May 20 (Bloomberg) -- Australia’s competition regulator won’t rule on a $116 billion deal to combine BHP Billiton Ltd. and Rio Tinto Ltd.’s operations in the Pilbara region of Western Australia until June, the Australian newspaper reported. The companies have taken six weeks to submit information the regulator asked for and more will be needed, the newspaper said. The European Commission is also taking longer than expected, according to the report.

To contact the reporter on this story: Nichola Saminather in Sydney at nsaminather1@bloomberg.net

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