Breaking News English

They say age is [just / justly] a number, and that you are as young as you feel. The former prime minister of Malaysia, Mahathir Mohamad, is [proof / proving] this to be true. Mr Mahathir is [pushing / pulling] back the years and running for office at the [reap / ripe] old age of 97. He has been the country's leader [double / twice] before. The first time was for 22 years, between 1981 and 2003; the second time was a near-two-year [stern / term] from May 2018. He has announced he will [run / sprint] for parliament in his country's upcoming general election. He was typically coy [on / at] whether or not he has his eyes set [on / in] the top job once again. He told journalists: "We have not decided who will be prime minister because the prime minister candidate [be / is] only relevant if we win."

Mahathir Mohamad has been an ever-present force in Malaysian politics. He first became a member [of / by] parliament in 1964. He is [widely / widened] regarded as [being / been] a visionary for changing his country's economic fortunes. He spearheaded Malaysia's [rapid / rapidly] economic transformation throughout the 1980s. Mahathir's decision to [compete / contest] the parliamentary seat of Langkawi [marks / markings] his 11th general election campaign. Many commentators in Malaysia are sceptical about Mr Mahathir's chances because of his recent [illness / ill] health. He has a history [on / of] heart trouble and has had several heart attacks [end / and] bypass operations, including a quadruple bypass surgery. He was discharged from hospital last month [after / and] contracting Covid-19.