Mounting Covid-19 deaths and other news you may have missed

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KINI ROUNDUP | Here are key headlines you may have missed yesterday, in brief.

1. Health Ministry director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah highlighted the worsening Covid-19 situation, pointing out that the country recorded 71 deaths in the first nine days of 2021 compared to less than 100 deaths in the first nine months of 2020.

2. Malaysia recorded 2,433 new Covid-19 cases, the sixth consecutive day that new infections are above 2,000.

3. Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Mustapa Mohamed became the second cabinet member to become infected with Covid-19.

4. Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin was among the top leaders exposed to Mustapa.

5. Human Resources Minister M Saravanan revealed that some errant employers have been hiding workers who were infected with Covid-19.

6. More than 40,000 people have been evacuated due to the monsoon floods with the situation in Pahang worsening. Muhyiddin took time out to visit flood victims in the state.

7. PKR's Pasir Gudang MP Hassan Karim urged Muhyiddin to seek an audience with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong after losing his majority in the Dewan Rakyat.

8. Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz's boast about the country's foreign direct investment backfired after he was criticised for his handling of foreign investors by the European-Malaysia Chamber of Commerce chief executive officer Sven Schneider.

9. Prasarana Malaysia Berhad finally released RM375 million in payments to LRT3 contractors after they claimed the project owner was withholding money to influence the appointment of sub-contractors.

10. PKR's Permatang Pauh MP Nurul Izzah Anwar said she was not keen to return to active politics but instead prefers to work behind the scenes.

11. Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said he "took responsibility" over criticism against the state government for purchasing RM450,000 Mercedes Benz for him amid the Covid-19 pandemic.