The Pernambuco manufacturer Avelloz announced a major expansion plan by establishing its own manufacturing unit in the Manaus Industrial Pole (AM). This project was formally approved by the Manaus Free Trade Zone Superintendence (Suframa) through Resolution No. 490, which was published in the Official Gazette of the Union on July 6, 2026.
The new facility will be dedicated to manufacturing motorcycles with engine displacements ranging from 100 cm³ to 450 cm³. Previously, Avelloz models were assembled in the state of Pernambuco. The company claims that this change will enable an increase in production capacity, decrease transport times by being closer to the supply chain, and allow it to take advantage of tax benefits granted by the Manaus Free Trade Zone.
Following a technical evaluation conducted by Suframa's Engineering and Economics departments, the manufacturer also confirmed its intention to expand its catalog, planning to launch at least five new motorcycles during 2027. However, details such as names, specifications, or categories of these future vehicles have not yet been disclosed.
According to information from the company itself, Avelloz has over 450 stores distributed throughout Brazil and ranks fifth among the brands with the highest motorcycle sales volume in the country, according to data provided by Fenabrave. Currently, the brand's official website features only two models in its product range:
Avelloz AZ125 Alfa
This model is one of the main representatives of the brand in the small urban motorcycle segment. It is equipped with a 123.67 cm³ single-cylinder engine, which operates with electronic fuel injection (EFI). This engine generates 8.5 hp at 8,000 rpm and a maximum torque of 0.87 kgfm at 6,000 rpm. The assembly uses a four-speed semi-automatic gearbox and electric start, reaching a top speed exceeding 83 km/h. In terms of equipment, the AZ125 Alfa features full LED lighting, a digital instrument panel, USB ports (Type A and C), and a CBS braking system, with a disc brake in the front and drum brake in the rear. The dry weight of the bike is 109 kg, it has a 5-liter tank, 17-inch wheels, a load capacity of up to 150 kg, and dimensions of 1,950 mm in length, 690 mm in width, and 1,100 mm in height, with a wheelbase of 1,270 mm.
Avelloz AZ160 X-Treme
Positioned above the 125 cm³ version, the AZ160 offers superior performance for those seeking urban quality without sacrificing performance. It features a 161.9 cm³ liquid-cooled and electronically injected single-cylinder engine, producing 12.3 hp at 8,000 rpm and a maximum torque of 1.18 kgfm at 6,500 rpm. The system is coupled to a five-speed manual gearbox, has electric start, and can exceed 110 km/h, with an estimated average fuel consumption of around 35 km/l.
The trail accessories include full LED lighting, a digital LCD panel, USB ports (Type A and C), a windshield, side protectors (sliders), and a rear luggage rack. The braking system uses CBS, with discs on both wheels, and the long-travel suspension consists of a 19-inch front wheel and a 17-inch rear wheel. This bike weighs 136 kg (dry weight), has a 13-liter tank, a wheelbase of 1,380 mm, ground clearance of 270 mm, and supports a load of up to 150 kg.
With the implementation of the factory in Manaus, Avelloz expects to strengthen the distribution of its products, especially in the South and Southeast regions, in addition to creating the necessary conditions to increase production and receive the new models scheduled for 2027. The company has not yet disclosed the schedule for the unit's start of operations nor the projected annual production volume.
Founded in 2008, Avelloz operates in the Brazilian motorcycle market and has already sold more than 150 thousand units. The company maintains a network of more than 460 accredited points of sale nationwide. According to Fenabrave data from 2025, it ranks fifth among the brands that register the most motorcycles in Brazil. Its portfolio covers low and medium engine displacement models, primarily focused on urban and professional use, in addition to quadricycles, aiming to offer affordable mobility options.
Samsung has made significant changes to its foldable device series with the introduction of the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra. The authors have begun testing this phone and are sharing their initial impressions, although a full review will take more time.
The smartphone's design immediately catches the eye. Compared to previous Fold models, it feels significantly thinner. According to Samsung data, the device thickness when unfolded is only 4.1 mm, and the weight is 215 grams. This makes it 1 mm thinner than the Galaxy Fold, which was 4.2 mm.
Despite its large size, the phone does not feel heavy in the hand. During use, the weight is distributed well, allowing for comfortable holding over long periods.
Samsung has paid close attention to the hinge and the display. The opening and closing experience has become smoother. The company has implemented new Flex Titanium technology, which increases the device's durability and reduces the visibility of the crease on the display. Although the crease could not be completely eliminated, it looks less noticeable at first glance and is only visible when changing the viewing angle.
The device is equipped with a large 8-inch inner display. While watching videos and using applications, the screen appeared bright and clear. The large display noticeably simplifies multitasking. Samsung has optimized Galaxy AI features for the large screen, making the use of artificial intelligence functions more convenient.
One of the main strengths is the camera. The Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra features a 200 MP main module and an additional 50 MP ultra-wide camera. Samsung claims that support for HDR, improved night shooting, and 8K video recording will be useful for content creators. Although the authors used the camera only briefly, they noted that the camera application runs faster and smoother than before.
To ensure performance, the smartphone uses the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset, built on a 3nm architecture. The phone also includes a 5000 mAh battery, 45W fast charging support, and a new cooling system. No delays were observed during the presentation when opening applications, using the camera, or multitasking; however, true performance will only become clear after extended testing and gaming.
Artificial intelligence has become one of Samsung's key strengths. Galaxy AI now functions smarter, allowing simultaneous work across multiple applications using Gemini Intelligence. Features like Now Brief and Now Nudge provide the user with information and recommendations tailored to their needs. The large screen makes interacting with AI and viewing results more convenient.
Samsung has also emphasized privacy in One UI 9. The new AI Activity dashboard shows what tasks the AI performs for the user. Furthermore, Privacy Alerts and Knox Security systems ensure the protection of user data.
In the first moments of use, the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra is perceived as a device that brings not only a new design but also a new vision. It is designed for those who want to perform office work, edit photos and videos, and create content directly on their phone. A full review will determine its real power, but the initial experience suggests that Samsung aimed to provide the biggest upgrade in the Fold series.
Israel's idea of transforming into the key trade center of the Middle East faces serious difficulties as regional powers actively create competing transport routes bypassing Israel.
In June, ministers of transport from Saudi Arabia and Turkey signed memorandums on reviving the Ottoman-era Hejaz Railway. This corridor is intended to connect countries through Jordan and Syria, deliberately bypassing Israel. Furthermore, the UAE began negotiations for a trade route that will run from the Syrian coast through Iraq to its own ports in the Persian Gulf.
In July, DP World signed a fifty-year concession with the Fujairah authorities for the construction of two terminals on the Arabian Sea coast of the UAE, including the Al Rugailet container port. The goal of this project is to ensure the ability to unload and move cargo without passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
These new projects completely ignore the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC). IMEC was announced at the G20 summit in New Delhi in September 2023, just four weeks before the start of the war in Gaza, and its foundation was Haifa as a gateway to Europe. Although proponents still refer to it as 'suspended,' what is being built instead is shaping a regional order where trade passes through everyone except Israel.
IMEC was Washington's response to China's Belt and Road Initiative. It envisioned transporting Indian goods by sea to the UAE, then overland by rail through Saudi Arabia and Jordan, and subsequently from Haifa to Europe. The basis of this concept was the normalization of relations between the Gulf states and Israel, intended to provide economic support to the Abraham Accords.
The situation in Gaza halted the Jordanian segment before even a meter of track was laid, and the political condition became unattainable as Saudi Arabia refused normalization without recognizing a Palestinian state. Moreover, the current war against Iran has damaged the physical vision that Gaza held for politics. Israeli ports and power plants have been subjected to prolonged rocket and drone shelling.
There was also a scale issue. Before the war, the Port of Haifa processed about 1.5 million containers per year, which was far from the scale anticipated by its supporters. Tying the trade of the Gulf states to Israel meant tying it to a country in a state of constant war and with insufficient capacity.
The Gulf states are divided along existing fault lines. Saudi Arabia has spent a decade trying to establish itself as an indispensable regional node, and the war has intensified these efforts. In March, Saudi Railways launched a specialized freight corridor over 1,700 kilometers on an existing line. This was a direct reaction to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, linking King Abdulaziz Port, King Fahd Industrial Port, and Jubail Commercial Port with the border of Jordan.
Ankara, Cairo, Riyadh, and Abu Dhabi continue to develop corridors, but none of these countries can currently provide an open route against Israel; they are merely drawing maps, not building strategy. Additionally, there is the east-west oil artery Petroline to Yanbu, running from the Abqaiq refining complex in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia to the Red Sea port. Production promoted by Aramco reached a record seven million barrels per day in the first quarter of 2026.
If sufficient trade, oil, and corporate teams must physically pass through the kingdom, it cannot be sidelined by Israel, Iran, or anyone else. The June memorandums with Ankara extend this logic to land.
Abu Dhabi's response, meanwhile, bypasses both Israel and Saudi Arabia. Where Riyadh seeks to be the sole point through which trade must pass, Abu Dhabi is creating routes that touch as many coasts as possible, independent of any single one. The AD Ports group opened a line connecting Khalifa Port with Umm Qasr in Iraq, feeding the $17 billion Developing Road, which runs from Grand Faw Port in Basra through Turkey to Europe, reaching the Mediterranean without crossing Saudi Arabia or entering Israel.
Iraq is also advancing a similar logic inland. In mid-July, it presented the Energy City on the Faw Peninsula, connecting refineries, gas plants, and power stations to the Developing Road. It presented this project to major US energy companies, such as Chevron and Halliburton, in Houston. Officials from the UAE and Syria subsequently began talks to extend the corridor to Syrian ports, with a proposed logistics hub at the al-Tanf crossing. To the east, the Habshan-Fujairah pipeline is being expanded so that oil can reach tankers in Fujairah on the Oman Gulf without transiting through the Strait of Hormuz. Completion of this phase is planned for 2027.
Both models face two main obstacles. First, scale: the volumes that make these routes worth fighting for move by sea, and land cannot replace this. One container ship can carry up to 24,000 TEUs. The China-Europe railway express, the most developed land freight network on Earth, transported a record two million containers in all of 2024, but its China-Europe segment fell by 22 percent in the first half of 2025 due to the cheapening of sea transport.
Cargo returns to water when the water is open. Only Jebel Ali transported 15.5 million containers in 2024. Iraq's main container port, Umm Qasr, handled about 1.5 million in 2023, and its channel is too shallow to accommodate vessels above approximately 5,000 TEUs. Its trade is unidirectional: Iraq's exports consist almost entirely of crude oil sent by tankers, not in boxes, so most arriving full containers return empty. Land corridors provide backup and political reach, but they do not move the cargo itself.
The second limitation is Iran. When the Strait of Hormuz closed, Gulf production dropped to about 7.5 million barrels of oil per day in March compared to the normal rate of 20 million, and the UAE was among the most affected Gulf states. Abu Dhabi's response, hidden behind a public stance of deterrence, reportedly involved paying for Iranian protection. By mid-June, according to a Reuters report, the UAE transferred more than $3 billion to Tehran and agreed to release up to $10 billion in frozen funds in exchange for a cessation of attacks, although UAE officials categorically denied this transfer. Since then, customs clearance for Iranian goods stuck in Jebel Ali has resumed.
The power that directs money to a state capable of closing its ports and keeping them open partially through goods from that same state does not build independence; it rents it. Meanwhile, Riyadh, having rejected US requests to use Saudi airspace for strikes against Iran, restored crude oil exports to about 90 percent of pre-war levels by early July as ties with Iran strengthened.
Rejecting Israel's role as a trade hub does not mean excluding it as a factor. Israel retains what none of the corridor builders possess: military potential to achieve and undermine any unwanted route—and it does not approve of any route that strengthens its rivals or excludes it from the process.
A century ago, regional integration projects were repeatedly destroyed by imperial powers and the states these powers established at the crossroads of three continents. Names have changed, and maps have become glossy, but the dynamic remains the same. During the war with Iran, Israel deployed Iron Dome batteries and its own groups to the UAE—for the first time, the system went beyond Israeli territory with attached troops. This means that the state attempting to build a corridor around Israel needed an Israeli battery for survival against Iranian missiles.
Ankara, Cairo, Riyadh, and Abu Dhabi may continue to draw corridors, but until now, none of them can provide an open route against Israel; they are merely drawing maps, not building strategy.
Meesho demonstrated a significant improvement in its financial performance in the first quarter of fiscal year 27. During the reporting period, the company's net loss nearly halved compared to the same quarter of the previous fiscal year, while revenue increased by 48.3%.
As of now, the marketplace's net loss stood at 132.8 crore rupees in the first quarter of fiscal year 27, which is significantly less than the figure of 289.3 crore rupees for the corresponding quarter of the previous fiscal year. Revenue for this quarter reached 3,713 crore rupees, reflecting a year-on-year growth of 48.3%. The company attributes this revenue growth to improved delivery conversion, aided by a reduction in order cancellations.
Meesho's Net Merchandise Value (NMV) grew by 34% year-on-year, reaching 11,614 crore rupees. This growth is driven by a continuous increase in the number of users and enhanced engagement on the platform. The Annual Transactional User Pool (ATUs) increased by 29% year-on-year to 274 million people, and the purchase frequency improved to 10.3 transactions per user annually.
During the quarter, the number of placed orders grew by 29% year-on-year, reaching 725 million, indicating the ongoing expansion of the marketplace. Meesho's CFO, Dinesh Bansal, noted that this quarter marked the highest margin and adjusted EBITDA for the marketplace since its listing, despite increases in fuel costs and minimum wages in some states, which is a result of structural improvements on the platform.
The company stated that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming a fundamental element across all levels of its business—from product search and seller growth to logistics and engineering. In the first quarter, Meesho processed nearly 725 million orders, averaging over 90 orders per second. Dinesh Bansal added that as AI continues to lower the cost of innovation, it will help create better products faster while maintaining disciplined capital allocation and building long-term value.
Regarding future forecasts, Meesho remains vigilant about the macroeconomic environment. The company noted that the decline in crude oil prices in the current quarter led to stable retail fuel prices, and the direct impact of this factor on the business remains limited, not causing a significant rise in platform prices.
