Chan conveys condolences over passing of Qian

Acting Chief Executive Sonia Chan Hoi Fan has expressed her condolences over the passing of former prime minister Qian Qichen, according to a statement by the Government Information Bureau (GCS) on Saturday.Qian passed away in Beijing on Tuesday, aged 89. He was also a former foreign minister and headed the preparatory committees for the Hong Kong and Macau special administrative regions in the 1990s. The career diplomat retired in 2002. Chan’s letter of condolences underlined Qian’s close

May 15, 2017 | BY admin

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Ilha Verde residents urge govt to improve hygiene & safety

A dozen Ilha Verde residents, led by Ilha Verde District Welfare and Mutual Help Association Vice President Chan Fong, yesterday urged the government to improve hygiene and safety conditions in the neighbourhood.The group showed reporters around the former island’s Fok Tak Estate which comprises 15 five-storey residential buildings.Most of the residents who attended the press conference said they have been living in the district for over 20 years, and that the conditions have worsened over

May 15, 2017 | BY admin

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5 men nabbed for computer forgery, incl 3 cops

The Judiciary Police (PJ) have arrested five men, including three law enforcement officers, on suspicion of being involved in organised crime, malfeasance, bribery and computer-related forgery, according to a PJ statement released yesterday evening.The statement did not reveal to which branch of Macau’s various law enforcement agencies the suspects belong.The Judiciary Police will announce details of the case at the PJ headquarters in Zape this morning. PLEASE READ THE FULL ARTICLE IN OUR

May 15, 2017 | BY admin

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Hotel’s water system fixed after Legionnaires’ disease scare: health chief

The Parisian casino-hotel has fixed its chlorination system following its recent Legionnaires’ disease scare, SSM Director Lei Chin Ion said yesterday, adding the results of the analyses of water samples after the hotel had tackled the issue on the bureau’s advice were expected to be known in about a fortnight.According to Hong Kong media reports last month, three Hong Kong men diagnosed with legionnaires’ disease had separately stayed at The Parisian between December and early April. All

May 15, 2017 | BY admin

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Local boxer wins in HK

The Macao Boxing House’s Michael Ferreas Olfindo fought Hong Kong’s DEF Boxing’s Stephen Tang in a three-round amateur bout at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre on Saturday night in front of a partisan crowd of 1,000.On a 13-bout international card, with boxers from Hong Kong and Macau as well as Japan, the Philippines, South Africa, Thailand and the UK, male and female, boxing has taken off in Hong Kong all down to Rex (The Wonder Kid) Tso Sing-yu’s international

May 15, 2017 | BY admin

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Group calls for more spaces for edu-purposes

The government should create more spaces for educational purposes, Macau Women’s General Association Vice-President Wong Kit Cheng said yesterday.Wong, who is also a lawmaker, made the remarks on the sidelines of an annual parent-child Sports Day held by her association, generally known as Fu Luen, at Tap Seac Multisport Pavilion.Wong urged the government to convert some of the city’s idle plots of land into parks for educational purposes and parent-child activities. Wong also said she has

May 15, 2017 | BY admin

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Tightening mortgage rules for healthy housing market: Chui

Chief Executive Fernando Chui Sai On said on Saturday that the government decided to tighten its mortgage rules, with the aim of maintaining a healthy housing market.Chui spoke to reporters at the airport on Saturday, upon departure for Beijing to attend the two-day Belt and Road Forum for International Co-operation which started yesterday.The government tightened its mortgage rules on May 5, lowering the percentage of mortgage available to all except local first-time buyers.PLEASE READ THE

May 15, 2017 | BY admin

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Forum slams Hac Sa Beach bus route change

Guest speakers and members of the audience at yesterday’s Macau Forum disagreed with the Transport Bureau’s (DSAT) recent changes to public bus route 25 – its terminus having been changed from Hac Sa Beach to Coloane Village – as it has made it less convenient for residents to travel between the beach and Coloane Village. They urged the bureau to return the route to the former one.Guest speakers also slammed the bureau for carelessness when it adjusts the city’s public bus routes.The

May 15, 2017 | BY admin

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Lawmakers to debate regular social housing bids

The Legislative Assembly (AL) passed a debate motion proposed by lawmaker-cum-unionist Ella Lei Cheng I yesterday about whether the government should immediately recommence the acceptance of applications for low-rent social housing flats, and whether such applications should be accepted on a regular basis.A total of 26 lawmakers cast their votes, with 17 in favour, eight against and one abstention.The passage of a debate motion means that the legislature will request government officials to

May 12, 2017 | BY admin

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Govt to amend procurement law next year: Leong

Secretary for Economy and Finance Lionel Leong Vai Tac said yesterday the government aimed to start the legislative process of amending a decades-old decree-law regulating the government’s procurement of goods and services in the third quarter of next year.Leong spoke to reporters after attending a closed-door meeting of the legislature’s Follow-up Committee for Public Finance Affairs.Government officials, including Leong and Secretary for Transport and Public Works Raimundo do Rosario,

May 12, 2017 | BY admin

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Govt to raise investments ratio for reserves: lawmaker

The government plans to increase the ratio for its financial reserves to be invested by fund managers to 20 percent by the end of this year, with the aim of improving its investment performance, Mak Soi Kun, who heads the legislature’s Follow-up Committee for Public Finance Affairs, quoted government officials as saying yesterday.Mak briefed reporters after a closed-door meeting of the committee. The committee yesterday asked officials, including Secretary for Economy and Finance Lionel Leong

May 12, 2017 | BY admin

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Poor air quality is a ‘warning’ for Macau: activist

Eco-activist Joe Chan Chon Meng, who heads the Macau Green Students Union, said yesterday the city’s poor air quality these days was a warning for residents and the government that a lot of pollutants originate from Macau.The Meteorological and Geophysical Bureau (SMG) announced on Saturday that the air quality index recorded by monitoring stations in Taipa and Coloane was “very bad”.On Wednesday, the bureau also said it expected the air quality that night and yesterday to be “bad”,

May 12, 2017 | BY admin

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Local woman cheated by ‘US soldier’ out of 12,500 euros

A local woman in her forties lost 12,500 euros after being cheated by a purported “American soldier” – whom she met online – who told the victim to deposit the money into a bank account so that he would give her half of his “retirement fund” of US$3.2 million, Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Tam Weng Keong said during a regular press conference yesterday.According to Tam, the victim met a man on the Internet early last month, who claimed to be an American soldier. The man told the

May 12, 2017 | BY admin

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Nearly 60 new exhibitors to join gaming expo

Nearly a third of the 180 exhibitors taking part in the Global Gaming Expo (G2E) next week will be showcasing their products and services for the first time in Macau.G2E organiser Reed Exhibitions held a press briefing at Okura Hotel yesterday about the three-day fair to be held at the Venetian from Tuesday.According to the presentation, the expo is split into three sections, displaying products and services in gaming, online gaming and non-gaming, such as integrated resort management, IT and

May 12, 2017 | BY admin

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