KINI ROUNDUP | Here are the key headlines you may have missed yesterday, in brief.
PKR okays Dr M-Wan Azizah combo
PKR has agreed to name Dr Mahathir Mohamad as their prime minister nominee along with Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail as his deputy, provided he agrees to hand over power to the party's de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim after he is released from prison, sources said.
Mahathir, in a Facebook posting, thanked celebrity chef Redzuawan Ismail, better known as Chef Wan, for speaking out about matters related to the state of the nation.
Communications and Multimedia Minister Salleh Said Keruak said Malaysia's household debt has declined, and this was reflective of the economic upturn this year.
Padang Besar MP Zahidi Zainul Abidin said the country is losing out on the lucrative ketum trade by not allowing the plant to be cultivated for export purposes.
A hotel in Kota Bharu, Kelantan, allegedly cancelled an event involving Amanah vice-president Husam Musa.
Chinese firms 'rescued' 1MDB in IPIC settlement
1MDB paid funds owed to Abu Dhabi's International Petroleum Investment Company (IPIC) by divesting its assets to China-owned companies, reported Singapore's Straits Times.
Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said Malaysia will apply to extradite a local Islamic State (IS) suspect caught smuggling firearms into Karachi, Pakistan, last week.
Zahid told a Christmas do in Malacca that Israel and its allies are challenging efforts to maintain peace and harmony in Jerusalem.
The Immigration Department said it is ready to implement the new online direct hiring system for foreign domestic helpers, as announced in Budget 2018.
Former minister Zaid Ibrahim said the government was trying to cast his ideas as 'dangerous', following the ban of one of his books by the Home Ministry.
Other Kinibites
The Election Commission (EC) urged the public to ignore viral messages which claimed that the 14th general election will be held in March next year.
An MCA leader became the third BN representative in two days to raise objections at the EC's local inquiries on its proposed electoral boundaries in Selangor.
Voters in Semporna, Sabah will remain loyal to BN, although its MP Mohd Shafie Apdal is leading a party opposed to the ruling coalition, said an Umno leader.
Junz Wong, the vice-president of Parti Warisan Sabah, which Shafie leads, expressed hope that the state will become an airline hub, when the party comes to power.
A 52-year-old doctor claimed trial to severing a boy's penis during a botched circumcision procedure, last year.
The Health Ministry revealed that dengue cases have gone up during the current wet season, with 35 more cases recorded compared to the first week of December.
Looking ahead
Second Finance Minister Johari Abdul Ghani will launch a new 'ePerolehan' system in Putrajaya.
The Immigration Department director-general Mustafar Ali will hold a press conference on the direct online hiring of foreign domestic help.
The EC will continue its hearing for objections to its proposed electoral boundaries in Selangor.
