E.P.A. Assesses Threats on Twitter to Justify Pruitt’s Spending

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E.P.A. Assesses Threats on Twitter to Justify Pruitt’s Spending Photo The Environmental Protection Agency is seeking to justify Scott Pruitt’s extraordinary and costly security measures. Credit Tom Brenner/The New York Times WASHINGTON — The Environmental Protection Agency has been examining posts on Twitter and other social media about Scott Pruitt, the agency’s administrator, to justify his extraordinary and costly security measures, which have included first-class travel and full-time protection even on personal trips to Disneyland, the Rose Bowl and college basketball games, according to interviews and agency and congressional documents.
The social media efforts have come under scrutiny by some Democratic lawmakers, as well as senior officials at the E.P.A., who said the review had uncovered individuals sounding off against Mr. Pruitt but had found no actionable threats against him. One top E.P.A. official said in an interview that he had objected to the efforts when they were firs..

UK offices of Murdoch's 21st Century Fox raided as EU probes sports broadcasting 'cartel'

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European Commission carries unannounced inspections of companies across continent amid investigation into 'suspected anti-competitive practices'
The London offices of Rupert Murdoch’s Fox Networks have been raided by the European Commission as part of a continent-wide investigation into a possible sports broadcasting cartel.
Officials carried out “unannounced inspections” of companies in several countries over concerns the firms “may have violated EU antitrust rules”, the commission said.
Fox Networks Group (FNG), an operating unit of 21st Century Fox which distributes TV and cable channels around the world, said it was co-operating with the investigation after its offices in Hammersmith, west London, were raided.
Read more Murdoch takeover of Sky ‘not in the public interest’, watchdog finds The commission said the inspections were “a preliminary step into suspected anti-competitive practices”.
In a statement, it added: “The fact that the commission carries out such i..

Brexit: Sticking to EU rules 'vastly' more beneficial than creating UK's own, says business group

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'For the majority of businesses, diverging from EU rules and regulations will make them less globally competitive,' says Confederation of British Industry
The economy will be much better off if the UK sticks closely to EU rules rather than creating its own after Brexit, a leading business group has said.
Eighteen of 23 sectors analysed would benefit from regulations that remain aligned with Brussels, the Confederation of British Industry found.
It said the costs of divergence would “vastly outweigh” the benefits in most parts of the economy.
Read more UK firms face storm of flawed legislation after Brexit, experts warn The CBI spoke to thousands of business leaders up and down the UK over a six-month period and found that, while there were opportunities to make beneficial new rules in sectors such as agriculture, shipping and tourism, these are limited.
In sectors such as aerospace, aviation, chemicals, financial services and technology, the majority of important reg..

Mark Zuckerberg’s I’m Sorry Suit

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Mark Zuckerberg’s I’m Sorry Suit How do we know that Mark Zuckerberg, chief executive of Facebook and man currently under scrutiny, really does feel contrite and humbled by his company’s failure to protect users’ personal data, as he said during his testimony before Congress on Tuesday?
Well, he donned, if not a penitent’s robes, then what seems like his equivalent: a suit and tie.
It began on Monday, when Mr. Zuckerberg made the rounds of congressional leaders in a dark suit, white shirt and ink blue tie. On Tuesday, when he took his seat on the committee room floor, the suit was navy, and the tie was Facebook blue. It was somber. It was on brand.
And for someone who has made a professional and personal signature out of the plain gray tee and jeans — who has posted pictures of the row of gray T-shirts and hoodies hanging in his closet on his Facebook page; whose success has made those gray tees and hoodies into shorthand for a new generation of disrupters, as aspirational an outfit as..

Sudan’s President Orders Release of Political Prisoners

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Sudan’s President Orders Release of Political Prisoners Photo President Omar al-Bashir of Sudan speaking before members of the parliamentary body of the ruling National Congress Party last week in Khartoum. Credit Ashraf Shazly/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Sudan’s president has ordered the release of dozens of political prisoners, the state-run news agency Suna reported on Tuesday, an action that appeared intended to mollify human-rights critics.
The decision seemed to be a concession by the president, Omar Hassan al-Bashir, who came to power in 1989 in an Islamist and military-backed coup, and is wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of crimes against humanity and war crimes committed in Darfur.
He is an international pariah. But Western governments have increasingly been working with his government, eager for his help in preventing violent extremism and in stemming the flow of African refugees northward into Libya and Egypt and then on to boats bound for Europe..