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

DAP schools Najib on ‘participatory’ budgeting

Participatory budgeting is not just about getting public opinion but involves direct discussions on specific items, DAP parliamentarian Steven Sim told Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak on his move to seek public opinion for Budget 2017.

Meanwhile, his DAP colleague, Ong Kian Ming, outlined five recommendations to ensure that the RM650 million Taman Tugu, or Tugu Negara Park, proposed by the government will be worthwhile.  

Bersih 5 in November

The Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih 2.0) will organise the Bersih 5 rally in November, said the movement's chief Maria Chin Abdullah, though she stopped short of revealing the exact date.

This was after the Court of Appeal in Putrajaya struck out the charge brought against Maria under the Peaceful Assembly Act (PAA) for failing to notify the police on the holding of Bersih 4 rally last year.

Umno jittery over handshake

Umno is in a panic mode in the wake of the surprise meeting between Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Anwar Ibrahim, claimed Selangor Menteri Besar Mohamed Azmin Ali, the man who engineered the reunion of the two nemesis who last met 18 years ago.

Mahathir has instructed his lawyer to liaise with the jailed former opposition leader’s legal team on the best option to support Anwar’s application to challenge the National Security Council (NSC) Act.

Applauding the ‘historic’ handshake as a victory of ‘silaturahim’ (Islamic kinship) over politics, Umno veteran Rais Yatim proposed a 'tea party' between the government and the opposition, suggesting they should sit down over tea and lemang together come this Aidladha.

More Kini bites

Political cartoonist Zunar plans to ink drawings to explain the issues surrounding the much-discussed Malaysian Official 1 (MO1) to the public.

According to a media report, the pilot of missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 had reportedly messaged a married woman with three children about a "personal matter" two days before the flight disappeared on March 8, 2014.

Malaysian businessman Faidzan Hassan has denied his involvement in an alleged money-laundering scheme in the Maldives involving up to US$1.5 billion, as alleged in an Al-Jazeera investigative expose.

Rais told Sungai Besar Umno chief Jamal Md Yunos "not to hide behind a blade of grass," for saying that giving monetary gifts to delegates is not money politics if it is not in party election year.

Looking ahead

The Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court will hear the constitutional challenge mounted by PKR vice-president N Surendran, Zunar and lawyer Eric Paulsen against the Sedition Act.