Pentagon research arm says military must react faster to tech changes

By Andrea Shalal WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The famed Pentagon research arm that gave the world the Internet and the miniaturized GPS receivers used in consumer devices said on Thursday one of its key goals now is to ensure U.S. troops do not get left behind as technologies advance at a lightning pace. Arati Prabhakar, director of the Pentagon’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, said easy access to once-proprietary products and the fast pace of commercial technological development threaten the U.S.

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EU antitrust regulators to investigate ecommerce

By Foo Yun Chee and Rene Wagner BERLIN (Reuters) – European Union regulators plan to investigate ecommerce to help remove barriers to cross-border trade in the 28-nation bloc, the EU's antitrust chief said, a move that may lead to action against companies which deliberately block online sales. European Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said she decided to launch the year-long inquiry because such hurdles were hampering the growth of online sales. According to the European Commission, while one in two EU consumers shopped online last year, just 15 percent bought a product online in another EU country because of restrictions such as language, different laws and anti-competitive behavior, “It is high time to remove remaining barriers to ecommerce, which is a vital part of a true Digital Single Market in Europe,” Vestager told reporters at a conference organized by the German competition authority on Thursday

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