There’s little love in the air, judging by what has been happening in the country in recent days.

THERE I was, fresh from an eye surgery, a patch over one eye, and reading the newspaper again after a break of a couple of days.

As an eventful year comes to an end, it’s time to look back at the year that was and re-live the agony, the joy and the suspense. We can also look at the lessons we have learnt – if any.

The destruction of a candi in Kedah showed how little we care for the nation’s history. And the wanton sale of artefacts from other local ancient kingdoms only adds to the growing problem.

The NRD has every right to ensure only the deserving get their documents. But is that reason enough to deny an innocent child the right to education.

What do Justin Bieber, the Middle East and Malaysia have in common? Well, they have all been caught in street art controversies, for one thing.

Deepavali is held to celebrate the death of evil at the hands of good, of darkness being vanquished by light. But every so often, death is cruel and there is little to celebrate.

A video that went viral recently showed how cruel people can be when handling strays. So, it is heartwarming to learn that there are people out there who care to give these strays a decent life.

Some people have strange ways of fulfilling the last wishes of the dying – milk, sand and even gold. So, how about the dying wish of a man who will soon be nothing but a handful of ash?

IT’S been a miserable week. There has been rain, floods, a couple of days without proper water supply after diesel was poured into a river.

The crackdown on violent crime is long overdue and, thankfully, the cops have finally decided to play hardball – but there must not be an overreaction that could lead to innocent victims.

Violent crime is on the rise and even bigwigs are now admitting it. However, there could be hope – and it’s not so much from police patrols. The answer may just lie in unleaded petrol.