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BRUSSELS :Meta Platforms will only make limited changes to its pay-or-consent model rolled out in November 2024 and EU antitrust regulators cannot verify for now if the changes are sufficient to comply with an EU antitrust order, the European Commission said on Friday.”With this in mind, we will consider the next steps, including recalling that continuous non-compliance could entail the application of periodic penalty payments running as of 27 June 2025, as indicated in the non-compliance decision,” a Commission spokesperson said in an email.

A DECADE ago, I asked officials at the New York Federal Reserve if I could peek at their gold reserves. They refused point blank.The reason? Fed officials have long taken pride in having the world’s biggest gold vault, dug 80 feet down into Manhattan’s bedrock. But they prefer to keep it discreet, partly because many of the vault’s 507,000 bars belong to countries such as Germany and Italy. Silence was literally golden.Now, however, a discordant note has been sounded. In recent weeks, politicians in Germany and Italy have demanded the repatriation of their gold bars, worth an estimated US$245 billion.…

Number 10 has made concessions on its welfare bill after crisis talks with Labour rebels. Sir Keir Starmer will be hoping the changes are enough to avoid a Commons defeat when the measures are put to a vote on Tuesday – but several MPs have said they are still not satisfied. Sky News looks at what was in the deal and whether it will be enough to win over critics.Politics Live: Labour rebel hails ‘good deal’ after No 10 makes concessions on welfareChanges to PIP In a letter to MPs, Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall confirmed all existing claimants…

The deal was announced earlier this week by all three parties, without disclosing financial detailsPublished Fri, Jun 27, 2025 · 04:28 PM[LONDON] Unilever is paying US$1.5 billion to buy men’s personal care brand Dr Squatch from private-equity firm Summit Partners, the Financial Times reported on Friday (Jun 27), citing sources.The deal was announced earlier this week by all three parties, without disclosing financial details.Unilever reiterated on Friday that it will not disclose the terms of the deal, while Summit Partners did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment outside of regular business hours. Reuters could not immediately verify…

[BANGKOK] Thailand’s central bank is ready to tackle excessive baht volatility by managing any moves “unhinged” from its fundamentals, a deputy governor said, amid calls from local businesses to temper the currency’s rally to help exports and tourism.“We do look at the baht closely and try not to let it be too volatile,” Piti Disyatat said in an interview late on Thursday (Jun 26). “If it’s driven by non-fundamental reasons, portfolio perceptions, sentiment that’s unhinged with macro fundamentals then we will reduce the volatility.”The Thai baht has surged about 5 per cent this year, prompting some ministers and business groups…

-France’s OVHcloud, Europe’s largest data centre provider, has partnered with Norway’s cloud software provider Crayon to develop a sovereign European data infrastructure, with both hardware and software components originating from European companies.The collaboration will enable customers of both companies to access and integrate solutions across more than 45 regions, the companies said in a joint statement. 

SEOUL, South Korea, June 27, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — As respiratory illnesses like COVID-19, influenza, and Mycoplasma pneumonia continue to spread, the need for safe, non-pharmaceutical prevention options is growing. South Korea–based biotech firm LUCA AICELL has developed LUCA V-Defense Nasal Spray, a drug-free nasal spray designed to form a protective barrier on the nasal lining—offering a modern solution in the post-mask era.A Physical Barrier, Not a Medication LUCA V-Defense nasal spray Unlike traditional nasal sprays that rely on steroids or antihistamines, LUCA V-Defense forms a non-medicated barrier across the nasal…

[SINGAPORE] Both job vacancies and unemployment rose in the first quarter of 2025, causing the ratio to stay unchanged, according to the Ministry of Manpower’s (MOM) Labour Market Report on Friday (Jun 27).Resident and non-resident employment grew at a slower pace than in the previous quarter, said the report, in an update to the Apr 28 advance release.But MOM noted that Q1’s rise in job vacancies has yet to reflect the impact of US President Donald Trump’s tariff announcement on Apr 2. In polls conducted after the announcement, firms “remained measured in their outlook for manpower planning”, said MOM.Manpower Minister…

BANGKOK — The U.S. and China have signed an agreement on trade, President Donald Trump said, adding he expects to soon have a deal with India. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told Bloomberg TV that the deal was signed earlier this week. Neither Lutnick nor Trump provided any details about the agreement.“We just signed with China the other day,” Trump said late Thursday. Lutnick said the deal was “signed and sealed” two days earlier.It follows initial talks in Geneva in early May that led both sides to postpone massive tariff hikes that were threatening to freeze much trade between the two…

TOKYO :Japan’s private-sector rice imports rocketed higher in May as the country grapples with supply shortages that have become a major headache for both consumers and policymakers.Some 10,600 metric tons of so-called staple rice – which is consumed at meals as opposed to rice used for feed or ingredients in other products – were imported by companies such as trading firms and wholesalers despite high levies.While that’s still a small amount compared to the roughly 7 million tons eaten by the Japanese each year, it represents a huge jump from the 3,004 tons imported for the entire last financial year…