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‘Premium’ juice can be highly processed, Marketplace investigation finds
By Megan Griffith-Greene / Marketplace, CBC News Posted: Jan 16, 2015
The cartons say “100% pure and natural.” But juice-drinkers who believe that premium juice is minimally processed and freshly made may find that their glass is only half full.
A joint investigation by CBC Marketplace and Radio-Canada’s L’épicerie reveals that much of the premium not-from-concentrate orange juice on the market, including juices from Tropicana, Simply Orange, Oasis and others, is highly processed and may be stored for several months before making its way to supermarket shelves.
That processing may keep the juice from spoiling, but it also strips the flavour, which has to be put back into the product to give the juice its orange flavour.
“If you’re paying premium thinking that it’s a fresh-squeezed product, then there is a problem there, because it’s not,” Alissa Hamilton, author of the book Squeezed: What You Don’t Know About Orange Juice, told Marketplace co-host Tom Harrington.
“All I think is necessary is that we are informed about what we’re buying.”
According to a survey commissioned by Marketplace, 95 per cent of Canadians who drink juice say they want to know what’s been added to their juice, and they think the label should tell them.
But many leading juice companies do not disclose, either in marketing or on the packaging, that they add natural flavour to juice.
Marketplace tested popular brands of premium orange juice for evidence that flavour has been added. The results of that investigation aired Friday, Jan. 16 at 8 p.m. (8:30 p.m. NT) on CBC Television and online. Episode
Premium price tag
Canadians spend almost $500 million a year on orange juice, including premium juice, which is often marketed as “fresh,” “pure,” “natural” and “not from concentrate.”
And that premium comes at, well, a premium.
“’Not from concentrate’ costs quite a bit more than ‘from concentrate,'” says Hamilton. “They’re trying to convince you that that’s because of the fresher product, that you should pay that much more.”
The Marketplace survey, conducted online by the polling firm EKOS in November 2014, also found that 62 per cent of Canadian orange juice drinkers said they believed that premium juice is fresher than juice made from concentrate, and 58 per cent say they believe it’s more natural.
In fact, 46 per cent were willing to pay more for these juices because they believe them to be more natural.
The survey involved English speakers who said they had bought or consumed orange juice in the last six months.
But Hamilton says that “what you’re getting back in these flavour packs is an engineered product.”
Flavour packs are made when fragrance companies take extracts from orange peel to reproduce the aroma and taste of freshly squeezed oranges.
More transparent labelling, she says, would give consumers a better indication of how much processing goes into premium orange juice.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency, which regulates food labels, told Marketplace that while adding flavour packs is allowed, companies should label products processed this way “orange juice with added flavour.“
“If a producer adds orange oil or orange essence to their product, the label must indicate with added flavour and the added levels of the oil,” the agency told Marketplace in an email.
Many consumers have come to prefer the flavour of premium juices to natural juice.
“There’s definitely a disconnect with that trend that we’re seeing, that people actually prefer the taste of a processed product, and yet they still want to believe that what they’re buying and drinking is fresh,” Hamilton says.
Companies say flavour is for consistency
Solange Doré, vice president of Lassonde Beverages Canada, which makes Oasis juices, told L’épicerie “these are flavours that come from the fruit, they are an integral part of the fruit. So, in essence they’ve been lost and we collect them and restore them.
“So we’re not adding synthetic flavours, it’s very important to understand that difference,” she said.
For that reason, juice companies don’t feel that the labelling is misleading and say that the packaging complies with existing regulations.
Coca-Cola, which owns popular brands Simply Orange and Minute Maid, told Marketplace in a statement, “orange oil and orange essence is extracted during juicing to capture the natural orange taste and aroma, which may be later blended back into the juice to ensure a consistent, fresh-squeezed taste.
“The amount of orange oil or orange essence that may be re-added to the juice is within the range that is commonly found in freshly squeezed orange juice,” the statement said.
“All of our beverages are produced to the highest safety and quality standards, and meet all safety and labelling regulations set out by Health Canada and the CFIA.”
PepsiCo, which owns Tropicana, told Marketplace in a statement that “our products meet the requirements of the food and drug regulations.”
Juice drinkers in several U.S. states have filed class-action lawsuits, charging the makers of premium orange juice with deceptive practices for marketing their juices as fresh and natural.
Based on a Marketplace investigation by Virginia Smart and Anu Singh.


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When Coca-Cola announced in 2014 that it would increase investment in Africa, Nigeria’s large consumer market made it one of the places everyone expected the beverage maker would focus on. The question was then, how it planned to invest. The company confirmed today that it had chosen to expand through Chi Ltd., a popular dairy, snack and juice brand in Nigeria.
Coca-Cola Co. said it would acquire a minority stake in the company as it seeks to expand its African portfolio.
“We are extremely optimistic about Africa’s continued economic and social growth and recognize the importance of ensuring we stay one step ahead of evolving consumer tastes by broadening our portfolio and introducing new products,” said Kelvin Balogun, president of Coca-Cola Central, East and West Africa, in a release by the company.
Coca-Cola will take an initial 40 percent in Chi, which is owned by TGI Group and intends to increase ownership to 100 percent within three years, subject to regulatory approvals. The company will be working on other long-term commercial structures while at it.
Coca-Cola will also be leveraging on the experience of Chi in the business space it has succeeded in over the last decade and both companies will jointly discuss and explore other opportunities in the region to further develop the relationship.
With this deal Coca-Cola has conveniently ended a growing rivalry between its Five Alive juice and Chi’s wide range of juices which include Hollandia and Chivita and also expands its business to the high-growth value-added dairy category.
While Coca-Cola expands its business, the deal will also help Chi, where TGI Group has majority shareholding, to achieve its ambitious growth plans through access to Coca-Cola’s broad product portfolio and integration into global best practices in production, distribution and brand-building.
“We strongly believe in this journey we are starting with The Coca-Cola Company,” said Cornelis Vink, Chairman of TGI Group and Chi Ltd. “The relationship will allow us to expand our regional footprint and product portfolio.”
The new deal is great for Coca-cola due to Chi’s clout in Nigeria, but even greater for Chi: Coca-Cola is the world’ largest beverage company. Rahul Savara, Group Managing Director of TGI Group acknowledges this.
“We recognize the unique opportunity that the relationship with The Coca-Cola Company brings to further develop Chi as a strong regional company, building on the tremendous progress achieved to date.”
The landmark deal is reported to be worth $240 million.

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Shopping malls can no longer rely solely on retail; the future belongs to mixed-use entertainment complexes.
One of the most popular malls in Canada, West Edmonton Mall, has bet on the concept of an entertainment complex instead of just a retail development. This path has become an example for other malls worldwide to ensure survival and sustainability even in difficult times like pandemics.
West Edmonton Mall, which is the largest mall in the country, covers an area of 490,000 square meters. It has retail space, including major retailers such as Louis Vuitton and Uniqlo. However, a large part of the space is devoted to various entertainment activities, for which the whole family can take part. It features a huge indoor amusement park, Galaxyland, the second largest in the world in its category after Ferrari World, a golf course, an indoor water park with various water attractions. It is also the second-largest in the world.
There is also a hotel, gym, theater, nightclub, and many other attractions, turning the mall into a small town with its amenities, which can take hours, if not days.
The approach is based on giving visitors to the mall many reasons to visit besides the shopping itself. Such a concept, which involves creating not just shopping spaces but multifunctional entertainment centers, where retail will be only one of the components, is one of the most promising for malls. Shopping malls are experiencing an outflow of visitors and must reckon with changing shopping habits due to the pandemic and the shift in sales to online retail.
That was the idea behind the American Dream megamall in New Jersey, U.S., which, like West Edmonton Mall, is owned by Triple Five Group. It also relies on it for other large-scale projects to be developed in future years.
But it's not just large megamalls that can use the concept implemented at West Edmonton Mall. Even smaller malls can focus on opening additional entertainment areas, like a new restaurant or playground, instead of opening another retail gallery.
Photo credit: depositphotos.com.


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The death toll from this month’s deadly auction crash rose to five as a 55-year-old man died from injuries sustained during the incident.
A deluge of lightly-used cars in the US is good news for independent dealers, auto auction houses and car buyers. Not so much for automakers.
ADESA parent KAR's first-quarter net income and revenue both rose 14 percent, driven in large part by a surge in income at its auctions. Acquisitions also pushed the results up.
A 50-year-old Massachusetts man died Wednesday as a result of injuries sustained during last week's deadly crash at an auto auction near Boston.
Three people were killed at a Massachusetts auto auction Wednesday in what police believe to be an accidental crash.
A deadly crash at a Massachusetts auto auction has brought a recurring question back into the spotlight: How can bustling, cramped auctions be kept safe?
A glut of vehicles is threatening the industry's good times. But contrary to the predictions and pundits, it's not too many used vehicles. It's too many new ones.
Some dealers shudder when they hear used-car giant CarMax is opening a store down the road. This used-only dealer deliberately placed his second store next to a CarMax. Here's his strategy.
Dealers have an opportunity to hook in millennial vehicle-buyers through certified pre-owned programs and make plenty of money doing so, data from Cox Automotive show.
Our annual ranking of the top 100 dealership groups by used-vehicle sales shows solid gains in used unit sales and revenues for those retailers.
Wholesale prices for full-size cars outperformed other car classes in March, gaining while auction prices for all other car segments fell.
KAR Auction Services will acquire DRIVIN, which aggregates automotive retail, pricing, registration and economic data to match vehicle inventory to dealer demand.
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Most of us are aware that if you are connected to free Wi-Fi hotspot, the hackers around you can hack into your system and steal personal information. Keeping the risks involved in free Wi-Fi hotspots, we should avoid falling into the trap. But most of us throw the warning in the air and prefer to connect to free Wi-Fi hotspots to prevent from using our carriers data. Connecting to free unprotected hotspots might not be a guarantee for you to get hacked or for people to do malicious acts while you’re connected but it’s definitely a possibility especially if you’re in a congested area. Anyone can make a hotspot and name it “Starbucks” or “McDonalds” and you won’t know if it’s the legitimate hotspot.
Avast held a “free wi-fi test” at MWC 2016, Avast managed to hack into phones and other devices of more than 2000 visitors who used the Free Wi-Fi that was set up by the company. The main aim of the demonstration was to warn people about the risks involved with the free Wi-Fi hotspots.
For the experiment, the researchers set up three free Wi-Fi hotspots near the Mobile World Congress registration booth at the Barcelona Airport. They made sure that the SSIDs of the hotspots are common, and people recognize them easily. They named them “Starbucks”, “Airport_Free_Wifi_AENA“and “MWC Free WiFi”. Most of the users fell in the trap and in less than 4 hours. They managed to collect data from more than 2000 users in this time period.
To make sure that the privacy of the users is not compromised, they only scanned the information for stats and did not save the data on their servers. They revealed the following information during the MWC:
- 1% had an Apple device, 43.4 percent had an Android device, 6.5 percent had a Windows Phone device
- 7% searched information on Google or checked their emails on Gmail
- 9% visited Yahoo
- 2% visited Spotify
- From 63.5% Avast could see the identity of the device and user
- 3% have the Facebook app installed, 2.4 p


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But now, as Askon Finlayson is sourroundings a sights on expanding a code participation over Minneapolis, Dayton is creation a company’s ongoing support of meridian change recognition a partial of a bottom line. This week a code is announcing a “Give 110%” initiative, in that it measures a CO footprint, calculates a financial cost regulating a Social Cost of Carbon, and afterwards gives divided 110% of that volume to leading-edge organizations operative to solve a meridian crisis. To start things off, Dayton is committing to donating $1 million over a subsequent 5 years.
“If we remove a winters, if we remove a cold, we’ll remove a lot of what a north means to me,” says Dayton. “So it’s a approach of restraining a business to a means we feel ardent about, though also a healthy fit. It also only happens to be one of a biggest, many dire issues of a lifetime. So that helped too.”
The 37-year-old CEO is a son of Minnesota administrator Mark Dayton, and his great-great-grandfather George Draper Dayton founded Dayton’s dialect store, that after became Target Corporation. Long an outdoor fanatic, in his twenties Dayton went on expeditions with Arctic path-finder Will Steger. In 2015 a code began a Keep The North Cold program, that gave income to internal organizations, though as Dayton started to consider about his expansion plan going brazen and a event to expand Askov to a inhabitant level, he wanted to take it further. “It wasn’t only good adequate to equivalent a small bit,” says Dayton. “What would it unequivocally take to contend we’re carrying a net certain impact on a sourroundings and a world?”
The code is positively creation a pierce during a right time. Askov is fast flourishing a brand, only final week announcing a new partnership with Target that starts on Jan 14, using in 38 stores opposite Minnesota and online nationally. It’s also rising a kernza beer, brewed in partnership with a classification Green Lands, Blue Waters, (one of a 2018 Keep a North Cold grantees) and Minneapolis-based brewery Fair State Brewing Cooperative. And only in time for a Super Bowl, it’s teamed with Warby Parker on special book “Keep a North Cold” sunglasses, accessible during Warby’s Minneapolis shop.
Dayton has famous Warby Parker cofounder and CEO Neil Blumenthal given their business-school days, and they’ve had a shop-in-shop partnership given 2015. Blumenthal says it’s transparent consumers preference brands with a amicable ethos, though it’s mostly tough to heed between those who explain to do good in a universe from those that indeed are. “That’s what excites me about Askov, since like us, it’s a values-driven brand,” says Blumenthal. “And when you’re a values-driven brand, we dedicate a resources to get a impact we want. It’s not only something run by a PR team. It’s core to a business.”


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Taiwan mangoes sell well at Tokyo event
Tokyo, July 11 (CNA) An annual sale of Taiwanese mangoes at a Keio Department Store in Tokyo kicked off well Wednesday, with the two-day event predicted to rake in over 1 million Japanese yen (US$12,625).
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※This website's content, including but not limited to text, images and video, cannot be reproduced, retransmitted or publicly broadcast without the authorization of CNA.


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Iconic actress and singer Jennifer Lopez is the new face for Italian luxury lingerie brand Intimissimi, fronting their Spring/Summer 2023 campaign.
The campaign celebrates women and empowers them to feel confident and valued in all the roles that they play. Lopez was chosen as the ultimate ambassador for Intimissimi as she brings a strong and modern sexiness to the brand and communicates their core values.
“When looking for a brand partner who embodies the spirit of all our iconic customers, we immediately looked to Jennifer Lopez. We want women to live the most fulfilling life and feel empowered every day,” said Matteo Veronesi, Chief Executive Officer of Intimissimi.
The celebrity discovered the brand while travelling across Italy. “I love Italy – the people, the fashion, the culture, the food and the storied history. When I discovered Intimissimi, I was immediately drawn to their precious silks, romantic lace, beautiful cuts, flattering fits and intricate designs,” she said. “I’m proud to be an Intimissimi woman and honored that they view me as someone who emulates their own qualities of confident, lively and strong.”
The campain was created by Riccardo Ruini, the brand’s creative director, who captures the essence of a dreamy and vibrant Italian summer using cinematic imagery to transform the colors of Positano in the new Spring/Summer 2023 campaign.
Hues of fuchsia representing the bougainvillea, orange for the glowing sun and turquoise symbolizing the Mediterranean Sea are weaved throughout the new range. Ruini along with Director Gia Coppola and photographer, Chris Colls, truly evoke a vibrant coastal Italian paradise. The campaign reveals a day in the life of Jennifer Lopez, who is relaxed, playful, sipping coffee, and singing to herself the song, II Cielo in una stanza. A portrait of a woman that everyone can relate to, with slivers of wonder and magic.


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Erich Joachimsthaler, founder and CEO of Vivaldi, as well as a renowned strategy consultant and author of The Interaction Field, joins me on Tech Talks Daily. His consulting firm has helped companies such as American Express, Samsung, and Coca-Cola transform their customer and marketing strategies to enhance their business models. The firm frequently achieves $1.2BN in revenue growth in 6 months for one client.
In his book discusses his take on the future of business, culture, and tech. In the pages, he addresses hard-hitting questions such as: how do you create a culture of innovation? How did Sony miss what Apple captured? Today, Erich shares his insights on why today’s companies fall into three categories and why.
We talk about what it takes to become an “interaction field” company and why it’s imperative and discuss the future of business in a pandemic era and what big tech companies should look to drive innovation. Erich also shares how John Deere, Alibaba, Amazon, and other tech companies are getting it right… or wrong. Finally, we explore the fundamental change in mindset that all business leaders need to embrace for success
Subscribe to the Tech Talks Daily Podcast


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Mumbrella Australia reports on Ebiquity’s recent findings regarding TV advertising easily delivering the largest return on investment for automotive brands in Australia, with brands getting sales returns of $8.90 for every dollar invested in television advertising.
These findings are from the second wave of ‘Payback Australia’, an independent study commissioned by ThinkTV. Richard Basil-Jones, Managing Director, Ebiquity APAC, says “When it comes to the Australian automotive sector, TV is a critical factor in driving sales”.
To read the article in full on Mumbrella Australia website, please click here.
First featured on 18/05/2017
Richard Basil-Jones also discussed the findings with SKY NEWS Australia, please click here for more information.


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Big UPGRADE for Samsung Galaxy S24 series; worth it for you? Check now
Major power upgrades in terms of processor, GPU and RAM could be on the cards for Samsung Galaxy S24 series series, according to various reports.
Samsung launched its latest flagship, the Samsung Galaxy S23 series at its Galaxy Unpacked event and since then, leaks about next year's devices have started emerging. The rumoured Galaxy S24 series is not due to launch until next year, but if leaks are to be believed, we already know many details about the devices. While the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra received a major camera upgrade over last year's counterpart, the standard Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23 Plus can be considered as minor upgrades. But it is not likely to be the case next year.
According to tipster platform SamLover, the Samsung Galaxy S24 series could receive a major power boost in terms of performance. The leak reveals that Samsung could again go the Qualcomm route and its next flagship series could be powered by the rumoured Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen3 SoC.
Although Samsung usually uses its own Exynos chipset in some regions, the company ditched it entirely for the Galaxy S23 series and provided the Snapdragon 8 Gen2 SoC in all models across the world. As previously reported, the Snapdragon 8 Gen3 could blow the upcoming iPhone 15 Pro out of the water with its processing power.
mobile to buy?
Another report revealed that Samsung's upcoming flagships could get a graphics boost too with a 50% faster GPU, according to SamMobile.
Thus, it looks like Samsung could gain an upper hand in the endless Android vs iOS debate.
Next year's Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra could feature an upgraded display with a refresh rate of 144Hz, according to SamLover. This would be the first time a Samsung phone features a 144Hz display as 120Hz has been the ceiling for Samsung devices so far. Additionally, it could feature UFS 4.1 storage as well as 12GB RAM as standard on the Samsung Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S24 Plus. On the other hand, the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra could have 16GB RAM, according to tipster Tarun Vats.
However, it should be noted that the reported features are based on unconfirmed reports and should be taken with a pinch of salt until there is official confirmation from Samsung, which might take a while.
Follow HT Tech for the latest tech news and reviews , also keep up with us on Twitter, Facebook, Google News, and Instagram. For our latest videos, subscribe to our YouTube channel.


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This week's better economic data from the U.S., China and Europe elevated investor concerns over asset-purchase tapering and an overall shift in monetary policy. As a result, stocks had their worst week since June.
In monitoring the Federal Reserve's participation in recent Treasury auctions shows that the Fed's asset purchases have steadily declined, accounting for less than a third of the overall volume, compared to an average of 45% of volume last summer. Given the muted global growth outlook, and that I believe the Fed has already begun "stealth" tapering, any equity correction will likely be short-lived and shallow.
Technology and industrial held up better than defensive telecom, utility and consumer staple shares. As such, growth-oriented investors should take the opportunity to add to favorite names while prices are suppressed. More defensive investors should sell covered calls instead of buying puts as premium prices are generally more favorable.
Next week's market-moving events
The early part of the week will be quiet, likely leading to further market volatility. There is no meaningful economic news being released on Monday or Tuesday. However, TJX Companies TJX, +1.27% the parent company of TJ Maxx, Marshalls, and other retailers reports on Tuesday afternoon.
- Wednesday: Existing-home sales are released at 10:00 a.m., and FOMC minutes from the July meeting are released at 2:00 p.m. — both releases are likely to drive market action. Hewlett Packard HPQ, +0.00% Lowes Companies LOW, +1.77% Staples US:SPLS and Toll Brothers TOL, +2.06% report earnings.
- Thursday: Jobless claims are released at 8:30 a.m. and PMI manufacturing at 8:58 a.m..
- Friday: New-home-sales data is released.


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SKYPE - FEATURED ARTICLES
March 20, 2013
SKYPE News - Rigid Global Buildings facilitates SKYPE Meeting
By Mandira Srivastava, TMCnet Contributor
With rapid advancement in information technology and telecommunication, more and more people are working from their remote home office. This trend is gearing up teleconferencing or virtual meetings held via Skype (News - Alert) or other programs, which will make conducting Skype meetings an easier task for Rigid Global Buildings’ customers.
Rigid Global Buildings, a manufacturer of pre-engineered steel buildings is offering a 60-inch conference room TV exclusively to its existing and potential customers to conduct Skype meetings. This new tool will help users to have face-to-face contact with customers and prospective customers throughout the world.
"At the touch of a button, we can have a face-to-face conference call or meeting without all the high costs of travel," said, Steve Olson Rigid, executive vice president of sales and marketing, in a statement. "It's another example of how we constantly strive to offer customers the excellent service they deserve."
Houston-based company Rigid makes metal buildings, steel buildings, pre-engineered buildings, metal wall panels and metal roof panels. It offers two options in renewable energy roofing and has also improved its metal building products with SOLAR (crystalline and PV laminate).
Skype is a communication program that allows you to communicate with one or more people at a time. The company supports conference calls for as many as 25 participants. The conferencing tool is available in the U.S. and 25 other countries.
Rigid has facilities in Afghanistan, China, Guatemala, Nigeria and Qatar. So the enterprise customers interested can place their order and produce nearly any kind of structure, including agricultural, aviation, religious, commercial and industrial.
Edited by Ashley Caputo


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Swine flu strikes again. The threat posed by the H1N1 virus has resulted in Square Enix and Koei cutting the number of their staff attending this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo.
According to a report from Develop, Square Enix has canceled the E3 attendance of its Kingdom Hearts team. Meanwhile, an unspecified number of Koei's Japanese staff have pulled out of the event. Both companies' US- and Europe-based staff, however, will still be in attendance.
Sony and Nintendo, however, revealed that the Swine Flu will not be affecting the number of their respective Japanese retinues.
- Capcom Japan reconsiders attending E3 on account of Swine Flu
- Swine Flu doesn't scare ESA: E3 Expo still happening
- Stay informed and out of harm's way - Swine Flu Tracker


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The EyeLock device scans your iris to confirm your identity, potentially eliminating the need to use old-fashioned passwords to log in to secure Web sites.
In trial run, the U.K. Passport Service discovers its iris-recognition ID system is not yet on par with fingerprinting.
The new log-in system for Windows 10 recognizes your face -- and reportedly can distinguish you from your identical twin.
The chipmaker's investment arm expects to invest about $355 million altogether this year.
The new flagship smartphone may have an iris scanner and will sport a very different look and feel from its predecessor.
The Galaxy S5 will launch in March or April and bring with it a sleeker, better Galaxy Gear watch, Samsung's mobile boss has promised.
The Korean company's next-generation flagship Android phone will be more distinctive than predecessors. Also coming: a smaller, more powerful Gear successor.
The budget iPhone we've heard so much about could come in two versions, the latest rumour says.
A future iPhone might be able to read your fingerprints through the screen.
Eyeprint security app takes a picture of the veins in your eye, locking out those who don't have a matching "eye-dentity."


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Singapore is the first country in Asia to host the world’s first flying taxis.
Singapore will have the world’s first flying taxis by 2023, after German aviation start-up Volocopter announced its commitment to launch air taxi services in the country on Wednesday (Dec 9).
The pioneer in Urban Air Mobility (UAM), Volocopter’s emission free aircraft takes off and lands vertically. It is also small enough to fly deep within cities and can carry up to two passengers.
They conducted a successful demonstration flight over Marina Bay Sands in October last year and the first route is likely to fly over the same district – over the southern waters, offering breath-taking views of the Marina Bay skyline.
This could provide Singapore with a new attraction to enhance Singapore’s tourism industry.
Singapore is at the forefront of plans to introduce urban air mobility thanks to the country’s leading role in adapting and living new technologies.
Volocopter CEO Florian Reuter added that the city’s research capabilities on topics such as autonomous operations, material science and battery technology are very important for the company’s long-term success.
Before launching the services in Singapore, Volocopter will conduct comprehensive tests, flight trials, evaluations, and certification before approval to commence commercial air taxi operations can be granted.
Tickets for a 15-minute trip costing 300 euros (S$485) are already on sale.
Volocopter is looking to build up a team of 50 pilots, engineers, operation specialists, and business managers in the next 3 years. The company is also expecting to hire over 200 full-time employees in Singapore to manage a network of routes by 2026.
Cross-border journeys could be implemented in future too.
Leonardo Da Vinci exhibition coming to the Science Centre Singapore this June
Food stall at Telok Blangah Food Centre and VivoCity among locations visited by COVID-19 cases
Takashimaya Shopping Centre and The Clementi Mall among locations visited by COVID-19 cases
Fu Lu Shou Complex, Chinatown Complex and Night Safari among locations visited by COVID-19 cases
ION Orchard and Peninsula Plaza among locations visited by COVID-19 cases
St Leaven Bakery at Takashimaya, Woodlands Galaxy Community Centre among places visited by COVID-19 cases
Youth react to COVID-19 vaccine application for Singaporeans aged 12 to 39
ArtScience Museum’s exhibition The Virtual Realms: Videogames Transformed reimagines video games as creative exhibits
BTS and McDonald’s to launch second merchandise collection on Jun 17
Retro Nutz in Sim Lim Square sells old-school games and consoles


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Hospitality: 25,000 British pubs and restaurants still to reopen
One in four restaurants, pubs, bars and other licensed premises have not yet reopened despite the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions that stopped indoor service.
According to new hospitality data from CGA and AlixPartners, shared with City A.M, there’s still roughly 25,000 venues across Britain that remain shut.
- 25,000 venues remain shut – despite indoor service allowed
- 8,500 have shut for good
- ‘alarming’ to see so many haven’t reopened
Social distancing and restrictions
Due to social distancing and other restrictions in place, it’s impossible for all venues to open, and 45.2 per cent of Britain’s sports and social clubs remain closed. Around 50.9 per cent of large venues and 27 per cent of bars, according to the figures.
The data found that more than 8,500 premises have closed their doors for good.
“It is alarming to see that so many venues have still not been able to welcome guests. Many will have decided that restrictions and space constraints make opening unviable, while some sectors like late-night bars and nightclubs are still completely off limits,” said Karl Chessell, CGA’s director for hospitality operators and food.
“It will be an anxious wait to see how many of the venues that are holding on until the final easing of restrictions will be able to make it through,” he added.
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For over 50 years, Transervice Logistics Inc. has delivered early holiday presents to their employees’ children and grandchildren, aged newborn to 13, at their facilities across North America.
The company then doubles that amount of presents to donate to The Salvation Army in the metro New York area.
“Our corporate office team feels the true holiday spirit when they pitch in to wrap the hundreds of presents we donate each year to our local New York Salvation Army,” said Sean Schnipper, director of marketing for Transervice. “This is a beloved tradition that caps off a year of giving to worthy causes in our community.”
Other companies are finding themselves in the holiday spirit.
Amazon released a new feature that allowed customers to directly thank their drivers for making their deliveries by saying "Alexa, thank my driver." The campaign began on Dec. 7 and any time a customer said “Alexa, thank my driver,” the driver who delivered their most recent package was notified of their appreciation.
Kenworth kicked off its Christmas festivities early on with the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree Tour.
It was learned in September a Kenworth T680 Next Generation will transport the 2022 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree from the National Forests in North Carolina to Washington, D.C., with stops en route to a full slate of community celebrations. This year’s tour began on Nov. 2 from the Pisgah National Forest in North Carolina. The tour's theme was “From the Mountains to the Sea.”
Husband-and-wife driver team Ed Kingdon, Jr. and Deb Kingdon had the opportunity to transport the 2022 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree from the Pisgah National Forest in North Carolina to Washington, D.C.
Goodyear joined in on the action by partnering with the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve for the 12th consecutive year in support of the Marines Toys for Tots Foundation at the company’s airship bases in California, Florida, and Ohio.
Each event provided the public with an opportunity to donate to Toys for Tots while enjoying an up-close and personal view of the Goodyear Blimp.


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WADSWORTH, Ohio — Ritzman Pharmacy on Monday opened its doors in Buehler’s Fresh Food Markets, marking the completed transition of all Buehler’s 11 in-store pharmacies to Ritzman Pharmacies.
“The transition to Ritzman Pharmacy will, for the most part, be seamless to our customers; they will see the same faces and receive the same outstanding service they have come to expect from our pharmacies," stated Bob Buehler, Buehler's VP marketing.
Both Ritzman and Buehler’s are family-founded, locally owned and operated businesses. Buehler’s has been in business for more than 80 years and has pharmacy departments in 11 of their 13 supermarkets. Ritzman has been in operation for more than 60 years and adds those 11 new locations to its existing nine retail locations.


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OnePlus has officially setup the launch days for the OnePlus 6. The proposed date is May 16. The official statement for an invitation was sent to recently. And interested persons can buy the invitation to the place of launch in London.
OnePlus, a China tech giant smartphone was giving the prize of best low budget smartphone last year on its OnePlus 5 flagship. This year OnePlus is still keeping the price low for its smartphone range.
While other flagship smartphone are cloning Apple iPhone X to incorporate a notch on the screen of their flagship smartphone, OnePlus promises that a letter up software update will give fans the opportunity of blackiing out the notch for the OnePlus 6. It also promises to incorporate this in the upcoming OnePlus 6T flagship which may be launched this year.
Continue reading from Technologywatch


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Payday advances businesses recharging as much as 7,000per cent experience huge development
We tell the whole stories that matter. To simply help defend quality spark and reporting modification, please offer the Bureau
The Bureau co-publishes its tales with major news outlets across the world so they really reach as many individuals that you can.
Controversial payday advances businesses, some asking rates of interest because high as 7,000per cent, have observed phenomenal development because the start of recession.
brand brand New research by the Bureau, which analysed a large number of records and web sites, discovered a rush of businesses in to the industry. At the least 24 brand brand new ventures happen launched within the high expense credit sector since 2008, some operating a number of different trading businesses and many providing short-term payday-style loans.
But far from feeling squeezed by the increased competition, all excepting one associated with the ten biggest loan providers particularly offering loans that are payday their return a lot more than dual in only 3 years вЂ“ with one loan provider growing 42 times.
Together, the ten biggest lending that is payday had a complete return of nearly ВЈ800m. Simply 36 months ago these businesses had a combined return of just ВЈ313m. And also at the beginning of the recession only 1 business had return of greater than ВЈ50m, now you will find four businesses with turnovers considerably over ВЈ100m.
The next area of the BureauвЂ™s research in to the high expense credit sector follows WongaвЂ™s statement that it made a lot more than a million pounds of revenue per week a year ago. But Wonga isn’t the only business working within the sector to make an income вЂ“ the BureauвЂ™s studies have shown five of BritainвЂ™s top payday lenders each recorded significantly more than ВЈ10m in pretax earnings inside their last reported reports.
The BureauвЂ™s latest research focused on top ten organizations especially providing short-term, high-cost loans, the majority of that are associated with a borrowerвЂ™s pay check, to determine just just how this controversial sector has exploded through the recession.
Above: The key findings associated with the BureauвЂ™s research. Have the dataset that is full.
The lending that is short-term provided by these businesses, often referred to as pay day loans, have come under hefty assault by consumer teams such as the people Advice Bureau. Such teams draw in research in to the industry showing the problem people have repaying their loans. These reports attracted the eye for the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, earlier in the day this season as he announced that the Church of England promises to help credit unions so as to place loans that are payday вЂout of businessвЂ™.
Yet despite these commonly reported problems, customers usually do not be seemingly shying far from the services and products on offer.
Wonga, which established in 2007, reported the greatest earnings available in the market. It offers turned a loss four years back into profits of ВЈ84m in 2012 despite significantly more than doubling its quantity of workers within the year that is last. Last year the ongoing company had 131 people of staff. Because of the final end of 2012 this had grown to 325.
The organization reporting the next greatest earnings after Wonga had been MEM customer Finance. The company that is US-owned a revenue of ВЈ38.7m just last year on a return of ВЈ123m. It lends as much as ВЈ1,000 at 2160% APR.
Wage Day Advance, that has been purchased by US-owned Speedy money Holdings in February, has increased its profits 32 times in 5 years to ВЈ20m on return of ВЈ39.5m. This represents an extremely healthier 50% margin of profit. The organization offers loans that are payday borrowers at an APR of 7069%.
The fastest growing company was American-owned Lending Stream in terms of turnover. Its return increased 42 times from ВЈ700,000 to over ВЈ32.7m in three years. It includes loans that are payday-style great britain though Zebit, which lends as much as ВЈ800 in one to seven months at an APR of 1561.7%. The organization now offers a fixed-term six thirty days loan through Lending Stream at an APR of 4071.5% вЂ“ a price that recently rose from 3378.1%.
Despite its development Lending Stream is among the few payday financing organizations examined never to be making an income. Its most recent records record a pretax loss in ВЈ4.3m, but this is right after paying over ВЈ5.2m in royalties and general administrative costs to A us that is related business. As Lending Stream have not reported a revenue since its incorporation in britain 5 years ago this has thus far paid no company taxation in Britain. The organization declined to comment.
The 2nd biggest pay day loans company, CashEuroNet, owned by US giant money direct lender payday loans in Washington America Global, turned over ВЈ198m in britain a year ago, up from ВЈ15m in 2008. It runs in the united kingdom through QuickQuid, that offers loans all the way to ВЈ1500 at an APR of 1734%. It generally does not publish any profit figures for the British operation.
Since this past year the industry regulator, any office of Fair Trading, happens to be studying the payday advances sector. A study posted in March highlighted concerns that are many the OFT has written to 50 pay day loans businesses asking about their types of marketing financing. The sector has been referred by it to your competition Commission.
The BureauвЂ™s earlier research examined the 50 largest high price loan providers to show that BritainвЂ™s high-street banks have actually placed an incredible number of pounds in to the industry. Moreover it revealed that US businesses, some prohibited for legal reasons from issuing payday advances within the US states where they’re based, are now actually spending greatly in the UKвЂ™s less regulated market.


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Travel the Maintenance World – 2015 PMA Aircraft Parts Conference
For the first time, the Association of European Airlines (AEA) and the Modification And Replacement Parts Association (MARPA) will host a PMA industry conference in a location designed to facilitate business between USA FAA-PMA manufacturers and the international air carrier community.
The 2015 AEA/MARPA PMA Aircraft Parts Conference will be held in Istanbul, Turkey on May 18-19, 2015 at the Hilton Istanbul Bosphorus.
For more information, utilize the following links:
To stay up-to-date about important industry events, keep a close eye on ARSA’s industry calendar. Have an event coming up? Tell us about it.


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A performance version of the new generation Skoda Fabia, the Fabia RS, is not going to b hitting the market, as a company official has told inautonews.com.
The new generation of the Skoda Fabia is close to being introduced but if you were expecting the performance Fabia RS version, you will be disappointed, considering the fact that the car manufacturer is not planning of introducing such a model. According to a company official, the new Fabia generation will be introducing, besides the regular versions, the Monte Carlo derivative.
“The new ŠKODA Fabia will be available next to the standard version as a ŠKODA Fabia Monte Carlo derivate. This design package offers customers dynamic sporty look and feel and is available with many engine and gearbox options”, as the Skoda official told inautonews.com.
The 2015 Skoda Fabia will be coming with a 1.0 liter three-cylinder direct injected MPI unit, in the petrol range, and it will end with the 1.2 liter TSI, with outputs ranging between 60 HP and 110 HP, while the diesel lineup will include the 75 HP and 105 HP 1.4 liter three-cylinder common rail direct injected, along with a 1.4 liter TDI with 55 kW. The new generation of the Skoda Fabia will be officially presented to the public during the 2014 Paris Motor Show, in October.


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Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) in the time of COVID-19
We look at how the eighth largest manufacturer in the world, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA), is responding to the COVID-19 emergency.
As the Coronavirus pandemic continues to spread, one company that is raising to meet the pandemic head-on is Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA). We look at how it is accomplishing this.
Suspended operations in Europe and North America
The FCS has suspended its operations in both Europe and North America. Commenting on this action, FCA CEO, Mike Manley said: “Working with the UAW, and having visited many of our plants yesterday, we need to ensure employees feel safe at work and that we are taking every step possible to protect them. We will continue to do what is right for our people through this period of uncertainty.”
Manufacturing essential items
Fiat Chrysler, the Italian car manufacturer, has committed to manufacturing one million face masks a month and distributing them to the United States emergency services to fight against the pandemic.
“Production capacity is being installed this week and the company will start manufacturing face masks in the coming weeks with initial distribution across the United States, Canada and Mexico,” said Fiat Chrysler in a company statement.
Support for children during this time
The FCA has announced a commitment to supporting children during the outbreak by working with a number of charities and foundations that provide food to children. It has started by providing over 1mn meals to children within the area of its US plants in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio, with a plan to extend nationwide across North America and Mexico.
"There has never been a more important moment to help children and their families with vital needs in our communities than during this time of great uncertainty," said FCA CEO Mike Manley.
Did you know? Yesterday, FCA announced the signing of an incremental credit facility of €3.5bn with two banks and will be available for corporate purposes as well as the working capital needs of the FCA.
For more information on all business in Europe, please take a look at the latest edition of Business Chief Europe.
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Nestlé launches brand extension for KitKat
By John Reynolds, marketingmagazine.co.uk, Wednesday, 16 June 2010 04:32PM
LONDON - Nestlé is to extend its confectionary offering with the launch of a new brand extension called KitKat Chunky Caramel Duo.
The move forms part of Nestlé's bid to extend its kingsize singles range with new product development activity.
Nestle launched KitKat Chunky Caramel in August last year. According to unofficial figures, the kingsize sector is worth £94m in the UK, growing 13% on the year.
The sector outperformed the overall confectionary category last year.
Nestlé brands that performed well across the category included KitKat Chunky Duo Milk.
Kingsize singles are for the most part purchased by men who want to eat while on the go.
Last year, Nestlé announced that it planned to invest in digital marketing for the first time, as part of its promotional strategy for KitKat.
This article was first published on marketingmagazine.co.uk
- Senior Digital Designer Twist Recruitment £35000 - £42000 per annum + benefits, City of London
- Midweight/Senior Digital Designer Digital Gurus £35000 - £45000 Per Annum, London
- Brand Manager Blue Skies Marketing Recruitment £45000 per annum, Benefits: + Benefits, Northampton
- Insight Director - Maternity Cover Lipton Fleming £50000 per annum + 50000, London
- Paid Search Executive SYLEX Recruitment £20000 - £26000 per annum, London
- Group M wins Vodafone's £600m media account
- Google becomes major UK advertiser after boosting spend by 50% in 2013
- Campaign Viral Chart: Evian's Spider-Man tops chart in week of movie premiere
- Tait replaces Papworth as W&K's ECD
- M&S moves £60m media account to Mindshare
- MEC boss Courtier hails £600m Vodafone media win as 'life changing'


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Sandvik appoints Jeff Heinemann vice president of Sales Area USA
Sandvik Construction announced the appointment of Jeff Heinemann to vice president of its new Sales Area USA, as of February 1, 2013.
Sales Area USA is the result of the combination of the previous Sales Areas USA East and West. The change was made to strengthen the distributor support and direct sales and service to Sandvik Construction customers of drill rigs, stationary crushing and screening and tools, consumables, and services.
Jeff Heinemann began working for Sandvik Mining and Construction in 2007, as vice president of the Construction segment of the U.S. and Canada region and headed the Sales Area USA East during 2012 and through January 2013. Prior to joining Sandvik, Jeff had 23 years of previous experience in retail sales, dealer development, sales, marketing, and manufacturing, both in the United States and globally.
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Sandvik Construction launches the newly developed CH540 cone crusher - the latest crusher in a market-leading series. The all new…
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It was announced this week the travel ban for UK and EU Citizens to the USA will be lifted in early November; for those fully vaccinated. While the details have not been fully fleshed out, it would appear the Internation Skies are opening.
Prior to this announcement, here in the UK, we have changed our system of what countries we can visit, and not visit, to a simple red and green system.
So slowly, the skies are opening up to the East and to the West.
What does this mean?
It means a lot for the airline industry, a lot for the holiday industry, and a lot for the economy of all countries involved.
It means airlines will sell more seats, hotels will sell more rooms, restaurants will have more bookings or diners, and all the ancillary businesses involved, such as transfers, airport duty free, souvenir shops, beach lounger rentals, etc, will all benefit.
This will mean there will be more jobs, companies will be hiring and bringing back previous workers on furlough.
The world is built on travel, economically.
And this travel will come at a new price.
I researched travel insurance and a few other items that go with going abroad, and the prices have spiked up! Big time!
This can be based on our old friend supply and demand, and also companies making up for lost revenue over the past year.
Interesting times indeed.


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London Stock Market Technical Center Lanka
London Stock Market Technical Centre was opened in Sri Lanka’s Media Unit said.
Yesterday (05), who trace it eksparṭ this is open.
Technical Center President & Accessories Market in London to bring Sri Lanka Donald brayiḍn the London Stock Market and CEO sāviyar rolē also the work that the Prime Minister’s media unit said.
“London stock market the world’s leading brand in financial veḷadapoḷavalhi. The technical center is my belief that our country and other countries deserved a chance to start in the region of Sri Lanka.” The Prime Minister said that.
Finance Minister Ravi matters and a group in the event.


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This year's first real IT show, CTS at the Birmingham NEC, has just finished, and by all accounts it was a success. Which is a good thing, because IT shows are now an endangered species.
They used to be all the rage and almost every technology sector had a show or two competing for blue-chip vendors and attendees. These days, the big show has been replaced by the small, focused seminar, which costs a lot less. But, money aside, is there still a place for the big show?
The Germans certainly think so. CeBIT in Hanover is still king. It is the world's biggest melting pot, with every widget and solution on show across miles of aircraft hangars.
Visitors to CeBIT get an eyeful of every technology worth seeing plus, after a couple of days, a painful insight into how marathon runners feel when they lurch across the line. Shows can be hard going, but they can be a goldmine for new contacts.
In the UK, big IT shows are now rare, pared down by competition and poor economics to a skeleton crew. It is no longer survival of the fittest, but survival of the most relevant.
Shows used to be the place where IT managers got to see new products for the first time. Thanks to the internet, shows have lost their impact. Why travel to Birmingham when you can stay at your desk and visit news sites offering daily updates on the latest developments in the IT sector?
Like last year, CTS teamed up with the Comms Dealer show, offering attendees the chance to visit both. The components/system builder market may not seem the most exciting in the world but, with heavyweights like Unipalm, Microsoft, IBM and AMD as sponsors, there was more to the event than the latest motherboard.
Visitors were plentiful and seemed happy to be seeing both events. Whether it was to do with market conditions or a desire to broaden the event, the decision to combine the shows at least guaranteed survival.
The other advantage of the show was that it was a trade, not just technology, event; many of the attendees were there to seek out new suppliers and do business. By lunchtime on the first day, numerous vendors had secured deals and found partners in just a few hours. CRN-sponsored debates, seminars, speeches and product demos from vendors and channel players rounded out the affair.
Visiting shows might be inconvenient, but the good ones do more than show off technology for its own sake. Relevant events that offer visitors more than the vendor's marketing message are the real survivors. Endangered, yes. Obsolete, no.
Telco also announced series of initiatives to drive digital growth in the UK
Nana Baffour opens up on Getronics' mammoth acquisition of Pomeroy
Analyst predicts SaaS will remain the dominant segment in the market as it grows 17 per cent in 2019
NSS Labs claims vendors are refusing to have their products tested effectively and are trying to restrict its access


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Alan Wake‘s current Metacritic average of 84 has left developer Remedy “pretty damn far from disappointed,” Mikko Rautalahti, a writer for the game, has written on the game’s official forums. While admitting that it’d be nice if the score was higher, the amount of praise reviewers have given the title has made the developers feel “pretty good about the whole thing,” he says.
“Clearly, it’s been a critical success … there’s a lot of love for Alan Wake out there, and we’d have to be complete goddamn idiots to not be satisfied with that. I mean, sure, the next time, we definitely hope to top that, it’s nice to have something to aim for, but we’re pretty damn far from disappointed.”
The existence of Alan Wake 2 has been said to be decided by the first game’s sales, something Rautalahti reiterates once more, “… it’s certainly no secret that we’d love to make a second one if the first one does well. But since the game isn’t even out yet, it’s really up in the air.”
But something tells me they’re optimistic.


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Southwest Airlines finally allows passengers to drink on flights
After nearly two years, Southwest Airlines will resume alcohol sales on flights this month.
On Thursday, the airline announced that passengers on flights over 176 miles can choose from an expanded beverage selection. The selection will include Miller Lite, Blue Moon, Lagunitas IPA, Sparkling Wine, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Vodka, Lime Vodka, Jack Daniels, Wild Turkey, Bacardi Rum and Tequila. The updated menu also extends beyond alcoholic beverages, as the carrier will now offer tonic water, apple juice, Coke Zero, Dr. Pepper, hot tea, and hot chocolate.
Southwest initially suspended catering services at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Although the carrier has brought back other services, the reappearance of alcohol on in-flight menus is up in the air. Initial plans to bring back alcohol in June 2021 were scrapped due to unruly passengers. Just last week, the airline vetoed restoring service due to the recent spike in the highly contagious variant of COVID-19, Omicron.
The onboard beverage selection will be available to passengers from February 16, 2022. Travelers will also be able to redeem any South West beverage coupon expiring in 2020 or 2021 for an alcoholic beverage until December 31, 2022.


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The lack of clarity in CBD regulation has remained an issue. Despite the FDA’s study, products throughout the sector fail to meet the bare minimum requirements. Enough is enough, according to GNC, a health-focused retailer. Is it a change in the way?
By 2025, the CBD and hemp industries are anticipated to be worth about $17 billion.
Because of the FDA’s ambiguous restrictions, most ingestible CBD products are not offered in stores. The Farm Bill, which was passed nearly 4 years ago, made CBD legal throughout the United States, but the fight to use it to its full potential is still ongoing. The market is already flooded with various CBD/hemp extracts on their own, but the Food and Drug Administration claims that they don’t always follow the legal standards.
Cannabidiol made history by being the first and only prescription or medication to include CBD as a crucial ingredient, but the change isn’t as significant as consumers might think. The FDA declares that CBD is a therapeutic substance that cannot be utilized in supplements as a result of this. Omega-3, on the other hand, has been employed in both supplements and pharmaceuticals in the past. In reality, this substance was sold as a supplemental for decades before businesses began to combine it with other ingredients to offer as a prescription drug.
CBD Sales And GNC
GNC has continuously avoided selling CBD products, instead opting for topical CBD products that may be absorbed through the skin . Much of the reason for this is due to the cosmetics industry’s tolerance for hemp-derived formulae. That doesn’t rule out the possibility that GNC would profit from this market, which is predicted to just be valued at $16.8 billion within the next 5 years.
The enterprises that generate the majority of the earnings are currently online, providing less of a danger to their little brands. Stores that specialize in hemp and CBD products, as well as service stations and convenience stores, carry the formulae.
What FDA Had Find So Far
Currently, several facilities are producing CBD and hemp products, but the FDA is not inspecting them. Without these checks, quality control has been a shambles, and hundreds of products are now being sold online that aren’t even close to what they claim to be. The FDA published a summary of the testing they’ve done on nearly 300 goods since 2014, and they discovered precisely what everyone was afraid of: almost none of the products contained what they claimed to have.
The FDA discovered that just a few products truly followed laws or even had what they indicated, ranging from less CBD than promoted to significantly more THC than what is legally authorized. GNC, which is presently undergoing Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings, feels that with some FDA supervision, there would be many fewer concerns .
GNC’s spokesman said in a statement that its “legislative consultants” had earlier visited the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to highlight the need for CBD to be approved as a dietary supplement ingredient. “Such items must be controlled in compliance with Component, including good manufacturing procedures, make sure product quality,” according to the statement.
The company is “hoping for such a change shortly,” according to the statement, which would allow brands to be more confident about the CBD-infused treatments they put on the market.


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2017 was an extraordinary and crazy year in the world of cryptocurrencies. Prices skyrocketed (Bitcoin: +1,400%; Litecoin: +5,400%, Ethereum: +8,700%; Ripple +35,000%). ICOs raised over $3 billion. Crypto hedge funds emerged all over the map and a handful of blockchain startups reached unicorn-level valuations.
Almost inevitably, the price of individual cryptocurrencies will experience substantial volatility in 2018, and the first few days of January already look like a rollercoaster. Prices may very well crash altogether. In more ways than one, the space feels reminiscent of the dot-com days of the late 1990s, whether it is stories of newly minted bitcoin millionaires, the undeniable speculation rampant throughout the market, or the emergence of many weird things. While growing and expanding, the actual use cases of the blockchain still trail behind.
Taking a step back from the immediate frothiness, however, it seems that the crypto world has hit the point of no return, vaulting from a fringe movement into the mainstream collective consciousness, with strong interest both from the public and Wall Street. The blockchain has cemented its position as a new paradigm, which will only grow in importance, offering new solutions to the world, and new opportunities to entrepreneurs.
For all the progress, the crypto space remains in its infancy, and a lot of infrastructure still needs to be built. This is particularly true of security. With increased attention comes increased risk, and there is probably no more pressing need than a bullet-proof security layer across the ecosystem, for both individuals and institutions. Given the high stakes, there is a very large market opportunity for tech companies to provide secure infrastructure.
Today, I’m excited to announce that FirstMark has invested in Ledger, a rapidly emerging global leader in security and infrastructure solutions for cryptocurrencies and blockchain applications, alongside a Draper syndicate (Draper Esprit, Draper Associates, Draper Dragon), Cathay Capital, Korelya Ventures and others, in a large $75 million Series B round.
Ledger is the leader in hardware wallets, with two popular products, the Ledger Nano S and the Ledger Blue.
Hardware wallets offer the fundamental advantage of enabling users to store their private keys on physical hardware that can be disconnected from their computer and the Internet, making it virtually impossible for hackers to run a malicious attack. Ledger users enjoy the convenience of initiating a transaction on their computer (using a Google Chrome application), but then delegate the signing of the transaction to their Ledger. As a result, the private keys are permanently in “cold storage”, ensuring utmost security.
It is important to understand that users don’t store their actual Bitcoin, or other cryptocurrency, on a bit of hardware that can be lost or stolen, but rather their private keys (a sophisticated form of cryptography that allows a user to access his or her cryptocurrency). If the device (which is protected by a PIN) is lost, users can restore their entire balance on another Ledger Wallet (or compatible software wallet such as Mycelium) through a security procedure involving a 24-word recovery phrase.
In addition to allowing allowing users to retain full control of their private keys, Ledger products support directly 13 cryptocurrencies, and dozens more via third party applications. This is a major advantage over centralized solutions such as Coinbase, that require architecture changes each time they want to support a new cryptocurrency.
One of the most exciting developments in crypto is the rapidly increasing amounts of institutional money flowing into the space. Beyond individual use cases, Ledger is actively building a full suite of cryptocurrency enterprise security solutions to support those institutions. Last year, Ledger launched Ledger Vault, a SaaS solution also based on secure hardware, which offers multi accounts, multi signatures, and time locks, targeting hedge funds and banks.
In 2017, Ledger experienced exceptional growth, and just announced that they have sold over one million Nano S devices across 165 countries.
As the crypto world is fundamentally about decentralization, it is interesting that such a leader would emerge in Europe, as opposed to Silicon Valley (or New York). Ledger is headquartered in Paris and reflects the incredible progress that the French startup ecosystem has experienced over the last few years (I first wrote about it here). Co-founder and CEO Eric Larcheveque is a serial entrepreneur who grew up with the ecosystem. Founding investor and now President Pascal Gauthier was the COO of Criteo, one of the biggest startup success stories of the French startup scene. CTO Nicolas Bacca hails from the smart card industry, which is at the core Ledger’s operating system (BOLOS) and has been an area where France has built particular technical expertise over the years.
Beyond its French roots, however, Ledger is very much building a global category leader, with offices around the world and heavy footprint both in America and Asia. Both the size of their Series B round and the composition of the syndicate reflect those global ambitions, with investors from the Bay Area, New York, Europe and Asia.
We are thrilled to partner with the Ledger team on this mission, and help fulfill their promise of building a core security layer for the crypto world.


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If 2011 was the year “collaborative consumption” went mainstream, and 2012 was the year it started to look like a threat to the old guard in the business world, 2013 may be the year that the crazy kids in the “sharing economy” are forced to grow up in a big hurry.
For evidence, look no further than Airbnb, the website that lets us all rent each other’s apartments/tree houses/haylofts for the weekend. A quick gander at the site’s New York City listings last month led the travel news site Skift.com to conclude that more than half of them were in violation of state law.
Airbnb’s response, via its global head of public policy, David Hantman: “We can’t possibly keep up with the law in all the cities.”
But Airbnb’s strategy of pleading ignorance or powerlessness in New York, one of its biggest markets, doesn’t exactly add up: Here the company actively lobbied against the very rule that so many of its users are apparently flouting. The city’s Office of Special Enforcement has already ramped up enforcement efforts, according to Skift, while a New York Times story about an Airbnb renter who suddenly found himself facing $40,000 in potential fines has Airbnb customers shaking in their boots.
It’s cavalier web startup culture smacking into old-school American bureaucracy, and we’re bound to see it play out over and over in the coming year.
“The tech industry is growing up and learning how to deal with the real world,” says Neal Gorenflo, cofounder and publisher of the web news outlet Shareable.net.
Some companies have been less than graceful about it. Uber, the smartphone-powered town-car service that sets up shop in new cities without consulting local officials, is now being sued by cab drivers and car-service companies in San Francisco and Chicago, and faces a $20,000 fine from the California Public Utilities Commission. In Washington, D.C., the company (and its many adoring fans) beat back plans to outlaw the service, and convinced the city council to pass a new law explicitly legalizing it, but it was a rather nasty process.
Driving this type of clash is a sense among some startups that the sharing economy should be immune from government rules designed for companies created in the old model. Arun Sundararajan, an associate professor at NYU’s business school, wrote in Wired in October that reputation systems (Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky calls them “magical”) and the transparency of the web make regulations obsolete:
After all, profit is a much more powerful driver for quality than regulatory compliance. If your last customer — one who has been vetted by others and has built reputation credibility — complains about the hygiene levels of your shared lodging, your future business prospects on Airbnb are pretty bleak.
As an added precaution, Sundararajan suggested that low-cost surveillance cameras could be installed in cars or homes that are being rented — and then he took it a step farther.
Why bother with restaurant inspections, when we could put a camera in the kitchen to spot health violations and leave Zagat and Yelp reviews to “administer” the quality control? Do we even need hotel regulators any more, when we have TripAdvisor to give us instant feedback on cleanliness, service, noise levels, and several other dimensions?
Sundararajan’s proposition seems optimistic. I suspect plenty of web-savvy customers share my trepidation at relinquishing the safety of dinner to the handful of anonymous netizens crazy enough to obsess over an online kitchen livecast. While many of these regulatory battles do smack of governments protecting old industries that are “disrupted” by the new sharing model, there are often good reasons that these rules exist.
Tenant advocates point out that laws against short-term rentals, like the one Airbnb users are apparently breaking in New York City, are designed to prevent landlords from turning apartment buildings into hotels and driving the price of living in cities such as New York and San Francisco even higher than it already is. There’s something to be said, too, for requiring taxi drivers to get special certification for the sake of their passengers’ safety. There is clearly a place for a little policing, albeit under some rules that are written with these new business models in mind.
We’ve seen some smart rewriting of the rules already, as with the laws on the West Coast that allow car-sharing companies to provide insurance for car owners and renters. And now, in San Francisco, which has been the cradle of much of the sharing economy, efforts are afoot to work out a more comprehensive system. Mayor Ed Lee, who was elected with help from tech investors, has created a “sharing economy working group” to look at the issues that arise when these new companies shake up the local business landscape.
“Many players in the sharing economy understand that the city is a crucial partner, and understand that city managers really do have a job to do,” says Milicent Johnson, a former Shareable.net staffer who is involved in the discussions in San Francisco. “The unique thing about these companies is that the users run them — and the users are the citizens of the city. The end goal is to do what is best for the city.”
But it doesn’t help that a few of the bigger kids in the sharing scene are being less than forthright about their impacts and infractions.
Airbnb, which claims it’s worth $2 billion, has been cagey about its regulatory issues in New York City and elsewhere. Molly Turner, the company’s public policy director, says Airbnb is “collaborating” with regulators, but wouldn’t provide details. Turner pled ignorance about the report that more than half of the company’s listings in New York were illegal. Responding to the New York Times story in the company’s new public policy blog, Hantman, the global public policy chief, writes only that “New York hosts have generally not been targeted for enforcement.”
Turner points out that in the past two years, Airbnb has created a hosting manual, a “policies” section on its website, a “trust and safety center,” and a “responsible hosting” page. “We try to remind people that there are a lot of things they need to think about when they post a property on Airbnb,” she says.
“I don’t think sharing economy companies are anti-regulation at all,” Turner adds. “The question is what’s reasonable.”
But the “shoot first, ask questions later” approach, as Slate’s Matt Yglesias calls it, is still the default for many sharing economy startups. And while this approach served companies like Airbnb in their early stages, it could be dangerous for this budding industry as it continues to grow and spread — not because these industries need regulation per se, but because they’re going to get it one way or another.
“The attitude is that we’ve got a great product and they [regulators] shouldn’t be involved in it,” says Patrick Murphy, CEO of the D.C. lobbying firm 3Click Solutions and one of the organizers of the nonprofit Collaborative Economy Coalition.“But you [sharing economy companies] are a threat to existing industries, and these companies spend millions and millions to protect their market share from each other and anyone from the outside.”
If sharing economy wunderkinds can’t get their acts together and face regulation reality head-on, they may watch their profits decline and lose traction in the battle to make collaborative consumption a societal norm. But the costs to consumers will be much steeper: We’ll all have to go back to renting stuffy hotel rooms and driving our own cars. And that would just suck for everyone.


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The U.S. International Trade Commission has released a new web-based interface that allows the public to more easily monitor changes in U.S. imports.
Worldwide Flight Services appoints new CEO, while CSafe names director of strategic life science sales.
Allan Dow, president of Logility, said the acquisition extends Logility’s ability to deploy innovative supply chain and retail optimization solutions faster and at a lower total cost of ownership.
Registration takes less than 1 minute.
Virginia-based visibility and analytics provider TransVoyant's system is rooted in work it's done for national security customers, but the company is now firmly rooted in the commercial applications market.
Trade associations representing air cargo interests and U.S. and European rechargeable battery suppliers on Monday called on governments to more strictly enforce lithium battery safety regulations.
Southern California's so called "Blue Cut Fire" has disrupted BNSF and Union Pacific rail traffic, including intermodal traffic moving to and from the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, but some train lines and highways are reopening.


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Port Canaveral is slated to reopen to most cargo and cruise line vessels today after being closed for nearly a week because of a 50-foot-wide sand bar left by Hurricane Frances.
Dredging to remove the sand hasn't started, but the Army Corps of Engineers and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said the channel could handle limited traffic, port spokeswoman Dixie Sansom said.
"The Coast Guard has given clearance for vessels up to 28 feet in depth to come into the port," she said.
"Dredging must still take place to fully restore the channel to its normal depth [41 feet]."
The Corps of Engineers will start removing shoals left by Frances after setting up dredging equipment this weekend. No date for completion of dredging has been set, Sansom said.
Disney Cruise Line's two ships, the Disney Magic and the Disney Wonder,will sail from the port as scheduled this weekend, spokeswoman Rena Langley said.
Because of the approach of Hurricane Ivan, the Disney Magic will sail to the eastern Caribbean, stopping in St. Thomas and San Juan, a change from a previously scheduled tour of the western Caribbean.
The Disney Wonder will sail Sunday for Nassau in the Bahamas, where there was some weather-related beach erosion at Disney's private island, Castaway Cay. The beach should be restored by Friday, Langley said.
Another cruise line, Royal Caribbean International, said its ship Mariner of the Seas, which normally sails from the port, was not able to use the port because it requires a minimum depth of 35 feet.
Royal Caribbean's Sovereign of the Seas was to depart Port Everglades Friday night and return to Port Canaveral on Monday. The ship will resume normal Monday and Friday departures from the port Monday.
Because of Hurricane Ivan's projected path, the cruise line said it is altering the itineraries of several of its ships and one Celebrity Cruises ship.
Two Carnival Cruise Lines ships also were expected to resume sailing from the port this weekend, Sansom said.
In addition to cruise ship traffic, cargo vessels were able to enter the port with loads of cement, lumber and other supplies, Sansom said.
Restaurants, marinas and other port businesses also have reopened.
"Normalcy is returning," she said.
Port Canaveral chief executive Stan Payne said Gov. Jeb Bush, Rep. Dave Weldon and Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge had worked to expedite the opening of the port.


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Retailers benefitted from a last minute Christmas rush to boost sales, leading to a 1% increase from December 2015, according to a new British Retail Consortium (BRC) report.
Sales in the final week leading up to Christmas were up 40% in comparison to other weeks in the month.
Paul Martin, UK Head of Retail for KPMG, said: “Retailers were helped by the timing of Christmas, which fell on a Sunday, giving shoppers the chance to use the weekend for a final dash to the shops delivering a last-minute boost to sales.
“Festive feasts were clearly at the forefront of shoppers’ minds, with the three-month average of like-for-like food sales jumping up by 1.1%. A mean feat considering the stagnation noted the previous month.”
Over the three months to December, food sales increased 1.1% on a like-for-like basis and 2.4% on a total basis. This is the highest three-month average total growth since September 2013.
Non-food retail sales also saw an increase of 1.1% on a like-for-like basis and 1.3% on a total basis.
Online sale saw the highest growth of 7.2%, whilst in-store sales actually declined 1.2% on a total basis and 1.4% on a like-for-like basis.
Trend reflected locally too
Lincolnshire retail expert Clare Bailey, Director and co-founder of Mobaro Retail UK, said: “The national figures are likely to be reflected at the local level, although there will be some minor regional variations.
“Although food sales were particularly strong, what we don’t currently have is any information to add context to understand what has caused the increase in 2016 vs 2015.
“We need to understand why consumers changed their spending habits – are people eating more? Are they spending on more luxury food items? Has spending been diverted from other activities?
“One factor might be that people who historically would have spent more on eating out were choosing to stay at home and eat in, to save money.
“Underlying reasons for such changes could be attributed to uncertainty regarding the economy and the political instability brought about by Brexit, for instance.
“The figures also show growth in online sales with a small decline in store sales. However, that has been a trend for some time.
“What we must not read into this is that stores are ‘doomed’! Whilst the point of transaction might be online, an increasingly popular fulfilment option is ‘click and collect’ – where online orders are collected at the store.
“This trend allows customers to collect their goods at their convenience, and in many cases also often means that customers spend a little more, on impulse, in store, at the time of collection.
“In light of this continuing trend, my advice to any retail business or any size is to ensure that they have a solid transactional website and can offer customers click-and-collect as a matter of standard. That’s what customer expect these days.
“Finally, and considering some of the results and commentary from the likes of Next, the real impact of Brexit is only likely to begin to become apparent in 2017.
“Larger retailers will start to feel the impact of the weaker pound on their purchases, resulting in higher cost-prices for goods. Whether the increased cost is mirrored in increased retail prices (pushing up inflation) or whether those costs are absorbed in product margins (reducing retailers profitability) remains to be seen.
“Certainly I can echo the commentary on the BRC-KPMG figures, in that it is unlikely retailers will enjoy such a buoyant Christmas again for some time and 2017 will be a very interesting, if uncertain, time for retail.”


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As a colonize on a limit of Chinese automotive investment in a U.S., Laurent Bresson knows a universe is examination his each move, and he’s OK with that.
Bresson, 42, is a Frenchmen using a tellurian automotive retailer in Saginaw that is tranquil by Chinese investors.
Since it was acquired some-more than dual years ago, Nexteer has won new contracts with U.S. automotive manufacturers for a steering systems and launched a successful initial open charity on a Hong Kong Stock Exchange. It also combined about 1,150 workers during a plants in Saginaw and invested about $300 million there.
That creates Nexteer a primary instance of Chinese financier success in a U.S. automotive attention as dozens, if not hundreds, of other Chinese automobile suppliers and investors try opportunities to deposit in a U.S. and Michigan automotive industries.
The Chinese supervision is enlivening a manufacturers to enhance globally. Nexteer — a former section of Delphi acquired by Pacific Century Motorsin 2010 — is famous as a largest and highest-profile merger of a U.S. automobile retailer by Chinese investors.
“The Nexteer story is followed unequivocally closely — intensely closely, we would say, by each stakeholder, by a community, by a Chinese supervision for sure, a intensity Chinese investors — possibly open or private — everybody is examination this closely,” Bresson said.
Steven Hilfinger, former arch handling officer for a Michigan Economic Development Corp., pronounced in Jun that Chinese investors and companies have invested some-more than $1 billion in Michigan given 2000.
“The Chinese automobile suppliers need to have investigate and growth and record that they don’t have, and that is bringing them here,” pronounced James Cambridge, a partner with a Detroit law organisation of Kerr Russell.
Chinese automotive investment in a U.S. is mostly politically supportive since of concerns over egghead skill burglary and China’s ability to furnish automotive tools cheaper than U.S. competitors.
Wanxiang Group’s merger of U.S. battery-maker A123, for example, was primarily hold adult by a examination conducted by a Committee on Foreign Investment in a U.S. But as Nexteer and others have shown, Chinese companies are meddlesome in gaining marketplace share in a U.S. and investing in U.S. facilities.
ZYNP North America, for example, non-stop in Romulus in 2005. In 2013, a association viewed a $350,000 inducement from a State of Michigan to support a $9.5-million investment in a investigate and growth center.
Interior components manufacturer Yanfeng USA, that is owned by SAIC Motor Group, non-stop in Warren in 2010 and fast stretched into a site in Harrison Township. It also shaped a corner try with Johnson Controls in April.
One of a vital army behind a investment swell is a Chinese government, that is pulling a manufacturers to deposit in a U.S. and settle a production and investigate and growth participation here.
“Domestically, there is extensive vigour to find a technological edge,” pronounced Brian Connors, a China business captivate manager for a Michigan Economic Development Corp.
The Chinese automotive attention has turn incomparable than a U.S. automotive industry. Nearly 22 million new cars and trucks were sole in China final year compared with 15.6 million in a U.S.
However, China’s crowd of homegrown automobile companies is struggling to advantage marketplace share for their possess vehicles while corner ventures with tellurian automakers — trimming from General Motors to Volkswagen — are thriving.
The Chinese supervision wants a automakers and suppliers to turn tellurian players, though to do that, they need a tellurian participation and to rise components and cars that are some-more sophisticated. To grasp that, they need to deposit in a U.S.
“They have cash, though they have an capricious destiny when it comes to a rival and technological edge,” Connors said. “And a North American marketplace is viewed as a bullion standard.”
Last month, Yang Dong, executive clamp boss and secretary of a China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, pronounced Chinese companies contingency settle investigate and growth centers in a U.S. Dong pronounced Chinese companies are usually investing 1.1% of their income into investigate and development.
“We need to be on a same page as Detroit Three — inputting a same volume in automotive research,” Dong said.
Jerry Xu, boss of a Detroit Chinese Business Association, pronounced Michigan is in a clever position to advantage from Chinese automotive investment.
Gov. Rick Snyder and other mercantile growth officials have visited China 3 times to partisan investment, and Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano also has been a outspoken proponent of building ties with a Chinese. Michigan has an infrastructure to support a automotive industry, and GM and Ford have invested heavily in new automobile plants in China.
“Detroit is substantially a best place for Chinese manufacturers to grow their business, other than China,” Xu said.
In America, there is a hostility to acquire and acquire Chinese investment — in partial since Chinese attention has warranted a repute for infringing on copyrights and for production low-cost, reduce peculiarity products. Also, Chinese investors don’t like to make a large uncover of their investments, generally when they are blazing new trails in unsure ventures.
John Wagster, an profession with Frost Brown Todd in Nashville, Tenn., pronounced that is a improvident view.
“I consider it’s about time that Chinese investors start putting income and investing in a U.S., only like U.S. investors are investing in production facilitates in China, possibly by partners or on their own,” he said. “They emanate jobs, they compensate taxes, and it’s good for a economy.”


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Starbucks Test Store to Accept Mobile Payments Only
Mobile payments offer a lot of advantages to merchants and consumers alike: They provide cashless, secure transactions via smartphone or other device, shorten checkout lines and enable sales from pretty much anywhere. It’s not surprising that nearly half (46 percent) of U.S. consumers are already carrying out mobile transactions, according to a 2016 study by Pew Research.
Starbucks will soon take the mobile checkout experience a step further by opening a store that only accepts mobile payments and orders. As reported by the Puget Sound Business Journal, the world’s largest coffee chain will unveil a mobile-only location next week on the eighth floor of its corporate headquarters in Seattle. The new outlet will sit across from an existing Starbucks store, Sodo 8, one of the company’s top three U.S. locations for mobile ordering.
Beat the Bottleneck
In addition to exploring innovative ways to serve phone-carrying customers, this mobile-only experiment also helps Starbucks ease bottlenecks in stores. In January, the company said the popularity of its mobile order-and-pay option did more harm than good. Rather than making life easier for customers, the feature created anxiety and congestion in the stores’ drink-pickup areas as employees struggled to keep up with orders, the Associated Press reported.
In a letter to Starbucks employees, Andy Adams, senior vice president of global store development, said the new location is gearing up to serve mobile orders from the company’s 5,000 employees in its headquarters, according to the Puget Sound Business Journal.
Service snafus aren’t the only challenges facing mobile transactions. Breaches to mobile payment systems were one of the top cybersecurity concerns facing CIOs and CISOs last year, according to Websense security analyst Carl Leonard.
Shoppers have their concerns as well. In a recent study by Oxford Economics, 2,000 consumers were asked what’s preventing them from using mobile payments, and 70 percent said they’re worried about their personal information being stolen. Meanwhile, more than half fear mobile money is less secure than cash.
Tap and Pay
These anxieties don’t appear to be slowing the shift toward mobile payments, however, as financial institutions, retailers and other businesses are moving ahead with mobile plans. Wells Fargo customers, for instance, will soon be able to initiate cardless ATM transactions using near-field communication (NFC) technology in certain smartphones, USA Today reports.
Well Fargo’s tap-and-pay feature, available later this year, will allow a user to start a transaction by signing in to one of several mobile wallet services — Apple Pay, Android Pay, Samsung Pay or Wells Fargo Wallet — and holding the phone near an NFC-enabled ATM terminal. Once authenticated, the customer will enter their debit or ATM PIN and complete the transaction.
It appears that mobile payments, despite their growing pains, are here to stay. According to Loup Ventures analyst Gene Munster, Apple Pay adoption at point of sale is growing nicely, in line with the growth of competing digital payment players such as Google Wallet and Samsung Pay.


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Palm Oil Plantations Are Blamed For Many Evils. But Change Is Coming
Palm oil is in everything, from pizza dough and chocolate to laundry detergent and lipstick. Nongovernmental organizations blame it for contributing to assorted evils, from global warming to human rights abuses.
But in the past year, this complex global industry has changed, as consumers put pressure on producers to show that they're not destroying forests, killing rare animals, grabbing land or exploiting workers.
I was somewhat astonished to discover, on a trip to a palm oil plantation in the province of North Sumatra, Indonesia, that this much-maligned commodity actually begins with an innocuous-looking, beautiful creation of nature. Palm fruit is composed of ovoid kernels, which, when ripe, shine with lustrous hues of crimson toward their tips, orange in the middle and yellow at their stems.
The kernels are clustered in a bunch that can weigh more than 50 pounds.
It was an absorbing tactile experience to break open a kernel and get its oil on my fingers. It has a yellow color and a smooth consistency that can only be described as buttery.
To see how palm fruit is harvested, I followed a young worker named Sugiarto, who uses only one name, as he made his rounds through the eerily uniform rows of trees on the plantation.
Sugiarto raised a scythe-like blade on a long pole up toward the top of the tree. He cut away the bottom-most branches, and then the stem of the fruit, which brought the fruit bunch tumbling to the ground with a heavy thud.
He then lopped off the stems with a machete and placed the fruit bunches by the roadside.
Trucks collect the fruit and take it to mills to extract crude palm oil.
In the past year, many big palm oil producers have made pledges of sustainability. One of them is the Minnesota-based multinational Cargill. John Hartmann is the Singapore-based CEO of Cargill Tropical Palm.
"There's just this realization that, to provide ... safe, nutritious food for the world, agriculture has to make some changes," he says. "And those changes include ... commitments to sustainability."
The vast global supply chain that connects the plantations of Sumatra to, say, that box of cookies in your pantry, can be complex and murky. Cargill, like many other big palm oil traders, gets 40 percent of its palm oil from small-scale farmers.
Asked whether he knows where all his firm's palm oil is coming from, and that all of it is produced sustainably, Hartmann says that Cargill keeps complete records on the smallholders' production. "All of the crop ... that we get, every ton, we know where it came from," he insists.
Cargill is also a member of an industry group called the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil, or RSPO. The RSPO examines palm oil companies, making sure that producers are transparent, that they obey laws, protect endangered species and respect the land and labor rights of local residents, among other things. If the product meets their standards they put their logo on it and certify it as sustainable.
The RSPO's director in Jakarta, Dewi Kusumadewi, points out that palm trees take less land to produce a ton of oil than any other comparable crop, such as soy or canola.
"If we boycott palm oil, or if we do not want to use palm oil," she argues, "then the consumer good manufacturers will have to find other vegetable oils. How do we make sure these other vegetable oils are more sustainable than palm oil?"
Membership in the RSPO is voluntary, and Desi admits that it's still an imperfect system. Last year, the RSPO certified about a fifth of the nearly 30 million tons of crude palm oil produced in Indonesia — the world's largest producer. Along with Malaysia, the country accounts for nearly 90 percent of the world's supply.
The changes in palm oil production are squeezing smallholders. As the government protects more forests from being cleared to plant palm oil, the only way farmers can be profitable isto increase productivity. That requires investments of capital and technology.
Meanwhile, environmentalists are not only fighting to stop deforestation caused by illegal palm oil, in some places they're actually reversing it.
On a hillside in Sumatra's Aceh province, activist Rudi Putra and his team are bringing down an illegal palm oil plantation, one tree at a time. Putra sued two of the plantation's owners for clearing land without a permit from the government and won.
He says he'll give some of the land back to local communities. As for the rest, he says nature will heal itself. The forest will grow back, and in a couple of years, he says, Sumatran tigers, orangutans and elephants will return.
"It gives me tremendous satisfaction because this plainly shows that we can triumph over illegal plantations," he says.
This victory took nine years to achieve. Last year, Putra won the Goldman Environmental Prize for it.
But he says he's only just begun. This patch of land is only 1 percent of the nearly 1 million acres of palm oil plantations he plans to reclaim, on behalf of the local people and the wildlife.
Putra notes that despite palm oil companies' recent pledges to make their products in an eco-friendly way, the destruction of Sumatra's forests continues. And that, he says, is why he must keep on fighting.
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


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HTC published its monthly financial report for October, when revenue stood at NT$6.06 billion ($200 million). That is is 6.8% down from September when it was NT$6.51 bn ($215 million). Year-over-year the decrease is the staggering 25.8%.
The total sales since the beginning of 2017 come in at NT$52.44 billion, 18.2% lower than the January-October period in 2016. HTC expects numbers to rise in the following months with upcoming holidays after the HTC U11+ and the HTC U11 Life go on sale.
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Please give example. You stop first, don't buy smartphone with glass dan please also stop telling people what to do with their own money
Nobody said that a single manufacturer is the solution. But the fact is that the current market is not different from a monopoly. All phone manufacturers produce the same phones, just under a different brand name. It's like cartelling. The vast major...
No wonder, why? I purchased a htc mid ranger back in 2013 at 18k INR. It never received a update. I sold it in early 2016 at 2k. bad experience. battery and calling issues. Never htc again.