Union calls for gaming workers’ pay rise

Macau Gaming Enterprises Staff Association (MGESA) Secretary General Kelvin Choi Kam Fu said yesterday that a recent survey conducted by his union showed that the city’s gaming workers want their salaries to be raised by five to seven percent this year.The union is affiliated with the Macau Federation of Trade Unions (commonly known as Gung Luen), the city’s biggest labour union.Choi made the remarks on the sidelines of a press conference about the federation’s upcoming 2017 Union Day

January 10, 2017 | BY admin

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7 non-locals nabbed for prostitution

The police arrested seven non-local women aged between 25 and 35 last night in Iao Hon on suspicion of prostitution. Two men suspected of being their clients were taken in for questioning.A Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesperson briefed reporters about the case in Iao Hon last night. Six of the arrested women are from the mainland, while one is from Vietnam. One of the suspected clients is a local resident while the other is a non-resident worker.The spokesperson said the prostitution ring had been

January 10, 2017 | BY admin

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Casino workers protest for wage hike

The New Macau Gaming Workers’ Rights Union organised a protest march yesterday, urging the government to push the city’s six gaming operators to raise their workers’ wages by at least five per cent.According to Cloee Chao Sao Fong, the union’s high-profile leader, the protest rally also aimed to urge the government to reduce the number of non-resident workers and submit a trade union bill to the legislature.Speaking to reporters before the protest, Chao said that except Sands China, the

January 10, 2017 | BY admin

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Locals downbeat about home purchases: survey

A survey conducted by the private Macau University of Science and Technology (MUST) found that Macau’s consumer confidence dropped slightly in the fourth quarter last year, with buying a flat recording a score of 54.89 (out of 200), down from 59.27 in the previous quarter.The results of the survey on Macau’s Consumer Confidence Index (CCI) for the fourth quarter last year compared to all previous results were presented in a press conference yesterday, hosted by Associate Professor Liu

January 10, 2017 | BY admin

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Graffiti soils wall of Passion cinema: police

Graffiti was found on the wall of Cinematheque • Passion, a property run by the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC), a Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesperson announced during a regular briefing yesterdayCinematheque • Passion is a multi-function three-storey building that comprises a film archive and a mini-cinema in Travessa da Paixão near the Ruins of St Paul’s landmark.The spokesperson said a staff member of the cinematheque discovered the graffiti on the front of the building on the right-hand

January 10, 2017 | BY admin

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SKY 21 violates operation regulations: police

SKY 21, a rooftop restaurant bar operating on the top two floors of the AIA Tower in Nam Van, was found to be running karaoke rooms without a licence and restaurant premises outside its permitted area, according to a statement released by the Public Security Police (PSP) on Sunday.The police received 21 complaints about loud noise coming from SKY 21 during the New Year celebrations, according to local media reports.PSP officers, together with Environmental Protection Bureau (DSPA) officials,

January 10, 2017 | BY admin

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Pearl Horizon buyers plan to run in legislative election

Pre-sale buyers of Pearl Horizon flats are planning to run in this year’s direct legislative election to protect their interests, Pearl Horizon Condominium Owners United Association President Kou Meng Pok said yesterday.The Pearl Horizon residential project has been mothballed since the government decided in late 2015 to axe the ill-fated project’s temporary land concession that had expired. The government has repeatedly said that the issue must be solved in strict adherence with the Land

January 9, 2017 | BY admin

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Gambler rescued from 8th floor canopy

A 38-year-old gambler from the mainland was found standing on a canopy outside a flat on the 8th floor of Royal Centre Building on Rua de Pequim at noon yesterday and was rescued by firefighters, according to the Public Security Police (PSP).According to a PSP spokesperson, the man entered Macau on Friday and was allegedly held against his will in a flat on the 10th floor of the building by loansharks because he was unable to pay his gambling debts.The police said he attempted to escape by

January 9, 2017 | BY admin

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Forum calls for review of gaming tax rate

Guest speakers at yesterday’s Macau Forum called for a review of the gaming tax rate, claiming that the move would enhance the sector’s international competitiveness.The weekly open-air debate is hosted by government-owned broadcast TDM in Areia Preta Park every Sunday.Yesterday’s focus of the forum was on the prospects of the city’s gaming industry, in the wake of its recovery during the past few months as well as Japan’s lawmakers having passed a bill legalising casinos.Guest

January 9, 2017 | BY admin

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Protesters march against ‘brutal’ vehicle fee hike

Protesters yesterday afternoon marched against what they described as the “brutal” increase in the government’s vehicle-related fees and charges.Lawmaker-cum-unionist Jose Pereira Coutinho, who led the march, told reporters that about 5,000 “outraged citizens” participated in the demonstration.According to a statement by the Public Security Police (PSP), about 1,600 citizens joined the protest.Protesters, led by lawmaker-cum-unionist Jose Pereira Coutinho (centre, first row behind

January 9, 2017 | BY admin

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Local boxing teams battle it out on charity night

Macao Boxing House staged the White Collar “Office Exploded Charity Night of Boxing 2017” on Saturday, it’s third such charity event against fighters from another local gym, Top Fighting, with the six-bout night ending up with three wins for each gym.Both gyms are privately owned. The event took place in Fat Lei Industrial Building in Areia Preta in front of a crowd of around 150.The charity that was benefitting on Saturday was Tong Sam Charity Association with the total amount collected

January 9, 2017 | BY admin

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Culture chief to retire next month

Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) President Guilherme Ung Vai Meng has said that he will retire in the middle of next month, adding he had made the decision as he wanted to have more time painting.Ung also said that he conveyed his request to retire to Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Alexis Tam Chon Weng in the latter half of last year, several times, and that Tam persuaded him to stay on each time, adding he finally told Tam that he would like to devote himself to drawing and art

January 9, 2017 | BY admin

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Police nab 23 for UnionPay fraud

The Judiciary Police (PJ) yesterday arrested 23 suspects for their alleged involvement in the illegal use of UnionPay cards by conducting bogus cash transactions so that clients could get cash after swiping their cards on POS (points of sale) machines.The police also busted a shop in Taipa which allegedly served as a workshop that modified POS machines smuggled from the mainland, so that they could be used in Macau.According to the Judiciary Police, 40 PJ officers, in collaboration with five

January 6, 2017 | BY admin

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IACM backs Ilha Verde working group: vice-convenor

The Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau (IACM) has pledged that it will push other government entities to form an interdepartmental working group on the development of Ilha Verde and preservation of Ilha Verde Hill, Northern District Social Services Consultative Deputy Convenor Ho Chong Chun said yesterday.Speaking to reporters after a closed-door regular meeting at the Government Service Centre in Areia Preta, Ho said IACM President Jose Fonseca Tavares had made the promise during the

January 6, 2017 | BY admin

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