What's happening around Istana Seri Kinabalu
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Anwar chairs MA63 council in Kota Kinabalu, special grants and Borneonisation on agenda
The MA63 Implementation Action Council met in Kota Kinabalu on Sept 11, chaired by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, to discuss special grants for Sabah and Sarawak, Borneonisation of the federal civil service and increased parliamentary representation. Anwar said MA63 is a national commitment that must be implemented, and leaders will meet again in Kuching next week for Malaysia Day.
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Sabah assemblywoman opens youth communication programme at UCSF
A youth communication programme, 'Youths in Communication 2.0' under Teraju Muda 2026, was held at University College Sabah Foundation in Penampang. Nominated assemblywoman Grace Lee Li Mei said young people should develop their own communication styles rather than conforming to conventional public-speaking techniques. The programme was organised with the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Kota Kinabalu Toastmasters Club, UCSF and Rakan Muda.
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Two China nationals fined RM1,800 each over fake boarding passes at KKIA
Two Chinese nationals were fined RM1,800 each, or seven months' jail in default, by the Magistrate's Court in Kota Kinabalu for using fake boarding passes to exit the domestic arrival hall at Kota Kinabalu International Airport. Wei Zhan and Nong Chunzhao pleaded guilty to using forged AirAsia and Batik Air Malaysia e-boarding passes for a Tawau-Kota Kinabalu route on Sept 2, with checks showing they were not recorded as passengers on those flights.
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Undocumented man gets 17 years, five strokes for robbing e-hailing driver
An undocumented man was sentenced by the Sessions Court in Kota Kinabalu to 17 years in jail and five strokes of the cane for gang robbery. Musa Normani, 32, was found guilty of robbing an e-hailing driver of an iPhone 11 at knifepoint at a Chinese cemetery at Mile 5, Jalan Tuaran, on Aug 2, 2025.
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Safma urges Todak Night Market traders to widen menus, get licences
Safma chairman Datuk Mohammad Mohamarin urged seafood traders at Todak Night Market in Kota Kinabalu to offer more varied menus to draw tourists. He said Safma will work with authorities on the issue of traders operating without licences there.
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Tamu Besar Kota Belud 2026 expected to draw 50,000 visitors
Tamu Besar Kota Belud 2026 will run from Oct 10 to 18 in Kota Belud, Sabah, targeting about 50,000 visitors. Deputy Chief Minister III Datuk Ewon Benedick said the Head of State will launch the event, with the Chief Minister attending on Oct 17, and it will feature buffalo and cattle races at Padang Kota Belud plus a Tamu Geopark Kinabalu spotlighting Mount Kinabalu.
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Borneo Adventure Hunt launched in Kota Kinabalu, named global finalist at Auggie Awards
A Sabah-developed digital tourism campaign combining augmented reality, gamification and location-based exploration was launched at the Digital and IoT Sandbox in Kota Kinabalu on Thursday. Borneo Adventure Hunt, built by Jalin Creative Sdn Bhd and Reviewbah Sdn Bhd, was named a Top 6 global finalist in the Best Location-Based Entertainment category at the Auggie Awards 2026 in Long Beach, California.
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Anwar arrives at SICC Kota Kinabalu to chair MTPMA63 meeting
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim arrived at the Sabah International Convention Centre (SICC) in Kota Kinabalu at 8.16am to chair the 2026 Malaysia Agreement 1963 Implementation Action Council (MTPMA63) meeting. He arrived with Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor, and Sarawak Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg was also present. The meeting discusses the implementation of MA63 matters concerning Sabah and Sarawak.
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Sabah-level Malaysia Day celebration moved to SICC due to haze
The Sabah-level Malaysia Day celebration on Sept 16 has been moved to the Sabah International Convention Centre (SICC) in Kota Kinabalu because of haze. State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Jafry Ariffin said the change was agreed by the State Cabinet to ensure the event proceeds, and it will start at 8pm simultaneously with the national celebration in Kuching, Sarawak.
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Anwar arrives in Kota Kinabalu for two-day Sabah visit, to chair MA63 meeting tomorrow
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim arrived at Kota Kinabalu International Airport at 6.45pm today for a two-day official visit to Sabah. Tomorrow he is scheduled to chair the 2026 Malaysia Agreement 1963 Implementation Action Council (MTPMA63) meeting at the Sabah International Convention Centre, focusing on MA63 implementation and the interests of Sabah and Sarawak. The visit also includes Friday prayers at Masjid Jamek Kampung Likas and a stop at the temporary relief centre for Kampung Numbak fire victims at Dewan Serbaguna Damai.
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Asian Pac denies swapping residents' parking bays in Kota Kinabalu
Asian Pac Holdings has denied residents' claims that parking bays at a residential complex next to a shopping mall in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah were moved without discussion. Its chief operating officer said the allocated bays are unchanged and the temporary closure of Levels 1 to 3 is only for upgrading works.
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Abang Johari arrives in Kota Kinabalu for MA63 meeting chaired by Anwar
Sarawak Premier Abang Johari Tun Openg arrived in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah today for programmes tied to the MA63 Implementation Action Council (MTPMA63) Meeting No. 1 of 2026. He is due at a dinner with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Sabah leaders at The Magellan Sutera Resort tonight, and at the MTPMA63 meeting tomorrow at the Sabah International Convention Centre, chaired by Anwar. Sabah will be represented by Chief Minister Hajiji Noor.
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Tamparuli LLC Bridge repairs near completion, reopening in early October
Repair works on the Tamparuli Low Level Crossing Bridge in Sabah are about 90 per cent complete and it is expected to reopen to the public in early October. The bridge was closed early this year after subsidence, and support pillar repairs are finished while surface works and gantry installation continue.
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Document examiner stands by findings on Zara Qairina's handwriting at Sabah inquest
At the Coroner's Court in Kota Kinabalu on Thursday, document examiner Nurul Atiqah Mohd Noh maintained that her conclusion the questioned writings belonged to the late Zara Qairina Mahathir is unchanged, even after hearing the testimony of another forensic handwriting expert, Dr Linthini Gannetion. She said minor scribbles, amendments and different writing instruments do not overturn the finding, and that another expert's inability to conclude does not mean someone else wrote them. The inquest into the 13-year-old student's death resumes in October.
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Kundasang tourism group seeks review of Federal Route 22 traffic data
A Kundasang tourism association has urged the Federal Government to reassess traffic conditions along the Tamparuli-Kundasang-Ranau-Lohan corridor, saying the 2024 census rating of Level of Service A does not match the congestion seen during school holidays and festive seasons. Its chairman also wants clarity on funding and timelines for alternative alignments under Phase Two of the Pan Borneo Highway.
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Mutiara GRS visits COTI patient in Kg Tanjung Aru Lama, gives RM3,000 and equipment
Datin Seri Juliah Salag, wife of the Sabah Chief Minister and president of Mutiara GRS, visited the home of a Care of the Terminally Ill (COTI) patient at Kg Tanjung Aru Lama on Tuesday under the Santunan Kasih Mutiara GRS Sabah programme. She presented a RM3,000 cheque, two electric hospital beds and two heavy-duty reclining wheelchairs to the Women's Affairs Committee of Kota Kinabalu City Mosque, plus cash, food baskets and necessities to COTI patients in Tanjung Aru.
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CHERY Borneo Drive 2.0 takes TIGGO PHEV across Sabah
CHERY Borneo Drive 2.0 saw TIGGO PHEV models travel over 734 km from Kota Kinabalu to Tawau over three days from 29 to 31 July 2026. The journey through Kundasang, Sandakan and Lahad Datu highlighted the plug-in hybrid technology's capabilities in various road conditions. Participants also visited the Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre and attended technology talks in several towns.
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Labourer gets nine months for disposing of stolen Proton rims in Penampang
A 29-year-old labourer was jailed nine months by the Magistrate's Court in Kota Kinabalu after pleading guilty to helping dispose of three stolen Proton Saga rims worth RM300. The rims were taken from a roadside along the Pan Borneo Highway at Kampung Mansiang in Manggatal, and the man led police to a scrap metal shop in Penampang where they were sold. In a separate case, a woman was fined RM2,000 for failing to comply with a Consumer Claims Tribunal award.
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Safoda Eco Forest Park in Kinarut holds tree-planting for clean air
Safoda Eco Forest Park in Kinarut held a tree-planting ceremony on Tuesday for the International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies. The event, sponsored by the Japanese community through JICA, brought together students, educators and representatives from Japan and Sabah amid ongoing haze in Sabah and Sarawak.
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Keras badminton tournament draws Sabah artistes to Putatan
Kelab Rekreasi Artis Sabah held its Closed Badminton Tournament 2026 at Dewan Ketiau in Putatan on Sept 5, drawing members of the state's entertainment community for a day of sport and fellowship. Shuttle Striker took the overall title, with Smash Squad second and Court Crasher third across women's, men's and mixed doubles. The club said the event aimed to promote healthy living and strengthen ties among Sabah artistes.
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BMW seized in Tuaran over expired licence and road tax
A BMW was seized at Jalan Lintas-Inanam in Tuaran during a JPJ Sabah patrol on Tuesday after the driver was found without a valid Competent Driving Licence and the vehicle's Motor Vehicle Licence had expired. The car was taken to the Telipok Enforcement Station, and summonses were issued to both the driver and the owner.
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23 Sabah entrepreneurs get RM230,000 in SME-Up packaging grants
Twenty-three local entrepreneurs in Sabah have received SME-Up grants totalling RM230,000 to upgrade their product packaging and labelling. Each recipient got RM10,000 under the state government initiative, presented in Kota Kinabalu by Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Ewon Benedick.
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Jafry: Sabah Malaysia Day celebration to reflect on nation's formation
Sabah's state-level Malaysia Day celebration will be a platform to reflect on the formation of Malaysia and strengthen unity, said Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Jafry Ariffin. He said this after leading a courtesy call on Sabah Head of State Tun Musa Aman at Istana Seri Kinabalu in Kota Kinabalu on Wednesday to brief the Governor on preparations.
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Numbak fire victims allowed to rebuild homes, says Kota Kinabalu mayor
Fire victims in three villages in Numbak, Kota Kinabalu, have been allowed to rebuild their houses, according to Mayor Datuk Seri Dr Sabin Samitah. He said City Hall and the State Government are reorganising the area to ensure houses are rebuilt on properly arranged plots, and that only eligible people will be allowed to stay. The announcement came after Sabah Yang Dipertua Negeri Tun Musa Aman visited the victims at Damai Multipurpose Hall and presented aid to 110 heads of households.