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

Poser over RM2 firm in ECRL project

Pakatan Harapan MPs questioned why Malaysia Rail Link Sdn Bhd, a firm set up on Sept 26, 2016, with a paid-up capital of RM2, is a signatory in the Engineering, Procurement, Construction and Commissioning agreement with Chinese Communication Construction Company and China Communications Construction Company (M) Sdn Bhd, for the RM55 billion East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) project.

This comes as an Umno supreme council member said Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak is expected to address criticism over his visit to China at the next supreme council meeting of the party.

Bank Negara action on Ambank staff over 1MDB

Asked on Ambank staff Cheah Tek Kuang and Joanna Yu "covering up money laundering" in the 1MDB case, the Finance Ministry said in a written parliamentary reply that "appropriate action" was taken, but it did not specify the action taken.

In Singapore, the former head of agency distribution for NTUC Income, Samuel Goh Sze-Wei, testified in court that he made more than US$4 million in kickbacks from 1MDB-linked deals, from his role as a partner of former BSI banker Yeo Jaiwei.

Red-shirts target Bar Council

After demonstrating at Malaysiakini last Saturday, the red-shirts will now target the Bar Council on a US$15,000 grant it received, for its research on migrants, from the Open Society Foundations (OSF), linked to American billionaire George Soros.

Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad observed that red-shirts leader Jamal Md Yunos now appears to be in control of the government, and seems to be "de facto prime minister" in his ability to make demands without consequence.

However, Mahathir, who is also Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia chairperson, was accused of being DAP's puppet by Agriculture Minister Ahmad Shabery Cheek.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Azalina Othman Said wants laws to allow greater scrutiny of NGO fundings, following claims of foreign funding channelled to NGOs to topple the government.

Other Kinibites

The Prime Minister's Office said the proposal to appoint Najib's former principal secretary Shukry Mohd Salleh as Election Commission deputy chairperson was withdrawn before it was tabled to the Conference of Rulers, and not rejected by the rulers as claimed by Selangor Menteri Besar Azmin Ali.

The teacher accused of molesting children at a Hulu Selangor Tamil school was cleared of the charges by police before he was transferred to another school, Education Minister Mahdzir Khalid said.

The Abu Sayyaf militant group claimed they kidnapped a German and killed his girlfriend when they stormed his yacht sailing in Sabah waters, but the East Sabah Security Command (Esscom) said it received no such report.

Looking ahead

Red-shirts ally Jaringan Melayu Muda (JMM) will reveal a list of firms it claims are working to topple the government.

Minister Noh Omar and China envoy Huang Hui Kang will be present at the memorandum of understanding signing between Titijaya Land Bhd and China Railway Engineering Group Co Ltd.

Mahathir will come to Parliament, 13 years after leaving office, to attend a meeting called by opposition MPs on parliamentary immunity.

The Dewan Rakyat sitting continues.