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

Cops: Tahfiz school fire act of arson

The fatal blaze at a tahfiz school which killed 23 people was deliberate, police say. Seven suspects have been arrested.

Earlier, Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had vowed that if the fire was intentional, the culprits would be brought to justice.

Women, Family, and Community Development Minister Rohani Abdul Karim said her ministry will extend its counselling services to the victims of the tahfiz school fire and their families.

Najib plays up Chinese sentiments

Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak said the Chinese community would be the first to be targeted should Malaysia plunge into chaos.

Najib said the Chinese should also realise that the opposition are unlikely to win the next general election, and thus should not vote for them.

The prime minister took a shot at former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad, saying he had spent more on Chinese schools in his nine years in office than Mahathir during his 22-year reign.

He also asks why his efforts to bring in investments from China were criticised if Mahathir's Look East policy was embraced.

Bersatu leaders quit

Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia co-founder Anina Saadudin and vice-president Hamidah Osman have quit the party.

In an interview with Malaysiakini, Bersatu chairperson Dr Mahathir Mohamad gave a bleak diagnosis for PAS, saying the party would not do well in the next general election.

PKR deputy president Azmin Ali believes the next general election will be held in November.

Other Kinibites

Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak has been urged to sue Newsweek for defamation over an opinion piece labelling him a "crook".

Sarawak DAP grassroots leader Abdul Aziz Isa was arrested for allegedly insulting Najib.

American film production company Red Granite Pictures Inc has reportedly made a settlement with the US government following a move to seize assets allegedly procured with 1MDB-linked funds.