PRESS DIGEST - Malaysia - Dec 24

Following are the main stories in Malaysian newspapers. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

ALL NEWSPAPERS

-- Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB.KL) has received the government's nod on its long-delayed financial restructuring plan, MAHB Managing Director Bashir Ahmad said.

THE STAR (www.thestar.com.my)

-- A new schedular tax deduction system will take effect from January 1 to overcome the problem of over-deduction, Inland Revenue Board Chief Executive Officer, Hasmah Abdullah said.

-- Budget airline AirAsia Bhd (AIRA.KL) and Sime Darby Bhd (SIME.KL) have confirmed their interest to jointly develop and operate an 1.6 billion ringgit private low-cost carrier terminal (LCCT) in Labu, Negri Sembilan, officials of AirAsia and the developer Sime Darby said at a briefing on Tuesday.

BUSINESS TIMES (www.btimes.com.my)

-- Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) (TENA.KL) is in talks to buy back 40 percent of the country's biggest coal plant in Kapar, Selangor, from independent power producer (IPP) Malakoff Bhd, sources said.

THE NEW STRAITS TIMES (www.nst.con.my)

-- Kuala Lumpur and Teheran will continue its ties without any limits and boundaries, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said.

-- The government will conduct a feasibility study on the suggested 52km bridge linking Malacca to Dumai in Sumatra, Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak said.

THE EDGE FINANCIAL DAILY (www.theedgedaily.com)

-- Chin Well Holdings Bhd (CWHB.KL), involved in the manufacturing and trading of fastening and wire products, has become one of the first few companies whose dividend payouts have been affected by the global financial crisis, Chin Well said in a statement.

THE SUN (www.sun2surf.com)

-- Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak on Tuesday triggered strong opposition from the Perak and Penang state governments over rights to convert state land to freehold.

-- Berjaya Corporation Bhd (BCorp) (BGRO.KL) announced on Tuesday an interim dividend-in-specie of 25 Berjaya Media Bhd shares for every 1,000 BCorp shares held, or equivalent to a dividend rate of 2.35 percent single-tier exempt dividend per share for the financial year ending April 30, 2009, BCorp said in a statement.