Groups urge govt to announce Lai Chi Vun plan

Activists from four environmental protection groups yesterday jointly submitted a petition, addressed to Chief Executive Fernando Chui Sai On, urging the government to announce a concrete redevelopment plan for Coloane’s Lai Chi Vun Village, whichis known for its traditional shipyards.The four groups are the Macau Green Students Union, Macau Free Cycle Association, Green Friends Association, and Green Future.Speaking to reporters after handing the petition to an official outside Government

March 16, 2017 | BY admin

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Group urges govt to preserve Ilha Verde Hill

Ilha Verde District Welfare and Mutual Help Association Vice President Chan Fong urged the government yesterday to preserve Ilha Verde Hill, which is listed as a cultural heritage site, and to address the area’s safety hazards.Chan made the remarks when speaking to reporters at the foot of the hill before giving them a guided tour of the upper slopes. Chan said landslides might occur on one side of the hill facing a recreational area for residents as the soil on that hillside is quite

March 16, 2017 | BY admin

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Council suggest 80 pct owners ratio for rebuilding

Members of the Urban Renewal Council yesterday proposed that only 80 percent of condominium unit owners are required to agree on the redevelopment of old buildings facing potential safety hazards.A closed-door meeting of the council, chaired by Secretary for Transport and Public Works Raimundo do Rosario, was held yesterday at the Transport Bureau (DSAT). The government-appointed council is tasked with advising the government on its urban renewal policies.Council members are divided into three

March 16, 2017 | BY admin

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Group petitions for 24/7opening of Barrier Gate

Activist group People Power and its high-profile vice chairman Cheong Weng Fat submitted a petition to the Central People’s Government Liaison Office yesterday, calling for an extension of the Barrier Gate checkpoint’s opening hours to 24 hours seven days a week.An official of the office received the petition addressed to National People’s Congress (NPC) Chairman Zhang Dejiang.The Barrier Gate checkpoint currently operates from 6 a.m. to 1 a.m. but the Lotus Flower Bridge checkpoint runs

March 16, 2017 | BY admin

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12 loan sharks use fake business cards: police

A dozen mainland men were arrested for belonging to a casino loan-sharking gang which used fake business cards to “increase their credibility”, featuring casino operators’ company names, when looking for potential customers, a Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesperson said yesterday.According to the spokesperson, the suspects are aged between 27 and 33. Most are from the southern Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. The spokesperson said the police received a tip-off on Tuesday that the suspects

March 16, 2017 | BY admin

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Revised bill allows casino smoking lounges

The government has amended the draft version of the Tobacco Prevention and Control Law’s amendment bill, proposing to allow the city’s casinos to set up smoking lounges in gaming areas in line with the standards set by an executive order issued by the chief executive, the legislature’s 2nd Standing Committee President Andrew Chan Chak Mo said yesterday.Chan also said the amended version of the bill proposes that the gaming operators will have to finish setting up smoking lounges in their

March 15, 2017 | BY admin

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Man tries to set fire to colleague’s flat: police

A mainland man was arrested on Monday on suspicion of arson after burning the doormat outside his colleague’s flat in Areia Preta, a Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesperson said yesterday.According to the spokesperson, the suspect, surnamed Li, is a 20-year-old non-resident worker employed by a restaurant as a barman.The spokesperson said Li admitted that he had argued with his female colleague who lives in U Wa Building in Areia Preta about work-related matters, adding that Li then decided to

March 15, 2017 | BY admin

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Ex-prosecutor’s new lawyer expects ‘complex’ trial

Ex-chief prosecutor Ho Chio Meng’s new lawyer says she is readying herself for a “complex and lengthy” trial, the Portuguese-language Jornal Tribuna de Macau reported yesterday.Oriana Inacio Pun also told the newspaper that all the members of her law firm – three lawyers and three interns – would work on the high-profile case. She also said she didn’t know when the trial would recommence.Pun is a member of Pun Choi & Chan.Pun was quoted by government-owned broadcaster TDM

March 15, 2017 | BY admin

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Govt to subsidise undergraduates for UNESCO internships

The government has launched a programme to provide subsidies to those who have recently finished their undergraduate degrees to intern at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), the Talent Development Committee said in a statement yesterday.UNESCO is headquartered in Paris.The programme has been jointly launched by the government-appointed committee, the Macau Foundation (FM) and the Tertiary Education Services Office (GAES), according to the

March 15, 2017 | BY admin

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Macau ranks 5th in N Asia visa-free access index: survey

Macau ranks fifth in North Asia as far as visa-free access for its passport holders is concerned, according to the findings of a survey released by the Hong Kong office of Jersey-based consultancy Henley & Partners yesterday.The global residence and citizenship advisory firm released yesterday its annual Visa Restrictions Index, informally known as travel freedom ranking.The index is produced in partnership with the International Air Transport Association (IATA). PLEASE READ THE FULL

March 15, 2017 | BY admin

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Group urges govt to convert idle land into sports venues

The government should consider converting idle plots of land into sports venues for residents, Choi Tat Meng, who heads the General Union of Neighbourhood Associations (commonly known as Kai Fong), said yesterday.Choi, who also heads the association’s sports committee, made the suggestion on the sidelines of a press conference at the group’s community service centre in Toi San district about the annual Sports Days hosted by his group, which will take place from this month to July.Pointing

March 15, 2017 | BY admin

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Gambler tries to buy chips with fake US$100 notes: police

A Chinese Canadian man was arrested yesterday for possessing 176 counterfeit US$100 banknotes and trying to exchange them into chips in a casino, a Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesperson said during a regular press conference yesterday.The spokesperson said a security guard at a casino in Zape told a police officer on duty on the premises about the man after he had attempted to buy gaming chips with 44 bogus US$100 notes and 11 real ones.After searching the suspect and his hotel room, the police

March 15, 2017 | BY admin

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Ireland hopes to share expertise in ‘common issues’ with Macau: minister

Land reclamation, transportation, development work, heritage protection and flood relief are some of the “common issues” that Ireland shares with Macau, Irish Minister of State for the Office of Public Works and Flood Relief Seán Canney said yesterday.Canney also said he hoped that his country will share its expertise in these common issues with Macau in the future.Canney briefed some local media yesterday at the Military Club about his visit to Macau.According to Canney, he met officials

March 14, 2017 | BY admin

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UM looking for new rector

Zhao Wei, rector of the University of Macau (UM), will quit his post at the university when his contract expires in 2018, according to a statement released by the university yesterday.The statement said that Zhao had recently notified UM University Council Chairman Peter Lam Kam Seng of his decision to step down after serving in the office for a decade.According to the statement, Lam affirmed the rector’s contributions to the university during his term of office.PLEASE READ THE FULL ARTICLE

March 14, 2017 | BY admin

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