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June 30, 2025 TheNewswire – Vancouver, British Columbia Blue Lagoon Resources Inc. (the ‘ Company ‘) (CSE: BLLG; OTCQB: BLAGF; FSE: 7BL) is pleased to provide a corporate update highlighting significant progress at its Dome Mountain Gold Project as it prepares to enter production in a strong gold market.

‘We are fully funded, fully permitted, and now entering the final stages of mine readiness — with no short-term debt, multiple successful government inspections, and a water treatment plant that has now been completed,’ said Rana Vig, President and CEO. ‘The confidence shown by our institutional investors, along with new strategic backing and the recently signed $2 million line of credit — not secured against our property — from Nicola Mining, gives us the flexibility to fund mining and development without delay. We’re ready — and we’re moving quickly toward cash flow.’

FULLY FUNDED WITH STRONG BACKING AND NO DEBT

Blue Lagoon recently completed a successful non-brokered financing, fully subscribed by existing long-term shareholders including Crescat Capital, Phoenix Gold Fund, and Nicola Mining, alongside a small group of new strategic investors. In addition, CEO Rana Vig and Board Member Gurdeep Bains both increased their personal stakes in the Company.

The Company currently carries no short-term debt and has in-the-money warrants valued at over $3.6 million. As further validation of the project, Blue Lagoon has secured a $2 million line of credit from Nicola Mining, which can be drawn in $500,000 tranches — without any encumbrance on the Company’s mineral property. While the Company may ultimately never need to draw on this facility, having access to it provides an important financial backstop. It ensures capital is available if needed to support production ramp-up, seize opportunity, or manage any unforeseen short-term needs — all without causing further dilution to existing shareholders.

SENIOR UNDERGROUND GEOLOGIST HIRED TO

STRENGTHEN TECHNICAL TEAM

The Company is also pleased to welcome Michael McCardal as Senior Underground Geologist. Mr. McCardal brings three decades of underground gold mining experience with producers including Ascot Resources, Barkerville Gold Mines, Pure Gold Mining, and Kirkland Lake Gold.

At Ascot’s Big Missouri deposit, he led underground sampling protocols, grade tracking, and stope planning. At Kirkland Lake’s Macassa and Taylor Mines, he was instrumental in ore control, face mapping, and production reconciliation.

‘Mike’s experience will be very helpful in establishing best-in-class grade control and optimizing early stopes as we move into production this summer,’ said Vig.

INSPECTIONS PASSED WITH FLYING COLOURS

As part of its final mine preparation, the Company successfully passed three separate government inspections, confirming operational readiness across critical areas:

• Electrical Inspection – Verifying compliance with site-wide above and underground power systems.

• Reclamation & Geoscience Inspection – Reviewing on-going geological reporting and reclamation progress.

• Ground Control & Health and Safety Inspection – Ensuring safe above and underground conditions and mining procedures.

‘These clean inspections are a testament to the strength of our team and the standard of work being done at Dome Mountain,’ said Yannis Tsitos, Chair of the Company’s mining committee.

  CONSTRUCTOIN OF WATER TREATMENT PLANT COMPLETE

Construction of Blue Lagoon’s water treatment system — a critical component of the Company’s environmental compliance plan — is now complete and partially commissioned, as required under the Company’s Mines Act permit.

The system consists of two integrated technologies: a High-Density Sludge (HDS) circuit, which is fully installed and operational, and a Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor (MBBR) , designed to treat ammonia and nitrates from blasting residues using a microbial process. The MBBR circuit has also been fully constructed and is about to undergo microbial activation — a biological ramp-up that typically takes 2 to 4 weeks.

Designed to meet all regulatory discharge standards, the plant is engineered to treat mine water efficiently and in full alignment with the Company’s permit conditions. Blue Lagoon worked closely with Soren Jensen , the Company’s principal environmental consultant from SRK Consulting. Mr. Jensen holds a master’s degree in chemical engineering and has developed, designed, commissioned, and operated mine water treatment systems for mining operations for over 20 years, including similar treatment plants at other underground gold mines in Northern Canada.

Just as importantly, the Company collaborated closely with regulatory agencies and the Lake Babine Nation throughout the design and construction process to ensure the system meets both technical and community expectations.

With the construction of the water treatment system complete and regulatory milestones achieved, the Company is advancing mine development activities in accordance with its permit.   Environmental monitoring will continue during the MBBR activation phase to ensure ongoing compliance as the system reaches full operational capacity.

This milestone represents a major step toward production readiness and reinforces Blue Lagoon’s commitment to responsible, permit-driven development. The official mine opening is scheduled for July 9, 2025.

About Blue Lagoon Resources Inc.

Blue Lagoon Resources is a Canadian based publicly listed mining company (CSE: BLLG; FSE: 7BL; OTCQB: BLAGF) focused on building shareholder value through the aggressive development of its 100% owned Dome Mountain Gold project. The Company is run by professionals with significant finance and mining experience and operates within a prime mining jurisdiction in British Columbia, Canada. With the granting of a full mining permit, a key milestone achieved in February 2025 – one of only nine such permits issued in British Columbia since 2015 – Blue Lagoon is now focused on last preparatory activities and tasks related to the safe and secure opening of the Dome Mountain Gold Mine, targeting Q3 2025 as the start of gold production . The Company’s primary objective has always been to become a cash-flowing mining company, to ultimately deliver tangible monetary value to shareholders, state, and local communities.

The Company is not basing its production decision at Dome Mountain on a feasibility study of mineral reserves demonstrating economic and technical viability. The production decision is based on having existing mining infrastructure, past bulk sampling and processing activity, and the established mineral resource.  The Company understands that there is increased uncertainty, and consequently a higher risk of failure, when production is undertaken in advance of a feasibility study.

For further information, please contact:

Rana Vig

President and CEO

Telephone: 604-218-4766

Email: ranavig@bluelagoonresources.com

The CSE has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information: This release includes certain statements that may be deemed ‘forward-looking statements’. All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, that address events or developments that Blue Lagoon Resources Inc. (the ‘Company’) expects to occur, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words ‘expects’, ‘targets’, ‘plans’, ‘anticipates’, ‘believes’, ‘intends’, ‘estimates’, ‘projects’, ‘potential’, ‘mine’, ‘production’ and similar expressions, or that events or conditions ‘will’, ‘would’, ‘may’, ‘could’ or ‘should’ occur. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include results of exploration activities may not show quality and quantity necessary for further exploration or future exploitation of minerals deposits, volatility of gold and silver prices, delays in mine development activities, future cash flow expectations and continued availability of capital and financing, permitting and other approvals, and general economic, market or business conditions.  Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company’s management, contractors and consultants on the date the statements are made. Except as required by applicable securities laws, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management’s, contractor’s and consultants’ beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change.

Copyright (c) 2025 TheNewswire – All rights reserved.

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Saga Metals Corp. (‘SAGA’ or the ‘Company’) (TSXV: SAGA) (OTCQB: SAGMF) (FSE: 20H) a North American exploration company focused on critical minerals discovery, is pleased to announce the appointment of seasoned mining executive Peter Hogendoorn to its Board of Advisors, along with a key investor relations partnership aimed at elevating shareholder engagement and corporate visibility.

Appointment of Peter Hogendoorn to Board of Advisors

With over three decades of experience, Mr. Hogendoorn has specialized in financing junior mining and technology companies in both public and private sectors. As the founder and owner of Wrenswood Capital Corp for the past 20 years, he has focused on investing in and advising numerous start-ups and facilitating the revitalization of defunct operations. In 2012, he raised $16M through a joint venture that financed the original Sage Plains potash discovery well, which is still regarded as the richest potash discovery well in history. In 2021, he founded Sage Potash Corp. (TSXV: SAGE), of which he is currently CEO, where he has advanced permitting and engineering for initial production of 150,000 TPY, with State and Private Mineral leases of approximately 30,000 acres and BLM prospecting permit applications on an additional 58,000 acres.

‘We are thrilled to welcome Peter to Saga Metals’ board of advisors, where his proven track record as a distinguished mining executive will significantly enhance our strategic vision,’ said Mike Stier, CEO & Director of Saga Metals. ‘Peter’s extensive experience in driving successful mineral exploration and development aligns seamlessly with our mission to advance critical mineral projects, particularly our Radar Titanium project in Labrador.’

Mr. Hogendoorn commented: ‘I’m excited by SAGA’s team and vision for developing strategic critical minerals that are traditionally produced in foreign jurisdictions. This has resulted in an overleverage of import dependence on critical minerals in Western economies. Such is the case for both Titanium and Potash with many starting to see the bull market opportunity ahead. Located in Labrador with proximal seaport access, I believe there exists an excellent opportunity to create important local jobs, and wealth creation as SAGA strives to become a major producer of titanium and other strategic critical minerals.’

Strategic IR Engagement with Xander Capital Partners

The Company is also pleased to announce that it has entered into an investor relations agreement dated June 30, 2025 (the ‘ Agreement ‘) with Xander Capital Partners Inc. (‘ Xander ‘), pursuant to which Xander will provide investor relations and market consulting services for an initial period of 12 months, subject to extension by mutual agreement of both parties. The Agreement can be terminated by giving 30 days’ prior written notice of termination to the other party or by mutual written agreement of the parties.

Xander has been engaged to heighten market awareness of the Company and to broaden the Company’s reach within the investment community. Pursuant to the Agreement, Xander will provide the following services to the Company: brand awareness, introductions to mining industry partners, research analysts, investment bankers, advisors, potential board members and digital marketing professionals. The Company will pay Xander a monthly cash fee of USD $10,000 as consideration for the services and 700,000 stock options (each, an ‘ Option ‘), which Options are exercisable for a period of two (2) years from the date of grant and vest quarterly over a period of 12 months. The Options were issued to Rob Guzman and James Hellwarth, both principals of Xander.

Xander Capital Partners, a leading investor relations firm with over 30 years of cumulative industry experience whose clientele has included public companies such as Alpha Lithium Corp. from inception in 2019 to the recent $300-million-plus buyout in 2023. Xander’s engagement is expected to elevate the Company’s capital markets profile, ensuring that SAGA’s growth story reaches a broad and sophisticated investor base. Xander is headquartered in Orlando, with their reach expanding internationally. Their services include introductions to high-net-worth individuals, assistance with the raising of equity capital, and corporate sponsorship.

The Agreement remains subject to the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange (the ‘ Exchange ‘).

Going forward please contact Rob Guzman, Investor Relations, for more information related to the Company and its projects.

Contact details:

Toll Free Tel: +1 (844) 724-2638
Email: rob@sagametals.com

About Saga Metals Corp.

Saga Metals Corp. is a North American mining company focused on the exploration and discovery of a diversified suite of critical minerals that support the global transition to green energy. The Radar Titanium Project comprises 24,175 hectares and entirely encloses the Dykes River intrusive complex, mapped at 160 km 2 on the surface near Cartwright, Labrador. Exploration to date, including a 2,200m drill program, has confirmed a large and mineralized layered mafic intrusion hosting vanadiferous titanomagnetite (VTM) with strong grades of titanium and vanadium.

The Double Mer Uranium Project, also in Labrador, covers 25,600 hectares featuring uranium radiometrics that highlight an 18km east-west trend, with a confirmed 14km section producing samples as high as 0.428% U 3 O 8 and uranium uranophane was identified in several areas of highest radiometric response (2024 Double Mer Technical Report).

Additionally, SAGA owns the Legacy Lithium Property in Quebec’s Eeyou Istchee James Bay region. This project, developed in partnership with Rio Tinto, has been expanded through the acquisition of the Amirault Lithium Project. Together, these properties cover 65,849 hectares and share significant geological continuity with other major players in the area, including Rio Tinto, Winsome Resources, Azimut Exploration, and Loyal Lithium.

With a portfolio that spans key minerals crucial to the green energy transition, SAGA is strategically positioned to play an essential role in the clean energy future.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors

Mike Stier, Chief Executive Officer

For more information, contact:
Saga Metals Corp.
Rob Guzman, Investor Relations
Tel: +1 (844) 724-2638
Email: rob@SAGAmetals.com
www.SAGAmetals.com

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Service Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Disclaimer
This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws that are not historical facts. Forward-looking statements are often identified by terms such as ‘will’, ‘may’, ‘should’, ‘anticipates’, ‘expects’, ‘believes’, and similar expressions or the negative of these words or other comparable terminology. All statements other than statements of historical fact, included in this release are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. In particular, this news release contains forward-looking information pertaining to the Company’s advisors, projects and investor relations. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company’s expectations include, but are not limited to, changes in the state of equity and debt markets, fluctuations in commodity prices, delays in obtaining required regulatory or governmental approvals, environmental risks, limitations on insurance coverage, risks and uncertainties involved in the mineral exploration and development industry, and the risks detailed in the Company’s continuous disclosure, filed under its SEDAR+ profile at www.sedarplus.ca. The reader is cautioned that assumptions used in the preparation of any forward-looking information may prove to be incorrect. Events or circumstances may cause actual results to differ materially from those predicted, as a result of numerous known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of the Company. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking information. Such information, although considered reasonable by management at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and the Company will update or revise publicly any of the included forward-looking statements only as expressly required by applicable law.

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 Nuvau Minerals Inc. (TSXV: NMC) (the ‘Company’ or ‘Nuvau’) is pleased to announce the results of its annual and special meeting of shareholders of the Company (the ‘Meeting’) held on June 26, 2025.

A total of 18,122,588 common shares of the Company (‘Common Shares‘) were represented, in person or by proxy, at the Meeting, representing approximately 35.5% of the total issued and outstanding common shares as of the record date of the Meeting.

All matters presented for shareholder approval at the Meeting were overwhelmingly approved as follows:

  • Peter van Alphen, Ewan Downie, Fariah Mir, Christina McCarthy, Michael Vitton and Steven Bowles were each re-elected as directors of the Company for the ensuing year;
  • Ernst & Young LLP was re-appointed as auditor of the Company for the ensuing year and the directors of the Company have been authorized to fix their remuneration; and
  • the Company’s omnibus equity incentive plan was re-approved by shareholders in accordance with the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange (the ‘Omnibus Plan‘).

The Omnibus Plan was last adopted by shareholders of the Company on August 29, 2024. The Omnibus Plan is a fixed 10% plan and provides for the grant of options, restricted share units, performance share units and deferred share units. The aggregate maximum number of Common Shares reserved for issuance pursuant to the Omnibus Plan is 5,109,999 Common Shares (less any Common Shares reserved for issuance under outstanding awards and under other security-based compensation arrangements of the Company). The Omnibus Plan has received conditional acceptance from the TSX Venture Exchange.

In addition, and further to the Company’s commitment to growing its business within Quebec, the Company is pleased to announce the appointment of Quebec based Steven Bowles as Chair of the board of the directors of the Company effective as of June 27, 2025. Steven Bowles has extensive experience in the Mining & Metals sector, encompassing private equity, private credit, M&A, and projects/operations management. He currently serves as Managing Director at Nebari Partners. Prior to this role, he held the position of Senior Director of investment in natural resources and energy within Investment Quebec’s private equity group.

For more details regarding the matters presented at the Meeting, please refer to the management information circular dated May 26, 2025, which is accessible on SEDAR+ (www.sedarplus.ca) under the Company’s issuer profile and on the Company’s website at www.nuvauminerals.com.

About Nuvau Minerals Inc.

Nuvau is a Canadian mining company focused on the Abitibi Region of Québec. Nuvau’s principal asset is the Matagami Property that is host to significant existing processing infrastructure and multiple mineral deposits and is being acquired from Glencore.

For more information go to our website www.nuvauminerals.com.

For further information please contact:

Nuvau Minerals Inc.
Peter van Alphen
President and CEO
Telephone: 416-525-6023
Email: pvanalphen@nuvauminerals.com

Cautionary Statement on Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains ‘forward-looking information’ within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release. Any statement that involves predictions, expectations, interpretations, beliefs, plans projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (often, but not always, using phrases such as ‘expects’, or ‘does not expect’, ‘is expected’, ‘interpreted’, ‘management’s view’, ‘anticipates’ or ‘does not anticipate’, ‘plans’, ‘budget’, ‘scheduled’, ‘forecasts’, ‘estimates’, ‘potential’, ‘feasibility’, ‘believes’ or ‘intends’ or variations of such words and phrases or stating that certain actions, events or results ‘may’ or ‘could’, ‘would’, ‘might’ or ‘will’ be taken, occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking information and are intended to identify forward-looking information. This news release contains forward-looking information pertaining to, among other things: the Company’s ability to complete the earn-in to acquire the Matagami Property; the Matagami Property holding multiple mineral deposits; and the significance of existing infrastructure at the Matagami Property.

Forward-looking information is not a guarantee of future performance and is based upon a number of estimates and assumptions of management, in light of management’s experience and perception of trends, current conditions and expected developments, as well as other factors that management believes to be relevant and reasonable in the circumstances. Forward-looking information involves risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events, results, performance, prospects and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking information are set out in the Company’s public disclosure record on SEDAR+ (www.sedarplus.ca) under the Company’s issuer profile. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking information in this news release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information, which only applies as of the date of this news release, and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed time frames or at all. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward- looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, other than as required by law.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/257278

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Here’s a quick recap of the crypto landscape for Friday (June 27) as of 9:00 a.m. UTC.

Get the latest insights on Bitcoin, Ethereum and altcoins, along with a round-up of key cryptocurrency market news.

Bitcoin and Ethereum price update

Bitcoin (BTC) is priced at US$107,027, trading flat in the last 24 hours. The day’s range for the cryptocurrency brought a low of US$106,709 and a high of US$107,884.

Bitcoin price performance, June 27, 2025.

Chart via TradingView.

Ethereum (ETH) closed at US$2,449.37, trading flat over the past 24 hours. Its lowest valuation on Friday was US$2,402.46 and its highest valuation was US$2,459.96 at the opening bell.

Altcoin price update

  • Solana (SOL) was priced at US$142.26, down 0.6 percent over 24 hours. Its highest valuation as of Friday was US$143.46, and its lowest was US$143.46.
  • XRP was trading for US$2.10, down by 1.3 percent in 24 hours. The cryptocurrency’s highest valuation was US$2.08, and its lowest price on Wednesday was US$2.14.
  • Sui (SUI) is trading at US$2.63, showing an increaseof 1.4 percent over the past 24 hours. Its lowest valuation was US$2.59, and its highest valuation was US$2.67.
  • Cardano (ADA) is priced at US$0.5580, trading flat in the last 24 hours. Its highest valuation as of Friday was US$0.5631, and its lowest was US$0.5496.

Today’s crypto news to know

Trump’s World Liberty adds UK DeFi partner, eyes stablecoin vault

World Liberty Financial, the crypto venture connected to Donald Trump’s family, has secured a partnership with Re7 Capital, a London-based decentralized finance hedge fund, in a bid to scale its USD1 stablecoin.

Backed by up to US$10 million in investment from Hong Kong’s VMS Group, Re7 Capital will work with World Liberty on deploying a stablecoin vault on the Euler and Lista protocols, while also expanding to Binance’s BNB Chain.

VMS Group, a family office for wealthy Hong Kong clients, is making its first crypto move through its stake in Re7.

Meanwhile, the Middle East’s Aqua 1 Foundation disclosed a US$100 million investment into World Liberty tokens, becoming its largest single investor.

UAE’s Aqua 1 buys US$100 million of Trump’s World Liberty Tokens

The Aqua 1 Foundation, a relatively low-profile fund based in the United Arab Emirates, confirmed a US$100 million purchase of World Liberty tokens, linked to Donald Trump’s family-backed crypto initiative.

The tokens, known as $WLFI, function as governance tokens, meaning holders vote on protocol changes but cannot yet freely trade them. World Liberty said it hopes to eventually allow these tokens to become transferable.

The partnership will also help identify and develop blockchain projects across South America, Europe, and Asia. The fund also plans to launch a separate vehicle to advance Middle East digital economic initiatives using blockchain and artificial intelligence.

Despite the investment, Aqua 1 maintains a very minimal online footprint, with only three posts on X and a website registered just weeks ago.

World Liberty says Aqua 1’s teams will support its compliance and expansion efforts going forward.

Bitcoin logs weakest monthly growth despite strong ETF flows

Bitcoin’s performance is stalling despite massive inflows to spot ETFs, pointing to shifting market forces.

The leading crypto asset has climbed just 2 percent for the month, marking its smallest gain since July 2023, even with US$3.9 billion in inflows over recent weeks.

Data shows that whales holding over 10,000 BTC have leaned toward selling, dampening bullish momentum. Smaller wallets have also been net sellers, further pressuring prices as opportunistic traders take profits.

Between January and April, most market participants had offloaded assets until accumulation restarted near US$76,000 in April.

Now, Bitcoin is consolidating with realized profits in the current cycle hitting US$650 billion, higher than last cycle’s $US550 billion.

Securities Disclosure: I, Giann Liguid, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

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Apple Thursday made changes to its App Store European policies, saying it believes the new rules will help the company avoid a fine of 500 million euro ($585 million) from the EU for violating the Digital Markets Act.

The new policies are a complicated system of fees and programs for app makers, with some developers now paying three separate fees for one download. Apple also is going to introduce a new set of rules for all app developers in Europe, which includes a fee called the “core technology commission” of 5% on all digital purchases made outside the App Store.

The changes Apple announced are not a complete departure from the company’s previous policy that drew the European Commission’s attention in the first place.

Apple said it did not want to make the changes but was forced to by the European Commission’s regulations, which threatened fines of up to 50 million euros per day. Apple said it believed its plan is in compliance with the DMA and that it will avoid fines.

“The European Commission is requiring Apple to make a series of additional changes to the App Store,” an Apple spokesperson said in a statement. “We disagree with this outcome and plan to appeal.”

A spokesperson for the European Commission did not say that Apple was no longer subject to the fine. He said in a statement that the EC is looking at Apple’s new terms to see if the company is in compliance.

“As part of this assessment the Commission considers it particularly important to obtain the views of market operators and interested third parties before deciding on next steps,” the spokesperson said in a statement.

The saga in Brussels is the latest example of Apple fiercely defending its App Store policies, a key source of profit for the iPhone maker through fees of between 15% and 30% on downloads through its App Store.

It also shows that Apple is continuing to claim it is owed a commission when iPhone apps link to websites for digital purchases overseas despite a recent court ruling that barred the practice in the U.S.

Under the Digital Markets Act, Apple was required to allow app developers more choices for how they distribute and promote their apps. In particular, developers are no longer prohibited from telling their users about cheaper alternatives to Apple’s App Store, a practice called “steering” by regulators.

In early 2024, Apple announced its changes, including a 50 cent fee on off-platform app downloads.

Critics, including Sweden’s Spotify, pushed back on Apple’s proposed changes, saying that the tech firm chose an approach that violated the spirit of the rules, and that its fees and commissions challenge the viability of the alternative billing system. The European Commission investigated for a year, and it said on Thursday that it would again seek feedback from Apple’s critics.

“From the beginning, Apple has been clear that they didn’t like the idea of abiding by the DMA,” Spotify said last year.

Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney, whose company successfully changed Apple’s steering rules in the U.S. earlier this year, accused Apple of “malicious compliance” in its approach to the DMA.

“Apple’s new Digital Markets Act malicious compliance scheme is blatantly unlawful in both Europe and the United States and makes a mockery of fair competition in digital markets,” Sweeney posted on social media on Thursday. “Apps with competing payments are not only taxed but commercially crippled in the App Store.”

The European Commission announced the 500 million euro fine in April. The commission at the time said that the tech company might still be able to make changes to avoid the fine.

Apple’s restrictions on steering in the United States were tossed earlier this year, following a court order in the long-running Epic Games case. A judge in California found that Apple had purposely misled the court about its steering concessions in the United States and instructed it to immediately stop asking charging a fee or commission on for external downloads.

The order is currently in effect in the United States as it is being appealed and has already shifted the economics of app development. As a result, companies like Amazon and Spotify in the U.S. can direct customers to their own websites and avoid Apple’s 15% to 30% commission.

In the U.S., Amazon’s iPhone Kindle app now shows an orange “Get Book” button that links to Amazon.com.

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It’s a bittersweet day for Windows users.

Microsoft is scrapping its iconic “blue screen of death,” known for appearing during unexpected restarts on Windows computers. The company revealed a new black iteration in a blog post on Thursday, saying that it is “streamlining the unexpected restart experience.”

The new black unexpected restart screen is slated to launch this summer on Windows 11 24H2 devices, the company said. Microsoft touted the updates as an “easier” and “faster” way to recover from restarts.

The software giant’s blue screen of death dates back to the early 1990s, according to longtime Microsoft developer Raymond Chen.

Travelers walk past screens after a major disruption in Microsoft’s cloud services caused widespread flight cancellations and delays at T3 IGI Airport in New Delhi, India, on July 19.Vipin Kumar / Hindustan Times via Getty Images file

Microsoft also said it plans to update the user interface to match the Windows 11 design and cut downtime during restarts to two seconds for the majority of users.

“This change is part of a larger continued effort to reduce disruption in the event of an unexpected restart,” Microsoft wrote.

The iconic blue screen was seemingly everywhere in July 2024 after a faulty update from CrowdStrike crashed computer systems around the world.

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Senate Republicans rammed President Donald Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ through a procedural hurdle after hours of tense negotiations that put the megabill’s fate into question. 

Speculation swirled whether Republicans would be satisfied by the latest edition of the mammoth bill, which was released just before the stroke of midnight Saturday morning.

Nearly every Republican, except Sens. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., and Rand Paul, R-Ky., all voted to unlock a marathon 20-hour debate on the bill. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., could only afford to lose three votes.

Though successful, the 51-49 party line vote was not without drama.

Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., flipped his vote from a ‘no’ to ‘yes’ in dramatic fashion, as he and Sens. Rick Scott, R-Fla., Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., and Mike Lee, R-Utah, made their way to the Senate floor accompanied by Vice President JD Vance.

Vance was called in case he was needed for a tie-breaking vote, but only his negotiating services ended up being used.

No lawmaker wanted to be the fourth and final decisive vote to kill the bill. Republican leadership kept the floor open for nearly four hours while negotiations continued – first on the Senate floor and then eventually in Thune’s office.

The bill won’t immediately be debated thanks to Senate Democrats’ plan to force the reading of the entire, 940-page legislative behemoth on the Senate floor, which could drain several hours and go deep into the night.

The megabill’s fate, and whether it could pass its first test, was murky at best after senators met behind closed doors Friday, and even during another luncheon on Saturday.

Lingering concerns in both chambers about Medicaid — specifically the Medicaid provider tax rate and the effect of direct payments to states — energy tax credits, the state and local tax (SALT) deduction and others proved to be pain points that threatened the bill’s survival.

 

However, changes were made at the last-minute to either sate holdouts or comply with the Senate rules. Indeed, the Senate parliamentarian stripped numerous items from the bill that had to be reworked.

The Medicaid provider tax rate was kept largely the same, except its implementation date was moved back a year. Also included as a sweetener for lawmakers like Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, Josh Hawley, R-Mo., and others was a $25 billion rural hospital stabilization fund over the next five years.

Collins said that she would support the bill through the procedural hurdle, and noted that the rural hospital stabilization fund was a start, but whether she supports the bill on final passage remains to be seen.

‘If the bill is not further changed, I will be leaning against the bill, but I do believe this procedural vote to get on the bill so that people can offer amendments and debate it is appropriate,’ Collins said.

Tillis, who is also concerned about the changes to Medicaid and would like to see a return to the House GOP’s version, said that he would not vote in favor of the bill during final passage.

The SALT deduction included in the House GOP’s version of the bill also survived, albeit the $40,000 cap will remain intact for five years. After that, the cap will revert to its current $10,000.

Other sweeteners, like expanding nutrition benefit waivers to Alaska and a tax cut for whaling boat captains, were thrown in, too, to get moderates like Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, on board with the bill.

Lee announced that he withdrew his open lands sale provision, which proved a sticking point for lawmakers in Montana and Idaho. 

Still, Republicans who are not satisfied with the current state of the bill will use the forthcoming ‘vote-a-rama,’ when lawmakers can offer an unlimited number of amendments, to try and change as much as they can before final passage. 

Democrats, however, will use the process to inflict as much pain as possible on Republicans.

Once the amendment marathon concludes, which could be in the wee hours of Monday morning, lawmakers will move to a final vote to send the bill, which is an amendment to the House GOP’s version of the ‘big, beautiful bill,’ back to the lower chamber.

From there, it’s a dead sprint to get the package on the president’s desk by July 4.

In a statement of administration policy obtained by Fox News Digital, Trump signaled that he would sign the bill.

‘President Trump is committed to keeping his promises,’ the memo read. ‘And failure to pass this bill would be the ultimate betrayal.’ 

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Lawmakers from across the aisle are reacting to President Donald Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ passing a key Senate vote on Saturday night.

Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., who flipped his vote from a ‘no’ to ‘yes’ in dramatic fashion, said in a statement that the mammoth bill is a ‘necessary first step’ to fiscal sustainability and cleaning up the mess left by the Biden administration.

‘Biden and the Democrats left behind enormous messes that we are trying to clean up – an open border, wars, and massive deficits,’ Johnson said. ‘After working for weeks with President Trump and his highly capable economic team, I am convinced that he views this as a necessary first step and will support my efforts to help put America on a path to fiscal sustainability.’

The 51-49 vote went along party lines, with only Sens. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., and Rand Paul, R-Ky., voting against unlocking a marathon 20-hour debate on the bill.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., was among the Democrats against what he called a ‘radical’ bill.

‘Senate Republicans are scrambling to pass a radical bill, released to the public in the dead of night, praying the American people don’t realize what’s in it,’ Schumer said in a statement. ‘If Senate Republicans won’t tell the American people what’s in this bill, then Democrats are going to force this chamber to read it from start to finish.’

The bill will not immediately be debated thanks to Senate Democrats’ plan to force the reading of the entire, 940-page legislative behemoth on the Senate floor.

Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., however, said he was ‘proud’ to work with Trump on the bill and ‘put our nation on a path to balance the budget after years of Democrats’ reckless spending.’

Trump has said that he wants the bill, which must pass the Senate before being sent to the House for a vote, on his desk by July 4.

Trump called the Senate vote a ‘great victory’ and directly praised Sens. Johnson, Scott, Mike Lee, R-Ariz., and Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., in a post on his Truth Social platform.

‘They, along with all of the other Republican Patriots who voted for the Bill, are people who truly love our Country!’ Trump wrote. ‘As President of the USA, I am proud of them all, and look forward to working with them to GROW OUR ECONOMY, REDUCE WASTEFUL SPENDING, SECURE OUR BORDER, FIGHT FOR OUR MILITARY/VETS, ENSURE THAT OUR MEDICAID SYSTEM HELPS THOSE WHO TRULY NEED IT, PROTECT OUR SECOND AMENDMENT, AND SO MUCH MORE. GOD BLESS AMERICA &, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!’

In a second post, Trump wrote, ‘VERY PROUD OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY TONIGHT. GOD BLESS YOU ALL! MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!’

Fox News Digital’s Alex Miller contributed to this report.

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A leaked Defense Intelligence Agency report is casting doubt on President Donald Trump’s claim that recent U.S. airstrikes ‘completely and totally obliterated’ three Iranian nuclear facilities, instead concluding the mission only set back Iran’s program by several months.

The report, published by CNN and The New York Times, comes just days after Trump approved the strikes amid escalating tensions between Israel and Iran. In a national address immediately following the operation, Trump declared the sites ‘completely and totally obliterated.’ 

While members of the Trump administration have waged a new war to discredit the initial report from the Pentagon’s Defense Intelligence Agency, multiple experts told Fox News Digital that there is too little information available right now to accurately determine how much damage the strikes did. 

Piecing together a thorough intelligence assessment is complex and time-consuming, they said. 

Dan Shapiro, who previously served as the deputy assistant secretary of Defense for the Middle East and the U.S. ambassador to Israel, said he didn’t put a lot of stock in both overly pessimistic or overly optimistic assessments that emerged quickly, and said that the initial assessment from DIA was likely only based on satellite imagery. 

‘That’s one piece of the puzzle of how you would really make this assessment,’ Shapiro, now a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, told Fox News Digital. ‘You’d really want to have to test all the other streams of intelligence, from signals intelligence, human intelligence, other forms of monitoring the site, potentially visits by International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors, potentially visits by other people. So that’s going to take days to weeks to get a real assessment.’ 

‘But I think it’s likely that if the munitions performed as expected, that significant damage was done, and would set back the program significantly,’ Shapiro said. 

Gen. Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Sunday that initial battle damage assessments suggested ‘all three sites sustained extremely severe damage and destruction,’ but he acknowledged that a final assessment would ‘take some time.’ 

Still, media reports based on the DIA report painted a different picture, and CNN’s reporting on the initial report said that Iran’s stash of enriched uranium was not destroyed in the strikes, citing seven people who had been briefed on the report. The findings were based on a battle damage assessment from U.S. Central Command, according to CNN. 

Other members of the Trump administration, including Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, have subsequently pushed back on the DIA report’s conclusions, claiming that the report was labeled ‘low confidence.’ 

The term is commonly used when labeling initial assessments, and means that conclusions are based on limited data, according to experts. 

Retired Navy Rear Adm. Mark Montgomery, who previously served as the director for transnational threats at the National Security Council for former President Bill Clinton, said the low confidence description is commonly used in early assessments. 

‘Low confidence means the analyst is not sure of the accuracy of their assessment,’ said Montgomery, now a senior fellow at the Washington think tank the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies. ‘This is frequent when with a Quick Look 24-hour assessment like this one.’

Montgomery’s colleague, Craig Singleton, also a senior fellow with the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said that the low confidence label is used in cases with thin evidence and serves as a warning to policy-makers to seek additional information. 

‘Most importantly, low confidence assessments are usually issued when key facts have yet to be verified, which certainly applies in this case,’ Singleton said.

Rob Greenway, former deputy assistant to the president on Trump’s National Security Council, told Fox News Digital that it will take one or two months to get a more thorough assessment with higher confidence. 

Greenway also said that the strikes were designed to create damage underground, which will complicate the assessment of damage, because it is not immediately available and will require multiple sources of intelligence, such as signals or human intelligence, to draw conclusions. 

Israel had also previously conducted strikes targeting the sites, adding to the web of analysis that must be evaluated, Greenway said. 

‘Each of these are one piece of a much larger puzzle, and you’re trying to gauge the ultimate effect of the entirety of the puzzle, not just one particular strike,’ said Greenway, now the director of the Allison Center for National Security at The Heritage Foundation. ‘All of that means it’s going to take time in order to do it.’ 

Even so, Greenway said that the amount of ordnance dropped on the sites – including more than 14 30,000-lb. bombs – means that the targeted facilities have been so heavily compromised they are no longer serviceable. 

‘We were putting twice the amount of ordnance required to achieve the desired effect, just to make sure that we didn’t have to go back,’ Greenway said. 

‘There’s virtually no mathematical probability in which either facility can be used again by Iran for the intended purpose, if at all, which again means that everything now is within Israel’s capability to strike if that’s required,’ Greenway said. 

And Michael Allen, a former National Security Council senior director in the George W. Bush administration, said that even though a final judgment from the intelligence community won’t be ready soon, the intelligence portrait will become ‘richer’ in the coming days. 

‘Stuff is pouring in, and we’re out there collecting it, and they’re trying to hustle it to the White House as soon as possible,’ Allen, now the managing director of advisory firm Beacon Global Strategies, told Fox News Digital. 

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that very few people had access to this report, and those who leaked it to the media will be held accountable as the FBI investigates who shared the document with the press. 

‘That person was irresponsible with it,’ Leavitt told reporters Thursday. ‘And we need to get to the bottom of it. And we need to strengthen that process to protect our national security and protect the American public.’

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The top Democrat in the Senate plans to inflict maximum pain on Senate Republicans in their march to pass President Donald Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ before lawmakers even get a chance to debate the legislative behemoth.

Indeed, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said he’ll force clerks on the Senate floor to read the entirety of the GOP’s 940-page megabill. His move to drain as much time as possible came after Republicans vote on a key procedural test to open debate on the legislation.

‘I will object to Republicans moving forward on their Big, Ugly Bill without reading it on the Senate floor,’ Schumer said on X. ‘Republicans won’t tell America what’s in the bill

‘So Democrats are forcing it to be read start to finish on the floor,’ he said. ‘We will be here all night if that’s what it takes to read it.’

Indeed, staffers were seen carting the bill onto the Senate floor in preparation for the all-night read-a-thon.

Schumer’s move is expected to take up to 15 hours and is designed to allow Senate Democrats more time to parse through the myriad provisions within the massive legislative text. Ultimately, it will prove a smokescreen as Senate Republicans will continue to march toward a final vote.

Once the bill reading is done, 20 hours of debate evenly divided between Democrats and Republicans will begin, likely early Sunday morning. Democrats are expected to use their entire 10-hour chunk, while Republicans will go far under their allotted time.

Then comes the ‘vote-a-rama’ process, where lawmakers can offer an unlimited number of amendments to the bill.

Democrats will again look to extract as much pain as possible during that process, while Republicans, particularly senators that have lingering issues with key Medicaid and land sale provisions, will continue to try and shape and mold the bill.

The last time clerks were forced to read the entirety of a bill during the budget reconciliation process was in 2021, when Senate Democrats held the majority in the upper chamber.

At the time, Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., demanded that the entire, over-600-page American Rescue Act be read aloud. Schumer, who was the Senate Majority Leader attempting to ram then-President Joe Biden’s agenda through the upper chamber, objected to the reading. 

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