Re: UK News and Discussions
Posted: Thu Jul 01, 2021 8:32 am
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https://www.independent.co.uk/news/busi ... 76090.html1 hour ago
US clothing retailer Gap has announced it is closing all 81 of its high street stores in the UK and Ireland by the end of 2021, transitioning to an online-only model after being hard-hit during the pandemic like many other brands.
Explaining its decision in a statement, the company said: “In the United Kingdom and Europe, we are going to maintain our Gap online business.
“The e-commerce business continues to grow and we want to meet our customers where they are shopping.
“We’re becoming a digital first business and we’re looking for a partner to help drive our online business.
“Due to market dynamics in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, we shared with our team today that we are proposing to close all company-operated Gap Specialty and Gap Outlet stores in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland in a phased manner from the end of August through the end of September 2021.
https://news.sky.com/story/batley-and-s ... d-12346864Friday 2 July 2021
Labour confounded expectations and held on to its Batley and Spen constituency.
Kim Leadbeater, sister of murdered former MP Jo Cox, won by the slender margin of just 323 votes.
Many believed that the seat would go the same way as Hartlepool, lost to the Conservatives at the beginning of May.
The result was close with demands for recounts of bundles of votes extending the count, with the final result being declared at 5.25am.
A Labour majority of 3,525 votes has been reduced ten-fold. Labour's vote share fell to 35.3%, a drop of seven percentage points from the last general election and a 20 point decline since the 2017 election.
Soldiers from the 20th Armoured Infantry Brigade used an AI engine which provides information on the surrounding environment and terrain.
Through the development of significant automation and smart analytics, the engine is able to rapidly cut through masses of complex data. Providing efficient information regarding the environment and terrain, it enables the Army to plan its appropriate activity and outputs.
The Army’s Director of Information, Major General Jonathan Cole said:
The deployment was a first of its kind for the Army. It built on close collaboration between the MOD and industry partners that developed AI specifically designed for the way the Army is trained to operate.
The lessons this has provided are considerable, not just in terms of our support to deployed forces, but more broadly in how we inform Defence’s digital transformation agenda and the best practices we must adopt to integrate and exploit leading-edge technologies.
This AI capability, which can be hosted in the cloud or operate in independent mode, saved significant time and effort, providing soldiers with instant planning support and enhancing command and control processes.
Announced by the Prime Minister last November, Defence has received an increase in funding of over £24 billion across the next four years, focusing on the ability to adapt to meet future threats. Further outlined in the Defence Command Paper, the MOD intends to invest £6.6billion over the next four years in defence research and development, focusing on emerging technologies in artificial intelligence, AI-enabled autonomous systems, cyber, space and directed energy systems.