KINI ROUNDUP | Key headlines you may have missed yesterday, in brief.

Customs claims GST relief for ECRL for rakyat's good

Customs Department director-general T Subromaniam claims Malaysians, not a Chinese company, would benefit from the goods and services tax (GST) relief given to the main contractor of the East Coast Railway Link (ECRL).

According to him, the government under Dr Mahathir Mohamad's leadership gave more tax relief to megaprojects and this caused direct losses to the government.

Caretaker prime minister Najib Abdul Razak, as the finance minister, approved the GST relief upon the advice by the Customs Department, he added.

Supermax Corporation Bhd managing director Stanley Thai clarified his apology to Najib for supporting the opposition during the last general election has nothing to do with his ongoing appeal against an insider trading conviction.

The rubber glove tycoon also said that he was not targetting Najib's administration when he his comments in 2013.

London daily predicts BN to ace GE14

Research by London-based Financial Times predicted that BN will ace the 14th general election, despite losing favour with the Malay community.

The research also showed that the approval rating for Najib's performance was low among the urban populace, compared to Pakatan Harapan chairperson Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

Caretaker minister Salleh Said Keruak said it is strange that DAP's Lim Kit Siang and PKR's Anwar Ibrahim, who had once teamed up to save Malaysia from Mahathir, has now teamed up with the nonagenarian.

PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang responded to Mahathir's remark that he should stop doing politics and teach religion, saying he has a Master's degree in Islamic political science.

Amanah vice-president Mahfuz Omar asked why, if PAS could raise RM35 million to contest 160 seats in GE14, is its official mouthpiece Harakah Daily in such dire straits.

Other Kinibites

The Bandar Tun Razak MCA division called on the party's central leadership to defend the parliamentary seat and the party's "dignity" in GE14.

Caretaker deputy prime minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said he will let his boss Najib handle the " threat" by MyPPP president M Kayveas, to quit the BN coalition if he is not given the Cameron Highlands parliamentary seat to contest.

PSM expressed support for a Pakatan Harapan government but said the opposition coalition should refrain from contesting in the constituencies it is contesting, to allow the party to take BN head-on.

Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said a Sosma (Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012) detainee who died after being found unconscious at the Shah Alam centralised lock-up on Tuesday night, had suffered from fever, stomach ache and diarrhoea.

PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man said the party has dropped a divorce clause specifying that the party candidates would have to divorce their spouses if they joined another party following an election win on a PAS ticket,from the pledge of allegiance ("baiah") of its GE14 candidates.

Looking ahead

Mahathir will attend an Amanah fundraiser at Dewan Perdana Zafran, in Kepong, 8pm.

PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail and Mahathir's wife Dr Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali will hold a joint press conference on women-related matters at PKR headquarters, 11.30am.