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

Some cars see tax hike

The government hiked excise tax for budget multi purpose vehicles (MPVs) by five percent, according to the national gazette which puts the new rate at 65 percent.

The House Buyers’ Association advised home buyers to seek assurances from developers not to seek Extension of Time (EOT), which would disqualify them from compensation in the event of late delivery, after the government revealed it approved more than 300 EOT since 2014.

PKR vice-president Rafizi Ramli warned of a steeper hike in fuel prices next week amid rising global oil price due to uncertainties in the Middle East.

Shabudin decries 'fake news'

Tasek Gelugor MP Shabudin Yahaya claimed the reporting of his statement on child marriage and women marrying their rapists bordered on “fake news”.

Women, Family and Community Development Minister Rohani Abdul Karim said she did not want to interfere the matter and that Shabudin reserved the right to sue the media.

Anwar’s take on Act 355

PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim said amendments to the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965 should be more holistic instead of only focusing on punishments as proposed by PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang.

Dr Mahathir Mohamad warned that the current proposed amendments to Act 355 was a political ploy that is polarising the nation.

Mahathir also spoke out against local elections, claiming that it would lead to racial polarisation.

Serdang MP Ong Kian Ming questioned why the Election Commission was allowing “spurious” objections by Umno against new voters, which he said was overwhelmingly against Chinese voters.

Other Kinibites

MCA is demanding RM100 million from Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng for allegedly claiming that MCA had misappropriated funds intended for Chinese schools.

Lim also questioned what had happened to the Kuala Lumpur City Hall’s app which was developed for RM1 million but had fallen out of use.

Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia deputy president Mukhriz Mahathir proposed new dates after police blocked the debate with his former special assistant Haris Che Mat.

Universiti Malaya and Universiti Teknologi Mara slapped fines against five students for raising protest placards at a 1MDB townhall meeting last year.

Prosecutors are seeking a stiffer punishment against Pusat Komas programme manager Lena Hendry who was fined RM10,000 for screening a documentary on the Sri Lankan civil war titled ‘No Fire Zone’, upsetting the Sri Lankan embassy.