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Factory for recycling rubber opens in Fanar
Eco Waste, a factory that recycles rubber and plastic and produces oil derivatives opened this month, in the industrial city of Fanar.
The $1 million project will have a built-up area of 2,000 square meters. It will create around ten full time jobs. The machines required for this factory were imported from China.
The production capacity is estimated at 130 tons of recycled rubber and plastic per month. The company will produce oil derivatives, mainly fuel oil from these recycled products, to be consumed by factories.
Melhem Saklaoui, General Manager of Eco Waste, said: “There is a large demand for these products from factories. A glass factory, for instance, consumes around 30 tons of fuel oil per day.”
Saklaoui said that the company will collect plastic and rubber products from the market. He said: “It is more feasible to collect them than to purchase them from Sukleen.”
Date Posted: Jul 14, 2015


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Verizon Wireless and Alcatel-Lucent are demonstrating a range of mobile solutions for retailers at the CES show this week, including an NFC solution that enables a consumer to collect a coupon with their NFC device and then redeem it at an interactive Virtual Personal Stylist (VPS) kiosk. VPS, first shown last year, lets shoppers create an avatar based on measurements captured during an in-store scanning process, and then virtually “try on” clothing and beauty products. Yale NFC door locks are also on show on the Verizon stand.
- Semble picks Gemalto for NFC in NZ
- White paper explains NFC-enabled sensors and their uses
- Contactless makes Word of the Year shortlist
- Harris+Hoole reports 200,000 mobile payments
- Dunkin’ Mobile gets 10m downloads

domain: news


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The famous Chinese multi-national smartphone company Oppo which is known for its brand name and durability have yet again managed to officially announce its forthcoming smartphone ‘Oppo Find X’ which is an all screen and no bezel phone.
The Oppo Find X achieves this by taking forward things that Vivo started with its recently launched X21, and adding all sorts of crazy to it, down to the T. The Find X, to begin with, has a whopping 93.8 per cent screen-to-body ratio.
And how does it go about achieving such a ridiculous amount of screen real estate? Well, for one, it does not have a notch nor a prominent chin.
One wonders how things would be if Oppo had somehow managed to removed that wee bit of chin like the Apple iPhone X, as well. But that’s alright.
The Find X is the craziest bit of technology we’ve seen coming out of China off late — after the Vivo Nex — and because Oppo is fairly active in India, chances are the Find X may come to India as well.
The fact that the phone supports global LTE bands and will be sold in the US and Europe — a first for Oppo — adds credence to the fact that Oppo isn’t looking for China exclusivity with the Find X. But more on that later.


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3 Mins Read
Canada-headquartered online vegan marketplace Vejii has signed an agreement to acquire U.S. plant-based e-commerce platform Vegan Essentials. The move will double down Vejii’s presence in the fast-growing online marketplace, in the midst of the mainstream surge in flexitarianism and plant-based lifestyles. In the same announcement, Vejii revealed that it is raising C$10 million (approx. US$7.9 million) to fuel its continued expansion.
Vejii Holdings, Inc., the firm behind the Canadian online vegan marketplace that offers everything from plant-based meat and groceries to sports supplements, cosmetics and household products, has announced the acquisition of Vegan Essentials. The U.S. e-commerce store Vegan Essentials stocks some of the most popular plant-based food brands on the market, including Violife, Field Roast, Gardein, Daring and Good Planet Foods, as well as plant-based personal care, vitamins and vegan fashion accessories.
Since its inception in 1997, Vegan Essentials has grown to become one of the largest exclusively plant-based retailers in the country and stands as the longest-operating cruelty-free retailer within the U.S.
Vejii, which first launched just four months ago, says that the acquisition will help the company establish a stronger foothold in e-commerce, as consumers show no slowdown in the shift to digital online shopping.
We believe that over time U.S. plant-based products sales could grow to in excess of a US$20 billion total addressable market opportunity.Darren Gill, President, Vejii
“Vejii is set to acquire one of the most trusted names in vegan retailing to establish an undeniable presence and reach in the online marketplace,” said the company in a press statement.
Kory Zelikson, CEO of Vejii, added that the purchase will offer an “established asset” for the firm to “accelerate growth within the plant-based market and will solidify Vejii as the market leader for online plant-based sales within the U.S.”
The latest figures show that plant-based food retail in the U.S. has surpassed US$7 billion, growing twice as fast as conventional animal-based product categories.
Other plant-based online retailers that are competing in the space include VEDGEco, a Hawaii-based vegan bulk wholesale store that has expanded its delivery coverage to all U.S. states nationwide amid the surge in plant-based demand, as well as Canadian e-commerce platform PlantX that landed in the U.S. in late 2020.
“Based on consumption habits we have seen in the U.S., we believe that over time U.S. plant-based products sales could grow to in excess of a US$20 billion total addressable market opportunity,” commented Darren Gill, president at Vejii.
Vejii is poised to leverage the rapid growth of the plant-based online retail market, driven by consumer demand, access to new products, and the largest selection of plant-based products in one place.Ryan Wilson and Mary Ernster, Co-Founders, Vegan Essentials
In the same announcement, Vejii revealed that it has kickstarted a capital raise of C$10 million (approx. US$7.9 million) led by Eight Capital, through a syndicated brokered private placement of special warrants of the firm.
Adding Vegan Essentials to its portfolio will help the startup tap into a broader customer base and the U.S. company’s supplier network and distribution channels, while Vejii continues to enhance its own tech stack.
“Vejii will leverage over 20 years of consumer insight and data from VeganEssentials.com, as the online grocery market has the potential to exceed traditional retail shopping over the long-term and will help fuel our growth for years to come,” explained Zelikson.
“With this acquisition, we believe Vejii is poised to leverage the rapid growth of the plant-based online retail market, driven by consumer demand, access to new products, and the largest selection of plant-based products in one place,” added Vegan Essentials co-founders Ryan Wilson and Mary Ernster.
Lead image courtesy of Unreal Deli.


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Driveline Contract Win in Brazil and India Worth 33MEUR (NOK 272 million)
Kongsberg Automotive (KA) has been awarded a contract for the supply of a complete manual gearshift system from a major European OEM. The shifter system will be used in B Segment cars which will be sold in India and South America.
The contract has a total value of 33 million euros (NOK 272 million) over 4 years. Production will start at KA facilities in Jundiai (Brazil) and Gurgaon (India) in Q3 2015, and peak production volumes will be reached in 2018.
KA’s presence in BRIC countries, such as in the Brazilian market, represents an important growth opportunity for the company. Indeed, LMC Automotive expected South American passenger car sales to grow by 7% this year and a further 5.2% in 2014.
“It is very satisfying that we continue to win business that can utilize our global capabilities”, said Joachim Magnusson, Executive Vice President, Driveline.
“Kongsberg Automotive has a unique position to be able to offer a global footprint and full system capability, which support our growth plans in the BRIC countries”, said Ian van Duijvenboode, Sales & Marketing Vice President for KA’s Driveline business.
- Download: release.html
- Download: wkr0006.pdf


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Canon and McAfee, the leading device-to-cloud cybersecurity company, have entered into a strategic partnership to provide businesses with embedded protection against malware execution and tampering of firmware and applications running on multi-function devices (MFDs). Through the partnership, McAfee Embedded Control now comes as an additional standard security feature on the third edition of Canon imageRUNNER ADVANCE Generation 3 MFDs, helping businesses strengthen the commonly overlooked endpoint security as per statement of the company.
“Security is among the top priorities of businesses today as cyber threats continue to develop in sophistication,” said K Bhaskhar, Vice President, Business Imaging Solutions, Canon India. He further added, “Our imageRUNNER ADVANCE MFDs are highly secure by design, but with the ever-evolving cyber security landscape, we strive to bring our customers the latest in security and innovation. We teamed up with McAfee in a strategic partnership to provide our customers with the most up-to-date security, helping them protect their connected devices and valuable data against today’s vulnerabilities and tomorrow’s unknown threats.”
McAfee Embedded Control protects millions of devices worldwide such as ATMs and retail point-of-sale systems, defending against zero-day and advanced persistent threat (APT) attacks. By blocking the execution of unauthorised applications through intelligent whitelisting, McAfee Embedded Control helps reduce the risk posed by sophisticated malware, such as worms, viruses, and Trojans. The security feature ensures that only Canon-approved, authorised updates can run on the imageRUNNER ADVANCE system, helping to prevent tampering of existing firmware and applications, as well as safeguard businesses against malicious attacks and data breaches.
“As enterprises continue to undergo their own respective digital transformations, it will become increasingly important for office equipment manufacturers to integrate cybersecurity features at the design level,” said Keith Kmetz, Program Vice President of Imaging, Printing, and Document Solutions, IDC. “Canon and McAfee design engineers joining forces to create an MFP that embeds these features into the device is a significant step in the future printing industry.”
McAfee Embedded Control adds to the extensive range of security features incorporated into the third edition of Canon imageRUNNER ADVANCE Generation 3 MFDs, and is now available as a standard feature, once enabled. Users of the existing third edition imageRUNNER ADVANCE MFDs can initiate a firmware update via Canon’s System Platform and benefit from the additional security feature effortlessly.


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The next-generation Megane RS will emerge in 2017/18 and, unlike the current three-door coupe, will be a five-door hatchback only. As reported here, it’ll also have Focus RS-rivalling power output, and may sport all-wheel drive and/or four-wheel steering.
There has also been scuttlebutt over what transmission/s it’ll use. Just like the Clio RS, a dual-clutch automatic gearbox with paddles will be added to broaden the buyer base beyond self-shifting purists. The future of the manual is less clear, though the latest information out of France suggests that unlike the Clio, it’ll be an option.
Pictured: 2016 Renault Megane GT, the car on which the next Megane RS will be based.
Regardless, this new Megane RS will represent a big departure from the current car, a manual-only coupe low on frills but high on dynamism. We asked Renault Australia managing director Justin Hocevar if current-generation Megane RS fans had expressed concern over this broader direction.
Keep in mind that Australia was the world’s second-biggest market for Megane RS last year, behind only France, and ahead of the UK and Japan. In other words, we’re a vital market for Renault’s performance leader (until Alpine arrives).
“I would say, there is a bit of that,” Hocevar conceded, but added “the volume of feedback, though, is when are we going to get a paddle-shift car?”.
Pictured: Current-generation Megane RS.
“I think in an ideal world we would be able to cater for both [manual and auto buyers],” he said, though added that the Clio RS could shape decisions around Megane RS.
Tell us your thoughts in the comments on the idea of a dual-clutch automatic, five-door Megane RS. Would you still go the manual if given the choice?
MORE: Renault Sport restructured, massive R&D and sales increase planned
MORE: Renault Megane RS: Next-gen hot-hatch to have five doors; manual gearbox in doubt
MORE: Renault Clio RS Australian sales form nearly one-tenth of global total
MORE: Renault Sport SUV still on cards as growth targets loom


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mountain hanyueLet us look at the
since the start of the year, 360 in the brand marketing what things to do.
March 11, 2014, Microsoft Chinese announced a close cooperation with the well-known security vendor 360 company, which launched the 360 security guards XP fighters continue to provide security protection for Chinese 200 million Windows XP users, while providing a convenient windows8 upgrade program. In April 14th 360, AUX officially launched on cooperation in intelligent air conditioning, 360 vice president Shen Haiyin told the media that: 360 to cut through a router, home internet. In April 15th 360, with the domestic well-known insurance company Taikang Life reached a strategic cooperation, announced the official launch of the "safe sail" project launched the "stay fly" products, the first national free aviation accident model, year insurance amounted to 1 million yuan, to provide security for the 1 billion 300 million Chinese airlines, which is inspired by the Malaysia Airlines incident do. In April 28th, 360 mobile phone guards and film "overheard 3" creative team held a joint strategic cooperation conference, announced its cooperation with the film "overheard 3" launched a full depth, while the official launch of 519 mobile phone security, public action, but also with the film, in the exclusive launch of two anti – Privacy anti eavesdropping, interception function call eavesdropping. June 21st, in the Transformers 4 China premiere, the 360 is Transformers’s only designated security partner in the.
readers can according to the above 360 since the start of the action to find some points: XP provide users with security, borrow 360 security router into the smart Home Furnishing Internet, and domestic life insurance company launched the "safety sailing project", to "overheard 3" to cooperate to launch two anti eavesdropping function, become the "Transformers 4" security cooperation partner. We can learn from these points: 360 in the name of "security" for a series of bundled brand marketing.
homeopathy from the commanding heights to build marketing concept
is the world’s most users use the operating system with the longest history provided by the intelligent router security escort, cut into the smart Home Furnishing Internet, by Malaysia Airlines incident inspired and domestic life insurance companies start life safety sailing project, using the hit film homeopathy launched two anti eavesdropping function, become the "Transformers 4" security partners "to defend the safety of the earth" in 360, bundled marketing of its "security" in the name of a series of actions, all according to the characteristics of their products, and do some associates in "bandits" (I will allow me to say so, because in many Internet users in the heart, 360 is still a rogue image), from a "thought" or "moral" vantage point for Internet users to build up a "safe" in the name of the concept of brand marketing, to make his name into the security vendor Enter people.
hot background events to help
mentioned above in the 360 brand marketing, the use of hot background things


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Apple sent yet another shockwave through the marketing industry last week, when the tech giant revealed there would be additional privacy controls in the upcoming iOS 15 update.
While its predecessor – iOS14.5 – focused on how apps collect and use personal data, iOS15 will stamp out email tracking tools and hide IP addresses in an effort to further the data of Apple customers.
For marketers, this means valuable metrics such as open rates and clickthroughs on email campaigns are under threat.
According to Acoustic VP and deputy general counsel John Story, these changes don’t necessarily spell the end of measurement for email marketing.
“Marketers will need to rethink their approach to measurement so they’re not relying so heavily on third-party data like open or click-through rates,” Story told B&T.
Story suggested looking at marketing campaigns through a wider lens could help.
“Using contextual analysis to better understand the holistic customer journey—the patterns and actions prospects and existing customers take—can help us gain deeper insights and enable us to continue delivering personalised messaging based on behaviours and interests,” he said.
There is also now the opportunity to explore channels beyond email, given the expected challenges for measurement.
“Being able to build, interact, and deliver an omnichannel content strategy is key. Are you using a headless CMS solution that makes it easier to execute this vision? While email will continue to be a powerful tool for marketers, there are many opportunities to connect with customers and prospects across channels,” said Story.
“Build up your omnichannel strategy to help supplement the data you collect from your audience.”
Apple vs big tech
Apple has upped the ante with its commitment to privacy in recent months, from the launch of tools like Privacy Report to polished marketing campaigns with the tagline ‘Privacy. That’s iPhone’.
For Story, the motives behind Apple’s privacy play are multi-faceted.
“Apple is pursuing these changes to position privacy as a product feature and differentiator. There are likely three motives for this: first, from an ideological perspective, consumers are more invested in their data privacy today,” he said.
“Apple is aligning their practices with consumer ideals in an effort to continue building consumer trust and brand loyalty. Second, Apple appreciates that part of its big tech competitors’ strength comes from their ability to acquire and monetise data from Apple consumers while they use Apple products.
“By denying those competitors (Google, Facebook, and Amazon) access to this vast data set, Apple reduces the strength of its competitors. Finally, Apple likely believes privacy-centered products will sell more than those not offering similar privacy protection.”
Given Apple’s market dominance, customer expectations around privacy will only increase as these new tools are normalised.
This means marketers need to be thinking about how they can create privacy-first solutions that can still deliver results.
“Consumers are in control, and advertisers need to figure out how to get in front of their target audiences without relying upon IDFA information,” Story said.
“Marketers who embrace this challenge will win. Consumers will not go backwards once this type of control becomes available to them—and I believe other device makers will have to make changes to their own roadmap accordingly.”
Kargo has today announced several major growth milestones across the APAC region for the first half of 2021, more than doubling H1 revenue year-over-year with 115 per cent growth. Kargo also ran 41 per cent more campaigns in the region than in H1 2020 and the average campaign size increased by 32 per cent over […]
Hootsuite has today announced its acquisition of Heyday, a Montreal-based conversational AI platform that enables brands to deliver personalised customer experiences through 1:1 messaging conversations. Commerce is rapidly moving onto social and messaging platforms. Hootsuite, a pioneer in the social media management category, has the largest customer base in the industry and with this acquisition […]
Moira Geddes, founder and director of independent food publication EATIVITY has been handpicked by IAB Australia to become the first ever micro-publisher to take part in its Mentorship Program, highlighting the important role that specialised custom digital sites play within the country’s media landscape. EATIVITY aims to keep consumers in the know and help small […]
Hivestack, the global ad tech leader in programmatic digital out of home (DOOH) advertising, today announced the appointment of Ichiro Jinnai as president, Hivestack Japan. Jinnai will be responsible for driving the regional strategy, direction and expansion of the Hivestack platform in Japan. “I am beyond thrilled to welcome Ichiro Jinnai to the Hivestack family,” […]
Audience measurement platform LENS Technology & Analytics has appointed Nikhil Elayat to Business Director to fast-track growth opportunities across Australia and New Zealand. Elayat (pictured) joins from New Zealand’s largest independent advertising agency, Stanley Street, where he was head of advertising technology. He played a pivotal role in building adtech functions within the performance team […]
Australian medical research institute, The Burnet Institute has launched, How Science Matters podcast. The informative podcast will be co-hosted by former ABC Radio journalist Tracy Parish and Burnet institute director and CEO Professor Brendan Crabb AC. Crabb is also a microbiologist, malaria researcher and will share his knowledge on contagious diseases. How Science Matters was […]


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Stocks turned negative after the Labor Department's February jobs report handily exceeded expectations, reaffirming the building momentum in the economic recovery, but also stoking a rise in Treasury yields and concerns over an economic overheating.
Stocks traded lower on Thursday after another technology-led selloff on Wednesday. A new report on weekly unemployment claims came in better than expected, helping boost sentiment after a disappointing print on private payroll growth came in just a day earlier.
Retail consumers in India continued to buy up physical gold this week as prices retreated to a near one-year low, while lower rates also injected fresh activity in other hubs, especially Singapore. Dealers charged up to $5 an ounce over official domestic prices, inclusive of 12.5% import and 3% sales levies, compared with last week's premium of $4. On Friday, local gold futures fell to 44,217 rupees per 10 grams, a trough since April 7.


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A new research study conducted by Kantar Media on behalf of UK telecoms regulator Ofcom has shown that mobile application users believe apps are safer than accessing the internet via a browser.
These consumers also trusted well-known app brands and official app stores to provide a safe, secure and reliable user experience.
Podcast - 6th March 2014
Even at Mobile World Congress, the relevance of the mobile network operator can sometimes be forgotten. So for a different perspective on this year's event, we spoke to Samuel Johnston from British mobile crowd-sourcing firm OpenSignal.
Samuel discussed the announcements from MWC14 and OpenSignal's latest report into 4G LTE coverage around the world, as well as giving us an exclusive insight into OpenSignal's next research subject.
Podcast - 5th March 2014
This week's programme begins with some of the biggest news stories that came out of Mobile World Congress.
Iain, James and Mark then move on to the other headlines from the past few days, including Boeing's secret agent smartphone, Apple's plans for mobile in-car entertainment, a new structure for Telefonica and new technology for mobile payments.
Peter Oppenheimer, Apple’s senior vice president and Chief Financial Officer, says he will retire at the end of September this year.
He’ll be replaced by Luca Maestri, who’s currently vice president of Finance and corporate controller at Apple.
at Mobile World Congress 2014
James Rosewell writes:
I noticed a new phenomenon at Mobile World Congress this year: Beer O’Clock. Come 5pm Monday through Wednesday, companies with larger booths would break out the Cerveza, Vino, Cava and a small number of Orange juices. All very sociable and fun… until the music started.


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India’s leading digital payment platform Paytm has warned users against a message that is being circulated through a fake website promising a cashback offer of Rs 2,647.
With the recent lockdowns across states following COVID-19 pandemic, the use of digital payments has increased significantly. However, criminal elements are also using this opportunity to indulge in financial frauds.
The latest in the series of online frauds are the phishing sites that send pop-up notifications on mobile phones, stating, "Congratulations! You have won a Paytm Scratch Card". Once the users click on the link, they are redirected to a website called paytm-cashoffer.com.
Incidentally, this link works only on a smartphone and not on a desktop or any other device.
As the phishing site is identical to the original Paytm site in terms of look and design, the users fall prey to the scam and go ahead with the transaction. The fictitious site then asks the user to send this money to their Paytm account by redirecting them to the original Paytm app and asks them to pay the same amount.
Paytm has advised users to report such frauds immediately to prevent cyber fraud. Paytm users can report such frauds through the customer support helpline on the app.
Here’s how to report a fraud on Paytm
Step 1: Go to '24x7 Help and Support' option in the Paytm app
Step 2: Select 'Report Fraud Transactions' option from 'Choose a service to begin' section
Step 3: Select an issue (Fraud transaction on Paytm wallet, Fraud on Paytm debit card, Report a phishing site or link, etc.)
Step 4: Share details so that officials at Paytm can take necessary action.
Paytm also recommends users remain alert against QR code frauds and use only trustworthy QR codes and avoid public ones because cybercriminals often swap the merchant QR codes with theirs and take away the money meant for the merchant.


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With a recent announcement, Samsung will continue to adopt new form factors and cutting-edge technologies, pointing to the foldable smartphone Galaxy X and the new flagship Galaxy S10
South Korean technology giant Samsung has been critically unresponsive about the Galaxy S10, which will be the company’s most exclusive smartphone, and Galaxy X, which is expected to be the world’s first foldable smartphone:
“The company that will look to the future (Samsung) will increase its competitiveness based on hardware leadership by adopting the latest technologies and new form factors and gaining leadership in 5G technology.
This statement, though at first glance seems like it does not say anything, has serious clues about the company’s future plans. The most noteworthy Samsung products at this point are the Galaxy S10 and the foldable smartphone Galaxy X.
As you can guess, Samsung refers to ‘new form factors’ and foldable smartphones that have not yet been introduced as an example. No one knows if Samsung competes with LG and Huawei to drive the world’s first foldable smartphone to the market.
What Samsung means by ‘cutting-edge technology’ is the technology that will be on the Galaxy S10. With this announcement, Samsung says the Galaxy S10 features features such as state-of-the-art enhanced reality features, 3D face mapping and an embedded fingerprint scanner on the screen.
Samsung is expected to introduce three smartphones in the coming months. The Galaxy S10 will be the company’s flagship. Galaxy X will be the world’s first foldable smartphone, and Galaxy F will drive the market as the company’s first player-focused smartphone.
Author: Alptug Acar
MIS Student, writer, litte bit programmer.


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How do you like your eggs? Forget scrambled or over-easy — do you want them organic, Omega-3 enriched, cage-free, free-range, vegetarian-fed or pasture-raised?
The grocery store egg cooler holds an unprecedented array of options — not to mention a vast price range. A dozen eggs costs less than $2 or almost $9. The choices can be tricky for grocery shoppers to navigate. And they have real implications for Washington farms and grocers.
Eggs are a growing business. The average American eats 256 eggs per year, according to the American Egg Board, which represents a four egg increase in the last couple of years.
There are 1,053 licensed egg dealers in Washington, according to Kim Schmanke, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Revenue. That’s nearly a 25 percent increase since 2013, when the state had just 884 licensed egg dealers in the state. The current figure includes large operations such as Wilcox Farm, in Roy, which has more than 800,000 hens. It also includes small ones such as the Kelsey Family Farm, in Brush Prairie, which has about 325 hens.
Some of the fastest market growth is among so-called “specialty” eggs. The two best-selling specialty categories are “organic” and “cage-free,” according to the American Egg Board. But conventional eggs still dominate the market. In May 2014, those two specialty categories combined to make up just 5.7 percent of U.S. egg production, according to the industry group.
Ryan White, perishable foods buyer for New Seasons Markets, said eggs are the new coffee, beer or kombucha — the more local options a store offers, the more consumers will pay to snatch them up. The chain of natural food stores now buys eggs from seven local farms and is seeking more sources for pasture-raised eggs.
In Clark County, some small growers are finding a niche in the increasingly fragmented egg market by selling at their farms, in farmers markets, or wholesale to local grocery stores. While anyone may sell eggs from their own farm or chicken coop, farmers must obtain a license from the state before selling eggs off-premises, such as in a grocery store or farmers market.
Jonell Kelsey, 63, a former art therapist, and Chris Kelsey, 64, a real estate broker, have lived on the same 3.38-acre property in rural Brush Prairie for 27 years.
A few years ago, the couple’s son took a college course in sustainable food systems. As a project for class, the family procured its Thanksgiving feast entirely from local sources. They looked around the table at the turkey bought from a nearby farm and bread baked at a local bakery. Then they thought about their own land and wondered why the meal wasn’t even more local.
“We thought, ‘Well, why can’t we do that?’ ” Jonell Kelsey said.
The Kelseys took a permaculture design class and a small farming business class, then launched the Kelsey Family Farm as a business. Jonell Kelsey said she is filing the family’s taxes now and believes the farm might turn a profit for the first time this year, the fourth in its official history.
When they started raising laying eggs, Kelsey said the family couldn’t find buyers, so they donated the eggs to a local food bank. Then they began selling the eggs at a nearby produce store.
As the farm ramped up production, it began supplying eggs to Chuck’s Produce & Street Market in Vancouver. But the natural grocery store needed more volume than the Kelseys could provide, especially in the fall when production declined as the family’s entire flock molted its feathers.
All chickens molt, or drop their feathers, once or twice a year. Hens stop laying eggs during this transition.
In recent months, Kelsey Family Farm has sold most of its eggs to New Seasons at Fisher’s Landing.
“They buy what we have … which is good because it does fluctuate,” Jonell Kelsey said.
The farm has delivered as few as 18 dozen eggs in one week and as many as 55 dozen in another.
The Kelseys wash their own eggs, pack them in cartons, drive them to New Seasons and load them on the shelves.
New Seasons charges $8.99 for a dozen eggs raised by the Kelseys — more than six times the national average of $1.40 for a dozen eggs from a conventional farm, sometimes called a factory farm.
Eric Lambert, small acreage program coordinator for the Washington State University extension office in Clark County, said he thinks more people are starting up small egg-growing operations in southwest Washington. He couldn’t offer statistics, however, because few, if any, agencies keep track of small-scale egg-growing operations. Even the Washington State Department of Revenue, which licenses egg-sellers, doesn’t keep track of long-term licensing trends.
According to Lambert, eggs are a good way to get grocery shoppers interested in the so-called “locavore” movement or sustainable agriculture practices.
“Eggs are a good gateway food. Everyone likes eggs, and there’s a real difference, in my opinion, between eggs from a (conventional farm) and eggs that you get direct from a small, local farm,” he said.
Hens that eat a varied diet including bugs and foraged plants lay eggs with darker, richer-tasting yolks, according to Lambert. Industrial or conventional farms keep thousands of hens confined to cages or crowded warehouses and feed them a steady diet of processed pellets.
Once people taste the difference, Lambert said, they become more willing to spend extra money on hens raised outdoors.
Making sense of labels
White, the perishable foods buyer for New Seasons, said the stores haven’t yet discovered a price ceiling — above which customers won’t pay — for locally grown, pasture-raised eggs.
“It’s not our goal to find one,” he added. “At the end of the day … pennies to protein, eggs are still a value. Especially when compared to fish or meat.”
New Seasons still offers standard white eggs, for “more conventional customers,” as White put it, at much lower prices. But demand for eggs raised on small, local farms often outstrips the stores’ supply. Some locations are beginning to offer locally raised duck and quail eggs, as well.
The difference in taste doesn’t mean consumers can necessarily discern, from the labels on a carton of eggs, exactly what they’re buying.
Some products are “certified humane” or “certified organic,” which means the farming operation is audited by a third party.
Several independent groups certify egg-growing facilities as humane, each with their own set of standards. Most of these certifications require that hens be permitted to perform natural behaviors such as nesting and perching. Certain industrial practices such as starving birds to force molting at a particular time of year are prohibited. Under some programs, however, “certified humane” hens don’t need to have access to the outdoors.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture says that eggs labeled as organic must come from uncaged hens that are not treated with antibiotics or pesticides. Organic hens must eat only certified organic, all-vegetarian feed, so they are usually raised indoors, where food intake can be carefully regulated.
Other labels are not verified at all, so their meaning is more vague. For example, the USDA has not defined the labels “free-range” or “pasture-raised” for eggs.
“‘Cage-free’ means they’re still in a big, crowded henhouse,” Jonell Kelsey added.
Some farmers try to cut through the confusion by printing labels for their egg cartons that contain photographs of the farm. At Kelsey Family Farm, the scene is downright picturesque. Hens roam around grassy fields, pecking bugs from the ground. They fly into nearby pig and sheep pens to steal feed from other farm animals.
“Chickens are a lot of fun,” Jonell Kelsey said as some of the farm’s 325 birds strutted past her magenta rain boots on a recent day. “They have a lot of personality.”
Chris and Jonell Kelsey run the farm with their son Ryan Kelsey, 27; Chris’s brother, Tom Kelsey, 63; and a niece, Lauren Duquette, 31; and a nephew, Royce Kern, 29. Their birds are fed grain that comes from small, local farmers whose crops never contain genetically modified ingredients. The family goes out of its way to buy high-quality feed, Jonell Kelsey said. To keep costs down, they order it by the ton — which requires extra work from the family, as large delivery trucks can’t fit on the farm’s narrow driveway.
The Kelsey Family Farm eggs are not organic, however.
“The organic feed was just too expensive,” Jonell Kelsey said.
Visitors who stop by the Kelsey Family Farm on Monday afternoons can buy a dozen eggs for $7. Even at that price, the Kelseys are adjusting their practices to try to break even.
Their first batch of hens, for example, was a motley bunch of at least 10 colorful breeds.
“We picked them out just for their looks,” Jonell Kelsey said.
Recently, the family bought 200 more chicks — all ISA Browns, which were bred specifically for egg production.
Breaking even on eggs
The Kelseys are becoming more stringent about culling the birds who have begun their natural, age-related decline in laying. After all, full-grown hens all eat the same amount of feed — which costs money — whether they’re laying eggs or not.
A few past-their-prime birds are butchered for the family’s own dinner table. Most are sold on Craigslist, Jonell Kelsey said, where demand is high for backyard chickens.
“They may be past their peak production, but they will keep laying for years,” she said of the birds.
There are energy costs associated with egg farming, too. Chickens were bred from wild guineas, which are native to the tropics. So they require heat and artificial light to continue laying eggs in the cold, dark winters of the Northwest.
And then there’s the cost of packaging the eggs and transporting them to stores.
“One egg carton is 42 cents,” Jonell Kelsey said.
Lambert, from the extension office, said one big factor in egg pricing is how a particular farmer values his or her time.
“Farmers are infamous for undervaluing their time, really. They look at production costs and they’re working so hard but many farmers don’t really pay themselves, or factor it in,” he said.
Until last year, Matt Schwab raised eggs on his Ridgefield farm, Inspiration Plantation, and sold them to New Seasons. At one point, the farm had 900 laying hens. Last year, he and his wife decided to sell half of their land and most of their farm equipment.
“We weren’t able to make enough money to make it work,” Schwab said.
Schwab said eggs are the easiest farm product to sell but also the one with the most competition.
“Anyone with a couple of chickens is suddenly in the egg business. And they typically don’t understand the economics behind it so they just charge whatever they see at the store, which creates this downward pressure,” he said.
He added that it’s tough to figure out whether one is making or losing money on eggs. The life cycle of a chicken makes for a tricky math problem — chicks are purchased shortly after hatching, but they don’t start laying for another six months. After a couple of years, their egg production drops.
“So you have to track your income and expenses on something that’s more than 2 years old, while a normal accounting cycle is one year,” Schwab said.
Most of his farm’s eggs were sold at Chuck’s and New Seasons. He said he felt downward price pressure from both stores because they were hesitant to charge more than $7 per dozen.
So he charged the stores $5 per dozen, then the retailers sold them for about $7.25 a dozen, he said.
To compensate himself for the time spent farming, Schwab said he would have needed to charge the stores $7.50 to $10 per dozen. A typical retail markup would have meant a price tag of almost $15 per dozen.
“The issue I ran up against was the issue of scale,” he said. “All the big commercial egg producers have hundreds of thousands of chickens and there’s a reason they do. They need to do that volume to be able to buy a semi-truck of egg cartons and to buy all the equipment to do things efficiently.”
Today, Schwab and his wife have turned their full attention to running the business that once subsidized their farm. They’re franchise owners of six Subway restaurants in Oregon’s Clackamas County.
“It’s a bit of an irony,” Schwab said of the sandwich chain that doesn’t have a pasture-raised egg in sight. “Hopefully I can retire back to the farm someday.”


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Samsung Galaxy M12 is due to an exceptional release next year, but the phone is already making waves in the tech industry due to its exceptional features that include a 7,000mAh battery. The Samsung Galaxy M12 is going to have the same battery as the M51. The phone belongs to the budget-category phone series and even fell into the entry-level in the category as well.
Recently, we have seen a leaked video uploaded by onLeaks, that is supposed to showcase the 360 views of the Galaxy M12. They had uploaded the graphical renders earlier and now they have come up with a short video that shows M12 from different angles. Due to the angles, the video was shot from, you can easily see a two-texture rear side that reflects light.
The Galaxy M12 will be 163.9 x 75.9 x 8.9 mm, a fraction narrower and thinner than the M51's 163.9 x 76.3 x 9.5 mm. Like it, it will have a plastic frame, which will help keep the weight down (but we're probably still looking at 200+ grams phones). As per rumors, the device will have a 6.5-inch diagonal display screen. The tech giant is working on two different models - one would be the global version and the one will target more of the Indian market.
Samsung Galaxy M12, as per leaks, has the waterdrop style notch to feature the front camera. On the rear side, the phone has a square model that comprises four sensors and a flash. The phone contains a side-mounted fingerprint sensor whereas Samsung Galaxy A42 5G has an in-display fingerprint sensor. There would be a speaker grille and a 3.5mm audio jack that sits alongside the charging port. According to reports, we can expect the phone to be released somewhere in the first quarter of 2021.
This year we witness a few affordable 5G smartphones but the cheapest one is yet to come. The latest Realme 7 will hit the market on November 30 and while it costs only $370, Amazon has an introductory price starting at $300. This makes it the cheapest phone with 5G network support in the UK. The Realme 7 has a 6.5-inch display with 1080 x 2400 resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate. The phone is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 800U chipset. The phone will be available in two models for 6GB RAM and 8GB RAM with a 128GB internal storage option for both.
As per the listing, the phone has a 5,000mAh battery with 30W fast charging. The phone has an advanced 7nm Gaming Processor, delivering high-quality gaming experiences. It supports advanced 5G+5G DSDS technology, enabling seamless network switching. The phone has a 30W dart charge that brings an unparalleled charging experience. With a massive 5,000mA battery, you can watch movies, play video games all day long without getting worried about the battery. With a 5,000mAh battery you get 17 hours of YouTube, 25 days standby time, 35 hours call time, and 9 hours gaming time condition to fair usage.
With additional support for OTG reverse charging, you can charge your IoT device anytime, anywhere. Realme7 also has a super power-saving mode to kick-in when you fall below 10% battery. With this option, you can last up to 28 hours on standby with just a 10% battery. The phone has 48Mp primary camera lens, 8MP ultra-wide-angle lens, and a macro lens with a 4cm focus distance. The front camera has a 16MP in-display selfie lens with AI and beauty modes.
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Today POCO organized an online event to reveal its latest smartphone in India. The company announced the POCO M3 smartphone which was already revealed for the global market in the last year. Only a few backs in November, POCO released M2 for the Indian market and now they have come up with its successor. The POCO M3 falls in the mid-range smartphone category and features a tall aspect ratio screen with a massive 6,000mAh battery. The best part about the phone is its price which is roughly starting from Rs. 9,999.
The phone has an IPS LCD panel of 5.3-inches. POCO didn't try anything crazy with the refresh rate and keep it to the usual 60Hz which helps the company to produce a lower-cost smartphone. The phone has a Full HD+ resolution of 1080 x 2340 pixels and a 19.5:9 aspect ratio. The device has a Gorilla Glass 3 protection for the front panel. The device comes with support for Widevine L1 for playback of streaming content from OTT platforms. The phone has a unique large-sized rectangle-shaped camera housing on the rear side of the phone that has a 48-megapixel primary camera with f/1.79 aperture and two 2-megapixel camera sensor for creating depth effects and taking macro shots without compromising the quality of the pictures.
The POCO M3 also supports photography features like AI beautify, AI scene detection, night mode, portrait mode, panorama, and time-lapse, etc. You can shoot 120fps slow-motion video on the phone along with 1080p video at 30fps. The POCO M3 has a snapdragon 662 processing chip under its hood along with LPDDR4x RAM and UFS 21 and 2.2 internal storage options. The POCO M3 comes with other features such as dual stereo speakers, an IR blaster, dual 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, USB-C, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. The phone will be available in two variants in India with 6GB RAM and 64GB/128GB storage configurations. You can purchase the phone in Yellow, Cool Blue, and Power Black colors. The POCO M3 will go on sale starting from Feb 9 at 12PM local time in India on Flipkart. ICIC bank card owners would get a flat discount of 1,000 on the device.
Honor is a leading smartphone brand affiliated with Huawei Group. Despite being an independent series, it is common to see Honor models sharing a similar design with their Huawei counterparts. The Honor 30 Lite 5G (Youth) is expected to launch under that flag name. The phone will be rebranded as Honor 30 5G lite for the rest of the world. Recently, we have seen some real-life images of the Honor 30 5G lite online that give us a glimpse of the rear design. The design look somewhere similar to Huawei enjoys Z 5G's design.
As per leaked images online, the device will feature a triple camera system housed inside a rectangular module placed at the top-left corner of the rear panel. The backside of the phone has an impression of sunbeams radiating from the bottom-left corner. As per rumors, the device will feature a 6.5-inch display which may likely hold a punch-hole design. The Honor 30 Lite 5G has a display with 1080 x 2400 pixel resolution, Full HD+, and a tall aspect ratio of 20:9. The refresh rate of the display is rumored to be 90Hz.
The phone is powered by a powerful MediaTek MT6873 SoC. So, far we don't know anything about RAM or storage configuration. The device holds a 4,000mAh battery that supports 22.5W fast charging. The phone runs on the latest version of OS - Andriod 10 out of the box. For the front camera, the device features a 16MP camera. The rear camera setup is made of a 48MP primary camera sensor teaming up with an 8MP and 2MP sensor.
Last month Vivo launched its smartphone Vivo Y17 with water drop notch display and now there is another phone Vivo Y12 from the same series is joining the line. The specifications of Y12 has already been reported in the magazines. The rumors suggest that it will cost less than $200 to consumers. The phone has a 6.35-inch full view display with high definition resolution at 1080 x 2340 pixels. The waterdrop style notch allows phone to let user experience videos and games at an aspect ratio of 19.3:9. The appearance of the phone is similar to the Vivo Y15 and Y17 smartphones.
It is powered by MediaTeck Helio P22 processor that includes a 2.0 GHz octa-core processor. It will be available in market in two models such as 3GB Ram/32GB storage and 4GB RAM/64GB storage. The device comes with a microSD card slot which can be used to expand memory. Both of these variants will have slightly different price tags but still affordable. The Vivo Y12 has a non-removable 500mAh battery, dual-SIM option, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, and 3.5mm audio jack.
The device is coming with FunTouch OS 9 UI based Android 9 Pie OS. It will be the most affordable phone with the triple camera feature in a mainstream series. It is expected to feature an 8MP f/2.2 aperture sensor, a 13-MP f/2.2, aperture lens and 2MP lens with f/2.4 aperture sensor. For front camera, it has f/2.0 aperture 8MP camera with Artificial Intelligence. For security, the Vivo Y12 is rumored to have the fingerprint scanner and face unlock features. This phone seems like packed with lots of features. If you are Vivo user, share your experience with this phone in the comments section below. You can tell us, what you like most about Vivo? And will you upgrade your phone to Vivo Y12?
The Vivo Y51 is the last mid-range smartphone to be launched in India. The same phone was launched in Pakistan almost a month ago. However, the phone launched in India comes with slightly different specifications. The Vivo Y51 is now available in India and comes in two color options like Titanium sapphire and crystal symphony. You can purchase the phone in installments, Baja Finserve EMI enables users to buy a Vivo phone by paying Rs. 101, and Jio benefits worth Rs. 7,000.
Vivo Y51 features a 6.58-inch IPS LCD panel with a dewdrop notch. The tall aspect ratio screen has a resolution of 1080x2400 pixels. The phone is powered by Snapdragon 662 and runs 8GB of RAM. The phone uses native internal storage of 128GB which can be further extended using an external storage slot. The phone comes with a 16-megapixel selfie camera that comes with the Aura screen filter feature for shooting better selfies in low-light conditions. The rear panel has the same design as the Vivo x50 and V20 series. The phone features a triple-camera system with a 48-megapixel primary camera sensor, an 8-megapixel ultrawide camera sensor, and a 2-megapixel sensor for adding depth sensor.
The phone uses an intelligent super night algorithm that automatically brings light in the darkness to reduce noise and mitigate overlay. The result is sharp and bright images even in the low-light situation. It supports both the front and rear cameras - allowing you to take vibrant and sharp selfies and capture amazing photos. The FunTouch OS 11 based Android 11 comes pre-installed on the Vivo Y51. The smartphone offers other specs such as dual SIM support and uses 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, USB-C for connectivity. It also offers a side-facing fingerprint reader for security measures, and a 3.5mm audio jack.
The new Vivo Y12s has been launched in India. The phone features a massive 5,000mAh battery that could be its main selling point at an affordable price. The new Vivo phone features a waterdrop display notch to feature the front-facing camera. The device comes in two different color options and has 3GB of RAM. The phone runs the Funtouch OS11operating system and competes with the latest Redmi 9 prime, Realme Narzo 10, and the Samsung Galaxy M11. Its predecessor Y12 was launched in India in mid-summer last year.
The phone has support for dual-SIM and runs on the Android 10 operating system out of the box. It features a 6.51inch HD+ display with IPS and an aspect ratio of 20:9. The phone is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 439 SoC with 3GB RAM. Earlier official reports mentioned that the device will be using a MediaTek Helio P35 processor but later on company released a press release to issue the correction.
On the rear side of the phone, Y12s features a 13MP primary camera sensor with an f/2.2 sensor and a 2MP secondary sensor with an f/2.2 sensor and a 2MP camera. For the front-facing camera, the phone features an 8MP camera sensor with f/1.8. Vivo Y12s comes with 32GB of internal storage that can be further extended using a microSD card. It offers connectivity options include 4G LTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS/ A-GPS, FM Radio, and a Micro-USB port. Sensors onboard include an accelerometer, ambient light sensor, magnetometer, and a proximity sensor. There is also a side-mounted fingerprint sensor.
Vivo Y12s features a massive 5,000mAh battery that has supports 10W fast charging. The device is lightweight and weighs only 191 grams. The phone is up for sale for only Rs. 9990 for the 3GB RAM and 32GB internal storage. You can purchase the phone in Phantom black and Glacier blue colors. You can order the phone online at its official website, Amazon, Flipkart, Paytm, and across the country from its official retail stores.
Vivo has officially announced that it will be launching a new smartphone called the Vivo Y72 5G on March 22 starting release from Thailand. The official poster show off the design of the device. At the same time, it has appeared on the Google Play Console. Ahead of its launch, a Thailand blogger at MXPhones has unboxed the devices and uploaded a preview of the box contents along with the images of the device.
So far, Vivo Y72 5G will be the first phone by the company to have a 5G network capability. The device features a front-camera inside a teardrop notch. According to the Google Play console listing, it features a Full HD+ resolution of 1080x2408 pixels and a 440ppi pixel density. The rear side of the phone has a vertical camera housing featuring a 64MP primary camera.
As per MXPhones, the device box contains Vivo Y72 5G with blue-pink gradient, a charging adapter, USB-C cable, Earphones(3.5mm jack port), a soft case (TPU, Silicone material), and Slim Ejector Pin. The phone has power button/fingerprint scanners on the right side along with the volume buttons, a SIM card tray on the top side, and USB-C, a 3.5mm audio jack, a primary mic, and speakers to the bottom.
Vivo Y72 5G features a 64MP primary camera, and two ultra-wide sensors of 8MP, and a 2MP macro sensor. The front camera has a 16MP f/2.0 sensor. Other specs include 8GB RAM, 128GB storage, WI-FI 5GHz, and Bluetooth 5.1. The phone is powered by MediaTek Dimensity 700 processing chip and a 5,000mAh battery with 18W fast charging support. The Vivo Y72 5G runs on Android 11 and Funtouch OS 11.1 out of the box. The phone will be releasing on March 22.
Vivo Y12s has been launched in Vietnam already as an upgrade to its previous year's Y12s model. The new phone has the same exterior with a water drop-style display notch and dual rear cameras with specialized effects. However, there is a major upgrade in terms of processing ability as the 2021's model comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 439 SoC. the original Vivo Y12s were powered by MediaTek Helio P35 SoC, though its Indian variant had the same Snapdragon 439 processing chip.
The new Vivo Y12s 2021 version has been priced roughly at Rs. 10,500 for the single 3GB RAM and 32GB internal storage. You can purchase the phone through online websites in Vietnam. However, according to reports, the device will be available in other markets in a few weeks. The original Vivo Y12s was unveiled in November for the global market but debuted in India in January with the Snapdragon 439 processor.
The phone runs on Android 11 with Funtouch operating system 11 on the top and features a large 6.51-inch HD+ IPS display with 720 x 1,600 display with a 20:9 aspect ratio. The phone is powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 439 SoC, along with 3GB of RAM. The phone features a dual-camera system on the rear side that houses a 13-megapixel primary camera sensor with an f/2.2 lens and a 2-megapixel depth sensor with an f/2.4 camera sensor. It also includes an 8-megapixel selfie camera sensor with an f/1.8 lens.
The Vivo Y12s comes with 32GB internal storage that can be further extended via microSD card through a dedicated slot. The phone has connectivity options including 4G LTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth v4.2, Micro-USB, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. The phone also uses sensors onboard including an accelerometer, ambient light, magnetometer, and a proximity sensor. The phone is available in Glacier Blue and Phantom Black colors. The device also features the side fingerprint scanner along with a power button so you can power on and unlock your phone at the same time. The phone allows you to unlock from a bright screen in 0.23 seconds - almost too fast to see any difference at all.
POCO has been focusing on one smartphone for nearly two years, but now the company has tried to add multiple smartphones to its existing and new series in 2020. They have introduced a new smartphone - called POCO M3, which is a direct successor of the relatively recent smartphone POCO M2. Usually, the successor phones take a similar design but the company has completely redesigned the new phone on the rear side and put a new chipset from Snapdragon instead of choosing a chip from MediaTek.
The most obvious change in the M3 is the rear design. The brand completely redesigned the back design, making it more of today's design and youth-centric. The design looks expensive as compared to the price tag which is really a refreshing option among its cheaper-looking rivals. The camera is placed in a rectangular shape housing on the top left corner like many other budget series mobile phones, however, the camera unit is placed inside a larger, all-black housing with a big POCO logo on the right side in the vertical fashion. The phone features a large 6.53-inch IPS LCD waterdrop/ dot-drop display as its predecessor with FHD+ resolution and has a gorilla glass protective cover to save the phone in case of accidental fall. The phone also comes certified with TUV Rheinland's low blue light certification.
The POCO M3 comes with a large 6,000mAh battery inside that should keep you going for more than a day. This is a significant upgrade from the 5,000mAh battery found on the POCO M2. And what's surprising is that both phones have the same weight despite of the battery difference. The phone still supports only 18W charging, so it should take even longer to fully charge this battery.
The previous model had a quad-camera system with the ultra-wide-angle sensor which the company decided to skip this time, leaving you with a triple camera setup instead of a quad-camera setup found on its predecessor. But to compensate for the loss of an important camera sensor, M3 has come with a larger 48MP f/1.79 as a primary camera sensor. There are two other camera sensors, a 2MP macro camera sensor, and a 2Mp depth sensor. On the front side, you get an 8MP f/2.0 selfie shooter. The phone is running MIU12 for Poco, which is based on Android 10. The phone is available with 4GB RAM and 64GB and 128GB internal storage for $129 and $149 respectively.
Infinix revealed its latest smartphone Infinix Hot 10S on 22nd April 2021 and now the phone is available in India with a 6.82-inch display screen with a resolution of 720x1640 pixels, an aspect ratio of 20.5:9, and 171.5 x 77.5 x 9.2 mm (6.75 x 3.05 x 0.36 in) dimensions. The phone is powered by 6GB of RAM and runs the latest stable version of Android operating system - Android 11. The phone is from its budget-friendly hot series and will be available online and offline from May 27.
The Infinix Hot 10S uses a water drop notch design on the top of the display. The device uses MediaTek Helio G85 (12nm) chipset, Octa-core (2x2.0 GHz Cortex-A75 & 6x1.8 GHz Cortex-A55) CPU, and Mali-G52 MC2. The phone has a microSDXC (dedicated slot). The phone comes in 64GB/4GB, 64GB/6GB. 128GB/4GB, and 128GB/6GB RAM and internal storage configuration. Connectivity options on the Infinix Hot 10S include Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, GPS, Micro-USB, FM radio, 3G, and 4G (with support for Band 40 used by some LTE networks in India).
You would find accelerometer, ambient light sensor, compass/ magnetometer, gyroscope, proximity sensor, and fingerprint sensors on the phone.
The phone uses a 48MP primary camera, a 2MP depth sensor, and a third unknown camera sensor with quad-LED flash, HDR, and panorama features. The selfie camera uses an 8MP wide camera. You can shoot HD video at 30fps with a front and rear camera. The device also features a loudspeaker and a 3.5mm jack. The phone is available in Black, Purple, Morandi Green, Heart of Ocean colors and priced about .110 EURO.
Nokia 5.4 is the latest upcoming smartphone to be launched and just after the phone was seen on the US FCC website, its specs surfaced online. According to the leaks, the smartphone is going to feature an HD+ display and will be powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 662 processing chip. The Nokia 4.2 specifications were leaked by the website Mysmartprice along with the tipster Sudhanshu. These specs are the same as were introduced by the US FCC site last week that highlighted a new Nokia phone with a model number TA-1333, which is believed to be the said smartphone.
As per the reports, the Nokia 5.4 comes with dual-SIM and features a 6.39-inch HD+ display with a 19:9 aspect ratio. The phone is also said to have the Qualcomm Snapdragon 662, with 4GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. You can extend the internal storage via a microSD card up to 256GB via a dedicated slot if needed. Further, the Nokia 5.4 is said to feature the quad-camera setup at the rear side that included a 48-megapixel primary camera sensor, a 5-megapixel secondary camera sensor, with an ultra-wide-angle lens, a 2-megapixel macro shooter, and a 2-megapixel depth sensor.
For selfies, the Nokia 5.4 is rumored to have a 16-megapixel selfie camera sensor on the front side. The camera could be featured on a hole-punch display cutout. The phone runs Android 10 out the box and is powered by a 4,000mAh battery. For security, the phone has integrated a fingerprint sensor as well as an accelerometer, ambient light, and a proximity sensor. The phone offers options for Wi-Fi Bluetooth, USB Type-C, and a 3.5mm headphone jack for connectivity and audio.
Samsung Galaxy A9 will be released following its predecessors like A3, A5, and A7 models of the revamped Galaxy A (2016) series. The images of the smartphone were leaked via official promotion and is expected to be available in the market this month.
The Galaxy A9 will have a 6" Super AMOLED screen of 1080p resolution and a Snapdragon 620 chipset backed by 3GB of RAM will power the phone. The 620 platform has a powerful octa-core 1.8GHz processor with 4x Cortex-A72 and 4x Cortex-A53 cores, and the GPU for graphics is Adreno 510.
The Galaxy A9 will be following the suit of the smaller A3, A5, and A7 from the 2016 series and will be built with a metal frame and dual 2.5D glass panels.
All other specifications of the Galaxy A9 are the following: a 13MP camera in the back with optical image stabilization and bright f/1.9 aperture. The 8MP selfie camera will also support panoramic pictures, 32GB expandable storage, LTE Cat.7 connectivity, and a 4,000 mAh battery.
With this type of stellar specs, the Galaxy A9 is also expected to feature power bank capabilities. Those would be supported natively by Android 6.0 Marshmallow, but the Galaxy A9 will be released with 5.1.1 Lollipop, which makes it difficult to confirm the availability of this feature.
Samsung Galaxy A9 is supposed to go official very early and be available for consumers in Christmas or in early January. The price in China will be more than CNY 3,000, which implies it will be more than €430.
While the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus are fantastic devices, there are a few things about the two smartphones that are not exactly perfect and the underpowered 3,000mAh battery on the regular S8 is one of those things. The S8 Plus on the other hand has a decent enough 3,500mAh battery, but it isn't anything to write home about either. However, the Galaxy S8 Active will change all that with its 4,000mAh battery when it comes out. It's a shame that it will be exclusive to the United States and that too on AT&T only.
Check out the images in this article which comes to you thanks to a Samsung employee in possession of a Galaxy S8 Active prototype in San Francisco. The phone is going to be made mostly out of polycarbonate with metal on the sides for extra protection. There will not be an Active button on the S8 Active, unlike all its predecessors but it will sport the Bixby hardware button just like the regular Galaxy S8s. All other specs are the same, but the model number on this one will be SM-G892A. Are you waiting to pick one up?
Saikat Kar (the-enthusiast)
Even 5,000mAh batteries in smartphones are not that uncommon these days, but they are fairly rare and mostly cater to the niche gaming community. However, I do not recall any smartphone available in the current market that has a 6,000mAh battery! That's a tablet-grade battery we are talking about here!
According to a leak, one or more models with a 6,000maH battery will be released soon and most reports are suggesting that it will be either the Galaxy M20s or M30s. There's even opinion that both of the upcoming phones will feature the 6,000mAh battery, but I have my doubts about that one though. Most likely, if it is a genuine leak, the M30s will sport the huge battery, while the M20s may not even exist.
The #GoMonster hashtag accompanying the image might suggest that Samsung is targeting this one towards the power users. The media buttons embedded in the image most likely indicates long video and music playback capabilities, which is very likely if the phone really does have a 6,000mAh battery.
Keep in mind that the photo is supposed to be a leaked teaser, rather than being an official one, so the Galaxy M with its mythical 6,000mAh battery may not ever come out. Then again, rumors and leaks are surprisingly accurate these days.
High-end expensive smartphones are pretty much a thing of the past. These days you can easily find an entry-level smartphone with premium-like features with an affordable price tag. The trend of budget-friendly smartphones were introduced due to the competition among Chinese and international smartphone manufacturers. But later on big names like Samsung also joined the trend.
Recently, Samsung has introduced the Galaxy F12, a smartphone with a massive battery size of 6,000mAh and small price of Rs. 10,999 that's about $150. Samsung Galaxy F12 features a 6.5-inch HD+ screen that is good enough for playing video games or watching YouTube videos. The phone comes with eight-core 2GHz Exynos 850 processing chip, 4GB of RAM, and a 64GB of non-expandable storage and 12GB variant for Rs. 11,999. The memory configuration seems reasonable for this price.
The Galaxy F12 comes with a large 6,000mAh battery that comes with a 15W USB-C charger in the box. The device also features a quad-rear camera array that includes a 48Mp ISOCELL GM2 main shooter, a 5MP ultra-wide camera, a 2MP depth sensor, and a 2MP macro camera. The phone features an 8MP front-facing selfie camera sensor.
Galaxy F12 is expected to be launched around April 12. The phone comes with Android 11 operating system with One UI 3.1 ont ht top out of the box. You can shoot 1080p videos at 30fps. The phone is equipped with a loudspeaker, 3.5mm jack, Wi-Fi 802, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, FM radio, and USB Type-C 2.0. There is also a side-mounted fingerprint scanner to add an extra layer of security.
Mophie has unveiled a Juice pack for the Samsung Galaxy S5 a 3,000mAh battery case that promises to double the battery life of your Samsung flagship.
The Juice pack sports Mophie's usual design and supports USB 3.0 for charging and syncing. The case also doesn't block NFC connectivity, which is also required for S Beam.
Anyway, the case is up for pre-order right now at $100 and will ship on September,8th.
OPPO unveiled the A53 smartphone last week in Indonesia and soon after its release, the company teased the phone's release in other countries including India. The phone has now officially been released in India under a budget-friendly category. The phone costs only Rs. 12,990 and offers some high-end features and specs like 90Hz display, Snapdragon 460 processor, 16-megapixel triple cameras on the rear side. The device comes with a massive battery with fast-charging support.
The OPPO A53 has a 6.5-inch IPS LCD punch-hole display with a 20:9 aspect ratio and 720 x 1600 pixels HD+ resolution. The phone also supports a high display fresh rate up to 90Hz. The phone is using the ColorOS 7.2 user interface based on the latest Android 10 out of the box. It is the first phone to be launched in India with the latest Snapdragon 460 chipset. The phone also has a shared SIM slot to add a microSD card slot. The SoC is coupled with up to 6GB of LPDDR4x RAM and up to 128 GB of storage. The handset comes with features like dual 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, USB-C, and 3.5mm audio jack.
The OPPO A53 has a rectangle-shaped camera module at the rear side of the device that houses 3 camera lens, a 16-megapixel being the primary camera lens, a 2-megapixel macro lens, and a 2-megapixel depth sensor. The front side of the phone uses a 16-megapixel camera with f/2.0 aperture. The phone is available in two options in India, such as 4GB RAM with 64GB internal storage, and 6GB RAM with 128GB internal storage. These models are priced at Rs. 12,990 and Rs. 15,490 respectively. You can purchase the phone from Flipkart after its available online. The device comes in two color variants - electric black and fancy blue.
The Moto G8 Plus is the best possible experience at a budget price in the G-series. The G-series phones are considered the best inexpensive phones of the years now. The Moto G8 Plus has more premium features such as a versatile camera, stereo speakers, minimal bezel, and better battery management than its predecessor Moto G7 plus. Due to the rising competition in the same category, we have seen some premium features coming to budget phones. The latest phone brings in a 48MP triple camera system with fast charging as the main selling USB. But is it enough?
The Moto G8 is priced at $310. It has a plastic body and available in two colors - cosmic blue and crystal pink. The back panel has a gradient-like glossy finish, and the logo aligned in the middle. There is a volume button and unlock button at the right side, which the left side has a hybrid SIM card slot. On the top edge, there is a microphone and a 3.5mm headphone jack. The G8 plus is water repellent, but it is not the same as IP67 rated phone, so keeping it away from the water is always a good strategy.
Overall, there is nothing extraordinary about the design. The Moto G8 Plus has a slightly bigger screen than the G7 Plus at 6.3-inches. It is an IPS LCD panel with a Full HD+ (2280 x 1080 pixels) resolution and a U-shaped notch up top. The screen has 19:9 aspect ratio, which is decent for watching videos, as they're often in that ratio. The screen is topped with a layer of Panda Glass which is similar to the popular Corning glass solution for protection against drops. Moto G8 Plus is powered by a 4,000mAh battery, which is a pretty decent capacity even at the low-price tier of phones. You can last for a one day on a single charge with normal usage that includes being active on social media. The phone supports 15W fast charging and can fully charge in 150 minutes.
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Do you need a phone with a bigger battery size but with a less price tag? Motorola has recently unveiled the Moto G8 power lite, an affordable phone with a huge 5,000mAh battery. Just a couple of months ago, the company introduced the Moto G8 Power smartphone. The Lite version offers almost the same specifications but comes with a reasonably impressive price that is less than $200.
The device has a 6.5-inch HD+ display, the Moto G8 Power lite is powered by the powerful MediaTek Helio P35 chipset, 4GB of RAM, and 64GB of onboard storage. The device comes with an expandable storage option that allows you to increase the storage up to 256Gb with a microSD card. As this is a power device it lives up to its name by featuring a high-capacity battery but relies on a micro USB port with charging at up to 10W speeds.
When it comes to the photography section, the device doesn't take it lite. At the rear side, you will find a triple camera array that has a 16-megapixel primary sensor, 2-megapixel macro lens, and 2-megapixel depth sensor. The selfie camera has an 8-megapixel lens and is housed within a display notch. There is also a rear-mounted capacitive fingerprint scanner to open the phone using biometric prints.
The only drawback here is that the device is still relying on the older version of Android Pie rather than Android 10 out of the box. Moto isn't very good with software updates and that makes us wonder that if the users will get the updated OS anytime sooner or not. The company has launched the phone in two amazing colors - turquoise and blue. It will be soon available for sale in selected markets like Latin America, Europe, Asia, and Oceania over the coming weeks.
Since Motorola has re-surfaced, it is flooding the smartphone industry with mobile phones of almost similar options. Almost a month ago, the company launched the OneFusion plus, and now we have another model in the mid-range phone. The Motorola one function isn't anything special when it comes to the hardware specs. It is a more economical version of its predecessor Motorola One fusion plus.
The major difference between the One Fusion and the earlier One Fusion plus, the latter features a 16-MP front-facing camera that rises to the occasion. The One Fusion's unspecified front camera, in contrast, hides insides a tiny waterdrop notch on the phone's massive 6.5-inch display screen. Despite its size, however, that Max Visions display HD+ resolution.
The Motorola One Fusion is powered by an old Snapdragon 710 with 4GB of RAM. You get 64GB as internal storage but that can be extended if you want to. There is also a traditional fingerprint scanner for security on the rear side, though we don't know anything about the headphone jack yet. The Motorola One Fusion's selling point is its battery and cameras.
The phone features a 5,000mAh battery that is advertised to last up to 48-hours, depending on how you use it. The One Fusion sports a 6.5-inch Max Vision HD+ display with a waterdrop notch, unlike the notch-less One Fusion+ screen. Optics-wise, it boasts a 48MP main camera with Quad Pixel technology. This is joined by an ultra-wide-angle lens with a 118-degree field of view, a Macro Vision camera, and a depth sensor.
There isn't any news on the price yet, but the One Fusion is expected to get a lower price than the 300 euro for the plus variant. The phone is available now in various countries of Latin America and will be launched in Saudi Arabia and the UAE in the next month.
The Moto G9 by Motorola has launched in India officially with the affordable smartphone likely to reach other countries in the near future. Thanks to competition in the mobile industry, we are not short of budget-friendly smartphones but the Moto G9 is yet another addition to the list that includes less than $200 price tag. Moto G9 is the direct descent of the Moto G8 that was launched earlier this year, with the price you might expect from the series. The phone doesn't claim to be heavy-duty and has some modest features.
The Moto G9 comes with a large 6.5-inch HD+ LCD screen with 1600 x 720 resolution and a 20:9 aspect ratio. Inside the Moto G9 comes with Qualcomm Snapdragon 662 chipset, 4GB of RAM, and 64GB of internal storage. The phone comes with an expandable storage option via a microSD card. The phone features a massive 5,000mAh battery that also supports fast charging. With the USB-C fast charger that comes along with the device, you can charge up to 20W charge speed. The device has a notable fingerprint scanner on the rear side, support NFC that is needed for mobile payments, and a water repellent coating. This isn't the same as an IP certification by a stretch but it can save your phone from a few splashes here and there.
The phone comes with three cameras at the back including a 48-megapixel primary camera, a 2-megapixel depth sensor, and a 2-megapixel macro sensor. At the front, the phone features a dewdrop notch that is capable of taking 8-megapixel shots. The Moto G9 is set to go on sale in India starting from August 31, 2020. The phone will be available for around Rs. 11,499 or around $155. It will be available in two colors - sapphire blue and forest green. Given the date, we can expect the phone to be available in other global markets over the coming weeks.
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Despite all this talk of next gen consoles on the horizon, the Dual Universe team explained why their game will remain PC exclusive.
The detailed lengthy explanation was provided in a recent dev blog. The team actually acknowledges that the issue isn’t the horsepower in the new machines. In fact, the PS5 and Xbox Series X should be powerful enough to run Dual Universe. The team said that this simply wasn’t the case for the current generation machines,
“The thing is, and we’ve explained this a lot since the Kickstarter campaign, that there was no way to run DU on current console gen hardware — even on the latest Xbox One X and PS4 Pro iterations. DU was designed with the PC tech and ergonomic possibilities in mind from the beginning. And then, the recent announcements of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X gave many among you some new hopes.”
The issue, it seems, is down to resources and focus,
“As a small indie company, even with the strength of our two studios in Paris and Montréal, we have to continue to be careful about how we manage our production. Releasing several versions of a game is something we just chose not to do right now. This doesn't mean it could never happen, it's just that it would demand extra requirements to fulfill than just wanting to share our dream project with an even bigger audience.”
The post continues, citing much more manpower, more money, extra resources, and adhering to the manufacturers’ (Microsoft and Sony) processes. This ultimately requires substantially more work,
“Porting DU on consoles would probably require us to work with several partners (outsourcing companies and/or a publisher) and while we talk with everybody in the industry like all studios, nothing has ever been signed in that prospect yet.”
You can read the full post here.


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Altria (a.k.a. Philip Morris USA) has lost its international presence, leaving only the dying U.S. smoking market to support the company. It's also moved from its swanky New York digs to humbler new headquarters in Richmond, Va.
The growing pains certainly showed in Altria's first-quarter earnings results, which were released yesterday. Net revenue inched up just 2.8% from last year, while reported earnings per share dropped by 12.1%. Even after adjusting for the spinoff charges and costs associated with relocating, the company's 12.1% increase in earnings per share from continuing operations paled in comparison to half-brother PMI's recent 29% earnings jump.
Now that its PMI spinoff is complete, the reorganized Altria forecasts that its new Southern headquarters will improve its cost structure. Overall, Philip Morris USA cigarette volume dropped by 1.2% year over year, with a 0.5% increase in overall market share. Marlboro has maintained its market-leader status, with a 0.7% increase in market share for the quarter. That brought its Marlboro market share to 41.5%, and overall Philip Morris USA market share to 50.9%.
The company is also looking to expand its U.S. presence and take advantage of Marlboro brand strength, testing its new "Marlboro Snus" product in Dallas. Marlboro Snus is described as "a spit-free, smokeless tobacco pouch designed especially for adult smokers." Not quite appealing to me, but it shows the initiatives the company is taking to roll out new products that further capitalize on its strong Marlboro brand.
Imagine if other big global names like Coca-Cola
Of course, lawsuits are the biggest ongoing risk for Altria, a concern that triggered the spinoff of PMI in the first place. Even with a revised cost structure, Altria's lack of ongoing growth will continue to hurt results. Its headquarters may have moved south, but the company will have to work hard to keep future earnings from following suit.
For related Foolishness:


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Holden has unveiled its latest campaign to promote the hard-to-beat capabilities of the car brand’s Colorado range.
Created by The Monkeys, part of Accenture Interactive, the integrated campaign puts the Holden Colorado through its paces, proving the truck is not to be outdone.
Directed by Hamish Rothwell of Goodoil Films, the brand film features a man and his Colorado take on a mountain goat in an epic race to the top of a mountain.
In this battle of man versus beast, the driver and his vehicle challenge deep rivers, large boulders and steep-mountain climbs to outdo his goat nemesis.
The campaign will roll out across broadcast, out-of-home advertising, digital, radio, press, and on Holden-owned social channels.
The Monkeys’ chief creative officer for Melbourne, Ant Keogh, said the ad’s strength is that it’s simple but unexpected.
“It’s hugely entertaining while subtly showing off driving performance and ruggedness.”
Holden’s general manager of marketing and digital, Natalie Davey, said: “‘Not To Be Outdone’ is the perfect platform to showcase the capability of our Colorado range, and the campaign brings this to life in a bold and memorable way, which we know will break through the advertising clutter in a fresh and confident way.”
Client: GM Holden
General manager of marketing and digital: Natalie Davey
Brand communications manager: Josh Cunningham
Senior manager of product marketing: Andre Scott
Brand communications coordinator: Tom Richards
Creative: The Monkeys
Chief creative officer, Melbourne: Ant Keogh
Head of strategy: Mike Derepas
Head of production: Romanca Jasinski
Group content director: Lee Lowndes
Content director: Navin Arunasalam
Copywriter: Cody Naetzker
Art director: Zenon Predecki
Production: Goodoil Films
Director: Hamish Rothwell
Producer: Andrew McLean
Executive producer: Simon Thomas
Director of photography: Dariusz Wolski
Editor: Pete Sciberras, ARC
Production design: John Allan
Sound: Paul Le Couteur, Nylon Studios
Music: Level Two Music
Artist: A Tribe called Red
Song: “Electric Pow Wow”
A new report shows the need for brands and organisations to rethink their approaches to marketing and communications content in a post-pandemic world. The new report, titled Future of Content and part of opr’s Futures series, takes an in-depth look at the changing way audiences find, consume, make and share content in Australia and around the […]
Are Media has announced the appointment of a new chief executive officer to replace Brendon Hill. Jane Huxley is the new CEO and starts with Are Media on Monday 26 April. Huxley is a highly experienced executive with a background in digital and technology businesses. Most recently Huxley was the regional managing director for Spotify, […]
Expedia has announced a new brand direction as the world prepares for the return of travel demand. The online travel giant’s new global positioning is grounded in the understanding that who you travel with matters, and comes after months of customer research. From an updated look and feel to enhanced product offerings, Expedia is looking […]
Equity Mates Media, the number one finance and investing network for young Australians, has joined the Acast Creator Network. Its five podcasts, which are some of Australia’s favourites, will now be hosted and distributed by the creator-first podcast company Acast. Equity Mates Media was created to give everyday people the inspiration, information and confidence to […]
After an unprecedented year of challenges, iStock research has shown that Australians and New Zealanders are increasingly expecting businesses to communicate with greater empathy, both in terms of a brand’s language as well as its visuals. Celebrated globally on April 22, Earth Day presents a timely opportunity for businesses to put empathy into practice, iStock […]
Pinterest and Shopify have announced the expansion of their partnership to 27 additional countries. The partnership will provide more than 1.7 million Shopify merchants around the world with an easy way to bring their products to Pinterest and turn them into shoppable Product Pins to be discoverable across the platform. With the evolution of the […]


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Russia likely to join Pakistan China multibillion dollars CPEC mega project
ISLAMABAD - The investors of Russia are keen to explore business opportunities in Pakistan and for this purpose, want to further strengthen trade and investment cooperation with Pakistani counterparts.
This was said by Stanislav L. KOROLEV, Head of Moscow Chamber of Commerce and Industry Commission for Pakistan while addressing business community at Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry.
He visited ICCI leading a business delegation of Mosco CCI and discussed various options for promoting business collaboration between the private sectors of both countries. Stanislav L. KOROLEV said that Russia had advanced technology in industrial sector and Pakistani entrepreneurs could better promote their business by enhancing close cooperation with Russian counterparts.
He said that Moscow CCI was sending its delegations to 40-45 countries every year and they were now taking great interest in Pakistan for business prospects.
He said that ICCI was playing a vibrant role in trade promotion of Pakistan Russian business community had also acknowledged it.
He invited ICCI to take its delegation to Moscow for B2B meetings with Russian counterparts and assured that his Chamber would cooperate in connecting them with right partners.
Speaking at the occasion, Muhammad Ahmed Waheed, President, Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry said that despite great potential, bilateral trade between Pakistan and Russia was far less than the actual potential of the both countries and stressed that both should encourage frequent exchange of trade delegations to explore all untapped areas of mutual cooperation.
He said that Russian investors should transfer technology to Pakistan and set up JVs in areas of interest.
He said that many special economic zones would be set up under CPEC in Pakistan and urged that Russian investors should explore JVs and investment in these SEZs.
Accepting the invitation of Moscow CCI, he assured that ICCI would consider taking a delegation to Russia and would like to sign trade agreements with Russian counterparts to further strengthen trade relations between both countries.
Tahir Abbasi Senior Vice President and Saif ur Rahman Vice President ICCI said that Pakistan could export Kinnow and other fruits to Russia for which enhanced collaboration between private sectors of both countries was needed. Khalid Chaudhry and others also spoke at the occasion and offered useful suggestions for improving bilateral trade and economic relations between Pakistan and Russia.


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United States based technology giant Microsoft is in advanced stages of talks to invest in Indian hotel chain Oyo at a valuation of $9 billion, reports Tech Crunch.
According to the report, a deal is expected to close between both the companies as soon as Friday (30 July). However, the proposed size of the investment is unclear.
The proposed deal is likely to also involve the Ritesh Agarwal-led Oyo shifting to use Microsoft’s cloud services.
The valuation of Oyo was at about $10 billion in 2019 but has been slashed to $3 billion by Softbank, a major investor in the startup, in the recent quarters.
The Indian startup, which has aggressively expanded to many markets including Southeast Asia, Europe and the US in recent years, has been hit hardly by the Covid-19 as the tourism sector remains one of the most-affected due to pandemic related restrictions.
However, increasing vaccination and declining cases have raised the hopes of recovery in the travel sector as well as the hospitality industry.
Meanwhile, If the deal between Microsoft and Oyo materialises, it will be US tech giant’s latest investment in an Indian startup. The firm has backed a handful of startups in the India, including news aggregator and short-video platform DailyHunt, e-commerce giant Flipkart, and logistics SaaS firm FarEye.
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Purdue Pharma has been asked to suspend sales of its Palladone (hydromorphone) painkiller by the US Food and Drug Administration because of dangers related to using the drug with alcohol.
The drug, a potent opioid analgesic, was approved in September by the FDA for the management of persistent, moderate-to-severe pain in patients requiring continuous, around-the-clock analgesia, and launched in the USA in February. But the agency is now concerned that alcohol interferes with the drug delivery system used in the once daily product, causing “dumping” of the active ingredient. This could lead to higher than recommended blood levels of the painkiller, raising the risk of breathing difficulties, coma and even death, according to the FDA. Purdue has agreed to withdraw the product.
This is another heavy blow for Purdue, which last month lost a legal appeal to halt sales of a generic version of its top-selling product, the painkiller OxyContin (oxycodone). Faced with rapid erosion of its OxyContin revenues, Purdue promptly announced plans to cut more than 800 jobs. According to IMS data, US sales for OxyContin were approximately $2 billion dollars for the 12 months ended March 31, 2005. Meanwhile, Purdue is also being investigated over its marketing tactics for the product.
While Palladone was not expected to reach the sales volumes achieved by OxyContin, the loss of a product in its growth phase will make it harder for Purdue to weather the loss of its OxyContin exclusivity. The FDA said in a statement that Pallodone had so far been used “in a relatively small number of patients”, but added: “We are concerned that as more patients take this drug, safety problems will arise since even having one alcoholic drink could have fatal implications.”
Purdue said it intends to carry out reformulation studies and try to return Pallodone to the market in a new version. It said it was unaware of any case in which concomitant use of the drug and alcohol had caused injury in the 11,500 patients who have used the product to date.


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For Battlefield 5 players, a lot of you might be wonderig when Private Games will be available. Well, after numerous delays, DICE has announced that the Battlefield 5 Private Games release is set for December as part of the Battlefield 5 upcoming patch called 5.2!
This was announced by DICE as part of the latest Community Broadcast, which also confirmed that Private Games has been renamed to “Community Games.” Not only that, bu changes to how spotting works via the Flare Gun, the Wake Island release and more have been detailed too.
Once the patch notes for Battlefield 5 update 5.2 are released – which should be a day or two before the patch drops — we’ll let our readers know ASAP.
Are you liking the planned changes DICE has coming to Battlefield 5? Given how the game won’t be replaced by a new Battlefield title anytime soon, it’s good to know that DICE has more stuff planned for it. Speaking of which, some of the Chapter 5 rewards have been leaked, and a lot of them are weapons! There’s also a new mode called “Invasion” being cooked up that mixes in RTS (real-time strategy) elements with the core Battlefield formula.


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The “volume and complexity” of new draft sustainability reporting standards could threaten the resources and financial security of already vulnerable SMEs, market participants have said.
According to Sarah Carroll, director of sustainability reporting at Grant Thornton, the granular and abrupt nature of new draft standards could affect the ability of small businesses to achieve compliance.
“Not only is it about getting to grips with what exactly they’re required to report, but also making sure they’re calculating it in the correct way,” she says.
“It’s going to be very hard for businesses to establish that level of comfort and understanding in their own reports and results.”
In November 2021, the International Financial Reporting Standards Foundation (IFRS) announced the creation of a new International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB), with a view to standardising sustainability disclosures.
The move was accompanied by the publication of prototype climate disclosure requirements; in March 2022, the ISSB published two fully-fledged exposure drafts for public consultation.
“These two sets of standards are just the start,” says Carroll. “We’re concerned about the burden it’s going to put on businesses, whether it’s resources or bringing the right people in.”
Yen-Pei Chen, senior policy manager corporate reporting and tax at ACCA, expresses similar concerns regarding the capacity of smaller businesses.
While the standards are “urgently needed” to provide a global base line for sustainability reporting, ensuring compatibility with the capacity of SMEs should be a priority, she argues.
“SMEs are a major part of the global economy and they form a vital part of any supply chain. Even if SMEs are out of scope for the ISSB standards, demands for disclosure will come through from larger entities reporting on their supply chain activities.”
ISSB action needed
ACCA has recently levelled such criticism directly at the ISSB, submitting comments letters in response to the draft standards.
For instance, it has highlighted the global skills shortage and that the demand for sustainability reporting talent far exceeds the supply, calling on the ISSB to support the global effort to upskill and build capacity in this area.
It has also urged the Board to consider developing an implementation roadmap to ensure consistent implementation across the globe and limit the shock factor for businesses.
Grant Thornton’s response has been similar. The firm has also submitted comment letters in response to each of the ISSB’s exposure drafts (general and climate-related).
Most notably, it has called on the ISSB to consider the needs of SMEs by “phasing in” the standards.
In doing so, it draws on research from the firm’s International Business Report, which found nearly a third of mid-market businesses globally cited a lack of clarity around new regulations and requirements as a barrier to their progress on sustainability.
“We think it’s really important to phase in the requirements so small businesses aren’t hit with them all at once,” says Grant Thornton’s Carroll.
“That would make it easier for entities to manage the process, build the systems in and then be able to get compliant quicker.”
Carroll laments the ISSB’s “Scope 3” emissions in particular: the requirement for companies to report all indirect emissions, such as those created by suppliers.
“This is going to be really challenging for preparers, so we’d like to see some guidance making it a bit clearer,” she says. “For example, how far they should go in the value chain and what actually needs to be reported as a minimum requirement.”
“Maximum alignment is essential”
Grant Thornton’s comment letters also raise the matter of global alignment as a key issue. The firm argues that, while it supports the ISSB’s intention for the new standards to form a baseline, much more work must be done to align them with the proposals of other standard setters.
Most notably, the European Financial Reporting Advisory Group (EFRAG) is pushing ahead with producing its own set of standards, as per a 2020 mandate from the European Commission.
It released its first set of exposure drafts for public consultation in April 2022, which were produced in parallel with negotiations on the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive – a piece of legislation that will seek to mandate sustainability reporting and assurance.
“This isn’t necessarily the ISSB’s fault, but EFRAG has gone ahead and done their own thing, and our view is that it doesn’t build on the ISSB – it more sits alongside it,” says Carroll.
“Between the two of them, they need to sort that out. Otherwise, you could end up with disparity between what companies are doing and potentially lose comparability as a result.”
ACCA has also expressed concerns regarding a lack of global alignment. In a comment letter submitted in response to the exposure drafts, it urged EFRAG to consider reporting in accordance with ISSB standards.
This would be a critical step in overcoming the current “alphabet soup” of different frameworks and standards, says Chen.
“Maximum alignment is essential to keep costs down for companies and to make sure that stakeholders can have easily comparable information on sustainability-related issues.
“This fragmentation could get worse unless there is a conscious effort to align these requirements with the ISSB’s standards.”