
Exclusive: Meta will only make limited changes to pay-or-consent model, EU says
BRUSSELS, June 27 (Reuters) - Meta Platforms (META.O), opens new tab 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.

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South Wales Guardian
an hour ago
- South Wales Guardian
Trump says he is terminating trade talks with Canada over tax on tech firms
Mr Trump, in a post on his social media network, said Canada had just informed the US that it was sticking to its plan to impose the digital services tax, which applies to Canadian and foreign businesses that engage with online users in Canada. The tax is set to go into effect on Monday. 'Based on this egregious Tax, we are hereby terminating ALL discussions on Trade with Canada, effective immediately. We will let Canada know the Tariff that they will be paying to do business with the United States of America within the next seven day period,' Mr Trump said in his Truth Social post. Mr Trump's announcement was the latest move in the trade war he has launched since taking office for a second term in January. Progress with Canada has been a roller coaster, starting with the US president repeatedly suggesting it would be absorbed as a US state. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Friday that his country would 'continue to conduct these complex negotiations in the best interests of Canadians. It's a negotiation'. Mr Trump later said he expects that Canada will remove the tax. 'Economically we have such power over Canada. We'd rather not use it,' Mr Trump said in the Oval Office. 'It's not going to work out well for Canada. They were foolish to do it.' When asked if Canada could do anything to restart talks, he suggested Canada could remove the tax, predicted it will but said: 'It doesn't matter to me.' Mr Carney visited Mr Trump in May at the White House. Mr Trump last week travelled to Canada for the G7 summit in Alberta, where Mr Carney said Canada and the US had set a 30-day deadline for trade talks. The digital services tax will hit companies including Amazon, Google, Meta, Uber and Airbnb with a 3% levy on revenue from Canadian users. It will apply retroactively, leaving US companies with a two billion US dollar (£1.4 billion) bill due at the end of the month. 'We appreciate the Administration's decisive response to Canada's discriminatory tax on US digital exports,' Matt Schruers, chief executive of the Computer & Communications Industry Association, said in a statement. Canada and the US have been discussing easing a series of steep tariffs Mr Trump imposed on goods from America's neighbour. The Republican president earlier told reporters that the US was soon preparing to send letters to different countries, informing them of the new tariff rate his administration would impose on them. Mr Trump has imposed 50% tariffs on steel and aluminium as well as 25% tariffs on cars. He is also charging a 10% tax on imports from most countries, though he could raise rates on July 9, after the 90-day negotiating period he set would expire. Canada and Mexico face separate tariffs of as much as 25% that Mr Trump put into place under the auspices of stopping fentanyl smuggling, though some products are still protected under the 2020 US-Mexico-Canada Agreement signed during Mr Trump's first term. Addressing reporters after a private meeting with Republican senators on Friday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent declined to comment on news that Mr Trump had ended trade talks with Canada. 'I was in the meeting,' Mr Bessent said before moving on to the next question. About 60% of US crude oil imports are from Canada, and 85% of US electricity imports as well. Canada is also the largest foreign supplier of steel, aluminium and uranium to the US and has 34 critical minerals and metals that the Pentagon is eager to obtain. About 80% of Canada's exports go to the US. Daniel Beland, a political science professor at McGill University in Montreal, said it is a domestic tax issue, but it has been a source of tensions between Canada and the US for a while because it targets US tech giants. 'The Digital Services Tax Act was signed into law a year ago so the advent of this new tax has been known for a long time,' Mr Beland said. 'Yet, President Trump waited just before its implementation to create drama over it in the context of ongoing and highly uncertain trade negotiations between the two countries.'


The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
From mochi ice cream to strawberry sandos, Japanese sweet treats are tickling UK tastebuds
If you said to a friend that you fancied Japanese food this weekend, they might be forgiven for thinking you meant sushi. But lately a new culinary export from Japan is catching up with fish and rice in the hearts and tastebuds of British foodies. Soft, sweet and full of character, Japanese-style desserts – from mochi ice cream to matcha cookies – have been steadily gaining ground on UK shelves. Such is their popularity, M&S has launched its own take on the strawberry sando, a Japanese convenience store favourite, a sandwich made with soft milk bread, whipped cream and neatly layered fruit. According to some industry commentators, British retailers are taking note of consumers' growing appetite for 'joyful' sweet treats as a simple pleasure to brighten their days. 'We're seeing people turn to food as an antidote to life's uncertainties – they're looking for small, joyful indulgences that feel novel, premium and culturally rich,' said Charles Banks, a co-founder of The Food People, a UK-based food trends consultancy. 'Japanese sweets … bring playful formats, surprising textures and beautifully balanced flavours that tap into this mood perfectly. Add in TikTok's power to visually amplify the unfamiliar and suddenly these once niche delights are must-haves.' At Ocado, searches for mochi are up 96.2% year on year, while searches for 'Japanese' have risen by more than a third over the same period. Yuki Gomi, a Japanese chef and food writer, said it was wonderful to see the trend, even if it reflected only a slice of Japan's 'rich sweets culture', where desserts are 'cute, comforting and often tied to the seasons'. She said the appeal of these sweets lay not just in their flavour but in their texture and 'in mouth-feel'. 'Japanese sweets are often lighter and less sugary than their western equivalents, and there's real joy in the textures – soft and creamy mochi ice cream, airy sponge, the crisp snap of Pocky.' It's that sensory experience – along with the playful fusion of Japanese flavours and sweet treats already familiar to UK shoppers – that helps explain why more of these snacks are now landing on British supermarket shelves. 'Quite often, the sweets are given a Japanese twist – maybe a hint of matcha, yuzu or kinako. A familiar treat, with a fresh Japanese flavour,' she said. Sign up to Feast Recipes from all our star cooks, seasonal eating ideas and restaurant reviews. Get our best food writing every week after newsletter promotion On TikTok, the hashtag #mochi has more than 1.4m posts, #matchacookies has 10,500, and videos of Japanese cheesecakes have racked up hundreds of thousands of views. Online food trends don't just shape what people eat, they influence what people are willing to try, as social feeds become a source of inspiration and discovery, said Seyi Oduwole, a foresight analyst at The Future Laboratory. 'As seen with the viral Dubai chocolate craze, today's consumers want to be part of the online conversation, craving connection through texture, cultural heritage and bold, shareable visuals. We're particularly seeing the rise of global flavours, third-culture cuisine, and consumers adopting a 'try anything' attitude.' These foreign food trends and adoptions of cuisines should be seen as a natural expression of a truly globalised world, said the gourmet tour operator and cookbook author Roberta Muir. She said we should expect more fusions, fun interpretations and internationally inspired snacks to continue cropping up on supermarket shelves. 'As the world becomes smaller and people increasingly travel from one corner of it to another, it's natural they bring home a taste for the new flavours they've discovered.'


The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Transfer news live: Mbeumo makes Man Utd decision as Arsenal close in on Norgaard
The transfer window is now open again following the start of this summer's Club World Cup with clubs able to accelerate deals ahead of the new season. Arsenal chiefs are reportedly in talks with Eberechi Eze as the look to bring a striker to the club in this window. The Gunners have already agreed a fee for Brentford captain Christian Norgaard in a surprising move after contract talks with Thomas Partey stalled. They have also agreed to pay above the release fee for Spanish midfielder Martin Zubimendi and Mikel Arteta wants to sign RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko - though talks have stalled somewhat. Manchester United, meanwhile, have secured Matheus Cunha from Wolves for £62.5m and are negotiating with Brentford about Bryan Mbeumo, having submitted an improved offer. Florian Wirtz is now officially a Liverpool player after agreeing a record £116.5m deal for the German superstar and completed the medical last Friday, while Reds defender Jarell Quansah is set to go the other way in a £35m deal to join Bayern Leverkusen. Liverpool, who have already brought in Jeremie Frimpong, signed Bournemouth left-back Milos Kerkez, on Thursday as they continue to strengthen ahead of the new season. You can sign up to DAZN to watch every Club World Cup game for free, while all the latest updates, rumours and done deals will be covered in the blog below: Brentford reject second Bryan Mbeumo bid from Manchester United Brentford are widely reported to have last night rejected a bid of £62.5m for Bryan Mbeumo from Manchester United. It's the second offer that the London club have knocked back for their forward as they hold out for a bigger fee. Harry Latham-Coyle28 June 2025 08:00