May 4 (Reuters) – Levi Strauss & Co said on Wednesday it will reimburse travel expenses for its full- and part-time employees who need to travel to another state for health care services, including abortions.The apparel company best known for its jeans is the latest U.S. company to offer the benefit as various states clamp down on access to abortions.And now, the U.S. Supreme Court looks set to vote to overturn the Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion nationwide, according to a leaked initial draft majority opinion published by Politico on Monday. read more Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com“Given what is at stake, business leaders need to make their voices heard and act to protect the health and well-being of our employees. That means protecting reproductive rights,” the company said in a statement.Other companies have pledged to offer similar support to their U.S. employees who need to travel out of states like Texas and Oklahoma that have restricted access to abortion services.Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O), the second-largest U.S. private employer, on Monday told employees it will pay up to $4,000 in travel expenses yearly for non-life threatening medical treatments, among them elective abortions. read more Crowd-sourced review platform Yelp, Inc (YELP.N) said it will start in May to cover expenses for its employees and their dependents who need to travel to another state for abortion services. read more One of the leading Hollywood talent agencies, UTA, said it would reimburse travel expenses related to receiving women’s reproductive health services that are not accessible in an employee’s state of residence.”We’re doing this to support the right to choose that has been a bedrock of settled law for almost half a century,” Jeremy Zimmer, UTA’s chief executive, wrote in a staff memo Wednesday that was seen by Reuters.Citigroup Inc (C.N) became in March the first major U.S. bank to make a similar commitment. read more Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comReporting by Doyinsola Oladipo; Dawn Chmielewski in Los Angeles; Editing by Anna Driver, Alexandra Hudson, Kirsten DonovanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. .
Palm oil vaults to historic premium over soyoil in India, sparking shifts in buying patternsThe Black Sea accounts for 60% of world sunflower oil output and 76% of exports. Ports in Ukraine will remain closed until the invasion ends. read more “Asian and European refiners have raised palm oil purchases for near-month shipments to replace sunoil. This buying has lifted palm oil to irrational price level,” said a Mumbai-based dealer with a global trading firm.”They have the option of buying soyoil as well. But prompt soyoil shipments are limited and they take much longer to land in Asia compared to palm oil,” he said.Soybean production in Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay is expected to fall because of dry weather. Price-sensitive Asian buyers traditionally relied on palm oil because of low costs and quick shipping times, but now they are paying more than $50 per tonne premium over soyoil and sunoil, said a Kuala Lumpur-based edible oil dealer.Palm oil’s price premium is temporary, however, and could fade in the next few weeks as buyers shift to soyoil for April shipments, the dealer said.Most of the incremental demand for palm oil is fulfilled by Malaysia, as Indonesia has put restriction on the exports, said an Indian refiner. “Malaysian stocks are depleting fast because of the surge in demand. It is the biggest beneficiary of the current geopolitical situation,” he said.Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com
