Google, EU near deal on search probe

US Internet giant Google is preparing changes to its dominant search system to satisfy European Union (EU) anti-trust authorities, the Financial Times (FT) said on Saturday. In a five-year accord with Brussels, Google has promised to make users "clearly aware" when promoting its own search services in specialised areas such as restaurants, finance and shopping, the FT said, citing people familiar with the deal. It will also highlight links to rival specialised search services. EU Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia told the New York Times on Tuesday that Google had to clearly differentiate its services from others but stressed that the company would not have to change the key underlying algorithms which drive the product.