Malaysia's economy set to expand in 2013 and 2014: Najib

KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 1, 2013): The Malaysian economy is set to continue to expand in 2013 and 2014 albeit with a slight moderation in growth, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

He said domestic demand will continue to anchor growth amid the continued moderation in external demand, with the growth to be mainly driven by the private sector and supported by the public sector.

"There are however risks to growth, especially from the external environment," he said in a press conference after attending Bank Negara Malaysia's (BNM) board briefing here today.

Najib said global growth is expected to continue to remain modest as growth in the major advanced economies will still be affected by the ongoing structural adjustments and policy uncertainty.

He said Malaysia could face increased volatility in the financial markets as these major economies are calibrating their policies.

"Given this challenging environment, BNM has put forward a number of proposals to strengthen our economic resilience and to accelerate our economic transformation agenda to become a high value-added and high-income economy," he said.

In addition, Najib said the government is committed to strengthening the country's macro and fiscal position.
"We have put in place a fiscal committee, we are looking at some challenges and all these will be addressed shortly, particularly in the forthcoming budget," he said. – Bernama

(Source: http://www.thesundaily.my)

Japan to offer scholarships for Malaysians

KUALA LUMPUR : The Japanese Government is inviting applications from Malaysians for scholarships to pursue undergraduate and postgraduate studies in Japan for the academic year 2014.

The Japanese embassy in a statement today said the Monbukagakusho scholarship for undergraduate is open for applicants who have completed SPM or O-Level with at least 11 years of formal education, as well as those who have completed STPM, UEC, Matriculation or Diploma.

Applicants must be between 17 to 22 years old on April 1, 2014 and have a good command of the English language, said the statement.

Those qualified will be given 117,000 yen (about RM3,900) as monthly allowances and all applications must reach the embassy before 4pm on May 17.

For the postgraduate courses, applicants must be under 35 years old on April 1, 2014, a degree or master degree holder with a minimum of 3.4 CGPA, and undergraduates in the final year at respective universities, it said.

Civil servants are also eligible to apply but must be through the Malaysian Public Service Department (JPA) by visiting www.jpa.gov.my or contact JPA at 03-8885 3555 or 03-8885 3519.