KINI ROUNDUP | Here are key headlines you may have missed, in brief.
1. The conditional movement control order (CMCO) formally kicks off today in most parts of the country, except in Perlis, Kelantan, Pahang and Sarawak (minus Kuching). Don't forget to stick by the rules.
2. Coinciding with the CMCO, all government schools will be closed for the rest of the year with learning shifted online to make up for the loss in learning days.
3. The move could affect poorer families disproportionately as their children rely on schools for free meals. Former education minister Maszlee Malik urged the government to find ways to protect children from vulnerable families during this time.
4. In Kelantan, which is spared of the conditional MCO, people are flocking back to the state to avoid the restrictions. Buses arriving from Perak, Johor and Penang into the state have been reported to be full.
5. Not all in the opposition agree with the expansion of the CMCO to most parts of the country, with Iskandar Puteri MP Lim Kit Siang urging the government to balance between lives and livelihood.
6. On the political front, Putrajaya was getting brickbats over its plan to spend RM85.5 million to revive the Special Affairs Department, a propaganda unit abolished by the previous government, with a petition calling for the Budget 2021 to be defeated if the plan is not shelved.
7. The Communications and Multimedia Ministry defended the plan, stressing that it was not politically-motivated. Bersatu information chief Wan Saiful Wan Jan also maintained that Berjasa won't turn into a propaganda unit like in the past.
8. While Bersatu dealt with the Jasa pushback in Budget 2021, MCA too had its issues. Notably absent was RM40 million funding for its Tunku Abdul Rahman University College. However, MCA president Wee Ka Siong maintained that the institution will get the funding, even though it was not in "black and white" in the budget document.
9. Despite the Budget 2021 pushback, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin did incorporate limited suggestions by the opposition and is mulling expanding that cooperation, but is facing resistance from some Umno leaders.
10. Meanwhile, student activist Wong Yan Ke, who was arrested for videotaping a police raid in relation to a sedition investigation, was released on police bail. The Malaysian Bar argued that there is nothing wrong with recording police action.
11. On the Covid-19 front, 852 new cases were recorded, breaking a five-day streak where the infection each day exceeded four digits. A notable cluster with 76 cases to date involves a Top Glove factory.
12. Turning to international news, the US finally has a president-elect in the form of Joe Biden, four days after the election concluded. Donald Trump, expectedly, refused to concede defeat.
13. Both Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin and International Trade and Industry Minister Azmin Ali expressed optimism that a Biden administration will herald better relations between Malaysia and the US.
