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Key Highlights

  • Najib wins a court battle

  • Floods round two

  • 100 days of PM Anwar


Najib wins a court battle

Najib Abdul Razak won one of his many court battles on Friday.

Najib, together with former 1MDB CEO Arul Kanda Kandasamy were acquitted without having to enter a defence, on charges of allegedly tampering with 1MDB's audit papers in 2016 to prevent any charges against him.

Trial judge Mohamed Zaini Mazlan ruled that the prosecution had failed to establish a prima facie case.

This is the same judge that convicted Najib's wife Rosmah Mansor for graft in a solar hybrid project and sentenced her to 10 years jail and an RM970 million fine.

Najib is still on trial for the main 1MDB case, among others, and is still serving out his 12-year prison sentence over the SRC International case.

HIGHLIGHTS

‘Better things to come’, Rosmah says after decision on Najib's case
Disputing Najib's 1MDB audit acquittal is contempt of court - Fahmi
Kim Kardashian tells FBI she won US$250k at casino with Jho Low

Floods round two

Severe flooding has wreaked havoc in the peninsula.

As of Sunday night, almost 55,000 people were displaced from their homes by rising waters.

The worst-hit state was Johor, which recorded 51,000 victims last night. The floods have claimed four lives in the state.

Putrajaya has pledged RM60 million in flood aid for Johor, but believes the current situation does not warrant an emergency declaration.

The floods have been attributed to the La Nina weather phenomenon, and not the monsoon.

HIGHLIGHTS

Prepare better food for flood evacuees, Wee tells Welfare Dept
Agong: Govt must do detailed study to address flood risks
Deforestation Inc: How auditors profit by legitimising deforestation

100 days of PM Anwar

Anwar Ibrahim marked 100 days as prime minister on Saturday (March 4).

The PKR president's ascension had come with many expectations.

While many activists and interest groups Malaysiakini spoke to had mixed feelings about Anwar's performance thus far, they were still optimistic.

Likewise, experts viewed efforts in Budget 2023 to address economic inequality as positive steps.

However, Perikatan Nasional's efforts to tar Anwar's government as anti-Malay is one struggle the prime minister has yet to overcome.

HIGHLIGHTS

'Govt may change electoral boundaries to reduce Malay constituencies'
Govt to fall soon? Let ‘delirious’ Hadi keep ranting, Anwar says
Anwar hauls Pendang MP to court for alleged defamation

Views that matter

The odd couple: Hadi and Dr Mahathir
By Mariam Mokhtar
Anwar's survival and the middle ground
By Wong Chin Huat
Quickly form Media Council to check and balance govt
By Zan Azlee

Other news that matter

  • Outgoing Umno vice-president Ismail Sabri Yaakob prodded party president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to reveal the ROS letter that approved the no-contest motion for the top two posts in the party.

    Zahid acquiesced and tasked Umno secretary-general Ahmad Maslan with making the letter public.

  • A total of 1,179 children of undocumented migrants were held in immigration depots nationwide as of Jan 29, Home Affairs Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said.

  • The Transport Ministry does not want the Malacca International Cruise Terminal project to become abandoned after half of its reclamation work has already been done.

    The project is part of the controversial Melaka Gateway project.

  • The Film Censorship Board said it has no purview over the film ‘Mentega Terbang’ - which has caused a stir over its religious content.

    Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil said the film had been released in 2021, and that the current government should not be blamed for it.

HIGHLIGHTS

Hadi: Nothing wrong with politicians speaking in mosques, suraus
Zuraida sides with PN for upcoming state elections
My lunch had nothing to do with Menu Rahmah, exco says after backlash