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

115 initiatives to root out graft

The five-year National Anti-Corruption Plan (NACP) will involve 115 initiatives to root out graft in politics, law enforcement, public procurement, the judiciary, public administration and corporate management.

According to the NACP, launched by Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, the biggest obstacle to fighting graft in Malaysia has been obstruction from politicians in the ruling party.

Malaysia has moved a notch up in Transparency International's Corruption Perception Index rankings despite scoring the same as the year before. Currently, Malaysia is placed 61 among the 180 countries surveyed.

Transparency International-Malaysia president Akhbar Satar urged more Pakatan Harapan members to emulate Mahathir's graft-busting efforts, for instance in ensuring that all public procurement contracts are awarded through an open tender process.

Akhbar also urged the authorities to emulate Penang's system for asset declaration of its state executive councillors, citing how it contained more details.

New housing fund for B40 group

Bank Negara Malaysia has launched an RM1 billion fund to help households with a monthly income of RM2,300 and below to purchase their first house, at a financing rate of 3.5 percent for houses priced RM150,000 and below.

Only 46.8 percent of a total of 142,200 low-income households have registered under the e-Kasih system for the monthly RM40 electricity bill rebate, following the removal of the RM20 electricity subsidy previously enjoyed by all households.

Umno Youth criticised the federal government for appointing Paloh state assemblyperson Sheikh Omar Ali to the Islamic Dakwah Foundation of Malaysia (Yadim) board of trustees on grounds that he is a DAP member.

Mahathir said the East Coast Railway Link (ECRL) project will impoverish the nation because it is too expensive.

Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng said Mahathir had advised him not to make statements on ECRL for now.

Other Kinibites

Malaysia ranked third in illicit financial outflows in 2015, a study by the Washington-based think tank Global Financial Integrity (GFI) shows.

PKR vice-president Rafizi Ramli will organise what he termed as the largest jobs interview session ever conducted in Malaysia, in about two weeks.

Looking ahead

Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) will hold a forum on "PH's economic policy: Supporting the people or the corporations?" at the Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall at 8pm.