The Umno-Bersatu divorce and other news you may have missed

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

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1. Bersatu said it would turn its attention to its other allies after Umno informed the party of its decision to cease cooperation once the 15th general election is called. Umno veteran Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah said Umno should leave the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government now, rather than later.

2. What would BN do once its largest component party breaks ties with its PN counterpart? BN sources say the cooperation would continue, but BN is keeping its cards close on what would happen once Parliament is dissolved.

3. The Federal Court ruling on contempt proceedings against Malaysiakini could have serious repercussions on personal and professional social media users alike, lawyers say.

4. National Covid-19 cases are falling, yet some states are still seeing small but growing outbreaks within their borders. Sarawak and Penang reported a spike in cases yesterday.

5. The New Zealand government has kept mum amid questions on whether Malaysian deputy minister Edmund Santhara received special treatment to enter the country despite limited quarantine facilities for its own citizens.

6. Both Pakatan Harapan and BN rubbished de facto law minister Takiyuddin Hassan’s justification for postponing the Parliament sitting, saying that it is contrary to the king’s wish for Parliament to reconvene.

7. The Construction Industry Development Board is investigating the traffic management surrounding the collapse of the Suke Highway construction project, while the police have turned their attention to a driver who crashed into the scene and later tested positive for methamphetamines.

8. After defecting from PKR, Julau MP Larry Sng hopes to defend his parliamentary seat, but Parti Rakyat Sarawak said it would not step aside.

9. The Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (Muda) said it has yet to receive a response from the home minister on its appeal to be registered as a political party and called for a decision to be reached soon.

10. Health Ministry director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah has stressed the importance of equity amid lobbying by private hospitals to source Covid-19 vaccines on their own and sell them.