Services

• Canada has reversed its plan to increase the Canadian-content levy for U.S.-based audiovisual streaming services. • The decision was announced on Wednesday, June 3, by Marc Miller, the Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture and Minister responsible for Official Languages. • This policy shift impacts how streaming platforms contribute to the funding of domestic content, potentially reducing the financial burden on foreign services.

Plaintiffs say children’s services uses ‘emergency removal’ disproportionately against Black and Latino familiesSign up for the Breaking News US newsletter emailOn Thursday, two families filed a class-action lawsuit against the city of New York, alleging that the administration for children’s services (ACS) abuses its emergency removal power to take children from their parents without a court order. The families say that Black people and Latinos are disproportionately affected by the practice.The “emergency removal” power is supposed to be used only in extreme and urgent situations in which there is not enough time to obtain a court order. Instead, the lawsuit alleges, the ACS is using a racially discriminatory emergency removal policy that allows the agency to bypass judicial review. The policy, which separates parents from their children, can cause lasting harm to the families that are affected. Continue reading...

Revelation that policing and state agency figures were in secret policymaking group angers victims’ groupsThe British security services were involved in formulating the controversial Legacy Act, which offered an amnesty to soldiers and paramilitiaries despite MI5’s role in many killings during the Northern Ireland Troubles, it can be revealed.The presence of policing and state agency figures among a secret policymaking group involved in devising the act – a fact established through an investigation by Belfast-based newsletter the Detail and shared with the Guardian – has angered victims’ groups already critical of the legislation. Continue reading...

• LTM has issued an offer to acquire Randstad’s Technology and Consulting Services business across Australia, France, Germany, Belgium, and Luxembourg. • The proposed acquisition targets a business segment representing over USD 500 million (€469M) in annual revenue. • This strategic move aims to scale LTM's AI services and domain-driven solutions, specifically expanding its footprint in the Automotive, Utilities, BFS, and Aerospace & Defence sectors.

• India is set to launch its first-ever Index of Services Production (ISP) around July to track short-term production movements in the services sector. • The ISP will complement a new Index of Industrial Production (IIP) series, which is scheduled for release on June 1 using a revised base year of 2022-23. • This initiative is critical because the services sector now contributes more than half of India's GDP and serves as a primary driver for millions of jobs.

UK’s largest police force says Palantir is only company that can supply what it needs. Is that worth the controversy that comes with it?London mayor Sadiq Khan blocks £50m Met police deal with PalantirIt’s bot vs bobby. The row over whether the controversial US AI company Palantir should be paid £50m to help the Metropolitan police hits to the heart of how public services will be delivered in the coming years.A similar dynamic is playing out in hospitals, schools and town halls, but right now police chiefs are turning to AI to escape a fiscal bind. The UK’s largest police force is shrinking; a £125m funding shortfall means it faces cutting 1,150 posts. Scotland Yard wants to use AI to deploy Palantir’s systems to comb through human intelligence reports, email caches, phone records and the rest of the torrent of digital evidence trail left by 21st century crime. Continue reading...

• Asia Pioneer Entertainment Holdings Limited (APE) is expanding its casino tourism services across Asia to revitalize the gaming and entertainment markets in Macau and Hong Kong. • APE has partnered with Germany-based CountR GmbH to implement "smart CountR" casino payment technology, moving beyond the supply of traditional gaming equipment. • This strategic shift aims to accelerate resort growth by integrating modern digital payment solutions to enhance the guest experience and operational efficiency.