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

Dr M mocks Najib wanting to make America great again

Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad mocked Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's pledge to strengthen the US economy, stating that it was the first time a third world country wanted to help the richest country in the world to develop its infrastructure.

Mahathir also recollected his visit to the US as prime minister under President Ronald Reagan, revealing that he only agreed to visit three years after being invited.

The Pakatan Harapan leader said the prime minister should not direct the Employees Provident Fund and Khazanah Nasional Berhad to invest in the US.

Najib denied that he was splurging public funds in order to win the US' favour.

He also took a dig at Mahathir in the US without naming him, describing him as a "dictator".

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Abdul Rahman Dahlan said the EPF was already investing in the US and questioned why critics were only raising the issue now.

Deputy Foreign Minister Reezal Merican Naina Merican also rebutted opposition claims that Najib's visit to the US was not an official one.

Following Najib's visit to the US, he travelled to the UK where he will meet UK Prime Minister Theresa May.

1MDB civil forfeiture suits stayed

The US Courts granted a stay on the civil forfeiture suits related to 1MDB pending criminal procedures.

The prime minister's wife Rosmah Mansor applied to strike out a suit by former Umno leader Khairuddin Abu Hassan who is seeking the return of a pink diamond necklace worth US$23 million.

Khairuddin also filed a fresh suit against Najib and his deputy Ahmad Zahid Hamidi for alleged breach of trust by purportedly misleading the public on the origin of the US$681 million in the prime minister's personal bank accounts.

DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang claimed Najib's alleged attempt to whitewash the 1MDB scandal in the US will not succeed.

A police report was lodged against Mahathir's former political secretary Matthias Chang for his video commentary of Najib's visit to the US.

Tahfiz school blaze claims 23 lives

An early morning fire at a religious school in Kuala Lumpur claimed the lives of 23 people including 22 children.

Federal Territories Minister Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor said it was found that the operator of the religious school had no permit nor fire safety certificate to operate.

The school's student reportedly slid down drain pipes to escape the pre-dawn fire.

MIC treasurer-general S Vell Paari asked the public not to share images of the victims out of respect for their families.

Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi urged religious schools in the country to comply with safety standards.

Other Kini bites

Johor Sultan Ibrahim Ismail Sultan Iskandar denied a reportedly mentally unstable woman had tried to kiss him and asked the police to leave the woman alone, urging the authorities to be tactful in handling such cases.

Deputy Home Minister Nur Jazlan Mohamed said he will visit immigration detention centres after Suhakam claimed a centre it visited was filthy and overcrowded.

Stampin MP Julian Tan and Bandar Kuching MP Chong Chieng Jen were acquitted by the Kuching Sessions Court of illegal assembly charges over participating in the Bersih 4 rally in Kuching in 2015.

Najib said he raised the Rohingya's plight with US president Donald Trump and that the US may provide aid to the community facing alleged genocide in Myanmar.

Mahathir said he believes Najib's meeting with Trump will not bolster his position in the eyes of Felda settlers.

Looking ahead

Police are expected to record Mahathir's witness statement for the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the forex scandal.

Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi will host a TN50 dialogue on security.