While the final eight astronaut candidates were revealed for the last leg of screenings last month, it seems that we now have only four left to choose from. The only woman candidate among the eight, engineer S. Vanajah, remains among the final four, fueling speculation that the first Malaysian astronaut could very well be a woman.

The final eight candidates underwent a seven-stage screening before four were eliminated, and were initially chosen from a pool of 11,000 applicants since our National Space Agency started the screening campaign in 2003. According to the press release, the final four will undergo “stringent training” in Moscow, Russia, after which the final two candidates will be selected.

One among the two will be eliminated through a further 18-month training stint in Moscow, after which the final candidate will follow the expedition to the International Space Station (ISS) scheduled for October next year.

Although there shouldn’t be any need for West Malaysians to fear the Hand Foot Mouth Disease (HFMD), it is still saddening to see the recent spate of deaths from the disease in Sarawak. So far, the death toll is already at 6 (up from 5 before), and the approximate total number of children infected in Sarawak alone is at 3,984.

488 primary schools and kindergartens have been directed to shut down temporarily to prevent the disease from spreading further, but it seems there are some that refuse to obey the directive.

The primary reason why the death toll is such a small proportion of those infected is that getting HFMD does not necessarily mean death. There are two main variants of HFMD - the usually non-fatal Coxsackie A16 virus and the highly dangerous Enterovirus 71. Catching the Coxsackie A16 is normally a one-week affair (as long as treatment is conducted), while most deaths are caused by the Enterovirus 71.

In my opinion, this makes the current death toll all the more serious as there should only be a relatively small chance of children dying from the disease. Hopefully, both the authorities and administrators of public areas (like kindergartens) will take this to heart and ensure that containment and treatment are successful.

Well, with Malaysia recently lifting its import ban on American beef, rumours that the United States will soon start free trade talks with Malaysia are easy to believe, and should indeed happen given that news reports already point towards International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Rafidah Aziz arriving in the US.

But while free trade between the US and Malaysia should be wholly welcomed by any Malaysian at all, we can see easily that free trade today isn’t exactly “free” - especially when it comes to Malaysia, and its past history with the United States. It shouldn’t be too difficult to recall that our ex-Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir was always a sharp critic of the United States.

In any case, I, and probably any other Malaysian, would love to see a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the US and Malaysia in the near future. If these talks somehow work out, Malaysia will be the second ASEAN country with a FTA with the United States (after Singapore).

The recent fuel hike and subsequent measures taken by the Malaysian Government (e.g. urging Govt. staff in northern Malaysia to cycle to work) has met with more disapproval than support in recent days. We have the Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations (FOMCA) president saying that the hike was “simply too much”, the Kuala Lumpur Lorry Operators Association secretary-general claiming that “…even the present diesel subsidy was not enough…” and even the president of the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers chiming in with “…the recent hike in fuel price may have a significant negative impact on the manufacturing industry if there is a potential increase in electricity charges.”

But that’s not all. Malaysiakini is host to much more “disturbing” talk on the fuel hike. Try the “durian story” analogy which argues that there’s no reason to decrease fuel subsidies when Petronas - a highly profitable fuel company - is government-owned (or more accurately, citizen-owned). Try this reader’s call for more transparency and accountability by Petronas (or rather, the Government). If you want even more arguments against the fuel hike, look at the responses of MDP (arguing that the Govt.’s aim of using the extra funds for public transportation and etc. would turn up empty, yet again) and DAP (arguing that the move is “highly irresponsible and uncaring”).

Luckily, we do have positive statements from Malaysians. There are those that applaud the Government’s move, arguing that subsidies benefited the rich more than the poor in the first place (but still pushing for greater accountability of Petronas’ gains). Personally, I feel that Malaysian demand for petrol has been far too high in the first place - a clear symptom of the circumvention of basic economic principles. Subsidies have undeniably served their purpose, but oversubsidies have possibly cost Malaysian companies their international competitiveness.

It’s therefore a brave move to remove these competitive hindrances, now that they are less needed. Better to wean Malaysian firms from “petrol overdependence” now rather than later as no longer can we expect kindness in today’s harsh global economy. Of course, we do also have to hope that the financial gains from the fuel hike are used appropriately.