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Nearly 30,000 Primary Six pupils in Sarawak are expected to receive six free practice books each in January 2027 to help prepare for the state’s Dual Language Programme assessment. Caretaker deputy education, innovation and talent development minister Dr Annuar Rapaee said the books cover Mathematics, English and Science and are being printed, The Borneo Post reported. The materials will contain intensive learning modules and practice exercises, including 10 sets similar to those used in the assessment. He said the content would be updated annually after a review by the Sarawak Education Department led to amendments. Annuar made the announcement on Monday evening at the Sarawak Digital Leadership Symposium in Sibu. Distribution is expected in January; the report did not specify how families or schools will receive the books.

Julau’s upgraded water treatment plant has added 3.4 million litres a day to the district’s capacity, while a much larger proposed plant remains at the design stage. The RM25.7 million upgrade was completed in August after work began in 2024, according to the Rural Water Supply Department (JBALB). It includes a new raw-water intake, a pumping station and 28.8km of pipelines, The Borneo Post reported. At the plant’s opening on Nov 2, caretaker utilities and telecommunications minister Julaihi Narawi said improved pressure had benefited Julau town and surrounding areas. Supply was also beginning to reach the Berjawai–Nanga Luau zone, including places that previously lacked treated water, he said. A separate 30-million-litre-per-day plant is being designed under the state water master plan. It is not yet a completed facility; JBALB will be responsible for implementation. The older plant, built in 1972, had a capacity of 1.2 million litres a day.

Three people were injured when a car and a cargo lorry collided on the access road between Samarahan and the southern side of Kuching International Airport on Nov 2. TVS reported, citing the Sarawak Fire and Rescue Department, that two occupants got out of the car with help from members of the public before firefighters arrived. A man in the driver’s seat remained trapped and was freed using rescue equipment. A Tabuan Jaya fire station team responded, and all three injured people were handed to Health Ministry personnel for hospital treatment. The rescue operation ended at 12.38pm after the scene was made safe. Sarawak Tribune also reported three injured occupants and identified the road as Jalan Airport Baru. The cause and the injured people’s later condition were not established in the reports.

A three-day showcase at The Hills in Kuching will put locally made footwear and the students behind it in the spotlight from Nov 13 to 15. Sarawak Sole Story 2026 will feature work by around 30 students and graduates from the first five cohorts of CENTEXS’ Certificate in Shoemaking Arts programme, TVS reported. Students from the fourth and fifth cohorts are also scheduled to model shoes they designed and made at the Nov 13 launch. Visitors can see the finished designs and learn about the skills involved in shoemaking. The event is organised by Tradisi Busana PR with Waris & Co as programme lead. TVS is a collaboration partner and The Hills is the venue sponsor; the report did not specify opening hours or admission arrangements.

Kuching’s Hikmah Exchange Event Centre will host the Borneo Indigenous Festival from Nov 12 to 15, with traditional crafts, food and performances on the programme. Organised by the Sarawak Arts Council, the four-day event is scheduled to run from 9am to 10.30pm daily, DayakDaily reported following the Nov 2 announcement. The Ruai Sarawak segment will bring together 12 ethnic associations. A cultural showcase will focus on Iban attire from five areas: Batang Ai, Batang Rajang, Iban Kepuas, Iban Seribas and Iban Sebuyau. Market Seni is expected to have 30 booths selling products including crafts, food and artwork. Organisers are targeting up to 5,000 visitors; the report did not state admission arrangements.

Contractors working on Sarawak’s Autonomous Rapid Transit project have been told to improve uneven roads and provide safe passage around construction sites. Deputy transport minister Dr Jerip Susil said discussions were ongoing with contractors on safety measures in resurfacing and road-widening works, Sarawak Tribune reported. He said some road surfaces had become very uneven and roads narrower. For motorists whose vehicles are damaged by road conditions around the works, Jerip said there is currently no arrangement or policy for assistance or compensation. The minister acknowledged congestion associated with construction and said road users would face disruptions over the next three to four years. He expressed hope for an ART pilot run by year-end; that is a target, not a confirmed opening date.

Borneo Convention Centre Kuching’s expansion is designed to accommodate about 15,000 people at the same time, with the new facilities targeted to open in 2028. The project will link the existing centre and new facilities on a single campus at The Isthmus. Together, the major halls and concourses are expected to provide about 31,333 square metres, with space for up to 1,044 exhibition booths and 34 meeting rooms. Chief operating officer David Bareng said in a statement reported by Sarawak Tribune that larger international events could bring business to Kuching hotels, restaurants, transport providers and other suppliers. The figures describe the planned expanded venue, not its current capacity. BCCK said it hopes the project will also encourage investment around The Isthmus.

Bau Stadium can now accommodate evening football and recreation with a RM2.7 million high-mast floodlighting facility, Sarawak deputy transport minister Henry Harry Jinep says. The Greater Kuching Coordinated Development Agency project was carried out with Sarawak Sports Corporation, TVS reported. Henry said the lighting gives people who work during the day more opportunity to exercise after hours. Speaking to reporters at the Bau District Youth Carnival at Bau Sports Complex on Nov 1, he said the existing lights were sufficient for football and recreational use. An increase in electricity supply capacity is planned to allow more high-mast lights to be added in future. No date for that further work was given in the report.

Some 2,000 people joined Kebaya Walk 2026 around the Heroes Monument in Kuching on Sunday, according to Kuching North City Hall. The walk was organised by City Hall’s Allamanda Club in conjunction with Kuching Car Free Morning. Participants wore the traditional kebaya as the event celebrated local cultural heritage. City Hall said the programme was also intended to bring communities together. Activities included aerobics, a best-dressed competition and a lucky draw. TVS reported that the event took place on Nov 1, with Sarawak deputy minister Sharifah Hasidah Sayeed Aman Ghazali among those attending.

Craft sales at the Sarawak Regatta could exceed RM2 million, but the final figure has yet to be compiled, the state's caretaker tourism minister says. Speaking after the closing ceremony at Kuching Waterfront on Nov 1, the minister said last year's craft sales reached RM2.4 million and this year's trading was continuing until the final night, DayakDaily reported. The amount for 2026 remains a forecast, not a confirmed sales total. The minister also said Sarawak Kitchen stalls had attracted good patronage, although their combined sales figures were not yet available. The festival's craft area used a changed layout this year: vendors were placed on one side of the exhibition tent, leaving the other side open for visitors to pass through. The regatta ran from Oct 30 to Nov 1, following an earlier cultural festival.

Sarawak DAP says it is targeting seven state seats in Kuching and Bau at the coming election, with Batu Lintang being considered as a possible eighth. The seven are Padungan, Pending, Batu Kitang, Kota Sentosa, Batu Kawah, Tasik Biru and Opar, according to a party update reported by DayakDaily after its state committee met on Nov 1. The party said it would announce decisions for Sibu, Sarikei, Bintulu and Miri within the next one to two weeks. The statement identifies intended seats, not a final list of candidates. In the 2021 state election, DAP won two of the 26 seats it contested: Padungan and Pending. Its latest announcement brings the focus back to constituencies in the Kuching and Bau areas, while the question of an eighth seat remains open.

Sarawak's Natural Resources and Environment Board is preparing for a carbon credit registry intended to record and track carbon credit units across the state. The board held an awareness training session in Kuching on Oct 31 to strengthen its capacity to establish the registry, The Borneo Post reported. Forty-five participants came from NREB and other state agencies, including the Forest Department. NREB said the planned centralised platform would help manage units, improve traceability and reduce double counting while strengthening oversight. The board's environmental quality controller was appointed registrar for the carbon credits register on March 1, 2025 under the state's greenhouse gas emissions legislation. The session included a regional representative from Verra, which develops sustainability and climate standards. The report did not give a launch date for the Sarawak registry; the training is a preparation step rather than confirmation that the platform is already operating.

Kuching South City Council (MBKS) wants to make greater use of the Traffic Garden in Kenyalang Park for neighbourhood activities, after a community barbecue drew around 800 people on October 31. Kuching South mayor Wee Hong Seng told DayakDaily that residents had asked for more frequent gatherings after the recent Mooncake Festival celebrations at the park. He said the council would consider residents' feedback when planning future activities and encourage young people to help organise them. The garden's role as a community space sits alongside its traffic-education function. No date or programme for the next gathering was given in the November 1 report, so residents should wait for a fresh council announcement rather than assume another barbecue has been scheduled.

Sarawak recorded 22.7 million domestic visitors in 2025, up from 19.6 million in 2024, Tourism Malaysia's domestic and events division senior director Mohd Roslan Abdullah said at a Kuching travel carnival on October 31. The Borneo Post reported the increase as 15.8%. The figures concern domestic visitors in 2025, not international arrivals or a count for 2026. Nationwide domestic visitor numbers for the first half of 2026 were separately put at 151.6 million, compared with 143.5 million a year earlier. For Sarawak businesses, the figures provide context for demand across food, transport and accommodation, but they do not show how spending was distributed among individual districts. The statistics were presented at the carnival in Plaza Merdeka; its Kuching edition ends on November 1.

Miri City Health Clinic has received a four-year accreditation from the Malaysian Society for Quality in Health (MSQH), The Borneo Post reported on November 1. The recognition was celebrated at the clinic's annual dinner on Saturday. Sarawak caretaker Transport Minister Lee Kim Shin said the clinic had operated for about three years, and credited staff across clinical, laboratory, pharmacy and administrative teams for the achievement. According to the information shared with Lee and reported by Sarawak Tribune, it is the first health clinic in Sarawak to receive this recognition. Accreditation is a quality milestone, not an announcement of a new clinic or a change to appointment arrangements; the reports did not specify its start and expiry dates.

Landas 3 Sarawak Energy won the Petronas Cup men's 25-paddler Perahu Bidar race at Sarawak Regatta 2026, recording a time of six minutes and 59 seconds, TVS reported. The result is for the Petronas Cup category, not a confirmation of the separate Raja Sungai title. Landas Sarawak deputy chairman Roslan Putit said the latter was the team's main target, while the cup win was a bonus. The regatta runs from October 23 to November 1 along the Sarawak River waterfront in Kuching. The result gives local followers a specific race outcome as the waterfront programme draws to a close; the report did not provide finishing times for the other crews.

Sarawak is exploring possible cooperation with Russia on rocket and satellite launches, Premier Abang Johari Tun Openg said in Kuching on Sunday. The proposal was raised by Russian ambassador Naiyl M. Latypov during a courtesy call last week, the Premier said, according to Bernama. Sarawak's location near the Equator was cited in the report. Speaking at the opening of the Gurdwara Sahib Kuching extension, Abang Johari said Sarawak needed more engineers and was prepared to explore cooperation to build its pool of professionals. The report did not announce a launch site, signed agreement or project timetable.

Three reservoirs being built in Matang will add a combined 75 million litres of treated-water storage for northern Kuching, according to Sarawak Utility and Telecommunication Minister Julaihi Narawi. The areas intended to benefit include Petra Jaya, Samariang, Bako and Santubong, as well as Rambungan, Sampadi, Stoh, FAC Matang and parts of Samajaya. After visiting the site on Sunday, Julaihi said the two intermediate-level reservoirs, each designed to hold 33 million litres, had reached 64.5% physical progress. The nine-million-litre high-level reservoir was 31% complete. The project also covers pump-station upgrades and pipelines; no completion date was given in his reported remarks.

A ferry capable of carrying 24 cars is expected to be ready for service at Nanga Melipis by the end of this year, according to caretaker deputy minister Jefferson Jamit Unyat. The RM21.3 million project is intended to improve crossings of the Rejang River and access to longhouses along Sungai Melipis. Jamit's update followed a Thursday inspection at Nanga Sebatu along Jalan Kapit-Song. The project includes landing facilities on both sides of the river, with concrete ramps at Nanga Melipis and Rumah Robert in Nanga Sebatu. The works also include protective fenders, a waiting area and a toilet. The ferry has not been announced as operating yet; the year-end date remains an expected target rather than a confirmed first sailing. The project held its groundbreaking ceremony in November last year.

Sarawak plans to fund 80 medical places for Sarawakian students at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS), including 40 additional places expected from the next intake, Premier Abang Johari Tun Openg said on Friday. The total combines an existing allocation of 40 with the extra places discussed with the university. According to the Premier, Yayasan Sarawak will bear the costs and students in the state-sponsored programme will not need to apply through UPU. The announcement was made at the Sarawak Premier Special Award and Sarawak Education Award ceremony in Kuching. Abang Johari said the state needed to train more doctors locally. He also said preparations were under way for a proposed medical faculty at Universiti Teknologi Sarawak in Sibu, including recruitment of teaching staff, which could take around two years. Details of eligibility and the application process for the UNIMAS places were not provided in the report.