Provident fund bill faces flak from both sides

Lawmakers representing employers’ and employees’ interests respectively jointly slammed a government-drafted non-mandatory central provident fund bill during a plenary session yesterday – but for rather different reasons. The unsually heated debate of the outline of the bill was held in the legislative hemicycle yesterday.The bill proposes that employers and employees can opt for the central provident fund, each paying a minimum of five percent of the employees’ basic wages per

June 21, 2016 | BY admin

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2,200 locals accepted by Taiwan universities

Around 2,200 local applicants have been accepted by Taiwanese higher education institutions starting from the new academic year, Taipei Economic and Cultural Office Director-General Lu Chang-shui said yesterday.Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a public event at The Plaza Restaurant in Zape, Lu said he expected half of the successful applicants to study in their undergraduate or postgraduate programmes in Taiwan in September. The number of applicants admitted this year was “more or

June 21, 2016 | BY admin

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Australia grants Macau e-passport holders entry via e-channel

The Australian government announced yesterday that Macau e-passport holders are eligible to use its automated border clearance system “SmartGate” on arrival in Australia.The decision took effect yesterday.The Australian Consulate-General Hong Kong said in a statement yesterday that the automated clearance system uses the information in biometric passports and face recognition technology to perform immigration checks.Macau travellers will still need to apply for a visa before arriving in

June 21, 2016 | BY admin

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Exhibition of dolphin skeletons aims to raise ocean awareness

An exhibition featuring dolphins’ skeletons aims to promote awareness of the urgent need to protect the world’s five oceans. The “Sages of the Ocean” exhibition at Flower City Garden is co-organised by the Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau (IACM) and Sun Yat-sen University’s (SYSU) School of Marine Science. The school was established in 2008. The exhibition includes the skeletal specimens of a finless porpoise and a Chinese white dolphin washed ashore in Macau, as well as

June 21, 2016 | BY admin

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Group urges govt to ‘better understand’ middle class

The government should carry out research to “better understand” what the city’s middle class needs, Cecilia U Wai Ang, who heads the Macau Wisdom Convergence Network, said yesterday. U, who is also an assistant professor at the Kiang Wu Nursing College of Macau, made the remarks on the sidelines of a politics training course for local youngsters, at the college.  “The definition of middle class is not only about income, but also whether one is a professional. We would like to

June 20, 2016 | BY admin

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Rent subsidy for Sin Fong evacuees to end in August: govt

The Social Welfare Bureau (IAS) will stop subsidising Sin Fong Garden evacuees for rented accommodation from August, IAS Vice-President Peter Au Chi Keung said yesterday.Au made the announcement on the sidelines of a one-day fair organised by the bureau in Praça da Amizade.Au added that the government has so far subsidised Sin Fong flat owners to the tune of 24.5 million patacas.Social Welfare Bureau (IAS) Vice-President Peter Au Chi Keung speaks to reporters on the sidelines of a one-day fair

June 20, 2016 | BY admin

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More teens caught for drug-related crimes: data

Official figures released by principal investigator Ho Tai Meng of the Judiciary Police (PJ) yesterday showed that the number of teenagers arrested for drug-related crimes in has increased year-on-year.Addressing an anti-drug seminar, Ho said the police will regularly inspect places where teenagers tend to congregate such as amusement arcades and cyber cafes.Ho made the remarks while addressing a one-day seminar at Hotel Royal about drug abuse prevention.Judiciary Police (PJ) principal

June 20, 2016 | BY admin

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Duo busted for aiding II: police

A duo were arrested on Saturday after being caught red-handed for helping an illegal immigrant leave Macau, a Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesperson said yesterday.The spokesperson identified the two suspects as a 29-year-old local male taxi driver surnamed Wai and a 38-year-old mainland businessman surnamed Liu.Speaking during a special press briefing, the spokesperson said that after discovering the duo’s plan, the police spotted Liu taking a man to rendez-vous with Wai at a location near

June 20, 2016 | BY admin

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Legislator calls for statues in streets named after historical figures

Grassroots legislator Au Kam San yesterday urged the government to consider putting up bronze statues of historical figures in the local streets named after them, adding there should be markers on some of those named after cities. He singled out several streets including Avenida do Comendador Ho Yin in the Toi San district, Avenida do Governador Jaime Silvério Marques in Nape, and Rua de Goa in Zape. The lawmaker made the suggestion in a written interpellation submitted to the

June 20, 2016 | BY admin

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Forum slams provident fund bill for protecting bosses

Both panellists and audience members at yesterday’s Macau Forum programme slammed the government for apparently being too protective of employers in its bill on the city’s long-planned non-mandatory central provident fund system.The programme hosted by government-owned broadcaster TDM is held every Sunday in Areia Preta Park.The bill proposes that the city’s employers and employees each pay at least five percent of the employees’ basic wages into a provident fund account in the name of

June 20, 2016 | BY admin

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Police nab mainlander for robbing woman

The Judiciary Police (PJ) arrested a man from the mainland on Saturday for allegedly robbing a local woman of 4,000 patacas in Cotai after he had gambled away all his money.The Judiciary Police announced the robbery during a special press conference yesterday at their headquarters.A PJ spokesman said that the 35-year-old suspect, surnamed Cai, mugged the victim for her handbag on the night of June 5 near a hotel construction site in Cotai. The victim, who works as a saleswoman, resisted but was

June 20, 2016 | BY admin

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Fair marks the end of ‘Happy Family Month’

A fair was held in Praça da Amizade yesterday to mark the end of the government’s “2016 Happy Family Month”.Starting from 2014, the Social Welfare Bureau (IAS), organiser of the one-day event, has designated the period between Mother’s Day and Father’s Day every year as “Happy Family Month” during which social service organisations and families organise and attend public activities and events to spread the message of family love.Mother’s Day fell on May 8 this year. Father’s

June 20, 2016 | BY admin

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Govt vows to study innovation in public admin

Secretary for Economy and Finance Lionel Leong Vai Tac said yesterday it was important for the various public entities in the city to always be innovative so that the government will be able to better meet residents’ needs.The policy secretary also said it was important to encourage public entities not to be afraid of making mistakes so that they will be more capable of launching innovative public administration practices, adding, “We will discuss the issue with other colleagues in public

June 20, 2016 | BY admin

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Police bust uni staff for taking sneaky photos of women

A mainland man was arrested on the campus of a local university last week, after being caught red-handed trying to take sneaky photos of a student, a Public Security Police (PSP) spokesperson said during yesterday’s regular press briefing.The spokesperson did not identify the university, merely saying that its campus is located on one of Macau’s two offshore islands. According to the spokesperson, over 140,000 photos were found on the suspect’s laptop and electronic devices.This

June 17, 2016 | BY admin

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