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

Azwanddin arrested

Jaringan Melayu Malaysia president Azwanddin Hamzah was arrested by police after he threatened to attack a police station if the authorities did not arrest the perpetrators of last month's Seafield Sri Maha Mariamman temple riots.

Earlier, Selangor CID chief Fadzil Ahmat confirmed that Azwanddin was being probed under Section 506 of the Penal Code for criminal intimidation.

Primary Industries Minister Teresa Kok had also sent a letter of demand seeking a retraction and apology from Azwanddin for linking her to the Seafield riots, or face an RM30 million lawsuit. 

Deputy Law Minister Hanipa Maidin said Azwanddin should go for a mental health check-up, as he appears to be addicted to creating chaos.

No talks of Umno merger, says sec-gen

Umno secretary-general Annuar Musa said the party will not merge with any other party, but will overcome hurdles alone to stay relevant.

Meanwhile, Malaysiakini spoke to several members of Umno-splinter party Bersatu, who had a reversal of fortune since Pakatan Harapan came to power in the May 9 general election. 

On another matter, PAS vice-president Mohd Amar Nik Abdullah, responding to Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin's remark that PAS would forever remain as an opposition party, said that Harapan has courted criticism after only six months in power, unlike Umno which lasted 60 years as a ruling party.

DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang questioned whether the warning by PAS Youth chief Muhammad Khalil Abdul Hadi for Muslims to not celebrate Christmas as the act is allegedly against the teachings of Islam was the party's official stand or merely a personal view of the president's son. 

Other Kinibites

Fast-food chain KFC denied claims that have been making its rounds on social media that there has been a drastic increase in its prices. It said the slight increase is only due to the inclusion of the sales and services tax (SST).

Putrajaya's Tabung Harapan has surpassed the RM200 million mark, just days before its Dec 31 closing date. 

Some 4.1 million households will be receiving RM300 each on Jan 28, in the first tranche of payouts for the government's cost of living aid (BSH), said Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng. 

Malaysia and Singapore need to learn how to give and take, be accommodative of one another and understand each other’s "feelings" when it comes to dealing with the much-talked-about maritime border dispute, said renowned social activist and political analyst Chandra Muzaffar.

Looking ahead

A group of NGOs will hand in a memorandum to Suhakam over the Seafield riots at the commission’s headquarters.