LONDON (Reuters) -Global dealmaking has reached $2.6 trillion, the highest for the first seven months of the year since the 2021 pandemic-era peak, as a quest for growth in corporate boardrooms and the impact of a surge in AI activity has overcome the uncertainty caused by U.S. tariffs. The number of transactions to August 1 is 16% lower than the same...

SYDNEY, Aug 18 (Reuters) - Google agreed on Monday to pay a A$55 million ($35.8 million) fine in Australia after the consumer watchdog found it had hurt competition by paying the country's two largest telcos to pre-install its search application on Android phones, excluding rival search engines. The fine extends a bumpy period for the Alphabet-owned internet giant in Australia,...

* Ocean freight rates to trek lower through rest of 2025 * Tariffs and conflict reshape global shipping routes * Rerouting absorbs capacity, providing floor to rates By Jeslyn Lerh SINGAPORE, Aug 5 (Reuters) - Asia-U.S. sea freight rates are set to drop further in 2025 as shipping capacity outpaces demand and trade routes shift due to tariffs and geopolitical...

LONDON, Aug 5 (Reuters) - British scientific instruments maker Spectris ( SEPJF ) has agreed to a sweetened offer from U.S. private equity firm KKR valuing it at 4.8 billion pounds ($6.4 billion), it said on Tuesday, withdrawing its backing for a lower offer from rival suitor Advent. The London-headquartered company said it had agreed to a 41.75 pound per...