Leatherback Sea Turtle - Extinct In Terengganu

Back in the 1950s, Rantau Abang, Terengganu was famous for its Leatherback Sea Turtles sightings, and every year from May to October, the turtles would come ashore to lay eggs. Rantau Abang was a hotspot for Leatherback Sea Turtles to lay eggs because the slopes there are steep enough for the mama turtles to find a nesting spot easily. 

This species is the largest sea turtle, as well as the oldest living reptile! They can live up to 100 years, and male Leatherbacks can grow up to 2.6 metres in length and weigh up to a tonne!

Reports state that the sightings have dropped drastically to 50 per year in the 1990s, compared to the record of 10,000 in the 1950s. And by 2003, only two turtles were sighted to lay eggs here, leaving this species extinct in Terengganu!

According to WWF - these are the reasons why the turtles have gone extinct.

Human intervention - Although female turtles lay hundreds of eggs each nesting season, only a few babies survive into their first year. It’s known that people harvest the eggs to sell and eat, some of them even disturbed or degraded the nesting beaches. Other than collecting turtle eggs, coastal development has also contributed to the decline of turtle sightings.

Pollution - Sea pollution has been a huge issue recently. Turtles that ingest ocean trash like plastic straws, styrofoam pieces, plastic bags etc. will experience blockage in their digestive tract, and ultimately death. It’s not news for us that turtles are one of the primary victims of sea pollution, and according to BBC, even a single piece of plastic can kill a turtle.

Eggs eaten by other sea animals - This might sound cruel, but it’s indeed how the ecosystem works, where one organism consumes another. While they’re trying to make their way to the sea, the hatchlings are preyed on by crabs, monitor lizards and birds.

Mighty PepsiCo Screws Poor Indian Farmers

PepsiCo has offered to stop pursuing four small farmers in India it accuses of illegally growing a variety of potatoes registered for exclusive use in its Lays chips.

The company's Indian subsidiary filed lawsuits against the farmers earlier this month. They were heard by a court in the Indian state of Gujarat on Friday, when a lawyer for PepsiCo (PEP) offered to drop the case provided the farmers join thousands of others in the company's authorized cultivation program.

"That was a discussion that happened in the court today," a PepsiCo spokesperson told CNN. "We told them, why don't you join our program and we will provide seeds ... Either join us or grow other potatoes. That way, we are willing to let go of the case."

A lawyer for the farmers has asked for time to consider the offer. The next court hearing is due June 12.

Farmer unions and activists have been fighting back against the food and beverage maker over the case, the latest battle in India between local businesses and big global players. Small retailers have been protesting against companies like Walmart  and Amazon - claiming the American giants are unfairly destroying their business — and even succeeded in getting the government to put in some restrictions. 

PepsiCo, which owns brands like Pepsi, Lays, Gatorade and Quaker Oats, is reportedly seeking damages of 10 million rupees ($143,000) from each farmer. The farms they operate have only a few acres each.

"The company was compelled to take the judicial recourse as a last resort to safeguard the larger interest of thousands of farmers that are engaged with its collaborative potato farming program," PepsiCo's spokesperson said.

The company will not be seeking any compensation if the farmers agree to the settlement offer, the spokesperson added.

Farmers' associations and activists in India called on the Indian government to step in and take action against PepsiCo. In a letter to the government published earlier this week and shared with CNN Business, they said the farmers' rights to grow and sell registered crops are protected under India's agricultural laws.

"We believe that the intimidation and legal harassment of farmers is happening because farmers are not fully aware of [their] rights," the letter said. The letter also claims PepsiCo sent private detectives to the accused farmers posing as potential buyers, secretly recording video of them and taking samples of the potatoes.

PepsiCo did not comment on those allegations.

The company's actions are "against food sovereignty" and the "sovereignty of the nation," said Kapil Shah of Jatan, one of the advocacy groups helping to defend the farmers.

"This is the first bow down from Pepsi," Shah said in reference to the offer to settle.

Etiqa Insurance Updates - 2018

Group Insurance and Takaful’s profit before tax (PBT) fell 19% to RM825 million in the financial year ended Dec 31, 2018 (FY18), after posting a record PBT of RM1.1 billion for FY17.

The lower profit was attributed to weakness in stock markets, accounting differences and the absence of disposal gains in the year prior.

“2018 proved to be a challenging year for Etiqa against a backdrop of global economic uncertainty, which impacted investment revenue across the insurance industry,” Etiqa Insurance and Takaful CEO Kamaludin Ahmad said in a statement.

The drop in PBT was also a result of adverse equity market performance and designation of equities as fair value through profit and loss that resulted in equities realised and unrealised losses compared to a large equity gain recorded, as well as gain from disposal of investment property recorded in FY17.

However, the insurance and takaful arm of Malayan Banking Bhd saw its gross premiums rising 17% to RM7.2 billion in FY18.

Its life insurance and family takaful business grew 16% to RM4.3 billion, while the general insurance and takaful business improved 17% to RM2.9 billion.

The group retained its position as the largest general insurer and takaful player in the country, with a 12.3% market share of the general takaful segment versus 11.6% in 2017.

In the life/family (new business) segment, Etiqa came in fourth with a market share of 11.2% for the Malaysian market, compared to 9.9% in the year prior.

It was also the biggest online insurer domestically with over 65% market share, while Etiqa’s bancassurance channel held a 20% market share in the overall life and family new business and a 22.8% share in regular premium weighted average sales.

He added that the group will continue to keep its focus simple in 2019, by ensuring fast and easy customer experience coupled with sound advice.

“We grew 17% in 2018 with new life/family business growing by 19% and general business growing by 10%, while the Malaysian insurance/takaful industry grew by 5% and 4% for new life business and general business respectively.

“We retained our No 1 bancassurance position as well as our No 1 online insurer position, and we’re No 2 for our fire general business,” Kamaludin said.

The group’s total assets stood at RM36.1 billion in FY18, up 4.7% from the previous year.

Etiqa operates in Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines and Indonesia, via a 10,000- strong agency force, 46 branches and 17 offices over 490 bancassurance network.

MCIS Aims At B40 Market

MCIS Insurance Bhd is expected to expand its insurance solutions that would be targeted at the low-income households particularly the bottom 40% (B40) group.

Its new CEO Prasheem Seebran, said the plan is part of the company’s latest round of rebranding, which would see its portfolio also expanding into the middle 40% (M40) market. Prasheem, who is also the newly appointed MD, said the main focus for 2019 would be the company’s rebranding with various initiatives within the next few months that could push MCIS Insurance more firmly into the forefront of the highly saturated market.

“Our current target market is towards the lower part of the M40 group, so now my bigger aim is to begin serving the low-income market,” he told The Malaysian Reserve (TMR) in Petaling Jaya yesterday.

The corporate rebranding exercise by MCIS Insurance is slated for the fourth quarter of this year.

“We want to provide more solutions for the B40, and that is what excites me, something MCIS Insurance has been meaning to do,” Prasheem added.

He said the low penetration rate of insurance and takaful among the B40 segment is a critical issue, as the prospects are mainly people who are highly vulnerable to financial shocks due to their low levels of savings.

Apart from the M40 and B40 groups, Prasheem said MCIS Insurance is also shifting its focus towards the millenials, a large untapped market within the industry. Millennials — those born between 1981 and 1996 — are generally not known to be big on life insurance coverage.

“I am definitely looking at focusing on millennials, and it is mainly about education. We have to let them know that it is about insuring your family when you pass on,” he said.

Prasheem said insurers have to be creative in tackling the various needs of the millenials.

The penetration of the new market would also see MCIS Insurance expanding its capabilities, while going big on creativity to allow millennials the convenience of picking their policies at their own comfort.

“That is how the idea of a mobile application came about and I know it will be happening very soon,” he said.

Prasheem said MCIS Insurance, along with its shareholder Sanlam Emerging Markets Proprietary Ltd, have also been keeping a very good relationship with Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM).

“The Malaysian market has been relevantly stable and we welcome any changes made by BNM, as we know it is for the betterment of the industry,” he told TMR.

Prasheem is confident that MCIS Insurance could achieve a double-digit growth over the next three to five years. His appointment on March 2019 was part of MCIS Insurance’s major changes since the start of this year.

“The team now is really focused on building ourselves towards the age of digitalisation and to transform our culture into one that is nimble and agile,” he added.

Stop Urinating In The Lift

Every trip back and forth to her home at the Housing Project for the Hardcore Poor (PPRT) scheme is an assault to the sense of smell for actress Haneesya Sayed Sahlan.

In a Twitter posting yesterday, the 18-year-old former Dewi Remaja 2019/2019 admitted she was staying in a PPRT flat and her pet peeve about living there was the stench of urine in the lifts.

“I swear I don’t get why one would urinate in the lifts.

“From the top floor to the ground floor, I have to hold my breath and sometimes have to endure the foul stench of urine.”

Accompanying the post were two snaps, one showing a litter-strewn lift with a puddle of partially dried urine and another of the closed-circuit surveillance camera in the lift.

“What I don’t get is there are CCTV cameras, but it’s as if they don’t function.” 

She went on to elaborate that many people had made reports on the matter and pleaded with residents to not relieve themselves in the lift. 

Spain Tries To Dump Plastic Garbage In Malaysia

Plastic waste is now being smuggled into the country via shipping containers by being falsely declared as another type of imports that do not require a permit, says Yeo Bee Yin.

The Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change Minister said a two-week investigation found that plastic waste were now being smuggled into Malaysia from developed countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, United States and Germany.

"We have found that there are containers which have contaminated plastics but it is being declared that they are not (HS Code) 3915 plastics.

"They are falsely declaring it as (HS Code) 3920 plastics, where they don't need a permit and can enter the country straight away.

The HS (Harmonised System) Code, is a coding system to classify products when they are declared at the customs checkpoints.

The 3915 code refer to plastics waste, parings and scrap while the 3920 code refer to other plates, sheets, film and foil strips.

She added that international cooperation was needed to take down such global syndicates.

"We want to focus on the source of the illegal plastic imports. We need to stop it at the ports and we believe that there are syndicates who are making lucrative profits from importing such waste from developed countries," she said.

She added that her ministry would be going "full-force" to clamp down on those responsible for illegal plastic waste imports over the next month.

She sent out a warning to forwarding agencies to be wary of clients who are importing plastics, adding that the government has the right to revoke their licences if their clients make false declarations.

In the meantime, she added, exporters of such plastic waste would be told to take back their waste in about three months' time as specified under the Basel Convention.

"Malaysia will not be the dumping ground of the world.

"We will send back (the waste) to the original countries," she said, adding that the waste would be shipped back but not under the government's expense.

The Basel Convention is an international treaty aimed at reducing the movement of hazardous waste between countries.

Canada Dumped Garbage In Philippine

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday demanded Canada take back tonnes of trash it had illegally shipped to Manila or risk ‘war‘, in the latest incident to strain bilateral ties.

The Philippines has urged Canada to take back scores of garbage containers shipped to the country in 2013 and 2014, alleging they contain toxic waste.

But Ottawa has said it had no authority to compel a private shipper to return the shipment to Canada.

Speaking to officials during a visit north of Manila, an area ravaged by an earthquake on Monday, Duterte said he did not care if his stance on the issue turned the two countries into enemies.

“I want a boat prepared. I’ll give a warning to Canada maybe next week that they better pull that thing out, or I will set sail for Canada and dump their garbage back there,” he said.

“Let’s fight Canada. I will declare war against them,” added the president, who frequently uses coarse language and hyperbole in public speeches about opponents.

The garbage is among several festering issues that have soured ties between the two governments.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been among the most vocal critics of the domestic drug war waged by Duterte, who was elected in 2016.

Philippine police say they have killed nearly 5,000 alleged drug users and pushers who fought against arrest in the crackdown, while rights groups say the true toll is at least triple that and may amount to crimes against humanity.

Last year Duterte angrily cancelled the Philippine military’s US$235 million contract to buy 16 military helicopters from a Canada-based manufacturer after the Trudeau government put the deal under review because of the president’s human rights record.