FIVE accidents within 90 minutes led to a bumper-to-bumper crawl on the Penang Bridge on August 9 that lasted up to five hours.

The first accident occurred when a factory worker, Azhar Pakwanteh, at Km5.1 on the island-bound route crashed his motorcycle into a trailer at 6.30am, killing him on the spot. Read here.

Half an hour later, another crash led to a four-vehicle pileup at Km4.8 on the island-bound route. At 8.06am, the bridge saw a seven-car pileup on the mainland-bound route at Km138.2, and a much smaller accident involving two vehicles at Km6.2 on the mainland-bound route capped off the morning chaos.

The ferry terminal also saw huge jams as motorists opted for the terminal instead of the bridge. Read here.

Penang bans reading of Quranic verses on loudspeakers before dawn prayers

The Penang Fatwa Council has officially banned the practice of reading verses from the Quran on mosque loudspeakers before dawn prayers.

The decision was met with approval by Perlis mufti Juanda Jaya. “The practice of turning up the volume on the microphones before dawn goes against the Prophet's teachings, because it disturbs those who are still asleep. Such acts of disturbing others is forbidden and is a sin." Read here.

Others are not as pleased with the decision, saying that the matter should have been referred to the King. "I am most saddened by the fatwa issued by the council when no study had been made on the matter by the National Fatwa Council," said Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi. Read here.

The Islamic Development Department of Malaysia will begin "discussions" with the state fatwa council over the issue. "I have had discussions with the chairman of the National Fatwa Council and we feel that matters such as this should be discussed so that each state will not have its own view," said Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom. Read here.

The Penang state government denied any involvement in the council's decision. Read here.

Other news

• Getting back its mojo, says The Economist: If you are going to have a heart attack, have it in Penang. Read here.
• Visually impaired shares fire emergency experience: A retiree who is visually impaired, shares his experience in dealing with  a fire emergency. Read here.
• Man found hanged from window, wife found dead in apartment: A man was found hanged from a window while his wife was found dead in an apartment in Jalan Siput Lala, Tanjung Tokong here last night. Read here.
• Gerakan defends its Penang record: Gerakan defended its track record in Penang amid mounting criticism of its leadership and bleak assessments of its political future. Read here.
• Oct 20 hearing of land compensation case against Penang government: The Penang High Court has fixed Oct 20 to hear an application by businessman Tan Hak Ju seeking from the state government the RM26 million balance of a RM40-million compensation payment it was to have paid him. Read here.

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