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

MACC shake-up

The government is apparently moving to defang the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) with the sudden resignation of its chief commissioner, Abu Kassim Mohamed.

Putrajaya attempted to dispel speculations that it had a hand in the resignation, stressing that Abu Kassim's move was done out of his own volition.

Attorney-General's Chambers senior officer Dzulkefli Ahmad is said to be among the likely candidates to replace Abu Kassim but Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Paul Low argued it would be better if the new chief is from within MACC.

Low also assured the new anti-corruption commission chief will be someone of integrity.

Following these developments, former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad claimed the MACC was now under the grip of the corrupt.

Meanwhile, the National Oversight and Whistleblowers Centre (NOW) urged opposition MPs to quit the Parliamentary Select Committee on Anti-Corruption to protest what it claimed was government interference in MACC.

MACC deputy chief commissioner (operations) Mohd Shukri Abdull, who is also retiring next month, conceded in a video interview that MACC faced outside interference.

He also lamented that when the MACC investigated a politician, the politician's party would turn him or her into a hero while the commission was made to look like running dogs.

An early GE14?

Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak bantered on the possibility of snap polls after BN's massive victories in the Sungai Besar and Kuala Kangsar by-elections last Saturday.

However, Tourism Minister Nazri Abdul Aziz did not think that BN is ready yet and suggested that the ruling coalition should wait until 2018 before calling for nationwide polls.

With the 14th general election inching closer, PKR deputy president Azmin Ali said it was difficult to convince PAS to be part of an opposition coalition.

Meanwhile, PAS claimed that it was DAP and Amanah which were giving Azmin a headache.

Vaccine debate

Ammar Wan Harun, a contestant in a reality TV show featuring young religious scholars, caused a firestorm after questioning the necessity of vaccinating children. He later claimed he was wrongly interpreted and retracted his statement.

Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah slammed Ammar for riding on religion to spread "misinformation", calling it shameful.

Perlis mufti Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin also issued a statement, stating that it was a sin to expose children to diseases by refusing to vaccinate them.

Najib, too, jumped into the fray, urging parents to vaccinate their children.

Other Kini bites

The Islamic State (IS), in a chilling video message, vows to target Malaysian police in possible attacks against the country.

BSI Bank is appealing the Swiss authorities' decision to close the bank and confiscate its profits over its involvement in the 1MDB money-laundering case.

PKR secretary-general Rafizi Ramli defended his take on the Sungai Besar and Kuala Kangsar by-elections, stating that a spade should be called a spade.

Umno Youth urged the government to stop funding the Perdana Leadership Foundation, which it claimed Mahathir uses for anti-government activities.

Mahathir's lawyer is seeking to quiz Najib over the former premier's lawsuit against the embattled prime minister.

Looking ahead

Umno is holding its monthly supreme council meeting today, which will be followed by buka puasa and terawih prayers.

Two High Court decisions are expected – the Sisters in Islam’s judicial review over the Selangor fatwa that declared the Muslim women’s rights group as deviating from Islam, and Padang Serai MP N Surendran's application to strike out his sedition charge over a YouTube comment in which he criticised Najib for purportedly mounting a political conspiracy against former opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim involving the Sodomy II case.