Pearl Horizon buyers to petition Beijing: group

Some Peal Horizon pre-sale flat buyers from the mainland plan to petition the central government during the 2017 “lianghui” in Beijing next month, Pearl Horizon Condominium Owners United Association Kou Meng Pok said yesterday.The Putonghua term “lianghui” (“two meetings”) refers to the annual plenary sessions of the National People’s Congress (NPC) and the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) in Beijing in March.A delegation of

February 21, 2017 | BY admin

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Govt enacts travel alert system

The government yesterday published the Macau Special Administrative Region (MSAR) Travel Alert System in the Official Gazette.The travel alert system, promulgated as an executive order, will take effect on March 7. The system will be managed by the Tourism Crisis Management Office (GGCT).The three-level system covers 77 countries and regions popular with local residents. Level 1 represents an imminent threat to personal safety, so that residents should be vigilant about their own safety. Level

February 21, 2017 | BY admin

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Smoking lounges not against WHO: Tam

Setting up smoking lounges in casinos is not contrary to the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) suggestion of building a smoke-free environment, Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Alexis Tam Chon Weng said yesterday.Tam made the remarks on the sidelines of the opening ceremony of the Gaming Employees Home’s new service centre located in the underground walkway connecting Praça de Lotus Dourado and Macau Fisherman’s Wharf Convention & Exhibition Centre.The Gaming Employees Home

February 21, 2017 | BY admin

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Group urges casinos to dispel staff doubts about smoking lounges

The leader of a local anti-smoking group urged the city’s six gaming operators yesterday to dispel their workers’ doubts about the effectiveness of smoking lounges in preventing passive smoking by providing them with more information about the issue.Johnny Au Ka Fai, president of the Smoking Abstention and Good Health Association, made the remarks on the sidelines of a luncheon hosted by the Macau Populace Mental Health Promotion Association which marked its 7th anniversary, saying that he

February 20, 2017 | BY admin

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Forum divided over smoking lounges

Guest speakers and members of the audience at yesterday’s Macau Forum were divided over the possible retention of casino smoking lounges.While some audience members urged the government to implement a blanket ban on smoking in all gaming areas of casinos, about half of the audience who spoke during the forum backed the retention of smoking lounges, with some saying that a full casino smoking ban may negatively impact the casinos’ business.The weekly open-air debate is hosted by

February 20, 2017 | BY admin

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Only 111 vehicles join slow-drive protest: police

Only about 150 people in 57 cars on 54 scooters took part in a slow-drive protest on Saturday urging the government to axe the recent increase in vehicle-related fees, according to the Public Security Police (PSP).However, lawmaker-cum-unionist Leong Veng Chai, who was one of the organisers, said some 250 to 300 vehicles had joined the protest.According to the Statistics and Census Bureau (DSEC), there were 250,450 registered vehicles in Macau at the end of 2016.Lawmaker-cum-unionist Leong Veng

February 20, 2017 | BY admin

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Tam says will ask CE to let IC redevelop Lai Chi Vun

Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Alexis Tam Chon Weng says he will ask Chief Executive Fernando Chui Sai On to let the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) preserve and redevelop some of the shipyards in Coloane’s Lai Chi Vun Village.However, Tam was quick to add that whether his request will succeed is another matter.A total of 11 dilapidated shipyards out of 14 in Coloane’s Lai Chi Vun Village will be demolished starting next month due to their state of disrepair causing a potential

February 20, 2017 | BY admin

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US firm buys big stake in The 13 Holdings: report

Ahead of the opening of its The 13 luxury hotel in Cotai slated for later this quarter, Hong Kong-listed property developer The 13 Holdings has announced that American investment firm Evolution Capital Management has acquired a major stake in its business, the World Casino News website reported late last week.The report quoted a filing by The 13 Holdings with the Hong Kong Stock Exchange as stating that Santa Monica-based Evolution Capital Management had “become interested in 338,628,459

February 20, 2017 | BY admin

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Group urges timetable for full casino smoking ban

Macau Gaming Employees Home Chairman Leong Sun Iok yesterday urged the government to come up with a timetable to ultimately impose a blanket ban on smoking in all gaming areas of casinos.The Health Bureau (SSM) announced in a press conference on Wednesday the required “high standards” for casino smoking lounges, two days after the city’s six gaming operators announced the findings of a study, conducted by the University of Macau (UM), which show that 60 percent of casino workers asked by

February 17, 2017 | BY admin

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Lawmakers worry about porn distribution offence

During a meeting of the legislature’s 3rd Standing Committee yesterday, several members raised concern that it would be rather easy for people to accidentally commit the offence of disseminating pornographic material involving minors – proposed in a government-initiated amendment bill – bearing in mind that online social networking is widely used.Cheang briefed reporters after a closed-door meeting with government officials, including Secretary for Administration and Justice Sonia Chan

February 17, 2017 | BY admin

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Police nab 9 casino loan sharks

The Judiciary Police (PJ) arrested nine mainlanders on Wednesday for alleged loan-sharking in casinos in Nape, PJ spokeswoman Lei Hon Nei said during a special press conference yesterday.The nine suspects are four men and five women aged between 22 and 51, according to Lei.PJ officers received a tip-off on Wednesday that a loan-sharking gang was operating out of a flat in Taipa. Later that day, PJ officers went to the unit and arrested the nine suspects and seized around HK$70,000 in cash and a

February 17, 2017 | BY admin

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Group warns about e-cigarettes’ health impact

Johnny Au Ka Fai, president of the Smoking Abstention and Good Health Association, said yesterday he hoped that residents will pay more attention to the impact of e-cigarettes on their health.According to Wikipedia, an e-cigarette is a handheld electronic device that vaporises a flavoured liquid, which the user inhales. The fluid in the e-cigarette, called e-liquid, is usually made of nicotine and other chemical substances. The health risks of electronic cigarettes are uncertain, according to

February 17, 2017 | BY admin

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S&T fund grants 133 million patacas in 2015

The Science and Technology Development Fund (FDCT) granted over 133 million patacas for 314 projects last year.FDCT President Federico Ma Chi Ngai announced the figure yesterday during a press conference to summarise the fund’s activities during the past year, at the FDCT office in Zape.The fund was set up by the government in 2004 to provide funding for local scientific and technological research projects, as well as popular science projects carried out by local schools and tertiary

February 17, 2017 | BY admin

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ExCo finishes discussing medical malpractice by-laws

The Executive Council (ExCo) has finished discussing three by-laws (administrative regulations) on medical liability insurance, the establishment of a medical malpractice evaluation committee, and a mediation centre required by the Medical Malpractice Law, the top advisory body’s spokesman Leong Heng Teng said yesterday.The legislature passed a medical malpractice bill submitted by the government on August 12 last year. The law will take effect on February 26.Addressing a press conference at

February 17, 2017 | BY admin

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