TRANSPORTATION
Uber, Zipcars cut fees on driver program
TECHNOLOGY
Swatch takes on Google, Apple
Swatch Group AG said it’s developing an alternative to the iOS and Android operating systems for smartwatches as Switzerland’s largest maker of timepieces vies with Silicon Valley for control of consumers’ wrists. The company’s Tissot brand will introduce a model around the end of 2018 that uses the Swiss-made system, which will also be able to connect small objects and wearables, Swatch chief executive Nick Hayek (left) said Thursday. The technology will need less battery power and it will protect data better, he said. Switzerland’s four-century-old watch industry has been adjusting to new competition since Apple Inc. entered its territory with the Apple Watch in 2015. Hayek faces the uphill challenge of trying to outsmart Google and Apple, which have fended off would-be rivals to their operation systems in smartphones and watches. — BLOOMBERG NEWS
ENERGY
Rhode Island wind farm tested by blizzard
The company that built the United States’ first offshore wind farm says the powerful storm that hit the Northeast this week was a chance to go ‘‘full throttle’’ and put the wind farm through its paces. Deepwater Wind says all five turbines off Rhode Island operated at full capacity during much of Tuesday’s nor’easter. It says the wind farm automatically powered down for several hours when the sustained wind speeds exceeded 55 mph, the designated limit. Winds got as high as 70 mph. Deepwater Wind CEO Jeffrey Grybowski says the offshore wind industry loves strong storms and the wind farm handled the season’s worst conditions superbly. The blustery late-season storm plastered the Northeast with sleet and nearly three feet of snow is some areas. — ASSOCIATED PRESS
TRAVEL
Eurostar taps US tourist return as terror concerns ease
Eurostar International said American tourists are returning to Europe as concerns about terrorist attacks ease, with the number of US travelers on its Channel Tunnel express trains up 17 percent so far this year compared with the same period in 2016. Demand for business travel has also picked up, particularly in Britain, where bookings were 4 percent higher in the first 10 weeks, Eurostar said Thursday. ‘‘With the return of travelers from the US and business travel on the increase, the market is now rebounding strongly and we are optimistic about the growth prospects for the year,’’ chief executive Nicolas Petrovic said. There has also been a resurgence in Chinese and Australian bookings, and visibility through the key Easter travel period is good, he said in an interview. Eurostar’s passenger tally fell 4 percent to 10 million in 2016 following a spate of terrorist attacks in Europe that targeted cities including Paris and Brussels, two of Eurostar’s three main terminals. US visitors and Asian tour parties were among key groups to stay away. — BLOOMBERG NEWS
RETAIL
Spicy debut for new Target clothes line
Target is counting on Victoria Beckham (right) to spice up sales. The pop-star-turned-designer and Target teased looks this week from a limited-time collaboration that go on sale next month, highlighting hot-pink pants suits and whimsical black-and-white dresses. The 200 items priced from $6 to $70 also include tops, trousers, and rompers for women, as well as some matching children’s items. It’s the first foray into children’s wear for Beckham, the former Spice Girl who launched her namesake fashion brand in 2008. ‘‘I wanted to offer a collection of clothes to women who either couldn’t afford designer prices or didn’t want to pay designer prices,’’ Beckham said. ‘‘Target is about being inclusive and that is something that is very important to me as a brand as well.’’ Target announced the collaboration in October, and the items will be available April 9. The Beckham launch comes as the Minneapolis-based chain is trying to rev up sales and traffic after its reinvention lost momentum. Target has been sprucing up its fashions and its home furnishings, but it’s wrestling with stiffer competition and an increasing shift to shopping online. — ASSOCIATED PRESS
TECHNOLOGY
SpaceX satellite blasts off
SpaceX has launched a communications satellite into orbit after a two-day delay. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying an EchoStar satellite lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Fla., at 2 a.m. Thursday. The satellite was deployed into orbit high above Earth about 35 minutes late. This was the second SpaceX launch from the Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A. Last month’s space station resupply launch was the first from the pad since the end of the Space Shuttle program in 2011. The pad was used to send Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin to the moon in 1969. — ASSOCIATED PRESS
TECHNOLOGY
Pakistan wants Facebook, Twitter to help it combat blasphemy
Pakistan says it has asked Facebook and Twitter to help it identify Pakistanis suspected of blasphemy so that it can prosecute them or pursue their extradition. Under Pakistan’s strict blasphemy laws, anyone found to have insulted Islam or the Prophet Muhammad can be sentenced to death. Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said Thursday that an official in Pakistan’s Washington embassy has approached the two social media companies in an effort to identify Pakistanis, either within the country or abroad, who recently shared material deemed offensive to Islam. He says Pakistani authorities have identified 11 people for questioning over alleged blasphemy and would seek the extradition of anyone living abroad. — ASSOCIATED PRESS