PRESS DIGEST - Malaysia - July 13

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

THE STAR (www.thestar.com.my)

-- Najib Razak has dismissed criticism that the 11 "goodies" he dished out in conjunction with his 100th day as Prime Minister were populist measures.

-- RHB Bank Bhd expects to sustain profitability and asset growth this year while raising the bar on service quality as the group continues to reap the benefits of its ongoing transformation exercise amid a challenging economic environment, group managing director Tajuddin Atan said.

BUSINESS TIMES (www.btimes.com.my)

-- Plans to float Naza TTDI Sdn Bhd remains in its KIV (keep in view) file, but may well resurface as the developer makes strides towards a top spot in the country's as well as region's property market, Naza TTDI group managing director SM Faliq SM Nasimuddin said.

-- UEM Group Bhd will continue with its restructuring programme to ultimately focus on its three core areas of construction, property and expressways, its chairman Ahmad Tajuddin Ali said.

NEW STRAITS TIMES (www.nst.com.my)

-- The kingpins who control the production of pirated DVDs will be hunted down to cut off the supply, Domestic Trade, Cooperative and Consumerism Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said.

THE EDGE FINANCIAL DAILY (www.theedgemalaysia.com)

-- After more than nine months of parched land in the investing world, investors have now turned more hopeful at the sight of "green shoots" sprouting here and there, especially among the Asian equity markets, regional strategists and research heads said.

THE MALAYSIAN RESERVE (www.themalaysianreserve.com)

-- Malaysia's innovation pride, the RazakSAT satellite, is all set for a lift off as scheduled on Tuesday from Kwajalein Atoll in the Republic of the Marshall Islands, said Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Maximus Ongkili.

THE SUN (www.sun2surf.com)

-- Prime Minister Najib Razak said the National Key Performance Indicator (KPI), aimed at boosting the performance of the civil service, is now being finalised and would be announced at the end of the month.

-- The positive feedback received by the property industry from foreign investors following the recent announcement on the deregulation of the Foreign Investment Committee (FIC) guidelines cannot be translated into actual investment as yet, Deputy International Trade and Industry Minister Mukhriz Mahathir said.

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