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Forget the metro or the latest speed giants roaring across Indian roads. Come Saturday (February 1) and India’s financial capital will be rolling out the country’s first-ever <keyword id="64918" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Monorail">monorail</keyword>, connecting the central suburb of <keyword id="157686" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Wadala">Wadala</keyword> to <keyword id="6366202" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Chembur">Chembur</keyword> on the eastern outskirts of Mumbai and covering a distance of 8.93 km across seven stations in about 21 minutes. Currently, it takes around 40 minutes to cover this stretch. 
 <keyword id="81878" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Mumbai-monorail">Mumbai monorail</keyword> will be formally inaugurated by <keyword id="26806" type="POSITION" weightage="80" keywordseo="Maharashtra-Chief-Minister">Maharashtra Chief Minister</keyword> <keyword id="6356262" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Prithviraj-Chavan">Prithviraj Chavan</keyword> on Saturday afternoon and the commute will be open for the masses from Sunday onwards. The two-phase project costs around Rs 3,000 crore and the second phase linking Wadala to <keyword id="2039948" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Sant-Gadge-Maharaj-Chowk">Sant Gadge Maharaj Chowk</keyword> (popularly known as <keyword id="2039952" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Saath-Rasta">Saath Rasta</keyword> and originally called <keyword id="2039957" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Jacobs-Circle">Jacob’s Circle</keyword>) in south Mumbai will be operational within a year. 
 As of now, tickets are priced between Rs 5 and Rs 11 and a <keyword id="359126" type="TECHNOLOGY" weightage="100" keywordseo="smart-card-system">smart card system</keyword> is already in place, but there will be no <keyword id="2039963" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Season-pass">season pass</keyword>. The seven stations on the Phase-I route include Chembur, <keyword id="2039964" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="VN-Purav/RC-Marg-Junction">VN Purav/RC Marg Junction</keyword>, <keyword id="2039965" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Fertilizer-Township">Fertilizer Township</keyword>, <keyword id="75662" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Bharat-Petroleum">Bharat Petroleum</keyword>, <keyword id="1351055" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Mysore-Colony">Mysore Colony</keyword>, <keyword id="683956" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Bhakti-Park">Bhakti Park</keyword> and <keyword id="6537145" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Wadala-Depot">Wadala Depot</keyword>. When the entire corridor starts working, tickets will cost Rs 5-19, across a total of 19 stations. 
 The monorail project has been executed by engineering major <keyword id="45475" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Larsen-Toubro">Larsen &amp; Toubro</keyword> and Malaysian firm <keyword id="1563400" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="Scomi-Engineering">Scomi Engineering</keyword>. It is owned and operated by <keyword id="64095" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Mumbai-Metropolitan-Region-Development-Authority">Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority</keyword> (<keyword id="48470" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="MMRDA">MMRDA</keyword>), which has already spent Rs 1,900 crore on both the phases. The civil work on the second phase has been completed as well. 
 Construction for the Chembur-Wadala-Jacob Circle (Sant Gadge Maharaj Chowk) route – a total distance of 19.17 km – started back in 2009 and was scheduled to be completed in April 2011. But the project got delayed for more than 2.5 years and only the <keyword id="2039976" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Wadala-Chembur">Wadala-Chembur</keyword> section could be completed in the first phase. With the entire stretch becoming operational, it will be the <keyword id="2039979" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Worlds-second-longest-monorail">world’s second longest monorail</keyword> corridor, after <keyword id="6355311" type="COUNTRY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Japan">Japan</keyword>’s Osaka Monorail (23.8 km). Apart from Japan, other countries running monorails include <keyword id="1334" type="COUNTRY" weightage="100" keywordseo="China">China</keyword>, <keyword id="8695" type="COUNTRY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Malaysia">Malaysia</keyword>, the <keyword id="6354458" type="COUNTRY" weightage="100" keywordseo="US">US</keyword>, <keyword id="87" type="COUNTRY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Germany">Germany</keyword> and <keyword id="6355478" type="COUNTRY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Australia">Australia</keyword>. 
 
Mumbai monorail is going to be a colourful affair, flaunting green, pink and blue. It will be able to peak to 80 km/hour while the average speed has been set at 65 km/hour. Initially, six trains will run from 7 in the morning till 3 in the afternoon. But from March onwards, it will function 19 hours a day and the train frequency will improve as well – from 15 minutes to nine and finally to three-four minutes. As of now, each train has 4 air-conditioned coaches and can carry as many as 560 passengers. After the second phase is commissioned, there will be 10 more trains with six coaches each and a total of 19 stations. 
 But will the monorail be an essential part of our daily commute once the novelty wears off? It is bound to bring some much-needed relief to Mumbaikars, struggling to cope with traffic snarls on a daily basis. But to make the good work really effective, the second phase should be completed at the earliest. One also wonders if the authorities will consider starting a <keyword id="2039974" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Second-monorail-project">second monorail project</keyword> in and around Mumbai as was originally planned. Experts feel that the need for an expanded monorail corridor may arise after all the proposed metro rail routes are commissioned and there is further requirement for a seamless <keyword id="457467" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="feeder-service">feeder service</keyword>. And when that happens, the people of Mumbai are bound to have a completely hassle-free commute.

Mumbai Monorail Is
Now On Track; To Run From Feb 1

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Pennsylvania is front and center in the 2024 presidential race.</li><li>While in Philadelphia, both Harris and Trump made the case as to why they should be elected.</li></ul>During Tuesday's presidential debate in Philadelphia, both Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/kamala-harris-donald-trump-presidential-debate-takeaways-2024-9">made their respective cases</a> to the American public as to why they should be the next occupant of the Oval Office.But the significance of the location was not lost on either candidate as the debate was held in the largest and most politically-influential city in Pennsylvania, the state that's poised to determine the winner of the presidential contest.For Harris, winning Pennsylvania would offer her a significant boost in holding the White House as she also looks for victories in "blue wall" swing states like Michigan and Wisconsin. And that's before any potential wins in states like Arizona and Georgia.And for Trump, flipping Pennsylvania — a state he narrowly won in 2016 but lost in 2020 — would give him a broader path to winning back the White House. And it would reaffirm the power of the working-class electorate that fueled his win in the state eight years ago.Here's how both candidates sought to make a special appeal to Pennsylvanians during the debate.<h2 id="0093ae46-aa7e-4ae5-aa16-aa8da9ac5891">Trump tried to bring fracking into focus</h2>In 2019, when Harris was running for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, she voiced support for a ban on hydraulic fracturing — or fracking.But Harris' newly-minted presidential campaign in July said that she would not support a fracking ban.And recognizing the political potency of the issue, Harris on Tuesday sought to distance herself from her past comments by pointing to her record as vice president."I have not banned fracking as Vice President of the United States," she said during the presidential debate. "And, in fact, I was the tie-breaking vote on the Inflation Reduction Act, which opened new leases for fracking."But her onetime opposition to the oil and gas drilling technique, which has contributed to an energy boom across Pennsylvania, has become a central point of attack for the Trump campaign."If she won the election, fracking in Pennsylvania will end on day one," the former president warned during the debate.It's an issue that has particular resonance in Central and Western Pennsylvania, as it represents a major flashpoint in the ideological tug of war between climate initiatives and the push for increased fossil fuel production in the US.<h2 id="a190ebf5-ac3d-46e1-8b0f-f8ec3518f308">Harris leaned into reproductive rights</h2>Harris has been by far the most forceful advocate for abortion rights in President Joe Biden's administration.After Roe v. Wade was overturned by the US Supreme Court in 2022, Harris traveled the country to rail against the decision — while also making the case for Biden as the preferred candidate on the issue during his onetime reelection bid.<div type="image" title="Josh Shapiro" height="3220" width="4830" msid="113289639" hostid="261" sizebytes="531556"></div>But now that Harris is in the driver's seat, her message to women on the issue — pointing to the health consequences that many now face in the wake of near-total abortion bans in some states — is one that led to Democratic electoral success in myriad races in the 2022 midterms and 2023 elections.In Philadelphia, one of the most thoroughly Democratic states in the country, Harris was already poised to do well — and she'll need robust support to counteract Trump's strong support in rural parts of Pennsylvania.But in Philadelphia's suburbs — filled with boroughs and townships that were once dominated by the GOP — Democrats have made substantial inroads with voters.It's one of the reasons why Biden defeated Trump in the state by one percentage point in 2020. And <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/harris-trump-abortion-presidential-debate-women-reproductive-rights-2024-9">Harris' message on abortion</a> is ready-made for this slice of the electorate, filled with the sort of college-educated voters who have turned the inner and outer Philadelphia suburbs into fertile ground for Democrats.<h2 id="7696ac45-7999-4ff9-9c44-07d2bcb19201">The numbers tell the story</h2>Pennsylvania has 19 electoral votes, which will go a long way for either Harris or Trump as they aim to reach the 270-electoral vote threshold to win the presidency.From 1992 to 2012, only Democratic presidential nominees carried the state.And Trump's 2016 win over former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was by less than one point, as he edged her out by a little over 44,000 votes out of roughly 6.1 million ballots cast.Both parties foresee another close race in Pennsylvania, and the polling backs it up. In the state's Real Clear Politics polling average, Harris and Trump are both <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.realclearpolling.com/polls/president/general/2024/pennsylvania/trump-vs-harris">currently tied</a> at 47.6% support.So voter outreach will be critical for both candidates.Trump has been no stranger to rural and exurban parts of the state, while also <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-biden-philadelphia-pennsylvania-rally-black-swing-voters-2024-6">looking to shave off votes</a> from Democrats in Philadelphia.Harris, whose campaign began in July after President Joe Biden stepped aside as the Democratic nominee, has had a much shorter window to craft her campaign strategy.But immediately after Tuesday's debate, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro made an appearance at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, where he told reporters that Harris was making the case for her presidential bid to voters across the state — and pointed out an upcoming visit to Johnstown."She's showing up in communities that are oftentimes ignored and left behind," he said. "A lot of times, the national candidates fly over. She understands the importance of showing up in those areas."

From abortion to fracking, Harris and Trump tailored their message to Pennsylvania. Why the pivotal swing state matters.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Nine colleges in China say they're giving students a week off to "go fall in love" in April.</li><li>They've been asked to keep travel diaries, film videos of their trips, and write growth reports.</li></ul>Nine vocational colleges in China want their students to go forth and find love during a weeklong spring break in April. The schools, run by the Fan Mei Education Group, <a href="https://www.topflying.com.cn/View_1485_43918.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced on March 23</a> that they are going on a break from April 1 to 7, and tasked students with enjoying themselves."The school implements the spring break system in the hope that students can learn to love nature, love life, and enjoy love," said Liang Guohui, deputy dean of the Mianyang Aviation Vocational College, <a href="https://www.topflying.com.cn/View_1485_43918.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">in a statement.</a>"Walk out of campus, get in touch with nature, and with your heart feel the beauty of spring," the school said in its statement.The participating colleges are all vocational schools for jobs in the aviation industry, such as pilots, flight attendants, air traffic controllers, and airport security staff.The schools have been giving students and teachers a week off in the spring since 2019. But this year's theme, <a href="http://www.qdhkxy.com/college-news/news-View-31-2590.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">"enjoy the blossoms, go fall in love,"</a> places a special emphasis on romance.The announcement comes <a href="https://www.insider.com/china-3-child-policy-combat-aging-population-2021-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">amid a push in China</a> to bolster rapidly declining <a href="https://www.insider.com/china-population-shrinking-first-time-60-years-2023-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">birth and marriage rates</a>. Local companies, provinces, and townships have been experimenting with ways to get people to tie the knot, like offering <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/china/chinese-provinces-give-30-days-paid-marriage-leave-boost-birth-rate-2023-02-21/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">30 days of "marriage leave"</a> or <a href="https://www.insider.com/china-operation-warm-beds-declining-marriages-sparks-social-media-storm-2021-10" target="_blank" rel="noopener">launching campaigns asking city women to date rural older bachelors.</a>Liu Ping, deputy dean of Sichuan Southwest Aviation Vocational College, <a href="https://weibo.com/1784473157/MyTJzBtxX?refer_flag=1001030103_" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told China News Network</a> that the school started its spring break program in response to feedback from students, who asked for a fixed time to learn outside of campus, make new friends, and "experience the beauty of love."Students are still assigned homework, but their tasks are to write travel diaries, pen reports on their own growth, make handicrafts, or film videos of their travels, <a href="http://news.youth.cn/jy/202303/t20230322_14403407.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported China Youth Daily</a>, the newspaper of the Communist Party's youth league."We've decided to go holidaying to Lijiang for four or five days, then use the last two days to prepare for class," Yang Hanyue, a student at the college, told China News Network.Liu Yingzhi, another student, told the outlet she was going to visit her grandparents and take them to see flowers, and that she was given a homework assignment to take photos of the elderly couple.Some of the colleges' announcements went viral on Weibo, or China's version of Twitter. Sichuan Southwest Aviation Vocational College's notice received nearly 130 million views in the two days after it was posted, per data seen by Insider."Can this not be popularized for the rest of the country?" <a href="https://weibo.com/3167104922/MyqiTApAL?refer_flag=1001030103_" target="_blank" rel="noopener">one user wrote in a top comment.</a>"Sichuan is really strong at boosting the fertility rate!" another person on Weibo wrote.The week-long spring break is an expansion of China's one-day national holiday for <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/27/dining/tomb-sweeping-day-food.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tomb sweeping day</a> — also known as the Qingming Festival — on Wednesday, April 5.There's a catch: The colleges are holding make-up classes on weekends to make up for lost time. Their goal, the schools said, is to give students and teachers a "concentrated" time to rest.It's a common practice in China, where some companies enforce blocks of vacations to give employees more time to travel with their families. Workers, in turn, make up for the days they've spent out of the office by reporting for work on the weekends. Representatives for the Fan Mei Education Group did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Chinese colleges are giving students a week off to 'fall in love' as the country struggles to keep its birth rate up

Guwahati, May 6 () Multinational companies lookingto move out of China should consider Assam, with its abundantnatural resources, strategic location and robust industrialinfrastructure, as their destination for setting up productionfacilities in India, state Industries Minister Chandra MohanPatowary said on Wednesday."Many American, Japanese and Korean companies arecontemplating to shift their production facilities from Chinato India and we hope to woo these firms to set up productionfacilities in Assam," Patowary told reporters here.The state government has urged the Department forPromotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), InvestIndia, the Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO), the US-India Business Council and the US Chamber of Commerce toadvise the firms in this regard, he said.The Industries and Commerce Department has engaged arenowned firm to assess the impact of the lockdown on theindustrial sector in Assam and suggest a policy framework toattract industries that are planning to move out of China,Patowary said.The department is also in touch with the DPIIT and theJETRO for setting up a Japanese industrial township in Assamto attract investment of industries based in the East Asiancountry, he said.A special cell has been set up at the stategovernment's 'Assam Startup -- The Nest' incubator to guideand mentor enterprising youths returning to Assam fromdifferent states, the minister said."Interested youths registering with the digitalplatform will be mentored at IIM, Calcutta. Financial grant ofup to Rs 50 lakh will be given to selected startups," he said.The Industries and Commerce Department will also signan MoU with the Indian chapter of The Indus Entrepreneurs(TiE), Silicon Valley (USA) to leverage the startups in Assamso that they can have global access to the startup ecosystem,the minister said.He said the department will also organise a conclaveon startups in partnership with Microsoft after the lockdownis lifted."The potential of pharmaceutical companies has beenrealised during the COVID-19 outbreak. The Union Ministry ofChemicals and Fertilizers has been requested to support theAssam government in setting up a pharma park in the state," hesaid.The state government had on Tuesday issued revisedguidelines allowing all industries with supply chain torestart operation without the need for special permission.It also allowed warehouses and godowns to operate,vehicles to ferry goods and construction activities torecommence.However, safety norms such as wearing masks,maintaining social distancing and sanitising vehicles andfactory premises have to be ensured.A total of 820 industrial units with 28,027 workersoperated in the state on Wednesday, the minister said.Patowary also asked the environment and forest, labourand urban development departments to extend the validity oftrade licences, permissions and clearances issued toindustries and business establishments from March 31 to June30. DGACD ACD

COVID-19: Assam keen to woo MNCs looking to move out of China

In Southeast <keyword id="21718" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="60" keywordseo="Asia">Asia</keyword>, the <keyword id="975427" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Durian">durian</keyword> is the undisputed king of fruit. Crack open its thorny green husk, and you'll find several yellow or red nuggets of custard-like pulp that melts in your mouth.The smell, though, is divisive. Durians are so pungent that <a href="https://www.vox.com/2016/4/21/11477608/jessica-chastain-jimmy-kimmel-durian">Anthony Bourdain</a> once said they make your breath smell like "French-kissing your dead grandmother," and food writer Richard Sterling <a href="https://www.google.com/books/edition/Boobies_Baobabs_and_Bot_Flies_Experience/1zKyCwAAQBAJ?hl=en&amp;gbpv=1&amp;dq=its+odor+is+best+described+as+pig-shit,+turpentine,+and+onions,+garnished+with+a+gym+sock&amp;pg=PT215&amp;printsec=frontcoverntsec=frontcover">opined</a> that "its odor is best described as pig-s--t, turpentine, and onions, garnished with a gym sock."The fruit is so smelly it's banned on public transport in Thailand, Japan, Singapore, and Hong Kong.Still, durians are a special treat in Asian households, and, at as much as $13 a pound, they're not cheap. They're also the subject of an increasingly bitter year-long battle between Malaysian farmers who cultivate premium durian trees and a government-backed consortium that's trying to cash in on the beloved fruit.At the center of this dispute is one specific breed of durian: the <keyword id="11740083" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="musang-king">Musang King</keyword>. It's been called gold that grows on trees, and a single tree can earn farmers up to $1,000 a year. Most of the world's Musang King durians come from Raub, an old mining township of 100,000 people that has become the <a href="https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2018/10/23/booming-durian-business-but-no-water-supply/">"durian capital of Malaysia</a>" after farmers discovered its soil and climate were perfect for growing the fruit.<div type="image" title="Map of Raubq" height="800" width="1600" msid="84823356" hostid="261"></div>Tan Wai Kiat's family has been growing Musang King on a plantation in Raub for 20 years. Just like with wine, trees that age longer produce better fruit. The average tree has to mature for up to 10 years before it starts bearing industry-standard Musang King. Tan's crop used to bring in around $46,000 a year, a tidy sum considering the country's median annual income<a href="https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2021/07/14/malaysians-average-median-salaries-in-2020-fall-for-first-time-since-2010-t/1989755#:~:text=The%20median%20monthly%20wages%20for,RM2%2C160%20(2017)."> is less than $6,000.</a>But all that's left of his farm now are logs and mud, he told Insider. In mid July, the state forestry department finished chopping down 15,000 durian trees, including the entirety of Tan's 13-acre plantation.Farmers like Tan believe the destruction of the 15,000 trees is meant as a warning to other durian growers, since the area cleared only spans around 250 of the total 5,537 acres involved in the dispute.When Tan heard that his plantation was being destroyed, he and other affected farmers rushed there to negotiate with on-site officials, he told Insider.<a href="https://www.facebook.com/watch/?ref=saved&amp;v=1708924416156515651"> A video of the confrontation shows that tensions were high</a>. State authorities had sealed off the area, and the group was arrested on charges of trespassing and detained for 48 hours. Days later, Tan's entire farm was wiped out."I don't know what to think. I don't know what I'm supposed to do. It feels like there is no rule of law in this country," he said.<div type="image" title="Durian farm raub" height="577" width="768" msid="84823357" hostid="261"></div>The battle around Raub's Musang King comes as demand for the fruit has been exploding in popularity in China.In 2020, a<a href="https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2020/10/06/300000-musang-king-durians-sold-in-60-minutes"> durian festival in China sold out $15 million worth of Musang King in 60 minutes</a>, and <a href="https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/musang-king-durian-millionaires-pahang-town-raub-businessmen-11718322">flocks of Chinese tourists have been paying to visit Raub's plantations</a>.<a href="https://www.itfnet.org/v1/2021/02/china-2020-fruit-imports-surpass-usd10-billion-for-first-time/">Durian is now China's No. 1 fruit import by value</a>, and the country bought<a href="https://comtrade.un.org/data/"> $2.3 billion of it last year.</a> China has historically brought in durians from Thailand, which holds an exclusive trade agreement with Beijing for fresh durians, but a 2019 deal with <keyword id="8695" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Malaysia">Malaysia</keyword> to sell frozen durian has seen Chinese interest in Malaysia's Musang King varietal skyrocket.<div type="image" title="Durian at a singapore supermarket can fetch as much as $38 for a small packet." height="1155" width="1536" msid="84823358" hostid="261"></div>The Musang King craze has been around for at least 20 years in Singapore, said durian expert Charles Phua, who owns a durian shop in the city and <a href="https://guide.michelin.com/sg/en/article/people/ask-the-expert-how-to-pick-and-choose-durians">has been consulted by Michelin for guides on the fruit</a>. It's the reason why people start lining up every morning in front of his shop during harvest season an hour before he opens. Prior to the pandemic, foreigners would fly into Singapore just to buy Musang King, he said. The golden Musang King is the "most famous of them all" because of its strong bittersweet taste and unrivaled creaminess, said Phua. At his stall, one pound of his best Musang King goes for $13 a pound.<div type="image" title="Durian Mao Shan Wang" height="902" width="1200" msid="84823360" hostid="261"></div><h2>The great durian land grab</h2>As interest in durian cultivation has grown, so has interference from Raub's state government, say Musang King farmers.Most of the Musang King farms in Raub - like Tan's - are built on government-owned land and are technically being run without permission from state authorities.Farmers say they have been trying to legalize their farms for years. Tan said his family have applied for a land title multiple times since 2011. His latest application was in 2015, according to documents seen by Insider, and is still pending.Even so, Tan's family had farmed Musang King peacefully and without interference from the state, he said - until now. "They just saw that there are profits, and now they want to come in and contest the rights to the land," Tan said.That's where Royal Pahang Durian Group (RPDG) comes into play.<a href="https://royalpahangdurian.com/about/">The association, which was launched around 2017,</a> is <a href="https://www.thestar.com.my/news/2020/03/13/royal-pahang-durian-signs-agreements-with-perbadanan-kemajuan-pertanian-negeri-pahang">partnered with the state agricultural department</a>. Its shareholders include the country's royal family - the sultan's daughter is the chairperson of the board. In June 2020, the state government <a href="https://www.thestar.com.my/business/business-news/2020/07/14/land-scheme-a-win-win-soution-for-illegal-durian-farmers">awarded</a> the RPDG more than 5,500 acres of Musang King soil.The problem is that the land was already host to roughly 1,000 Musang King farmers.RPDG told farmers it would lease them back the land - the same land on which those very farmers had already been running plantations for decades - for a one-time fee of around $1,400 an acre.But the leased land comes with strings.The farmers are required to sell their durian to the consortium at a fixed rate of about $4.30 per pound. This price is well below market rate for Musang King, which can reach as high as $6.80 per pound, the farmers said. On top of all that, the consortium charges the farmers an additional $1 per pound of Musang King, which it said would go toward miscellaneous fees and state land taxes.The association said the scheme was put in place to protect the <a href="https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2020/08/22/company-refutes-pahangs-musang-king-farmers-modern-slavery-accusations-says/1896062">Musang King industry from foreign players</a> and that farmers would make <a href="https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2020/09/01/royal-pahang-says-musang-king-durian-farmers-can-still-profit-despite-rm30/1899100">large profits under its plan.</a>In response, 204 farmers formed a group called the Save Musang King Alliance, and said the proposal was exploitative and would turn them into "modern slaves." The scheme is not unlike share-cropping arrangements that were offered to former slaves in the South after the Civil War. Consider Tan's now-destroyed farm as an example. If the lease were to be applied to Tan's farm, it would have cost him 40% of his total $46,000 yearly revenue. He said he used to spend nearly a third of his revenue on labor, fertilizer, and pest control every year. If those expenses were combined with the new land levies and the lower market price, he would make essentially nothing, he said.Chiang Heng Mun, another farmer whose 20-acre plantation was completely cleared this month, said the state forestry department and consortium are creating a culture of fear among the Musang King growers."These are the trees that I put my tears and sweat into for years," he told Insider. Chiang, the sole breadwinner for his family, lives with his wife, parents, and two kids in their rural house near Raub. His family has been durian farmers in the area for 20 years."We have been trying to meet with them to work things out, but they don't respond. We just want fair treatment, because we have been working here for many years," he told Insider.The Pahang Agricultural Department declined to respond to Insider's request for comment, citing its ongoing legal dispute with the farmers. The RPDG and the Pahang State Forestry Department did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment.<div type="image" title="Durian farm in Pahang" height="3061" width="4600" msid="84823362" hostid="261"></div><h2>'How can my family survive the pandemic?'</h2>The farmer's alliance plans to wage its legal battle on two fronts.Its main objective is to question why the land was leased to the consortium, said Chow Yu Hui, a Malaysian state assemblyman and opposition politician who rallied the farmers last year."We have many documents to prove that these farmers have been working here for 30, 40 years, building the brand of the Musang King," said Chow. "Why not lease the land to them?"The alliance is also arguing that the 15,000 trees destroyed this month were on land that's protected by a superior court. <a href="https://www.theedgemarkets.com/article/pahang-durian-farmers-get-reprieve-they-obtain-stay-being-evicted-plantations">The farmers managed to secure a stay of eviction in January in the Court of Appeal,</a> which allowed them to return to their plantations and work until their case is reviewed. The court order, seen by Insider, includes protection against the destruction of their Musang King trees.Meanwhile, the state forestry department says the durian trees cleared were not covered in the court order, a claim that Chow and the farmers deny.However, the dispute is difficult for the farmers to contest because the exact boundaries of the land sold to RPDG have not been publicly disclosed, Chow told Insider.The farmer's alliance is now looking to create a proposal with the state government that will let them sell their durians at free-market value and be treated as equal partners. Even if they succeed, there is not much of a future left for farmers like Tan and Chiang, now that their plantations are gone. Tan plans to help out on other farms to feed his extended family of 10, who all live in a one-story village house. He and his brother, whose durian plantation was also destroyed this month, were the family's only sources of income.<div type="image" title="Tan Wei Kiat House" height="750" width="1000" msid="84823366" hostid="261"></div>Chiang said he legally owns several acres apart from his destroyed plantation, where he plants other fruit like bananas. But without his Musang King trees, he doubts the money will be close to what his family needs to live off of. He's looking for odd jobs, but said he can barely find work now."I have no hopes, no dreams anymore," Chiang said. "When they chop down all of my trees, how can my family survive the pandemic?"

A battle is unfolding over the world's smelliest fruit, and farmers in Malaysia say their entire livelihood is being wiped out at the worst possible time

<div class="image-container float_right"><div class="image"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dqfEyJyxNY">Lowe Campbell Ewald</a>Iain Lanivich, creative director at Lowe Campbell Ewald.</div></div>Ad agency Lowe Campbell Ewald wants to make <keyword id="18876" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Detroit">Detroit</keyword> — yes, <a href="http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2013/07/how-detroit-really-is-like-america.html">that Detroit</a> — the latest hub for young professionals in the creative and digital technology fields.
But could a city <a href="http://www.freep.com/article/20130718/NEWS01/307180107/Detroit-bankruptcy-filing-Kevyn-Orr-emergency-manager">that declared bankruptcy less than a month and a half ago</a> become the next Austin or San Francisco?
Touting the opportunities offered by a less crowded market and the enthusiastic support of a long-downtrodden city, Lowe Campbell Ewald creative director Iain Lanivich <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&amp;v=-dqfEyJyxNY">put out a video last month</a> asking innovators to join him in the Motor City. LCE is moving its 600-person Michigan headquarters from a nearby suburb into the city's downtown this winter. The company has branches in Los Angeles and San Antonio, too.
Now, he's asking the public to help him take his message directly to the people he hopes to evangelize. 
South by Southwest allows the public to vote on which speakers will lead its panels. Lanivich <a href="http://panelpicker.sxsw.com/vote/21736">is campaigning to lead a discussion</a> highlighting why young creatives and entrepreneurs should move their businesses to Detroit.
The technology and arts festival allows the public to weigh in on which speakers address the conference by considering an online vote alongside the opinion of its staff and advisory boards. Lanivich wants to present a panel outlining all Detroit has to offer young creatives and entrepreneurs.
"What I like is to work with people to create ideas and see them come to life," Lanivich told Business Insider. "We're hoping to bring in talent that can come up with ideas or help those ideas happen."

Lanivich, who grew up in the Detroit area and lives in nearby Bloomfield Township, wants to use the campaign to introduce himself and his agency to the fledgling Detroit <keyword id="6358815" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="tech">tech</keyword> scene and add more creative talent to its ranks. Already, the city's downtown area is home to Dan Gilbert's Detroit Venture Partners and the veteran viral sensation <a href="http://www.textsfromlastnight.com/">Texts From Last Night.</a>
Even so, the Vote for Detroit pitch is ambitious, to say the least. <a href="http://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/index.ssf/2012/09/detroit_has_half_the_median_in.html">According to the U.S. Census Bureau</a>, more than 40% of the city's residents lived below the poverty rate as of 2012. Even more financially stable residents suffer from a broken infrastructure that <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323997004578642250518125898.html">fails to provide adequate police coverage</a> and public transportation.
Sarah Cox, who founded the real-estate blog Curbed Detroit when she moved to the city two and a half years ago, told Business Insider that Detroit will not be able to lure <keyword id="6362513" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Startups">startups</keyword> from hotspots like Austin and San Francisco until the city itself becomes a more hospitable place to live. For this to happen, she said, the city will not only need new businesses, but new residents to generate the tax revenues the city needs to fix everything from broken streetlights to understocked fire-safety equipment.
"It's an interesting time, and I think the city will ultimately be better, but I think all these sort of quick-hit changes are shortsighted," Cox said. "These problems took decades to create, and we weren't just waiting for 600 office workers to show up so we could say 'Oh, everything's good now. We're fine."
Lanivich acknowledged the reality of the city's many predicaments, saying that a family hoping to move within the city limits would first have to figure out where to shop for groceries and whether that location was in a safe part of town. 
He said that he wants innovators at <keyword id="265897" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="SXSW">SXSW</keyword> to look past the flaws of a city with a dangerous reputation and instead embrace the opportunity to grow a business in an environment devoid of Silicon Valley's cut-throat competition and New York's rigid corporate hierarchies.
"When you read about Detroit, there's not much here that doesn't need help," Lanivich said. "It doesn't really matter what your idea is, you can probably try it out here." 
Detroit resident Sebastian Jackson said it was these qualities that helped him develop the <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/casey-gerald-/our-superman-in-detroit-h_b_3705239.html">Social Club Grooming Company</a>, a beauty salon that aims to bring together Detroiters of diverse backgrounds and uses the hair it cuts as fertilizer to plant trees around the city.
While Jackson admits the city's public education system and police department are in need of a lot of work, he said an influx of entrepreneurs would be a step in the right direction toward fixing some of the problems that have plagued the city in the 14 years he's lived there.
"All the social capital you need is in Detroit right now," Jackson said. "I perceived the Vote for Detroit campaign as showing people that they can actually help rebuild one of the nation's greatest <keyword id="6399501" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Cities">cities</keyword> and, at the same time, make money doing it."
"I'm not saying Detroit is perfect right now," Lanivich said. "But it's at a point where maybe the right people can make it great."

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