Here are the key headlines from yesterday you may have missed, in brief.

NSC Bill becomes law without royal assent

The National Security Council Bill was gazetted as law without royal assent despite the Conference of Rulers asking that the legislation be re-examined. The bill automatically becomes law even without royal assent, after 30 days of its submission to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

DAP's Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng decried this as an act of treason by the BN-led government.

A coalition of NGOs also urged attorney-general Mohamed Apandi Ali to explain why he ignored legitimate concerns raised by the rulers, warning that the law was a leap towards dictatorship.

Rafizi milks Rosmah's jet ride issue

PKR secretary-general Rafizi Ramli continued to hit out at prime minister's wife Rosmah Mansor ride on a government private jet, estimating that the two-month lease of the aircraft would cost taxpayers RM86.4 million.

However, Rosmah's aide Rizal Mansor slammed Rafizi, stating that Rosmah only used the jet for 26 hours and did not spend two months in the clouds, therefore not all of the cost could be attributed to her.

In a related development, mStar denied Gerakan Media Marah's claim that the publication's assistant news editor was recalled from the Kuala Kangsar by-election and demoted for writing on Rosmah's government private jet ride.

Damage control mode in twin polls

Parti Amanah Negara was in damage control mode with central committee member Nizar Jamaluddin apologising for suggesting that the Kuala Kangsar by-election was a divine retribution for BN's 2009 coup in Perak.

BN's candidate Mastura Mohd Yazid, who is also the wife of the late Kuala Kangsar MP, said she forgave Nizar.

Meanwhile, Amanah communications director Khalid Samad promised no more billboards with racial sentiments after DAP put up several in Amanah's name that included one of an Umno leader calling Chinese pigs.

However, police said it would probe the controversial billboards in the Sungai Besar by-election, which were removed in less than a day.

Meanwhile, PAS was up in arms over posters featuring party president Abdul Hadi Awang in clown face paint making an appearance in Kuala Kangsar.

PAS was likewise upset that DAP's Sekinchan state assemblyperson Ng Suee Lim told Chinese voters that they could celebrate with beer if Amanah beat PAS.

PAS was focussing its by-election campaigns on hudud, sharing a survey it conducted in Kuala Kangsar which found 84 percent of Malays to be in favour of Abdul Hadi's private member's bill.

However, BN's Kuala Kangsar candidate steered clear of the hudud controversy, stating that she would only think about the issue after the polls.

Other Kini bites

Inspector-general of police Khalid Abu Bakar said UK should have alerted Malaysian authorities earlier about paedophile Richard Huckle, who was believed to have abused some 200 children in Kuala Lumpur.

The programmer who alleged fraud in the Citizens' Declaration petition has purportedly issued another statutory declaration retracting his claim, but NGO Soldariti Anak Muda Malaysia claimed it was a fake.

Gerakan president Mah Siew Keong said Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak promised BN components that he would act on PAS' hudud bill only if there is consensus on the matter among those in the ruling coalition.

Putrajaya has appointed veteran lawyer Shafee Abdullah as ambassador-at-large for human rights.

Raub Australian Gold Mining (RAGM) is appealing its defamation case against Malaysiakini in the Court of Appeal after its lawsuit was thrown out by the High Court.

Looking ahead

Activist Badrul Hisham Shaharin is set to call a press conference at 11am to rebut the U-turn over allegation of fraud in the Citizens' Declaration petition.

The Kuala Kangsar and Sungai Besar by-elections enter the sixth day of campaigning.