Minister contracts Covid-19 and other news you may have missed

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

1. Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Religious Affairs) Zulkifli Mohamad Al-Bakri (above) is the first Malaysian cabinet member to test positive for Covid-19, resulting in several other ministers and top civil servants, being required to undergo quarantine.

2. Among those who are required to undergo quarantine are Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, Defence Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob and Inspector-General of Police Abdul Hamid Bador. Others who attended a meeting with Zulkifli recently include Health Ministry director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.

3. Prior to testing positive, Zulkifli had attended events across five states and territories, including three mosques and three universities.

4. Several court cases have been postponed as key people in the trials are undergoing quarantine, including the 1MDB trial against Najib Abdul Razak, the corruption trial against Rosmah Mansor and the government’s lawsuit against the National Feedlot Corporation.

5. Former federal territories minister Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor may have settled an RM57.17 million tax suit against him from the Internal Revenue Board for just RM40.3 million.

6. Advocacy group Gerakan Media Merdeka has urged politicians to be more forthcoming on their Covid-19 status after a New Straits Times Press Bhd reporter tested positive for the disease.

7. Sources claimed that PKR president Anwar Ibrahim still has sufficient support to form a new government and is waiting for an audience with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

8. Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad said he is likely to contest in the next general election, less than two weeks after announcing that he won’t contest.

9. DAP is appealing to the Registrar of Societies to be allowed to postpone its party congress for six to 12 months in light of the current spike in Covid-19 cases.

10. Odour pollution that triggered the latest round of water pollution in Selangor, resulting in the closure of the Sungai Semenyih and Bukit Tampoi water treatment plants, is believed to have originated from a major clean-up at a duck and goose farm near Sungai Pajam, Negeri Sembilan.