USA Update

WALMART is rolling out a major change at its stores, promising customers an “ultra-fast experience” when receiving deliveries.

The retail giant is expanding its drone delivery service to five major cities, the company said in a statement.

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Walmart is expanding its drone delivery service to major cities[/caption]

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Walmart began delivering via drone in 2021[/caption]

The option will now be available in Atlanta, Georgia; Charlotte, North Carolina; Houston, Texas; Orlando, Florida; and Tampa, Florida.

Drone delivery has already been available in Dallas, Texas, and Bentonville, Arkansas.

“This rapid expansion reinforces Walmart’s leadership in tech-enabled retail, bringing the future of shopping to even more customers — right from the sky, faster than ever before,” Walmart said in a press release.

“This expansion underscores Walmart’s commitment to reshaping the future of fast and flexible retail,” read the release.

The drone delivery service will be expanded to a total of 100 stores through an agreement with the drone provider, Wing, read the release.

This allows Walmart to deliver goods faster and more efficiently to customers, “ensuring they get what they need, when they need it, in a way that’s both safe and sustainable.”

“This is real drone delivery at scale,” said Adam Woodworth, CEO of Wing.

“People all around the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex have made drone delivery part of their normal shopping habits over the past year.

“Now we’re excited to share this ultra-fast delivery experience with millions more people across many more US cities.”

Customers wanting to use drone deliveries in Atlanta, Charlotte, Houston, Orlando, and Tampa are encouraged to sign up for Wing so they can be notified when the service will be available in their area.

Shoppers in the Dallas-Fort Worth area can check their eligibility on the Wing website.

Walmart said it had more than 150,000 drone deliveries since first launching its service in 2021.

The company said the expansion will make shopping more convenient for shoppers as orders can be delivered in 30 minutes or less.

In the release, Walmart said that customers use the drone option for “everything from groceries to health and wellness products to household essentials, all powered by drone technology.”

“Customers are using drone delivery for key ingredients they may have forgotten during their weekly grocery trip or for urgent care items, such as OTC cold/flu medicine, baby formula, and COVID tests,” read the release.

Shoppers can track their drone deliveries on their phones to know when their package will come, said Walmart.

Drones will deliver orders right to their driveway or yard, but shoppers have to keep their delivery areas clean of people and pets for the drone to safely deliver their orders.

The drones use a cable to gently lower the package into the delivery area.

If there is a delay in delivery, shoppers may get a text giving them the option to change or cancel their pickup order with refunds for delivery fees and tips.

“Drone delivery is just one of the many ways Walmart is accelerating convenience by offering faster, more efficient delivery options,” said Walmart.

“This milestone marks a major leap for the retail industry and underscores our commitment to innovative, time-saving solutions that make customers’ lives easier, faster and more convenient.”

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Walmart said the change is to offer more convenient shipping for customers[/caption]

Walmart

Here are the expanded locations with shoppers able to check their availability[/caption]

THIS is the chilling moment a huge fire engulfs a 62-storey residential skyscraper in Dubai Marina – home to 3,820 people.

Emergency teams spent six hours battling the overnight blaze until Saturday morning, according to the Dubai Media Office.

Marina Dubai

A fire broke out overnight in a 26-storey building in Dubai’s Yas Marina[/caption]

Dubai Media Office

AFP

Extensive damage is seen after the fire was extinguished[/caption]

All 3,820 residents from 764 apartments were safely evacuated, the Dubai Media Office said in its live updates on X.

In a post published this morning, the media office said that the fire was contained and that “the smoke currently visible at the site is due to ongoing cooling operations as part of the firefighting process”.

“Control measures remain in place and the situation is fully managed by the firefighting teams,” it added.

One resident told Khaleej Times: “I was on the 24th floor with my wife when we smelled something burning around 9.45 pm.

“We checked our apartment but found nothing. From the balcony, we saw firefighters and people outside.

“A friend called and said he couldn’t enter because of the fire. Security only told us to leave when we called them.”

He said the stairwell was filled with smoke, so they had to take the elevator, “which thankfully worked”.

The blaze broke out in the upper floors of the Tiger Tower – also known as Marina Pinnacle – at around 9.30pm, according to The National.

After fleeing the burning tower, residents gathered in the streets as emergency teams tried to put out the fire, The National reported.

Residents are reportedly receiving assistance from authorities and the building’s developer to secure temporary housing.

Marina Dubai

The building was engulfed in thick smoke and flames[/caption]

As a result of the fire, there are travel disruptions between Dubai Marina Station and Palm Jumeirah Station.

Dubai’s transport authority wrote on social media: “This is to ensure passenger safety and to facilitate the work of firefighting teams responding to the incident.”

The cause of the fire is not yet known.

It comes as a huge fire broke out in March after a cargo ship collided with a US oil tanker in the North Sea.

36 crew members from both ships were taken safely to shore, but one sailor was reported missing.

After extensive search efforts for the sailor, they were presumed dead.

The container ship Solong was carrying the highly toxic chemical sodium cyanide.

Footage captured the dramatic scene as both the oil tanker and the cargo ship were engulfed in flames, sending thick black smoke billowing into the sky.

Dubai Media Office

The smoke visible seen the fire was extinguished was due to ‘cooling operations’, said Dubai Media Office[/caption]

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