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

Rafizi reveals his 'team'

PKR deputy president hopeful Rafizi Ramli has fueled speculation that he has comprehensive team going into the party elections, which include well known figures such as Nurul Izzah Anwar, Johari Abdul, Fuziah Salleh and William Leong.

Rafizi said that he was offering himself for PKR deputy presidency to carry the reformasi torch as a person without any government position and urged ordinary party members to stand by him.

Outgoing PKR Youth chief Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, in announcing his candidacy for the party's leadership council (MPP), said he supported Anwar Ibrahim as president and Rafizi as his deputy.

Even former Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin wrote on Twitter that he hoped Rafizi would succeed in this election.

The PKR vice-president race will likely see a record number of candidates of Indian origin.

China officials in town for talks

Officials from China were in Putrajaya for preliminary talks on the East Coast Rail Line and the controversial pipeline projects involving Suria Strategic Energy Resources Sdn Bhd (SSER).

Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad lashed out at his predecessor Najib Abdul Razak for suggesting that the current Pakatan Harapan government's policies were a return to a "bygone era".

Mahathir also welcomed the resignation of Khazanah Nasional Bhd's top brass and denied that his administration was mounting a witch-hunt.

Other KiniBites

Sources told Malaysiakini that Justice Sophian Abdul Razak will be transferred to the Kuala Lumpur High Court's civil division on Aug 1 and therefore a new judge would have to hear the ongoing criminal case against Najib.

Water, Land and Natural Resources Minister Dr Xavier Jayakumar has denied a media report that the federal government has agreed to fork out up to RM1.9 billion to finance the takeover of private water supply concessionaire Syarikat Pengeluar Air Selangor Holdings Bhd (Splash) with the Selangor government.

Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP) said SPM level History and Bahasa Malaysia papers must be made compulsory for the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) to be recognised by the government.

Looking ahead

A coalition of 300 Muslim NGOs known as Pembela Ummah will be holding a rally today in protest of purported "threats" to Islam and Malays.