PRESS DIGEST - Malaysia - July 25

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

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

- Religious extremism throughout the world can be fought by combating ignorance and the perversion of faith, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said.

BUSINESS TIMES

- Some 1.2 billion ringgit will be made available to small- and medium- sized enterprises (SMEs) from August 1st to help them cope with rising costs, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said.

THE STAR (www.thestar.com.my)

- The Anti-Corruption Agency has started a probe into the alleged high costs of maintaining the 16 Proton Perdana V6 Executive cars used by Terengganu executive councillors.

- A collective stance, instead of individual negotiation by independent power producers (IPPs), is preferred in the renewed round of talks between IPPs and Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TENA.KL), Penjanabebas President Philip Tan said.

THE EDGE FINANCIAL DAILY (www.theedgedaily.com.my)