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World Business Quick Take

■ Electronics
PC gamers set for boost
Video gamers who use PCs will soon be able to play some titles already popular among users of Microsoft's Xbox 360 game console, and in some cases will be able to challenge Xbox-based opponents online, the software maker said. Microsoft said on Wednesday that it will sell Halo 2, originally designed as an Xbox game, for PCs running the new Vista operating system, starting on May 8. In June, Microsoft said it will offer its own shoot-em-up game, Shadowrun, for PC and Xbox users, followed by a PC version of Uno later this year.

■ Pharmaceuticals
GlaxoSmithKline penalized
French regulators said on Wednesday they fined GlaxoSmithKline PLC's French unit10 million euros (US$13.2 million) for hindering the use of generic drugs in hospitals with a "predatory" pricing policy on an injectable antibiotic. The Conseil de la Concurrence ruled that in 1999 and 2000 the Glaxo laboratory sold injectable Zinnat at a price below costs in order to deter generic drug manufacturers from effectively entering the hospital market. GlaxoSmithKline spokesman Phil Thomson said the company would appeal. It was the first case in France to penalize predatory pricing.

■ Publishing
Potter book to break record
The final Harry Potter book will have a record-breaking first printing of 12 million copies in the US, publisher Scholastic Inc announced on Wednesday. Scholastic also plans a multimillion-dollar marketing campaign in support of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, which comes out July 21 in the US. The previous Potter book, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, was released in 2005 with a first printing of 10.8 million copies in the US and sales of 6.9 million in the first 24 hours. JK Rowling's fantasy series has sold more than 325 million copies worldwide.

■ Retail
Reliance names bankers
India's Reliance Industries has named two investment bankers to negotiate the purchase of a strategic minority stake in French-based Carrefour, the world's second-largest retailer, according to a report yesterday. The report in the Hindustan Times daily came a day after a senior Reliance source said that talks on a tie-up with Carrefour were "at an advanced stage" and could involve taking a stake or forming a joint venture. Carrefour has denied it is in discussions with India's top refiner, which last year launched a nationwide chain of stores with the aim of building an Indian version of Wal-Mart, the world's largest retail chain.

■ Computers
Dunn charges dismissed
A US judge on Wednesday dismissed criminal charges against former Hewlett-Packard (HP) chairwoman Patricia Dunn that arose from the company's boardroom spying scandal, her lawyer announced. Dunn resigned from HP last September amid a controversy about unethical and potentially illegal tactics used to expose a board member who had been leaking secrets to news reporters. "I am pleased that this matter has been resolved fairly, and want to express my deep gratitude to my husband and family, who never lost faith in me throughout this ordeal," Dunn said in a written statement. "I have always had faith that the truth would win out and justice would be served -- and it has been."

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