EU, MS row continues

BRUSSELS: The European Union said its antitrust regulators might need weeks to decide whether to slap Microsoft Corp with huge fines once a midnight deadline for the software maker to comply with a landmark ruling expires. “This is highly complicated stuff,” said EU Commission spokesman Jonathan Todd. — AP

Industrial production

TOKYO: Japanese industrial production rose 2.2 per cent in April from March, the ministry of economy, trade and industry said on Monday, suggesting the nation’s economy may be coming out of a soft patch. The increase matched the forecast of economists surveyed by Dow Jones Newswires and Nikkei and was the first rise in three months, following a 0.2 per cent fall in March. — AP

Airbus has new CEO

NEW YORK: European jet-maker Airbus SAS’s German chief operating officer has been approved to become the company’s next chief executive officer, according to a published report. The Wall Street Journal said Gustav Humbert, Airbus’ COO and head of programs, will succeed Noel Forgeard to become the company’s first non-French chief executive. — AP

Economic blues

TAIPEI: Taiwan’s leader said China’s fast economic growth has posed a “grim challenge” to the island and that sweeping measures were needed to reverse the trend. President Chen Shui-bian said Taiwan’s manufacturing industry has continued a trend of relocating abroad - mostly to China - because of the mainland’s cheaper labor and operational costs. — AP

Real estate loans soar

SHANGHAI: Soaring lending for real estate deals poses a serious risk for China’s already debt-swamped banks, the country’s banking watchdog says. The warning comes amid a series of government measures to help curb speculative real estate investments that have caused prices to drop in some areas. — AP