<B>France. “No spectacular decisions” at G7 meeting. </B>German Finance Minister Hans Eichel has predicted that a meeting of Group of Seven finance ministers in London next month would not produce any “spectacular” decisions on dealing with the world economy. “Do not expect any spectacular decisions at the G7,” he said after meeting French Finance Minister Herve Gaymard in Paris on Monday. “There won’t be any.” Eichel said he hoped to see what he called a credible US strategy to reduce its budget deficit. He also said that Asia had to do more to promote flexible foreign exchange rates. Policymakers from the G7 and key emerging economies including China meet in London on February 4-5. European policymakers have been urging Asia, especially China, to let their currencies rise to share the burden of dollar weakness.

<B>BRUSSELS. Microsoft won’t appeal EU ruling on sanctions.</B> Microsoft Corp. said on Monday it would not appeal a European Union (EU) court order to immediately implement antitrust sanctions, but it remained optimistic of eventually prevailing in its main case. In December, the software giant lost a bid to delay sanctions imposed by the EU’s executive Commission, but it is continuing with a separate, main appeal against the Commission’s decision that it abused the near monopoly of its Windows operating system.