Adds extra seats
Qantas adds extra seats to its Boeing 737-800s, increasing the number from 168 to 174. The extra rows are added by making the lavatories smaller and reconfiguring the rear galley. The seat pitch is unchanged. The interiors and seat covers are also being changed. CEO Joyce, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and Deputy Premier Jackie Trad are present at the launch of the reconfigured airplanes in Brisbane. Joyce:
The 737 is the backbone of our domestic fleet and this refresh is part of our strategy to deliver the best experience for our customers, whether they’re in the air or on the ground.
Hangouts design changes
Google changes its hangouts design for android phones and adds some new features. It is now easier to send attachments. The new design also allows to send more than one photo at a time. Composing messages is more intuitive. The changes also include tweaks that will improve battery life, improve speed and fix a few bugs.
Newday appearance
Rend Collective perform two concerts at the Newday program at Norfolk. They first have an evening of worship and then do a late night show in front of thousands of fans. They also sang songs from their upcoming album As Family We Go.
iOS display darkening feature
Google Maps iOS app gets a feature where the display gets darker colors after evening to make it easier to read. This Night Mode has been available in the android app.
Dinosaur eggs seized
Authorities raid a house and seize 231 fossilised dinosaur eggs and skeletal remains at Guangdong province. The skeletons are identified as a Psittacosaurus. The residents have been interrogated.
Sells one million shares
Bezos sells more than 1 million shares of Amazon amounting to $532 million. It is his largest stock sale ever. He still owns nearly 83 million Amazon shares, or about 18% of the company.
Facebook account hacked
Koirala’s Facebook account is hacked. Random messages are being sent from her account.
If u get any messages from me pl don't open it..I have not sent u Amy msg.. It's a Virus… Someone has hacked… http://t.co/c84se7NjET
— Manisha Koirala (@mkoirala) July 16, 2015
Joins tumblr
NASA starts multiple blogs on tumblr. It will share photos, text and videos in its main blog. The second blog is by astronaut Peggy Whitson who chronicles her training. The third microblog posts photos of Jupiter taken by NASA’s Juno mission and other astronomers. The last blog is by Curiosity Rover from Mars.
The agency continues to add new platforms like Tumblr to offer the public a comprehensive view of NASA’s missions, facilities and people.
Twitter, Shopify partner
Twitter adds a buy button on its website. Users can browse products from over 10000 merchants on Shopify and purchase directly from Twitter. Twitter:
Users will get access to offers and merchandise they can’t get anywhere else and can act on them right in the Twitter apps for Android and iOS. Sellers will gain a new way to turn the direct relationship they build with their followers into sales
Releases Sway for free
After 10 months of beta testing, Microsoft makes the full version of Sway, its online presentation software, available for free online. It is available for free download immedaitely on Windows 10 PCs and tablets with a Windows Phone app arriving in coming months.
Your invaluable feedback has helped us improve Sway to meet your needs.
Shares fall
Twitter shares plunge on the New York Stock Exchange, dropping 5.6% to $29.27 which is the lowest level ever. The share price has fallen a total of 45% in four months. Co-founder Dorsey:
We haven’t done a great job at aligning the entire company around our total audience strategy.
One dead in Perth shooting
One woman in her thirties dies after a shooting incident in Perth. Police are called to Mayfair Street after gunshots are heard at 2 AM. They arrest two men. The street is cordoned off and forensic experts are also present to investigate. A neighbour:
I opened my window to tell the people to be quiet and I noticed there was a group of police trying to gain entry to the unit,
Queensland quake
An earthquake measuring 5.7 on the richter scale strikes off the coast of Queensland about 110km east of Fraser Island at 1.38pm. Following this, there is another quake of 5.2 magnitude at 2.46pm in the same area as the first earthquake and then finally an aftershock measuring 3 at 4.30pm. There is no tsunami alert and there is no damage to property or life. The tremor is felt from Bundaberg to the Gold Coast. It is the strongest quake to hit Queensland since 1918.
Ladies-only parking introduced
Frankfurt airport introduces women-only parking places. The ‘Ladies Parking’ spaces are closer to the airport, have CCTV coverage, are better lit, and have more exit points. Women’s groups have labelled this move sexist.
New flights to Japan
Qantas announces two new flights to Japan. Flights will depart from Sydney to Tokyo’s Haneda Airport followed by the departure of a flight from Brisbane to Tokyo’s other airport, Narita, over the weekend. Launch celebrations will happen over the weekend with Japanese-themed activity throughout the terminal and a water cannon salute to mark the departure of QF61 from Brisbane. Traditional Japanese ceremonies will also take place at both Narita and Haneda Airports.
This significant capacity expansion has been extremely well-received by Qantas customers and especially by corporate travellers heading directly to downtown Tokyo, who can now save up to one-and-a-half hours on their airport commute by flying into or out of Haneda
Reduces flights to Perth
Qantas reduces flights to Perth. It removes one Airbus A330 flight per day from Melbourne to Perth. A return flight from Perth to Melbourne is discontinued. Most of the flights from Sydney to Perth will now use smaller Boeing 737 instead of the present Airbus A330.
These small changes to our east-west flying allow us to add wide body domestic services between Sydney and Brisbane and form part of our twice yearly schedule update. We are able to move our aircraft around to match market conditions and demand.
Makes wage deal with pilots
Qantas strikes a deal with pilots that freezes their pay for 18 months. After this, there will be a 3% pay rise. This deal comes after a lot of negotiation and follows a major restructure that includes 5000 job cuts. This frees up some money for Qantas to buy Dreamliners for its long haul flights.
The new agreement helps build the case for future investment in new aircraft for Qantas International,
‘An inspiration to all’
Tendulkar pays homage to Kalam at Kalams residence where his body is being kept.
The nation mourns the loss of a great person. Former President of India, a renowned scientist, an inspiration to all, a terrific human being…RIP Dr. Abdul Kalam
YouTube unlinks from Google+
Google announces that users will no longer need to use Google+ to comment on YouTube videos. Horowitz:
In the coming months, a Google Account will be all you’ll need to share content, communicate with contacts, create a YouTube channel and more, all across Google…We want to formally retire the notion that a Google+ membership is required for anything at Google… other than using Google+ itself
‘One of India’s most accomplished leaders’
President Obama extends his condolences on the event of Kalams death. He pays rich tributes and says that Kalam served as an inspiration to millions of Indians.
A scientist and statesman, Dr Kalam rose from humble beginnings to become one of India’s most accomplished leaders, earning esteem at home and abroad. An advocate for stronger US-India relations, Kalam worked to deepen our space cooperation, forging links with NASA during a 1962 visit to the United States.