Govt proposes tax rebate for hiring disabled

Executive Council spokesman Leong Heng Teng said yesterday the government was proposing a special tax rebate for those hiring disabled residents, with the aim of encouraging the employment of people with disabilities.Addressing a press conference at Government Headquarters, Leong said that the council, the government’s top advisory body, had completed its discussion of a government-drafted bill on tax benefits for those employing disabled people.According to the bill, employers are eligible

October 13, 2017 | BY admin

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Govt proposes framework bill for elderly rights

Executive Council spokesman Leong Heng Teng said yesterday that the council has completed its discussion of a government-drafted bill on the framework for the protection of senior citizens’ rights. The bill aims to create a more senior citizen friendly society.The council is the government’s top advisory body.Addressing a press conference at Government Headquarters, Leong noted that the number of elderly people in Macau has been rising, adding that senior citizens are forecast to account

October 13, 2017 | BY admin

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Safe & positive environment is needed: MGM

Grant Bowie, chief executive officer and executive director of MGM China Holdings yesterday commented on the proposed off-duty gaming staff casino entry ban, saying there should be a safe and positive environment for the employees of the gaming industry.He was asked by reporters at the Oktoberfest Macau festival at MGM Macau in Nape whether he thought it was difficult to implement the government-proposed ban on off-duty gaming staff from entering local casinos.Currently, the city’s six gaming

October 13, 2017 | BY admin

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UM hosts MOOC talk, inks deal with platform provider

The University of Macau (UM) said in a statement yesterday that it held a talk on massive open online courses (MOOC) on its Hengqin campus.According to the statement, Nie Fenghua, deputy director of the Ministry of Education Research Centre for Online Education, deputy secretary-general of Tsinghua University and director of that university’s Online Education Office, and board chairman of Beiing Muhua Information Technology, was the keynote speaker.During the talk, Nie

October 13, 2017 | BY admin

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CTM lowers IDD tariffs by up to 45 pct

Local telecom operator CTM announced yesterday that it will lower its IDD (international direct dialling) tariffs effective from December 8 and that the average rate of reduction will be up to 45 percent.The company held a press conference yesterday about its new IDD tariff scheme at its headquarters in Taipa.Following the “comprehensive” tariff reduction on the IDD service in 2013, the company said it was “once again” introducing a tariff reduction scheme, adding it expected the new

October 13, 2017 | BY admin

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70 pct of phone scam victims are young: police

The Judiciary Police (PJ) said in a statement yesterday that some 70 percent of the victims of phone scams – in which the fraudsters pretended to be local law enforcement officers – reported in the first nine months of the year were young people aged under 35.According to the statement, between January and September 76 phone scam cases were reported in which fraudsters pretended to be local customs, immigration officers or PJ officers. There were only six such cases reported during the same

October 13, 2017 | BY admin

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Fusing facts and fiction, ‘A Fragrant Dream’ sets prequel to ‘Peony Pavilion’

With some references to Macau in playwright Tang Xianzu’s (1550-1616) four poems and masterpiece, local playwright Lawrence Lei I Leong got into Tang’s dream realm to create “A Fragrant Dream” that is almost like a prequel to Tang’s famous “The Peony Pavilion”.Tang, dubbed “China’s Shakespeare”, was an official and poet from the Ming Dynasty. Last year marked the 400th anniversary of Tang’s death, as well as Shakespeare’s.For the occasion, the Cultural Affairs Bureau

October 13, 2017 | BY admin

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Dean & DeLuca debuts in China with first café at Galaxy Macau

Upscale grocery store from New York Dean & DeLuca opened its first café in Galaxy Macau earlier this week, marking its debut in China, including Hong Kong and Taiwan.Founded by Joel Dean and Giorgio DeLuca in 1977 who opened its first ever store in Manhattan’s SoHo district, Dean & Deluca has become known for curating innovative food products with the finest ingredients from around the globe, and over the years has earned a reputation as an icon for New York City culture and

October 13, 2017 | BY admin

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‘Woman’ blackmails 1,500 nude photo victims: police

The Judiciary Police (PJ) arrested a local man on Tuesday for extorting at least 100,000 patacas from netizens after the victims had sent their naked photos to the suspect who pretended to be a woman and sent photos of naked women to the victims, PJ spokeswoman Yeung Sau Chan said during a special press conference yesterday.Yeung identified the suspect as a 33-year-old surnamed Tam working in a casino club membership department.According to Yeung, the police believe that Tam blackmailed at

October 12, 2017 | BY admin

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Councillor urges govt to rethink proposed bus fare hike

Central District Community Service Consultative Council member Ho Weng Hong said yesterday the government’s proposal to raise public bus fares was contrary to its own policies and the city’s current social conditions.Ho, a senior member of the Macau General Union of Neigbhourhood Associations, commonly known as Kai Fong, made the remarks during a regular meeting of the council at the Central Districts Residents’ Service Centre in Rotunda de Carlos da Maia.According to the first phase of

October 12, 2017 | BY admin

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IMF forecasts 13.4 pct GDP growth this year

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has raised its forecast of Macau’s gross domestic growth (GDP) to 13.4 percent for this year, according to its World Economic Outlook – October 2017.Back in April, the Washington-based fund had predicted GDP growth of just 2.8 percent for Macau this year. The revised predications were released this week.The fund also upwardly revised its forecast for Macau’s GDP growth for next year to 7.0 percent. In April, the lender had forecast a 2018 GDP growth

October 12, 2017 | BY admin

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IACM to build pumping station between Piers 25 & 26: vice-convener

Quoting an unnamed Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau (IACM) official, Un Sio Leng, deputy convener of the Central District Community Service Consultative Council, said yesterday that the bureau will build a water pumping station on the waterfront between Pier 25 and Pier 26 in the Inner Harbour.Un spoke to reporters during a post-meeting press briefing of a closed-door meeting at the Central District Residents’ Service Centre in Rotunda de Carlos da Maia.According to previous media reports,

October 12, 2017 | BY admin

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IFT plans to launch postgraduate programmes

Institute for Tourism Studies (IFT) President Fanny Vong Chuk Kwan said yesterday that her tertiary education institution plans to launch postgraduate degree programmes.Vong made the remarks while speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the institute’s graduation ceremony at Tap Seac Multisport Pavilion.According to an IFT statement yesterday, 391 students graduated this time.According to Vong, the passing of the Tertiary Education System bill in July will allow her institute to run

October 12, 2017 | BY admin

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Govt gathers views on 2018 Policy Address

The government started to collect opinions yesterday from residents for the drafting of the 2018 Policy Address, the Government Spokesperson’s Office (GPV) said in a statement yesterday.The opinion-gathering process will last 15 days.The statement did not say when Chief Executive Fernando Chui Sai On will present his 2018 Policy Address to the Legislative Assembly.PLEASE READ THE FULL ARTICLE IN OUR PRINT EDITION.

October 12, 2017 | BY admin

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