Visitors rise 10 pct to nearly 40 million last year: police

The Public Security Police (PSP) recorded over 39.4 million visitor arrivals last year, a new record, up 10 percent from 2018 when the city logged 35.8 million visitor arrivals.Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO) Director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes forecast late last year around 40 million visitor arrivals in 2019.According to a PSP statement on Wednesday, the police recorded some 28 million mainland visitors in 2019, accounting for 71 percent of all visitor arrivals, followed by Hong

January 3, 2020 | BY admin

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Govt beefs up health control measures at airport over Wuhan health scare

Health control measures, such as requiring air passengers arriving in Macau from Wuhan to fill in a form regarding their health condition, are in place at the local airport, the Health Bureau (SSM) said in a statement yesterday.The statement said that in response to the cases of viral pneumonia of unknown origin in Wuhan, the bureau has deployed more staff to all border checkpoints to beef up health inspection measures, especially at the airport.According to the statement, three local residents

January 3, 2020 | BY admin

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Several hundred casino workers march for higher pay, more benefits

Several hundred casino workers joined a protest march yesterday to demand higher pay and better working conditions.The protesters demanded a pay rise of at least 5 percent and additional pay for shift and night work. Some of the demonstrators also called for 14 months’ pay a year and housing allowances.The march was organised by the New Macau Association for Gaming Staffs’ Rights. The protesters also called for benefits enjoyed by civil servants such as two days off a week and paid holidays

January 3, 2020 | BY admin

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Casino revenue ends up with worst year since 2015

Macau’s gaming revenue in December slipped for the third straight month, marking the worst annual decline since 2015 as the world’s largest gambling hub struggled to lure high rollers amid geopolitical tensions and an economic slowdown.Gross gaming revenue was 22.84 billion patacas last month down 13.7 percent from a year earlier, according to data released by the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ) on New Year’s Day.Last month’s year-on-year decline was the steepest in

January 3, 2020 | BY admin

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Canidrome survivors enjoy 1st Christmas

When the (Yat Yuen) Canidrome Co. Ltd. greyhound race track in Fai Chi Kei finally closed its doors for good at midnight on July 20, 2018, the huge task of finding homes for the around 532 greyhounds that were abandoned there started. Last month these wonderful animals celebrated their first Christmases in their new homes around the world.In 2012 local animal protection group Anima President Albano Martins began to lead the fight to get the racetrack closed down as so many greyhounds had died

January 3, 2020 | BY admin

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Portuguese restaurant Chiado adds new dishes to menu

Portuguese restaurant Chiado, located in Sands Cotai Central, has added new dishes to its menu.Headed by celebrity chef Henrique Sá Pessoa, the restaurant is known to offer Portuguese cuisine in a fine dining setting.Some of the new dishes that the chef has added to the menu include shellfish from the Portuguese coast in a citrus marinade with herb and seaweed salad, seared scallops with green peas, chouriҫo sausage and Hollandaise mustard, salted cod “A Brás” with slow cooked egg yolk

January 3, 2020 | BY admin

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Mainlander tells ex-girlfriend to pay HK$30,000 ‘breakup fee’

The Judiciary Police (PJ) arrested a male mainlander on Tuesday for demanding a “breakup fee” of HK$30,000 from his former girlfriend, also a mainlander, late last month, threatening that otherwise he would release photos and video clips showing her only wrapped in towels, PJ spokesman Ho Chan Nam said during a special press conference yesterday.The suspect came up with the extortion plan after the victim, who had meanwhile got a new boyfriend, refused his demand early last month that they

January 3, 2020 | BY admin

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IPIM to stop accepting applications for Guangdong-Macau Industrial Park projects

The Macau Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM) announced yesterday that the local government and the Hengqin government will stop accepting applications after January 16 from local companies which plan to invest in projects in the Guangdong-Macau Cooperation Industrial Park on the adjacent island administered by Zhuhai.IPIM President Irene Lau Kuan Va made the announcement during a press conference, which was also attended by Hengqin New Area Administrative Committee Director Yang

January 3, 2020 | BY admin

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Airport logs record 9.6 million passengers in 2019

Macau International Airport handled a record 9.6 million passengers last year, a year-on-year increase of 16 percent, its operator CAM announced yesterday.According to a CAM statement, the number of aircraft movements (takeoffs and touchdowns) rose 18 percent year-on-year to 77,580 in 2019.The statement pointed out that last year’s number of passengers exceeded by 14 times the local population, which stood at 676,100 at the end of September, according to official statistics.PLEASE READ THE

January 3, 2020 | BY admin

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Diocese publishes fascinating 2020 ‘Catholic Calendar’

Macau’s Roman-Catholic Diocese has published a beautiful calendar with a dozen fascinating pictures of important churches in the territory. The picture of the Ruins of Saint Paul’s Church – also known as “Mater Dei” – has been given a prominent place in the calendar pages for the church provides a unique testimony to the lasting encounters between China and the West.In the year 1991, my friend Dr. P. P. Shirodkar, director of the archives and archaeology section of the Museum of Goa

January 3, 2020 | BY admin

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Xi delivers 2020 New Year speech, vowing to achieve first centenary goal

BEIJING – President Xi Jinping yesterday delivered a New Year speech in Beijing to ring in 2020, pledging to achieve the first centenary goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects in the “milestone” year.Xi pledged to lift all rural residents living below the current poverty line out of poverty and eliminate poverty in all poor counties.“The year of 2020 is crucial in winning the anti-poverty battle,” Xi said. “The clarion has sounded. We must work together and

January 1, 2020 | BY admin

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Ho’s New Year’s message highlights Xi’s ‘strategic vision’

Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng has highlighted President Xi Jinping’s “strategic vision” that he expressed in the “very important” speeches during his three-day working visit last month for the 20th anniversary celebrations of Macau’s return to the motherland.Ho also expressed his deep appreciation for Xi’s “four expectations” about Macau’s future development in his New Year’s message, which was released by the Macau Government Information Bureau (GCS) yesterday.In a speech

January 1, 2020 | BY admin

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Xi’s speech at gathering marking Macau’s 20th return to motherland anniversary published

BEIJING – President Xi Jinping’s speech at a gathering in celebration of the 20th anniversary of Macau’s return to the motherland has been published by the People’s Publishing House.Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), delivered the speech in Macau on December 20 when the inauguration ceremony of the fifth-term government of the Macau Special Administrative Region (SAR) was also held.The

January 1, 2020 | BY admin

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FM commissioner pledges joint effort with MSAR to build ‘beautiful home’

In her New Year message released yesterday, Foreign Ministry Commissioner in Macau Shen Beili says that the commissioner’s office will strive together with the local government to build Macau into a “beautiful home” enjoying prosperity and stability.Shen’s message was released via the Macau Government Information Bureau (GCS) yesterday evening.Shen said that in his visit to Macau last month, President Xi Jinping met people from all walks of life in the city, comprehensively summarised

January 1, 2020 | BY admin

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