Jolene Bong
Two-month-old survivor of Muar crash

She's been called the miracle baby. Her parents, two-year-old brother and grandmother were killed in a car accident on the highway near Muar last Thursday. But cherubic Jolene, who was flung some 10m out of the badly mangled family car, had only scratches on her forehead.

The Bongs had been on their way to Kuala Lumpur when their car swerved off the highway and hit two trees.

Abdullah Badawi
Prime Minister of Malaysia

Things had not been rosy for Datuk Seri Abdullah, 68, even before the March 8 general election. The stunning losses suffered by his Barisan Nasional coalition did not help his shaky hold on power.

Now, despite an attempt to put off Umno's leadership elections until next year, party members are demanding that they be held this year. The Umno polls will now be held from Dec 16 to 20. Watch out for the knives.

Carla Bruni-Sarkozy
French President's wife

She came, they saw, she conquered. Arriving with her husband Nicolas Sarkozy on a state visit to Britain last Wednesday, the former Italian supermodel, 40, wowed the Britons.

The tabloids had a field day. Alluding to a naked fashion shot of her taken in the 1990s, the Daily Mail guffawed: '...this time she remembered to put some clothes on'.

For the record, the recently married Mrs Sarkozy wore an elegant Christian Dior outfit last Wednesday.

Ma Ying-jeou
President-elect of Taiwan

Fresh from his landslide election victory a week ago, the Kuomintang leader wasted no time putting out feelers to China while also assuring the Taiwanese that he will not cosy up to Beijing.

Referring to China, the 57-year-old said: 'We will not deny their existence but we cannot recognise their sovereignty over Taiwan.'

Chinese President Hu Jintao seems all warm and fuzzy too. He has signalled that he is ready to resume cross-strait dialogue.

Professor Yap Hui Kim
Medical award winner

Prof Yap, 53, the winner of the National Outstanding Clinician Award given out last Wednesday, said that being a great medical researcher required compassion.

She pioneered paediatric nephrology - the diagnosis, treatment and care of kidney disease in children.

Prof Yap said that her work was far from completed and more could be done to improve the lives of children with kidney failure.