AS the lunar calendar aligns with our national holidays next week, Malaysia stands on the cusp of a beautiful phenomenon: the overlap of Chinese New Year and the start of Ramadan.

TUBERCULOSIS (TB) is back in the headlines following an outbreak in Johor where 33 people were detected with the disease.

ARE you drinking enough fluids? Hot weather is here again as Malaysia moves into "musim timur", as folk in the north of the peninsula call the north-east monsoon.

THE latest National Education Blueprint (2026-2035) plans to get Malaysian children into Year One by age six instead of the current age of seven in 2027, subject to parental and student readiness.

OUR retirement goal posts have moved.

A TOTAL of 120 people were caught littering in Malaysia in just the first two days of 2026.

THE government's recent move to initiate a sandbox trial to test social media safety measures is a commendable, if overdue, step in addressing a digital environment that has become increasingly unregulated and dangerous.

MALAYSIA'S economy is on reasonably solid ground for now. There are jobs available, shops are busy, people are travelling and cafes are filling up again.

IT starts small: A smartphone bought on an instalment scheme, or a few online purchases split into easy payments, and maybe a short-term loan to get through the month.

THE blaze that swept through a densely populated high-rise complex in Hong Kong on Nov 26 claimed 160 lives – and serves as a chilling reminder of the ever-present danger of fire lurking in our vertical cities.

MALAYSIA crossed a quiet but profound threshold in 2021, becoming an ageing nation.

THE monsoon is back, bringing the usual downpours and floods.