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

Rosmah tells her lawyers to monitor social media

The prime minister's wife Rosmah Mansor instructed lawyers to closely monitor social media and other publications for "false allegations" against her and threatened immediate legal action against slanderers.

Damansara Utama state assemblyperson Yeo Bee Yin said Rosmah should come clean about the identity of the “wife of Malaysian Official 1”, as mentioned in the US Department of Justice's (DOJ) latest filing over the 1MDB scandal.

The latest filing, which brings the alleged misappropriated sum in 1MDB to US$4.5 billion, was largely played down by the local English and Malay dailies.

Parti Amanah Negara youth chief Faiz Fadzil urged the wife of Malaysian Official 1 to surrender the US$27.3 million in diamonds and jewellery which was allegedly bought using stolen 1MDB funds.

Anwar bows out as PM candidate

Jailed PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim said he will not offer himself as a prime ministerial candidate, in a bid to encourage Pakatan Harapan to focus on the general election instead of squabbling over who should be the prime minister if the opposition coalition wins.

Anwar, in a statement released through his party, also expressed concern that Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia’s proposal to occupy both the president and chairperson positions in Pakatan Harapan may concentrate power and result in a coalition structure too similar to BN.

The Kuching High Court restored DAP's Ting Tiong Choon as Pujut state assemblyperson, rendering a by-election unnecessary.

Authorities under fire for inaction over DOJ's filing

Attorney-general Mohamed Apandi Ali and inspector-general of police Khalid Abu Bakar were criticised for refusing to act on the damaging claims in the DOJ's latest filing on 1MDB.

Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief Dzulkifli Ahmad passed the ball to the police when asked about the DOJ filing and 1MDB.

Government propaganda arm Special Affairs Department (Jasa) insisted that the DOJ's filing cannot prove any criminality as it is a civil forfeiture suit.

Lawyer Haniff Khatri Abdulla said Najib and the Malaysian government should take three steps to challenge the DOJ filings if its allegations were untrue.

PKR communications director Fahmi Fadzil rubbished claims that the DOJ's filing was an attempt by the opposition to get the US to interfere in Malaysian politics, pointing out that even US President Donald Trump could not control the DOJ.

Other Kinibites

Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Minister Hamzah Zainuddin said the government will introduce a new fuel price formula to account for losses suffered by petrol dealers when fuel prices are on a downtrend.

MACC chief Dzulkifli Ahmad said inspector-general of police Khalid Abu Bakar may be summoned if necessary over claims that he had been in contact with a facilitator of a police protection racket.

He also urged the public to call the MACC hotline if they know of corruption.

The deputy public prosecutor has instructed police to obtain further information on the case of bullying victim T Nhaveen, who died from beatings by his former classmates.

International Trade and Industries Minister Mustapa Mohamed rebutted former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad's claim that the sale of a portion of Proton’s stakes to a Chinese firm was an “act of vengeance”.

Looking ahead

Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak will be breaking fast with the literary community at his official residence.