Belgian duo to show ‘love’ in cramped space

Two performers from the Belgian theatre group Laika will be confined in a 2x1 metre box which will be their “home” on stage, showing the local audience the fun and difficulties a couple go through when they live together in such a small space.The mime performance “Narrow”, for children and grown-ups alike, will be presented in a black box theatre setting at Macau Cultural Centre (CCM) with four shows from Saturday to Monday.Performers Rutger Remkes and Hanne Struyf briefed reporters

December 20, 2018 | BY admin

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Public services unique account system to be launched next month: govt

The Executive Council announced yesterday that the government has drafted a by-law regulating its e-services, according to which the government will set up a system of unique accounts for residents – a single account combining various public services by different government entities.Residents can open and activate their unique account from January 1 next year by using the government’s self-service kiosks located on different government premises across the city.Government-drafted by-laws,

December 20, 2018 | BY admin

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UM, Alibaba Cloud ink deal on nurturing big data professionals

The University of Macau (UM) and Alibaba Cloud, the cloud computing arm of Alibaba Group, signed yesterday a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on a partnership to increase the development opportunities in big data and cloud computing technologies for UM students, according to an UM statement. “The partnership will extend UM’s current offerings of technology-related courses and the development of laboratories to facilitate research in big-data processing, data analytics and collaborative

December 20, 2018 | BY admin

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2018 honours list includes bishop, daily, ex-consul

Macau’s 2018 honours list released by the government yesterday includes a local business and community leader from Fujian, the bishop of the local Roman-Catholic diocese, the city’s best-selling Chinese-language daily and a former consul-general from Portugal in Macau. Businessman Chan Meng Kam, a former lawmaker and current Executive Council member, was awarded this year’s highest honour, the Golden Lotus decoration, Macau’s second-highest decoration. Macau’s top honour, the Grand

December 20, 2018 | BY admin

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Fitch keeps Macau’s credit ratings at ‘AA’

Fitch Ratings Inc. announced yesterday that it has affirmed Macau’s long-term foreign-currency issue default rating (IDR) at “AA” with a stable outlook.“AA” is the agency’s second-highest rating, denoting “high quality”. The top rating, “AAA”, denotes “exceptionally high quality”.The New York-based credit rating agency, one of the “Big Three” alongside Moody’s and Standard & Poor’s, said in a statement that Macau’s ratings “are underpinned by the

December 20, 2018 | BY admin

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Xi hails reform & opening-up as ‘great reawakening’

BEIJING – The central authorities yesterday held a grand gathering to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the country’s reform and opening-up, a great revolution that has changed the destiny of the Chinese nation and influenced the world.Addressing the meeting, President Xi Jinping described the reform and opening-up as “a great reawakening” of the Communist Party of China (CPC).“Chinese Communists accomplished the most profound and the greatest social transformation in China’s

December 19, 2018 | BY admin

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2 women disguise drugs as sweets, condoms

Two women were arrested last night when police officers carried out a raid and uncovered a haul of 1.2 million patacas worth of ketamine and “happy powder” disguised as sweets and condoms the suspects had in their possession.According to a Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesperson at the scene of the raid, the two women are a 33-year-old surnamed Zhao from the mainland who claimed to be jobless and a 49-year-old local resident surnamed Lam who works as an investment consultant.The spokesman said

December 19, 2018 | BY admin

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University student loses 3.6 million yuan in phone scam

An 18-year-old female student from the mainland enrolled in a local university has lost 3.6 million yuan (4.2 million patacas) in a phone scam in which she was conned into believing that she was connected to a money laundering case, the Judiciary Police (PJ) announced said yesterday.Addressing a press conference, a PJ spokesperson said that the victim received a phone call on Saturday from a courier company telling her that a parcel she had posted to Beijing – allegedly – containing

December 19, 2018 | BY admin

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Chui’s popularity ‘rebounds significantly’: HKU survey

Chief Executive Fernando Chui Sai On’s popularity has “rebounded significantly” after last year’s plunge, the Public Opinion Programme (POP) of The University of Hong Kong said in a special announcement yesterday. According to the announcement, Chui’s support rating has increased from 49.5 to 56.3 marks. The latest survey showed that 30 percent supported Chui as chief executive and 54 percent opposed him, giving him a net approval rate of negative 24 percentage points, the

December 19, 2018 | BY admin

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About 300 roadworks to start next year: official

About 300 roadworks will be carried out next year, the Transport Bureau (DSAT) announced yesterday during a press conference at the bureau.Addressing a press conference about next year’s roadwork projects, DSAT Deputy Director Chiang Ngoc Vai said that the government’s interdepartmental Road Projects Coordination Group, which was established in 2009, has received 298 applications for roadwork permits from government entities and public utilities to be carried out next year, a three percent

December 19, 2018 | BY admin

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Govt sets up group studying possible criminalisation of illegal inns

The government has set up an interdepartmental working group for studying the possible criminalisation of the operation of illegal inns, the Secretariat for Administration and Justice (GSAJ) said in a statement yesterday.In view of Macau’s civil society having recently paid close attention to the issue about whether the illegal provision of accommodation should be criminalised, the government has set up the working group – as instructed by Chief Executive Fernando Chui Sai On – in order

December 19, 2018 | BY admin

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Nearly 2/3 of residents ‘concerned with responsible gambling’

The proportion of local residents who are concerned with responsible gambling has increased from 16.2 percent in 2009 to 63.7 percent last year, according to the findings of a survey cited by University of Macau (UM) Rector Song Yonghua yesterday. Song quoted the figures in a speech at the public university’s Responsible Gambling Symposium on the UM campus. According to a UM statement on the symposium, Song also said that according to the survey on the awareness of responsible gambling

December 19, 2018 | BY admin

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Lawmakers pass bill banning off-duty gaming staff from casinos

The Legislative Assembly (AL) yesterday passed a government-initiated bill banning off-duty gaming staff from entering local casinos, with the aim of reducing the risk of gaming staff becoming addicted to gambling.The government launched a one-month public consultation on the matter in September last year.The bill’s outline was passed during a plenary session of the legislature in July. The legislature’s 1st Standing Committee held eight meetings to review the bill.Secretary for Economy and

December 19, 2018 | BY admin

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Xi ‘fully endorses’ work by Chui & local govt

BEIJING – President Xi Jinping yesterday met with Chief Executive Fernando Chui Sai On, who was on a duty visit to Beijing, “fully endorsing” the work by Chui and his government and stressing that Macau can play an “irreplaceable role” also in the new era.During the meeting, Xi was briefed by Chui on Macau’s current situation and the local government’s work.Xi said that over the past year, the Macau Special Administrative Region (MSAR) government, under Chui’s leadership, had

December 18, 2018 | BY admin

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