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

Malaysiakini uncovers Mara scandal

Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara) paid A$41.8 million (about RM138 million) for a US$2 shell company in the Caribbean to obtain a property in Melbourne, Australia, which cost the agency RM60 million.

When asked about the exposé, Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said he would have to " study" it first before issuing a response.

Zahid also urged the people to not place "Harapan" (hope) on the six-captain opposition coalition, and place their trust instead in the single-captain vessel of BN.

Deputy Finance Minister Othman Aziz said Putrajaya has no plans to increase the GST rate after the 14th General Election.

Petrol prices remained the same as last week, while diesel went up two sen.

Gerakan Turunkan Harga Minyak (Gertak) had sent a petition to the Prime Minister's Office earlier in the day urging a decrease in fuel prices.

UM issues a gag order

Universiti Malaya issued a formal gag order barring students and staff from making public statements that could jeopardise the image of not just the institution, but also of the government.

The varsity's staff union president Azmi Sharom asked for the retraction of the "repulsive" reminder.

The High Court in Kuala Lumpur ruled that cartoonist Zunar's travel ban will stand.

Attorney-general Mohamed Apandi Ali said he has had second thoughts about suing blogger Raja Petra Kamaruddin as the latter is "bankrupt."

Apandi also said that he initially proposed was to give discretion to judges in the amendments to the Dangerous Drugs Act (DDA) 1952.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Azalina Othman Said said that Putrajaya will seek an amendment to the DDA to allow the courts full discretion to mete out life sentences for drug traffickers.

Pandan MP Rafizi Ramli assured billionaire Robert Kuok that the “wrong track” that the latter spoke of in his memoir, referring to race-based policies in Malaysia, was actually circular in shape.

Other Kinibites

Rosmah Mansor, the wife of Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, said she does not understand why men would prioritise “beauty,” adding that women like more “macho men.”

Penang Zakat CEO Azman Abdul Samat faces two more graft charges, on top of the four he had already been charged with before.

Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein dismissed reports about China bidding to build an intelligence centre in Johor.

Two 19-year-olds claimed trial to committing mischief by throwing a Molotov cocktail at a surau in Damansara Damai two weeks ago.

DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang commended Pahang MB Adnan Yaakob for apologising to the state opposition leader Tengku Zulpuri Shah Raja Puji and fellow DAP assemblyperson Leong Ngah Ngah.

The RM5 million allocation given by the government to MACC will not compromise the commission's integrity, said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Paul Low.

Ahmad Lai Bujang, a BN MP from Sibuti, suggested that fathers who rape their children should be " poked" with an iron rod.

Looking ahead

The Cameron Highlands division of Parti Sosialis Malaysia will be handing over a memorandum to Bukit Aman, urging police to facilitate their meeting with the Pahang MB scheduled for next month.

Selangor lawmaker Iskandar Samad will be holding a press conference with Pandan Indah residents who are unhappy with the recent attendance of Jamal Yunos in a school in the area.

Selangor Menteri Besar Mohamed Azmin Ali will be attending the Halal Festival in Bangi tonight.