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World Business Quick Take

■ Software
Vista download offered
Microsoft Corp will make its new Windows Vista operating system available for sale and download online, marking a new step for the software company, which has previously sold Windows only on packaged discs or pre-loaded on computers. The download program will also include the Office 2007 line of software when both are released for consumers on Jan. 30. The huge downloads will initially be available in North America only. The download process is targeted at people who are running the prior operating system, Windows XP, and want to get Vista without having to buy a new PC.

■ Aviation
Virgin US may drop CEO
Maverick airline Virgin America told US government regulators it was prepared to overhaul its ownership, jettison its chief executive and possibly even change its name to gain clearance to fly -- an ambition that has been blocked because of the startup's ties to British entrepreneur Richard Branson. With the list of concessions filed late on Wednesday with the US transportation department, Virgin America hopes to convince regulators it complies with US laws capping foreign control of a US airline at 25 percent.

■ Internet
Yahoo hosts video contest
Yahoo invited young video makers on Wednesday to share their political or social concerns with the world by taking part in an "issue films" contest that will be posted online. The Sunnyvale, California, Internet search engine announced it would be the exclusive online sponsor of an unprecedented Film Your Issue (FYI) competition intended to get young adults involved in public dialogue. People around the world ages 16 to 25 were encouraged to create 30-second to 60-second videos spotlighting contemporary subjects of importance to them. The videos will be posted at www.jumpcut.com, an online video editing and remixing Web site acquired last year by Yahoo. Rules were at the contest organizer's Web site, www.filmyourissue.com.

■ Property
US bank invests in India
US-based investment bank Morgan Stanley has bought a minority stake in an Indian real estate company for US$152 million in what is billed as one of the biggest foreign investments in the country's property development industry, the Hindustan Times reported yesterday. Morgan Stanley has paid US$152 million to buy a 10.75 percent stake in Mumbai-based Oberoi Constructions, whose major projects are located in Mumbai and the suburbs of New Delhi, it said. Foreign investment in real estate was banned until last year.

■ Aviation
Cathay slams tight control
Cathay Pacific said that China's tight control over airspace is causing air traffic jams and fuel waste and is capping Hong Kong's growth, reports said yesterday. Flights from Hong Kong to the mainland are restricted to a single cross border route with no alternative paths available in the event of bad weather. Congestion at airports like Shanghai or Beijing also often affect air traffic in Hong Kong and strand passengers here, the Financial Times reported. The report said inflexible management of China's airspace has hit Cathay's subsidiary Dragonair which serves more China routes than any other overseas airline.

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