Facebook announced on Friday preliminary agreements with three Australian publishers, a day after the Parliament passed a law that would make the digital giants pay for news.

Facebook said letters of intent had been signed with independent news organizations Private Media, Schwartz Media and Solstice Media.

The commercial agreements are subject to the signing of full agreements within the next 60 days, a Facebook statement said.

“These agreements will bring a new slate of premium journalism, including some previously paywalled content, to Facebook,” the statement said.

Schwartz Media chief executive Rebecca Costello said the deal would help her company continue to produce independent journalism.

“It’s never been more important than it is now to have a plurality of voices in the Australian press,” Costello said.

Private Media chief executive Will Hayward said the new deal built on an existing Facebook partnership.

Australia's Parliament on Thursday had passed the final amendments to the so-called News Media Bargaining Code.

In return for the changes, Facebook agreed to lift a six-day-old ban on Australians accessing and sharing news. Access to Australian news sites did not appear to be fully restored until Friday.

Also read: Facebook oversight board to start operating in October

Google, the only other digital giant targeted by the legislation, has already struck content licensing deals, or is close to deals, with some of Australia’s biggest news publishers including Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. and Seven West Media.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the new Australian law was critical to the deals that Australian media businesses were negotiating with the two gateways to the internet.

Under the law, if a platform can't reach agreement with a news business, an arbitration panel can be appointed to set a legally binding price for journalism.

Also read: Facebook says it will lift its Australian news ban soon

"Global tech giants are changing the world, but we can’t let them run the world,” Morrison told reporters.

“People in free societies like Australia, who go to ballot boxes and who go and they vote, that’s who should run the world,” Morrison added.

Facebook Vice President of Global Affairs Nick Clegg on Wednesday took a veiled swipe at News Corp. in a social media post criticizing Australia’s law, which is aimed at setting a fair price for the Australian journalism that the digital platforms display.

“It is ironic that some of the biggest publishers that have long advocated for free markets and voluntary commercial undertakings now appear to be in favor of state sponsored price setting,” the former British deputy prime minister wrote.

News Corp. Australia executive chairman Michael Miller said last week that his company had pay negotiations with Facebook.

Also read: Facebook Q4 results soar; Zuckerberg hits Apple over privacy

“Having been someone who’s dealt with Facebook over the past months, we have some weeks where we’re getting good engagement and think we’re progressing and then you get silence. I think the door is still open,” Miller told a Senate inquiry into Australian media diversity.

News Corp. owns most of Australia’s major newspapers, and some analysts argue the U.S.-based international media empire is the driver for the conservative Australian government making Facebook and Google pay. News Corp. has announced a wide-ranging deal with Google covering operations in the United States and Britain as well as Australia.

Indian newspapers on Thursday demanded up to 85% advertisement revenue share from US search giant Google for publishing their content online, with Australia approving a new law aimed at forcing tech giants to pay for news.

In a letter to Google, the Indian Newspaper Society (INS), representing 800 publishers across the country, said the US search engine "should pay for news generated by the newspapers which employ thousands of journalists".

Also read: Facebook says it will pay $1B over 3 years to news industry

"Since the content which is generated and published by newspapers at considerable expense is proprietary, the Society pointed out that it is this credible content which has given Google the authenticity in India ever since its inception," INS said in a statement.

"Advertising has been the financial backbone of the news industry. However, newspaper publishers are seeing their share of the advertising pie shrinking in the digital space, even as Google is taking a 'giant share of advertising spends'," it added.

Also read: Australia to amend laws to make Google and Facebook pay

Earlier in the day, the Australian Parliament passed the new law that will force tech giants like Facebook and Google to enter into commercial deals with that country's publishers, seen as a test case for similar regulation in other nations.

Canada is also reportedly considering bringing a law similar to Australia's. In 2020, Canadian media outlets warned of a potential bankruptcy if the government did not step in. They also warned of shrinking jobs in the country's print journalism.

Also read: Collect revenues from Google, Facebook, their ilk: HC

Both Facebook and Google have pledged to spend $1bn each in the news industry globally over the next three years.

Global smartphone brand realme has carved out a niche for itself in the Bangladesh smartphone market after beginning its journey in the country on February 24 last year.

Also, realme was the only mobile brand that launched 12 smartphones and five smart devices in 2020, the company said on Thursday.

In its first year in the Bangladesh market, realme sold a good number of smartphones.

Also read: realme named among top 4 smartphone brands in Bangladesh

Around 3,000 realme C17 units were sold within only a minute at Daraz in 2020, while 1,500 units of realme 6 were sold in just under a minute in the online marketplace, the smartphone manufacturer said.

The last realme phone launched during its first year in Bangladesh was the Narzo 20 with a G85 gaming processor which sold 2,000 units in two minutes in Daraz, making it the fastest-selling gaming phone in the online marketplace.

Also read: Realme grows over 50% for 2 years

Realme's meteoric growth in the last year helped the brand bag one of the top four positions in the Bangladesh market.

According to Counterpoint Research, realme grew 1,000% in Bangladesh within the first quarter of 2020.

The growth rate was 250% in the next quarter and was maintained in the subsequent quarters.

Also read: Realme plans to leap into a prosperous 2021

Realme Bangladesh Manager Tim Shao said, "We are overwhelmed by the love we have received within such a short time. We will continue to amaze the customers with more exciting and innovative trendy smartphones and products in the second year of our journey in Bangladesh."

Facebook, following in Google’s footsteps, says it plans to invest $1 billion to “support the news industry” over the next three years.

The social networking giant, which has been tussling with Australia over a law that would make social platforms pay news organizations, said it has invested $600 million since 2018 in news.

Also read: Facebook oversight board to start operating in October

Google said in October that it would pay publishers $1 billion over the next three years.

News companies want Google and Facebook to pay for the news that appears on their platforms. Governments in Europe and Australia are increasingly sympathetic to this point of view. The two tech companies suck up the majority of U.S. digital advertising dollars, which — among other problems — has hurt publishers.

Also read: Facebook says it will lift its Australian news ban soon

Facebook said on Tuesday it would lift a ban on news links in Australian after the government agreed to tweak proposed legislation that would help publishers negotiate payments with Facebook and Google. Facebook was criticized for its ban, which also temporarily cut access to government pandemic, public health and emergency services on the social networking site.

Facebook said Tuesday that the changes allow it to choose which publishers it will support and indicated that it will now start striking such deals in Australia.

Google had already been signing content licensing deals with Australian media companies, and says that it has arrangements with more than 50 publishers in the country and more than 500 globally.

Also read: Facebook Q4 results soar; Zuckerberg hits Apple over privacy

There may be more such regulation in other countries. Microsoft is working with European publishers to push big tech platforms to pay for news. European Union countries are working on adopting copyright rules that allow news companies and publishers to negotiate payments.

Catherine Chen, Huawei’s Senior Vice President has recently described how technology could be used as an engine for human progress.

She also called on individuals and businesses to think big and act small, reiterating her support for the UN's sustainable development goals and building a green, innovative, and inclusive world, said a press release. 

Chen was attending a programme at Jumeirah Himalayas Hotel in Shanghai organised by Huawei, Global Mobile Association (GSMA), Center of Environmental Economics of Fudan University, and The Paper. 

Also read: Huawei partners to build 5G automobile ecosphere

Catherine Chen, Huawei’s Senior Vice President and Board Member, has delivered a keynote speech titled 'Believe in the Power of Technology.'

Participants at the event joined both online and in-person to discuss the value of digital technologies in sustainable development for a better, connected world, representing organizations worldwide, including international industry regulators, and think tanks from China, Malaysia, Spain, Thailand, Hungary, and Portugal. More than 1000 guests from over 50 countries attended the conference online. 

Chen expressed, "Looking back over history, we've seen how large social changes happen in lockstep with breakthroughs in science and technology. 

Also read: Huawei joints with BUET to make ICT talent ecosystem in country

But today, technological advancements are hyped and politicized, sometimes demonized. Many have stopped believing in technology's power because of fear and distrust. Some are going to great lengths to hinder the development of technology."

5G is a standardized technology defined by its high bandwidth, low latency, and broad connectivity. It helps traditional industries transform and can benefit all. 

Wide-scale 5G deployment can already be seen in multiple industries worldwide. Every-day, consumers benefit from 5G experiences, while industrial use in seaports, mines, and the transportation sector is increasing operational efficiency. 

Also read: Bangladesh advances in Huawei Global Connectivity Index 2020

Huawei's Smart PV solution is being widely used in more than 60 countries to reduce carbon emissions by 148 million tons. This is the equivalent of planting more than 200 million trees. In Ethiopia alone, they have helped their customers deploy over 400 solar power stations, reducing carbon emissions by 2,850 tons. In China, the company has helped to build the world's largest solar stations dedicated to agriculture and fishing in Ningxia and Shandong provinces.

Huawei and UNESCO have also launched the Open Schools program over a three-year partnership to help schools in Egypt, Ethiopia, and Ghana to improve their digital skills with online education.