World business quick take

■Airlines
US tries to block alliance
The US will try to block a planned alliance of Delta Air Lines Inc, Northwest Airlines Corp and Continental Airlines Inc after the carriers rejected some government conditions aimed at promoting competition. The Transportation Department will file an unfair competition complaint before an administrative law judge that may result in an order to stop the alliance unless the carriers agree to the restrictions, spokesman Bill Mosley said. The conditions include giving up some airport gates and limiting the flights on which they would jointly sell tickets.

■ Linux
IBM wins more business
International Business Machines Corp won orders from Unilever NV, VeriSign Inc and the US Professional Golfers' Association tour, all of which use the Linux operating system. Terms weren't disclosed. IBM will run server computers, provide video over the Internet and offer other services as part of the agreements, spokeswoman Trink Guarino said. IBM is increasing the number of Linux software programs that it sells. Linux is distributed free over the Internet, and companies are paid to help run the system and tailor it for customers. IBM, which trails Microsoft Corp as the world's second-largest software company, is pushing the use of Linux as an alternative to Microsoft's Windows operating system. The company's other Linux customers include Merrill Lynch & Co, Goldman Sachs Group Inc and Lehman Brothers Inc. IBM is the world's largest computer maker and provider of computer-related services.

■ Venezuela
Cash lures strikers to work
Venezuela persuaded more than a third of oil tanker pilots striking in the west of the country to accept years of back pay in exchange for returning to work after a 51-day strike cut shipments and drove up world prices of crude. The decision by 16 of about 45 pilots to abandon the walkout is significant because they are the first among 26,000 oil industry employees that union officials say are on strike to take such a vote. Analysts said it may be a sign that President Hugo Chavez will have success convincing more they should go back to work. Opposition leaders who pressed the national protest as a way to force Chavez from office pledged to counter the government's proposal by offering cash to workers. The remaining striking pilots said they would wait another day to consider both offers.

■ Television
MTV Europe to get boost
MTV, a music television channel owned by Viacom Inc, will double spending on original European programming after profit in the region rose by about 40 percent, the Financial Times said, citing Bill Roedy, president of MTV Networks International. MTV will develop more digital-type channels and start new regional services, such as MTV Africa, the paper cited unidentified senior executives as saying. It will also promote legal Internet subscription services for downloading music, the FT said. Eight out of 10 MTV viewers are outside the US, the paper cited Roedy, who was speaking at the Midem music conference in Cannes, France, as saying. Roedy was promoting new artists and programming across the company's 65 non-US channels, the FT said. He declined to say exactly how much the company would spend on the new services, according to the paper.

Agencies