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

Mahathir challenges Hisham to Langkawi duel

Pakatan Harapan chairperson Dr Mahathir Mohamad has challenged Umno vice-president Hishammuddin Hussein to stand against him in Langkawi in the next general election.

The former Umno president said he prefers Langkawi to Pekan, now held by Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, because Pekan allegedly has many phantom voters.

In a related matter, Reformasi stalwart group Otai Reformasi rejected Mahathir's leadership and demanded that Harapan includes a pledge in its election manifesto to form a peace and justice commission to look into the allegations against the former prime minister.

1MDB questions rejected by Parliament

The Dewan Rakyat secretariat rejected 30 questions from opposition MPs on 1MDB, ranging from the possibility of a White Paper, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) lawsuits to seize 1MDB-linked assets and updates on the 1MDB investigations, prompting cries of a cover-up.

However, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Azalina Othman denied any cover-up and said some questions on 1MDB did make it to the Order Paper while the ones rejected breached the Standing Orders or have been answered before.

Gooi Hsiao Leung (PKR-Alor Setar)'s question on whether the expose by Sarawak Report that Najib paid RM7 million to the director-general of the Defence Staff Intelligence Division on April 2013 is true was also rejected.

Meanwhile, Deputy Foreign Minister Reezal Naina Merican said there will be no preferential treatment for 1MDB-linked individual Jho Low if he is found to be holding citizenship of another country. The DOJ said Low also holds a St Kitts and Nevis passport.

Other Kinibites

Felda settlers groups said the raft of incentives announced by the government on Sunday does not address the overwhelming debt shouldered by them from replanting costs and the poor management of the plantations.

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) ticked off the Selangor and Penang governments for not making an initiative to take the integrity pledge like the other states, instead of decrying that the MACC did not invite them to do so.

Harapan submitted a draft of its constitution to the Registrar of Societies (ROS), inching closer to being formally registered as a coalition.

Looking ahead

PM Najib will officiate this year's Invest Malaysia conference in Kuala Lumpur.

Harapan's Youth wing will present its manifesto on housing and employment.