What's happening around you
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Penang education dept: students may skip school if haze harms health
Penang's state education department has told schools to let parents take children home early and to allow students to stay away on health grounds as haze worsens. Schools in affected areas will close if the API reading hits 200. Four Penang air monitoring stations recorded unhealthy readings up to 11am.
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Penang API unhealthy at all four stations, Minden highest at 167
Air quality across Penang reached unhealthy levels at all four monitoring stations as of 11am, with Minden recording the highest API of 167. State environment committee chairman S. Sundarajoo advised children, the elderly, pregnant women and those with respiratory problems to limit outdoor activity, and said the state and the Department of Environment would step up monitoring and enforcement against open burning.
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Section of Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Highway Closed 45 Days for LRT Works
A section of the Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Highway in George Town will be closed periodically for 45 days from 16 September to 31 October for utility relocation and road widening under the LRT Mutiara project. The closures affect the leftmost lanes and slip roads at several locations heading towards Komtar and Bayan Lepas. MRT Corp has advised motorists to exercise caution.
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Factory bus plunges into drain near Jalan Tun Dr Awang roundabout, driver hurt
A factory bus crashed through a road divider and fell into a three-metre-deep drain near the Jalan Tun Dr Awang roundabout in Penang during evening peak hour. The 49-year-old driver was trapped and later extricated by firefighters before being taken to Penang Hospital.
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One-eyed student enters USM, shares story of losing sight
At Universiti Sains Malaysia in Georgetown, two new students shared their life stories during registration for the 2026/2027 academic session. Batrisya Umairah Ahmad Rezuan, 20, who can only see with her right eye after two nerve surgeries, is pursuing English Language and Literature studies. Nurul Atiqah Husna Azli, 20, from Pasir Mas, Kelantan, was raised by her grandparents and is now in the Education programme.
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Penang teacher moved to district office pending probe into pupil abuse claim
Penang's state education department has temporarily reassigned a teacher to the district education office after a complaint of physical violence against a pupil. The district office is investigating the claim, and the department says the pupil's welfare will be protected with psychosocial support. The case involves a pupil at a Chinese primary school in the Southwest district who was found with bruises.
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USM urges students not to reject offers over financial problems
Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) has urged students not to turn down study offers solely because of financial difficulties. Vice-Chancellor Prof. Datuk Seri Ir. Dr. Abdul Rahman Mohamed said the university will assist B40 and M40 students facing hardship. A total of 5,804 candidates registered for the 2026/2027 academic session, including 2,241 B40 students and 999 international students.
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Gerakan Penang wants state education dept to probe claim pupil, 9, hurt by teacher
Gerakan Penang has asked the Penang State Education Department to investigate a claim that a nine-year-old boy was injured by his teacher at a Chinese national-type school in the Southwest district. The complaint was received on 8 September and the pupil claims he suffered bruises on his back and left arm. The state education director confirmed a report was received and an investigation is under way.
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Body of man found in 10m-deep drain at Jalan Pantai Jerejak
An unidentified man, believed to be in his 40s, was found dead at the bottom of a 10-metre-deep drain at Jalan Pantai Jerejak in George Town, Penang. The Penang Fire and Rescue Department retrieved the body after a police call at 2.34am, and the operation ended at 3.15am. The body was handed to police and sent to hospital for a post-mortem.
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Houthis seize Perim island, Gulf oil exports under threat
Houthi forces reportedly captured Perim island in the Bab el-Mandeb strait, tightening control over a key global shipping route. Drone strikes from Iraq also forced Saudi Arabia to temporarily shut its East-West oil pipeline, adding pressure on oil flows and global prices.
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Four Chinese nationals plead not guilty to kidnapping Singaporean man at Penang airport
Four Chinese nationals pleaded not guilty in the Balik Pulau Sessions Court to kidnapping a Singaporean man at Penang International Airport on 26 July. They are accused of demanding a S$1 million ransom, and the court denied bail while the case is set for mention on 15 October.
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Two motorcyclists hurt in separate crashes in Balik Pulau and Kepala Batas
Two motorcyclists were injured in separate road accidents in Penang on the same day. The first occurred near SK Titi Teras in Balik Pulau, and the second in Lorong Haji Hassan 2, Kepala Batas. Both victims were rescued by firefighters and taken to hospitals.
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Penang airport flights normal despite haze and Jakarta volcanic ash cancellations
Penang International Airport operations remain normal despite haze affecting the state. Several flights to Jakarta were cancelled due to volcanic ash from Mount Anak Krakatau, but no large-scale stranding of passengers occurred. The state government is also preparing for two new international direct routes in October.
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Penang says no mass stranding of passengers after Jakarta flights cancelled
Penang state executive councillor Wong Hon Wai said there has been no mass stranding of Indonesian passengers at Penang International Airport after six Penang-Jakarta flights were cancelled on Sept 6. The cancellations were due to the temporary closure of Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta International Airport following the eruption of Mount Anak Krakatau. Wong also said the haze has not disrupted flight operations at the airport.
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Anak Krakatau eruption: 41 flights from Malaysian airports to Jakarta cancelled
A total of 41 flights from various Malaysian airports to Jakarta were cancelled today following the temporary closure of Soekarno-Hatta International Airport due to volcanic ash from the Anak Krakatau eruption. Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd said the highest number of cancellations was recorded at KLIA with 30 flights.
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Penang air quality stays good to moderate despite Minden station hitting unhealthy API
Penang's air quality has remained at a good to moderate level, helped by intermittent rain, according to state environment committee chairman Datuk Seri S. Sundarajoo. However, the Air Pollutant Index (API) reading at the Minden Station reached the unhealthy category this afternoon, with readings between 82 and 142. The official attributed the situation to hotspots in Sumatra and Kalimantan, and advised the public to rely on official API readings and avoid open burning.
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TT Vision awards RM92m construction contract for new Penang factory
TT Vision Holdings has awarded a RM92 million contract to Yu Tong Construction for a new factory and office building in Penang. The project, located at Plot 81A in the Bayan Lepas Industrial Park, will add about 153,000 square feet to the company's footprint. A formal agreement is expected to be signed by October 10, 2026.
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Penang's Minden air quality hits unhealthy API of 142, exco says
Air quality in Minden, Penang island, reached an unhealthy level today, with the API reading climbing to 142 at 3pm. The state exco attributed the haze to increased hotspots in Sumatra and Kalimantan, and advised the public to reduce outdoor activities.
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High-profile trials and public interest appeals dominate Malaysian courts this week
Malaysian courts this week will handle several high-profile cases, including oral arguments in the case of a student accused of murdering a teenage girl in Petaling Jaya, case management for Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor's corruption case, and the trial of the Pantai Jerejak assemblyman. Two public interest appeals related to the constitutional crisis in Negeri Sembilan will also be heard.
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Worker dies in scaffold fall, Penang OSHA halts construction site work
A male worker died after falling about seven meters from scaffolding at a construction site in Bayan Lepas, Penang. The Penang Department of Occupational Safety and Health (JKKP) has issued a stop-work order at the site while a further investigation is conducted.
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Sunshine Square Ice Cream Promo: Buy 1 Free 1 and Multi-Buy Deals from Sept 4-6
Sunshine Square in Bayan Baru, Penang, is holding a Sunshine Ice Cream Joyday promotion from 4 to 6 September 2026. Deals include a Buy 1 Free 1 offer on Nestlé Milo Kaw Stick, multi-buy offers on Drumstick and Mochi ice cream, and a special Happy Hour price.
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PIL2A Phase 1 in Penang 29.85% complete, on track for 2028 opening
The first phase of the Pan Island Link 2A (PIL2A) highway in Penang has reached 29.85 per cent completion, 0.42 per cent ahead of schedule. The RM420 million project, which includes a marine bridge, is expected to open to traffic in December 2028. The highway will connect Jalan Permatang Damar Laut to the future Silicon Island development.
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31 undocumented Indonesians deported via Penang airport
A total of 31 undocumented Indonesian immigrants were sent back to their home country through the Penang International Airport (LTAPP) yesterday. They had been detained at the Belantik Immigration Depot in Kedah and had completed their sentences under the Immigration Act 1959/63 before the repatriation process.
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Six Malaysians held over drug smuggling case linked to co-pilot arrested in Jakarta
Malaysian police have detained six local men in connection with a drug smuggling case involving a Malaysian co-pilot arrested at Jakarta's airport. Four of the suspects had fled to Thailand and Vietnam before returning to Malaysia, where they were arrested. The co-pilot was caught with drugs worth an estimated RM45 million.