RECAP | Key headlines that you may have missed yesterday, in brief.

Much ado over Anwar's letter

Anwar Ibrahim's eight-page handwritten letter from prison caused a flap in the opposition circles.

Penned in language that was eloquent and poetic, its message however was acerbic, recounting disappointments that some had strayed from the reformasi struggle, casting doubts on the Citizen's Declaration spearheaded by nemesis Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

Former federal minister Zaid Ibrahim has alluded to an alleged internal strife among PKR leaders as the trigger behind the scathing letter by Anwar and his warning that certain people seek to make use of the opposition for their own schemes.

While PKR Bukit Katil MP Shamsul Iskandar Md Akin said Anwar's letter warned them to be careful when travelling on a dangerous road, but it doesn't mean he is telling them that they should not drive on it.

Party vice-president Rafizi Ramli said that the letter from Anwar was a timely reminder to PKR leaders not to get carried away with the Mahathir-led Citizens' Declaration and is a nudge for them to re-focus their efforts on defeating the ruling BN.

PKR president and Anwar's wife Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail however declined to share her views on the missive penned by her husband, saying that it was an internal party matter.

Commenting on the matter from the other side of the political divide, Deputy Home Minister Nur Jazlan Mohamed said that having been a victim of Mahathir, Anwar knows his former mentor better, thus his concerns and warnings were reflected in the letter.

Regardless, DAP said it will continue to back the Citizens' Declaration and work with Mahathir despite Anwar's letter from prison cautioning against it, noting that they are aware of the issues raised and are treading with caution.

Ambiga Sreenevasan, a key leader in the civil society, defended the Citizens' Declaration, vowing to soldier on in the wake of the letter, adding that she won't comment on details in the missive as it would be improper and an intrusion to do so as it seemed to her the letter was not meant for public consumption.

Still too early to cry fraud in 1MDB

It's still too early to conclude if fraud had occurred in the US$3.5 billion transaction between 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) and International Petroleum Investment Company (IPIC), said Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak in a parliamentary reply.

Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said that police have yet to question former 1MDB CEO Shahrol Azral Halmi who is being probed is under Section 409 of the Penal Code for criminal breach of trust after the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) blamed him for the troubled government-owned investment fund's weaknesses.

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) deleted several lines in relation to Good Star limited in its 1MDB report as all information it received from Bank Negara was “confidential”, said Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Azalina Othman Said.

Guan Eng accused of racialising Taoist shrine fracas

DAP Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng have been accused of playing the racial game and passing the buck to MCA, pitting the Chinese party against its Umno partner over the Taoist shrine issue in Armenian Park, which the CM claimed Penang opposition leader Jahara Hamid wants to see “demolished".

Jahara denied using the word “demolished”, but Lim insisted that she implied so when she questioned the existence of the small shrine in the public park, handing over copies of the Hansard to reporters, with the portion of the remarks by the elected representative relating to the matter underscored.

More Kini bites

The Penang Transgender Committee held its first meeting at the state legislative assembly after seven years of lobbying for it to be instituted. It discussed future activities and better welfare for the state's transgender community, especially on how individuals are treated in the hospitals and prisons.

The Kuala Lumpur High Court ruled that Raub Australian Gold Mining (RAGM) had failed to prove that Ban Cyanide Action Group (BCAC) vice-president Hue Shieh Lee’s statements against the gold mine were malicious falsehoods. It ordered RAGM to pay RM20,000 in cost to the Bukit Koman villager. Bukit Koman villagers who travelled from Raub, Pahang to support Hue were jubilant on hearing the decision.

There is a “decreasing possibility” that missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 will ever be found, an Australian official said, as only a small proportion of the search zone remained to be scanned out of the marked 120,000-sq-km area.

The Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam), which has often been described as a toothless tiger even by its own leaders for lacking legal authority, is now limited to activities within the Klang Valley, after the government slashed its 2016 budget from almost RM11 million to just RM5.5 million.

Social media users mobilise to collect funds to assist a taxi driver whose picture showing him trapped atop his taxi's roof during the flash floods which struck several areas of Kuala Lumpur last Thursday, went viral on social media.

Looking ahead

The Auditor-General's Report on government spending will be tabled in Parliament today.

Anwar is expected to testify in Batu MP Tian Chua’s sedition case at the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court.