The company is going all out to respond to safety concerns about its top-selling plane, and after hundreds of hours of testing will roll out the fix to the stall-prevention software, once it’s been approved by the Federal Aviation Administration.

Below are the changes it is making:

– Two AOA sensors –

The Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) flight control software was installed on the 737 MAX because the heavier engines forced a shift in the placement of the engines. It is designed to push the nose of the plane down if it detects the risk of a stall. With the changes, the MCAS will no longer react to input from a single “angle of attack” sensor, but only when two sensors agree, within a small margin of error.

– Disagree light –

The pilot will be alerted if the left and right AOA sensors are contradicting each other with a “disagree light.” Boeing will no longer charge airlines to install this feature.

– Pilot override –

The MCAS will no longer continue to try to override the pilot and will engage only once, nor will it have sufficient power to counteract the actions of the flight crew. The pilots will continue to always have the ability to override MCAS and manually control the airplane.

– Pilot training –

Boeing has updated its training for pilots flying the MAX to give them an “enhanced understanding” of the systems, including the MCAS and associated procedures. This will be a computer-based training program.

Pilots not rated to fly the 737 must complete at least 21 days of instructor-led training, including classroom and simulator training.

– Timing –

Mike Sinnett, Boeing’s vice president of product strategy, told reporters the fix was not released until now because they were taking time to ensure they would get it right. It will take only about an hour to install and can be rolled out as soon as the company receives FAA approval.

The ban will be enforced starting next week at the leading online social network and its image-centric messaging service Instagram.

“It’s clear that these concepts are deeply linked to organized hate groups and have no place on our services,” the social network said in a statement.

Facebook policies already banned posts endorsing white supremacy as part of its prohibition against spewing hate at people based on characteristics such as race, ethnicity or religion.

The ban had not applied to some postings because it was reasoned they were expressions of broader concepts of nationalism or political independence, according to the social network.

Facebook said that conversations with academics and “members of civil society” in recent months led it to view white nationalism and separatism as linked to organized hate groups.

“Going forward, while people will still be able to demonstrate pride in their ethnic heritage, we will not tolerate praise or support for white nationalism and separatism,” Facebook said.

People who enter search terms associated with white supremacy will get results referring them to resources such as Life After Hate which focus on helping people turn their backs on such groups, according to the social network.

Amid pressure from governments around the world, Facebook has ramped up machine learning and artificial intelligence tools for finding and removing hateful content while remaining open to free expression.

“Unfortunately, there will always be people who try to game our systems to spread hate,” Facebook said.

“Our challenge is to stay ahead by continuing to improve our technologies, evolve our policies and work with experts who can bolster our own efforts.”

Facebook said the new ban would not apply to topics such as American pride and Basque separatism, which “are an important part of people’s identity,” according to the statement.

Difficult to enforce

Mark Potok, a senior fellow at the Centre for Analysis of the Radical Right, believed Facebook’s new ban could limit the spread of white nationalist rhetoric but doubted it would rid the world of the ideology.

“We’ll see if they are able to enforce this,” Potok said.

“There are thousands of white nationalists posts on Facebook every day. They weren’t able to stop the Christchurch video so it will be challenging to do this” he said, referring to the stream of the deadly attacks at New Zealand mosques earlier this month.

The New Zealand massacre demonstrated the global reach of a white nationalist movement that preaches an imagined “European” ideal, rejects immigration and shares often vicious threats over the internet.

Some analysts say it is a cohesive movement bound together online that stretches across Europe into Russia, has a deep following in the US and Canada.

They say it poses as much of an international threat as Islamic extremism, and even more so in the United States where white nationalist attacks have outpaced those by jihadists for years.

According to some researchers, white nationalists have been emboldened by the rise of politicians espousing traditionalist views and a tough line on immigration — from Marine Le Pen in France and Viktor Orban in Hungary to Russian President Vladimir Putin; and the UKIP party in Britain.

The same holds true in the United States where President Donald Trump campaigned for the White House on an anti-immigration platform, backed by an overwhelmingly white voter base.

Trump notoriously appeared to sanction the march by white supremacists and neo-Nazis in Charlottesville, Virginia in 2017, and has avoided condemning violence from the far-right.

And customers hardly ever ask about them if they’re not. While these missed opportunities may seem inconsequential, they are starting to add up in this competitive retail environment where every sale counts.

According to the Thai Retailers Association, Thailand’s retail industry reported growth at only 3.1 per cent in 2018, while according to the Electronic Transactions Development Agency (ETDA), e-Commerce has grown consistently between 8-10 per cent per year based. This shows that retailers are now required to make greater use of technology, along with other services and activities, to expanding sales opportunity and further business growth.

There is hope. Many retailers are now taking steps to directly address the frustration of a wasted trip by combining the convenience of online shopping with the delight of the instore experience. Enter alternative fulfilment.

The Paths to Alternative Fulfilment

The oldest, most proven method is to offer discounts to customers if they come back to the store when the item is replenished. This rewards customer loyalty while also offering an incentive. Unfortunately though, according to Zebra’s Global Shoppers study, only 44 percent of retailers currently offer this service even as research shows 61 percent of shoppers globally want it.

The benefit of this method is that retailers can also build customer loyalty through personal shopping experiences. In stores where customers are looking for multiple items like groceries or tools, they can be given a personal shopping solution like Zebra’s PS20 that can guide them through the store giving additional product information while also alerting them with location-based vouchers.

As people’s time becomes even more important, we are seeing convenience increasingly trump cost, and retailers must respond. They are starting to do so by offering fast home delivery should an item not be in stock. The Zebra Shopper Study found 62 percent of shoppers globally want this method when they shop, but only 42 percent of surveyed retailers have it in place.

It is clear then that the challenge for retailers lies in delivery or what is often referred to as the “last mile.”

Supply Chain Superiority

The conventional supply chain requires fluid movement between stores and the warehouse. When a retailer wishes to add home delivery or to re-stock discounted items quickly, an exponentially more powerful logistics system becomes essential.

This system must be able to instantly, reliably assess the status of any stock item. No matter whether it is location (warehouse or store), size or readiness to ship – a retailer needs to have this insight. Customers offered home delivery expect items to be dispatched with speed that matches their online alternatives.

It must also empower warehouse workers with tools for rapid item location and processing. Retailers attempting to implement alternative fulfilment strategies instore will struggle if operatives tasked with quickly locating, scanning and shipping items are working with outdated technology. Hence the growth and investment in recent years in warehouse technologies like

mobile computing and RFID solutions.

Making Sales from the Warehouse

In the face of incredible competition, innovative retailers are recognising a need to offer solutions that match rising customer demands for speed and flexible fulfilment. Tried and trusted methods such as promotions and discounts are now more targeted and personalised with logistical supply chains becoming more flexible and visible. This is driving retailers to invest in and build a greater understanding of the tools and processes that enable such insight and agility – all of which sit at the core of Zebra’s solutions.

All retailers know they must focus on the customer, brick-and-mortar stores especially. But, realising that the very best instore experiences start in the warehouse is what will keep retailers profitable in 2019.

Director Steven Spielberg, TV host Oprah Winfrey and Hollywood stars Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon and Steve Carrell made appearances at the event that brings Apple into direct competition with Netflix and the rest of the entertainment sector.

“We all want to be heard, but we also need to listen… to be able to harness our hopes and dreams and heal our divisions,” Winfrey told a packed audience in the Steve Jobs Theater on Apple’s campus in Silicon Valley.

“That is why I have joined forces with Apple. The Apple platform allows me to do what I do, in whole new way.”

The Apple TV+ service, an on-demand, ad-free subscription service, will launch this year in 100 countries, the company said.

“We believe deeply in the power of creativity,” Apple chief executive Tim Cook said.

“Great stories can change the world. We feel we can contribute something important to our culture and to our society through great storytelling.”

Apple revealed only a few of the programs to launch but announced it was working with celebrities on both sides of the camera including Octavia Spencer, J.J. Abrams, Jason Momoa and M. Night Shyamalan.

The new content will be available on an upgraded Apple TV app, which will be on smart television sets and third-party platforms including Roku and Amazon’s Fire TV.

Apple will also allow consumers to subscribe to third-party services like HBO and Starz from the same application. The cost of the service, along with financial deals with content creators, were not disclosed.

“These people could go where the money is, but they are going where Apple is,” Creative Strategies analyst Carolina Milanesi said of the star power on display at the event.

She expected Apple TV+ to be more of a channel at its streaming video service, similar to an HBO, than to be a “one-stop-shop” that would stand alone.

Apple is aiming to leverage its position with some 900 million people worldwide who use at least one of its devices. But some suggested Apple’s path may be harder than anticipated.

“I don’t want to know which famous people Apple has signed up. I want to know if the annual budget is $1bn or $10bn,” tweeted Benedict Evans, a Silicon Valley investor and blogger.

“Getting audience for a TV platform is like orbital mechanics — the only way to go up is to burn more fuel.”

While some view Apple’s move as a reinvention of the iconic company, analyst Richard Windsor said on his Radio Free Mobile blog that the video service “is very unlikely to ever be big enough to wean Apple off of its long addiction to selling hardware.”

– More than 300 magazines –

Meanwhile, a new Apple News+ service at a cost of $9.99 per month will include The Los Angeles Times and Wall Street Journal, digital news sites and more than 300 magazine titles including Rolling Stone, Time, National Geographic Wired and The New Yorker.

“We think Apple News+ will be great for customers and great for publishers,” Cook said.

Apple News+ was launched in the US and Canada in English and French and will be available later this year in Britain and Australia, the company said.

Separately, the company said it was launching a new game subscription service called Apple Arcade later this year with at least 100 titles at launch.

“Apple Arcade will introduce an innovative way to access a collection of brand new games that will not be available on any other mobile platform or in any other subscription service,” Apple said in a statement.

The game service will be available in 150 countries, with pricing to be announced later.

The move comes as Apple shifts to emphasize digital content and other services to offset a pullback in the once-sizzling smartphone market, and with many news organizations struggling to monetize their online services.

– Selling privacy –

Apple highlighted privacy and data protection for its new services, responding to consumer concerns about personal information bought and sold by Silicon Valley firms.

It said advertisers would not be able to track the activity of subscribers to the news service and its Arcade would have no ads, ad tracking or additional purchases.

On additional services, Apple said it would offer a credit card in partnership with Goldman Sachs to be integrated with Apple Pay.

Those signing up will get a physical card and one for a digital wallet, with the two companies pledging to refrain from sharing or selling data to third parties for marketing and advertising.

Apple Card features that could shake up the credit card industry include not charging fees, giving users cash back on purchases, and providing tools for people to better manage their debt.

So said Deputy Prime Minister Vũ Đức Đam at the conference on 5G & Development of Digital ASEAN  in Hà Nội on Friday.

According to the Deputy PM, facing the changes and advancement of technology, the ones who are proactive and pioneering will be the more successful afterwards, Đam said.

“When the world implemented 2G, 3G and 4G, ASEAN countries were almost exclusively beneficiaries of the technology,” Đam said. “At that time, the world’s biggest telecommunications companies brought equipment and solutions to the region to sell, and we bought them. With technological changes, some countries in the region have focused more on hardware and software research. This time around, we need to co-operate, share and exchange our intellectual and technological advancements.”

Deputy PM said the initial steps towards developing a new technology are always challenging. Therefore, governments should take the initiative in supporting enterprises to minimise risk.

He stressed the need to boost innovation and address shortcomings related to information security and safety.

Đam also suggested delegates try to develop a suitable roadmap for the development of 5G, including identifying opportunities and challenges and putting forward solutions.

Network development

Speaking at the conference, Minister of Information and Communication Nguyễn Mạnh Hùng highlighted the significant role of 5G network development.

The digital economy, with its new business models and methods, is creating opportunities for organisations and enterprises. New technologies will enable better connectivity across supply chains, reducing logistics and business costs.

“5G will be the most important part of the digital economy infrastructure thanks to its greater bandwidth, higher speeds and lower latency,” Hùng said.

According to the minister, Việt Nam will be one of the first countries in the world to roll out 5G and is willing to co-operate with other ASEAN countries to establish joint ventures and factories to make the necessary IT equipment.

He said that from the beginning of 2019, the Ministry of Information and Communication (MIC) had already licensed local carriers to test the technology in Hà Nội and HCM City, noting that the country is also focusing on developing other 5G-based technologies and equipment.

Hùng stated ASEAN members must focus on building digital infrastructure and working together closely to shorten the development gap with advanced countries.

The minister suggested each ASEAN country implement an initiative and share the results with other countries, improving the efficiency of resource use and promoting the common strength of the region.

With regards to the 5G development situation around the world, Cristian Gomez, director of spectrum policy and regulatory affairs for the Asia-Pacific region at industry group GSMA said the application of the technology is progressing rapidly. Countries are looking for efficient ways to improve mobile connectivity and provide the best quality for customers. 5G is being applied quickly in the US, Europe and some Asia-Pacific countries such as Japan, the Republic of Korea and China.

“The Southeast Asia region with its fast-growing economies will benefit a lot from 5G technology in some areas such as robots, the manufacturing industry and self-driving cars,” Gomez said.

He said that in a smart city, 5G-connected cars can avoid traffic jams and reduce energy consumption.

The event was held by the MIC, the Vietnam Internet Association and the International Data Group.