maxwell as the first-ever creative director for its Scoop and Free Assembly fashion brands, it said in a statement. Maxwell, 36, will oversee four seasonal collections a year for the two labels, …

Bloomberg Jollibee Foods Corp., the largest Philippine restaurant operator, is looking toward foreign expansion and “opportunities” created by Covid-19 as it rebounds after historic losses induced by the pandemic. After a restructure amid last year’s setback, Jollibee CEO Ernesto Tanmantiong plans to open 450 restaurants around the world this year while looking for acquisitions that could be funded with the …

Bloomberg Thailand’s finance ministry, the largest shareholder of Thai Airways International Pcl, signalled its support for a restructuring plan that includes raising fresh capital, a temporary freeze on repayment of borrowings and slashing its workforce by half to return the debt-ridden airline to profit. The key elements of the debt rehabilitation plan are “quite acceptable,” Pantip Sripimol, director general of …