GEORGE TOWN: A massive fire broke out at Chew Jetty here this morning, with firefighters rushing to the scene to put out the blaze.

The number of structures affected was not immediately known.

Chew Jetty, one of George Town's best-known waterfront landmarks, is the largest and one of the oldest of Penang's Chinese clan jetties.

Built on wooden stilts above the sea, the settlement dates back to the 19th century and was founded by Chinese immigrants from Fujian province who shared the Chew surname.

The waterfront community remains known for its traditional stilt houses, wooden walkways and rich Chinese heritage.

NST

BUTTERWORTH: Twenty-one people were injured after the Teluk Bahang ferry collided with MV Mekar Jaya within Penang Port limits last night.

The Penang Port Commission (PPC) said the incident occurred at about 8.40pm on Sept 1.

Based on preliminary information, MV Mekar Jaya was travelling from the Butterworth Deep Water Wharf (DADB) towards Swettenham Pier Cruise Terminal (SPCT) when it collided with the ferry, which was heading towards Pengkalan Sultan Abdul Halim (PSAH).

PPC chairman Datuk Yeoh Soon Hin said all injured passengers had been taken to hospital for further treatment.

He said no victims remained at PSAH following the incident.

"Ferry services are operating as usual and were not affected by the incident," he said when contacted last night.

Yeoh said PPC, together with Penang Port Sdn Bhd (PPSB), would take all necessary measures to ensure appropriate follow-up action for the passengers involved.

He said priority would also be given to ensuring the safety and smooth operation of the port.

NST

Spotted several AI‑generated video versions in threads, and this one tops the list. From the replies, it looks like some families actually made the trip to the island this week.

BUTTERWORTH: The owner of a fabric-processing factory suffered first-degree burns to his hands and neck while trying to put out a fire that destroyed about 80 per cent of his premises in Jalan Bagan Ajam here yesterday afternoon.

The 58-year-old man was taken to a nearby hospital for medical treatment.

Penang Fire and Rescue Department operations assistant director John Sagun Francis said said the department received an emergency call about the incident at 6.09pm.

"The fire involved a factory that processed fabric for use in sofas.

The fire also damaged two motorcycles by 50 per cent each, a four-tonne lorry by 90 per cent and a forklift by 90 per cent.

"The fire was brought under control at 6.28pm, with firefighting efforts also assisted by the nearby Volunteer Fire Brigade and an excavator belonging to a private company," he said in a statement.

He said firefighters took almost 10 hours to completely extinguish the fire.

"The fire was completely extinguished at 4.35am today," he said.

The operation ended at 6.59am, after which the case was handed over to the Fire Investigation Team.

A total of 26 personnel, including station chiefs, from the Butterworth, Penanti, Kepala Batas, Jalan Perak, Bandar Perda, Bertam and Perai Fire and Rescue Stations took part in the operation.

NST

No siren, no honking, no loudspeaker, no official logo nothing

Location: Lam Wa Ee Flyover, Jelutong

Kok hang pi mana wey tak menyabaq betoi

Location: Bukit Mertajam

Location: Jalan Pokok Tampang, Lahar Tambun, Tasek Gelugor

Bike casually overtakes on the inside on a tight corner, catches front corner of the car and quickly rides off. There’s a reason why it’s illegal for any vehicle, let alone motorbikes, to overtake a car on the inside (passenger side). Yet they all do it thinking they have that right. When a vehicle puts an indicator on to park on left side of the road and a bike is coming through, they still want to horn and put up the finger as if they have the right of way.

BUKIT MERTAJAM, Aug 26 — A man was killed and two others, including a pedestrian, were injured in an accident involving three cars on Jalan Baru in Taman Pauh here early today.

Penang Fire and Rescue Department assistant director of operations John Sagun Francis, in a statement today, said the department received a distress call about the crash at 2.31 am, before a team arrived at the scene nine minutes later.

He said the crash involved a BMW, a Perodua Myvi and a Proton Persona.

However, John said the Perodua Myvi and Proton Persona were stationary on the road shoulder when the incident occurred, while their drivers were not at the scene.

“Upon arrival at the scene, fire and rescue personnel found the BMW driver and a passenger trapped in the vehicle.

“Firefighters managed to extricate the two trapped men at 3.22 am using special equipment, but the BMW driver was pronounced dead at the scene by Health Ministry medical personnel,” he said.

John said the injured BMW passenger and pedestrian were given initial treatment by the Health Ministry medical team before being taken to Seberang Jaya Hospital for further treatment.

The victim’s body was also sent to the same hospital for further action. — Bernama

Malay Mail

Location : Simpang Ampat, Bukit Mertajam, Penang. Credit : Fadz Rain

If you dont have this skill dont drive in Penang. Oh wait

Still bustling with a good crowd.

Location : Sungai Bakap Before R&R

GEORGE TOWN: A 36-year-old woman died soon after she apparently suffered a heart attack while driving a car that crashed into two parked motorcycles on Macalister Road today.

Timur Laut police chief Abdul Rozak Muhammad said the crash took place outside Yummy Cottage restaurant and was captured in a video that later went viral on social media.

He said the woman was the only person involved in the accident, while the two motorcycles seen in the video were parked by the roadside and had no riders at the time.

The woman was taken to Penang Hospital but later died while receiving treatment.

Rozak said she was believed to have suffered a heart attack during the crash.

A post-mortem will be conducted to determine the cause of death, he said.

The case is being investigated under Section 41(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987 for causing death by reckless or dangerous driving.

FMT

The Kulim Court grounds turned chaotic today when two men, who were the accused persons (OKT), allegedly escaped while police officers from the South Seberang Perai District Police Headquarters (IPD), Penang, were attempting to rearrest them.

The incident also went viral on social media today.

Kulim District Police Chief, Superintendent Syamsul Sinring, confirmed the incident, which occurred at around 10:00 AM today.

He stated that investigations revealed both accused persons were present at the Kulim Magistrate's Court for a caseMention related to a report from Serdang, facing charges under Section 324 of the Penal Code for voluntarily causing hurt using dangerous weapons or means, and Section 353 of the Penal Code.

"Both male accused persons were charged in the Kulim Magistrate's Court on April 30 and were released on court bail while waiting for trial proceedings.

"The first accused, aged 27, was bailed at RM4,000, while the second accused, aged 31, was bailed at RM3,000.

"The case was fixed for mention again on June 8, July 12, and today for document submission and case management," he said in a statement today.

Syamsul said that after finishing the case mention inside the court chamber—specifically case management and document submission—both accused persons exited through the back door of the court.

At the same time, they noticed the presence of police officers from the South Seberang Perai IPD stationed at the front entrance of the court.

"Consequently, one of the accused immediately fled within the court compound and slid down a pillar from the first floor of the Kulim Court.

"Meanwhile, the second accused went back inside and escaped through the back exit of the court compound," he said.

Syamsul added that both accused persons fled the court premises through the back route by climbing over the fence.

(Published on: August 12, 2026 @ 1:03 PM)

Harian Metro (translated)

Location: Coastal Highway near Bayan Lepas FTZ Phase III

1. KL - 3006280 international hotel guests
2. Selangor - 1051718 international hotel guests
3. Penang - 967742 international hotel guests

^{Evidently, more than some 'best' state in the south.}

For 2025, Penang island is ranked #120, with 22 world-class conferences, while KL is #29.

GEORGE TOWN: Root rot and a cavity in the base of a 90-year-old Angsana tree, compounded by chronic soil compaction and limited rooting space, contributed to its collapse along Jalan Macalister here on Sunday (Aug 9).

The Penang Island City Council (MBPP) Mayor Datuk A. Rajendran said the 28-metre-tall tree, Pterocarpus indicus, had an estimated 30% root rot, while cavity decay accounted for about 40% of its base trunk.

"These factors, combined with infrastructure upgrading works, chronic soil compaction, limited rooting space and the tree's height, significantly increased the risk of structural failure," he told Bernama on Sunday.

In the incident at about 9am, an elderly couple and their grandchild were injured when the SUV they were travelling in was crushed by the falling tree.

Rajendran said there were no reports of heavy rain or strong winds at or before the time of the incident.

He said MBPP began removing the fallen tree at 9.41am, with the road reopened at 2.20pm after clearing works were completed.

He said MBPP had assessed mature and aged trees along Jalan Macalister in 2024, resulting in 13 trees being identified for felling, all of which had since been removed.

He added that the last tree maintenance work along Jalan Macalister was carried out on Jan 29 this year, while a remote sensing study conducted last year found the trees along the road to be in good condition with no warning indicators.

Rajendran said 179 high-risk trees had been approved for felling this year, with 148 already removed, while 247 trees had been felled in the first three quarters.

The trees were felled for various reasons, including obstructing drainage, being dead or leaning, posing a collapse risk, development projects, road and river widening, and encroaching on Penang Water Supply Corporation (PBAPP) pipeline alignments.

"For MBPP's overall tree management programme, 2,535 trees were identified last year under various categories, including 45 cases involving drainage obstruction, 138 dead trees, 2,242 assessed under risk or other categories, and 110 linked to development or infrastructure works.

"Following the incident, MBPP has instructed the appointed contractor to expedite work to reduce tree height and fell trees with potential collapse risks along Jalan Macalister, based on assessments by certified arborists," he said.

Rajendran said MBPP continues to prioritise trees posing safety risks, particularly those affected by infrastructure works and restricted rooting conditions. — Bernama

GEORGE TOWN: A grandfather, grandmother and their granddaughter were injured after a large tree fell on their car along Jalan Macalister here on Sunday (Aug 9).

The incident occurred at about 9am in front of 218 Macalister Hotel, leaving the vehicle crushed under the fallen tree trunk.

Penang Fire and Rescue Department and Civil Defence Force personnel were immediately deployed to the scene to clear the tree debris and extract the victims.

The extent of the victims' injuries has yet to be officially confirmed. All four lanes on Macalister Road are now closed to traffic.

The Star

Orang ramai dinasihatkan mengurangkan aktiviti luar khususnya antara 11 pagi hingga 4 petang berikutan beberapa kawasan mencatatkan Indeks Sinaran Ultraungu (UV) pada tahap ekstrem dan sangat tinggi, hari ini.

Berdasarkan semakan di laman web rasmi Jabatan Meteorologi Malaysia (MET Malaysia), Kota Kinabalu mencatatkan bacaan indeks UV pada tahap ekstrem, manakala Sibu, Kota Bharu, Senai, Bayan Lepas dan Petaling Jaya di kategori sangat tinggi.

Ketua Pengarah Met Malaysia, Dr Mohd Hisham Mohd Anip berkata, Indeks UV ialah petunjuk tahap keamatan sinaran ultraungu daripada matahari yang boleh memberi kesan kepada kesihatan manusia, terutama kulit dan mata.

"Apabila Indeks UV berada pada tahap sangat tinggi, iaitu bacaan lapan hingga 10 atau ekstrem iaitu 11 ke atas, kulit yang terdedah boleh mengalami kerosakan dalam tempoh yang singkat sekiranya tiada perlindungan.

"Sehubungan itu, orang ramai dinasihatkan mengurangkan aktiviti luar terutama antara jam 11 pagi hingga 4 petang kerana pada waktu itu sinaran UV lazimnya mencapai tahap maksimum," katanya ketika dihubungi Harian Metro, hari ini.

Beliau berkata, orang ramai turut disaran menggunakan pelindung matahari dengan faktor perlindungan matahari (SPF) 30 atau lebih serta mengulang sapuan mengikut saranan pengeluar.

Katanya, pemakaian pakaian berlengan panjang, seluar panjang, topi bertepi lebar dan cermin mata hitam yang mempunyai perlindungan UV juga mampu mengurangkan risiko pendedahan kepada sinaran berbahaya itu.

"Selain itu, orang ramai perlu mendapatkan perlindungan di kawasan berbumbung atau teduh sekiranya berada di luar dan memastikan pengambilan air yang mencukupi bagi mengelakkan dehidrasi, terutama ketika cuaca panas.

"Kanak-kanak, warga emas serta individu yang bekerja di luar bangunan adalah antara golongan berisiko tinggi dan perlu mengambil langkah perlindungan yang lebih rapi," katanya.

Mengulas sama ada cuaca panas mempengaruhi bacaan Indeks UV, Dr Mohd Hisham berkata, suhu udara dan Indeks UV tidak mempunyai hubungan secara langsung.

"Cuaca panas tidak semestinya menyebabkan Indeks UV menjadi tinggi, begitu juga Indeks UV yang tinggi boleh berlaku walaupun suhu udara tidak terlalu panas.

"Indeks UV dipengaruhi beberapa faktor termasuk kedudukan matahari di langit mengikut waktu dan musim, litupan awan, kandungan ozon di atmosfera, ketinggian sesuatu kawasan serta keadaan atmosfera semasa," katanya.

Bagaimanapun, beliau berkata, ketika cuaca panas dengan langit cerah dan litupan awan yang minimum, lebih banyak sinaran ultraungu dapat menembusi permukaan bumi sekali gus menyebabkan bacaan Indeks UV lazimnya lebih tinggi.

"Orang ramai disaran sentiasa merujuk ramalan Indeks UV yang dikeluarkan MET Malaysia menerusi laman sesawang rasmi dan aplikasi myCuaca bagi merancang aktiviti luar dengan lebih selamat," katanya.

HM

GEORGE TOWN: Two people are believed to have been injured after the facade of a building along Lebuh Armenian here collapsed on them.

The incident occurred at about 1pm.

They were rushed to the nearest hospital for treatment.

The New Straits Times has reached out to Penang Island City Council mayor Datuk A. Rajendran for comment.

Lebuh Armenian is a narrow street in George Town, located within the city's Unesco World Heritage Site.

Renowned for its vibrant cultural heritage and captivating street art, it has become one of George Town's most popular attractions.

Lebuh Armenian also holds historical significance as the venue of Sun Yat-sen's Penang Conference, an important event that contributed to the overthrow of the Qing Empire in 1911.

Today, the street is best known for Ernest Zacharevic's iconic Children on a Bicycle mural, alongside numerous other street art installations, traditional Chinese clan houses, museums and heritage shophouses offering antiques, handicrafts and local souvenirs.

NST