Taxi groups call for taxi fare hike

Representatives of several taxi groups submitted a joint application for an increase in taxi fares to the Transport Bureau (DSAT) yesterday.The cabbies insisted that the increase was needed to keep pace with the sector’s rising running costs.Speaking to reporters after meeting with DSAT Director Lam Hin San, Macau Taxi Drivers Mutual Association President Tony Kuok Leong Son said that the income of taxi drivers had been dropping in recent years as a result of the rising costs of fuel, repairs

February 21, 2017 | BY admin

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Couple nabbed in online scam case

The Judiciary Police (PJ) arrested a local couple on Saturday on suspicion of cheating at least 18 local residents out of a total of HK$360,000 through online scams.The couple told other Internet users that they were selling air tickets, hotel room packages and mobile phones at special prices, but the victims did not receive anything after parting with their cash, PJ spokeswoman Yeung Sau Chan said during a special press conference yesterday.Yeung identified the two suspects as a 28-year-old

February 21, 2017 | BY admin

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Man nabbed for assaulting, threatening & housing II

A male mainlander was arrested on Friday for assaulting, threatening and housing an illegal immigrant who is also from the mainland, a Public Security Police (PSP) spokesperson said yesterday during a regular press conference.The spokesperson said the police went to a flat in Avenida de Artur Tamagnini Barbosa on Friday morning, after receiving a call, and found a man suffering from head injuries.The spokesperson said the 43-year-old suspect, surnamed Zhang, admitted to having hit the victim

February 21, 2017 | BY admin

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Amulet store owner suffers head injuries in robbery

Three men, including a local 20-year-old who was arrested, robbed and caused head injuries to the owner of an amulet store near Kiang Wu Hospital on Saturday, a Public Security Police (PSP) spokesperson said yesterday. The two other men are still at large. The spokesperson announced the case during a regular press conference.The spokesperson said a woman sought help from PSP officers who were walking along Rua de Coelho do Amaral on Saturday night, saying that her husband had just been robbed

February 21, 2017 | BY admin

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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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