THE whole world watches whenever the Americans go to the polls – as they say, “When America sneezes, the world gets a cold”, so we are invested.

THERE’S about two months to go before National Service (NS) 3.0 begins. There’s also been lots of discussion about the latest version of the programme.

IN recent months, reports of kidnapping attempts on children have surfaced more frequently.

THE usual laudatory statements from captains of industry, key opinion leaders and subject matter experts following the tabling of the federal budget are an annual exercise in which the noise often drowns out what is relevant to the vast majority of citizens – we just want to know what’s in it for us, especially when the economy seems to be chugging along decently and the lingering impact from the Covid-19 lockdowns seems to have mostly dissipated.

ON Tuesday, the long-awaited Control of Smoking Products for Public Health Act 2024 finally came into force following its passage in February.

IT took two decades of pushing, and education, and awareness raising – mainly by women’s groups – to get the Anti-Sexual Harassment Act passed in 2022; it came into effect in March 2023.

THIS past week, from Penang to Sabah, Malaysians faced a fierce reminder of the power of nature.

FOR many decades after the Malayan independence in 1957, we celebrated National Day in a grand way, with parades, and performances, and fly bys, oh my! After all, losing the colonial yoke is understandably something to be proud of.

TODAY marks the conclusion of the Paris Paralympic Games, and Malaysia has good reason to celebrate – two gold medals.

SO far, there are no reports of mpox in Malaysia.

IN an unsettled world, it’s good to be reminded of Malaysia’s good fortune.