Once again it's time for Malaysians to join in the `balik kampung' rush with most driving back home and another sizable number using public transportation.     

The Malaysian flag which became known as Jalur Gemilang in later years was actually created a few years before independence. According to the history, when the Federation of Malaya replaced the short lived Malayan Union, the federation government through the Federal Legislative Council called for a design contest for a new flag.

This article is a tribute to all the forgotten freedom fighters who fought for Malaya’s independence from the British oppressors, especially those who were unjustly chastised for their activisms.

“Those who are inside and outside this hall, please make donations to help Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Alhaj to go to London for the sake of the people and nation”.

When Donald Stephens, dressed in a Kadazandusun traditional attire, read the proclamation of the Federation of Malaysia on 16 Sept 1963, it was a highly meaningful and exciting moment for the thousands of people at the Jesselton Town Field.

There have been plenty of positive happenings in the state of Johor since Tunku Ibrahim Ismail took over the throne as the state’s regent following the death of his father, the Sultan of Johor, Sultan Iskandar Ibni Almarhum Sultan Ismail, earlier this year. As part of new Sultan’s initiative to get closer to the people of Johor, the 51-year old who was previously known as Tunku Mahkota of Johor, had embarked on his annual state-bound tours with extra gusto this time around.

Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak took over the  country's premiership at a critical juncture of Malaysia's political history, When he was sworn in as Malaysia’s sixth Prime Minister on April 3 2009, Malaysia was suffering from a financial crisis and he realised that party reform was critical of his and Umno-BN’s survival. The whole nation saw his predecessor Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi turned from ‘party hero’ who lead Umno and BN to a resounding victory in the 11th General Election in 2004, into a ‘failed leader’ in the 12th General Elections, where the rakyat punished him for squandering their mandate and not instituting long-needed reforms.

The surge in the nefarious acts of rape on children in the last three months is enough to put any parent off from letting their children spend time outside – even to school. In the wake of cases where these detestable predators turn out to be the very people who ferry kids to and from school on a daily basis, who are the parents to trust their children with now?

Sahur is an Islamic term referring to the meal consumed early in the morning by Muslims before fasting in daylight hours during the Islamic month of Ramadan. The meal is eaten before dawn (imsak) and it is also considered as the morning meal replacing the traditional two daytime meals (breakfast and lunch).

On July 7, an unidentified flying object (UFO) forced China’s Xiaoshan Airport in Hangzhou to cease operations. A flight crew preparing for descent first detected the object around 8:40pm and notified the air traffic control department. Aviation authorities responded within minutes, grounding outbound flights and diverting inbound ones to airports in Ningbo and Wuxi. This is one of the many examples of UFO sightings from all around the world.

The years Khmer Rouge came to power, from 1975 to 1979, was the darkest period in the modern history of Cambodia if not Southeast Asia. Almost one-third (1.7 million) of the country's men, women and children were killed during this time as part of the regime’s twisted genocide campaign. Many were tortured for long periods of time, some for more than three years. Mass-murders were rampant throughout the five-year Khmer Rouge reign that was led by the ruthless Pol Pot though the world didn't even know about it until it was almost too late.

Ultra-compact digital cameras have come a long way since it made its easy way to the market and into our pockets. The beauty of these tiny tech toys is they are stylish, easy to carry and simple to use. On top of that, the newer ones are getting slimmer and trimmer but still come packed with features like video recording and touch-screen displays.