Hotel guests rise 16 pct in June

Macau’s hospitality industry recorded 935,000 guests last month, a 16.5 percent increase year-on-year, the Statistics and Census Bureau (DSEC) said yesterday. Guests from the mainland (583,000), Hong Kong (145,000) and Taiwan (44,000) accounted for 82.6 percent of all hotel guests. Guests’ average length of stay remained unchanged from June last year at 1.4 nights. Please read the full article in our print edition.

July 29, 2016 | BY admin

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Police bust cabbie for lifting passenger’s wallet

The Public Security Police (PSP) said yesterday that a taxi driver will be investigated by the Public Prosecution Office (MP) for illegally appropriating a mainland passenger’s wallet containing HK$8,000. A PSP spokesperson announced the case at a regular press briefing, adding that the police started investigating after the passenger reported on Tuesday that he had left his wallet in a taxi. PSP officers confirmed the identity of the cabbie, a 50-year-old local surnamed Wong. Wong was

July 29, 2016 | BY admin

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Freak alert: Local children get to be young Shrek

Itchy and strange – that was how it felt to be dressed as young Shrek, at least according to eight-year-old Devara Wangke.Devara, along with Leonie Holly Quinn and Wong Pok Wang, are the three lucky children who are taking turns to be young Shrek performing with Broadway actors in “Shrek the Musical” during its current season at The Venetian Theatre until August 7.  The three young stars were chosen out of over a dozen local children who turned up for the auditions earlier this month

July 29, 2016 | BY admin

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‘King’ of Cantopop Leon Lai’s concert gives fans a Studio City experience

Cantopop star Leon Lai, also one of the “Four Heavenly Kings” of Hong Kong, performed two gigs in Studio City last weekend that was partially broadcast live on Facebook, a treat for fans around the world. The live broadcast on Studio City’s Facebook page was filmed with a drone camera as Lai performed one of his smash hits. Concertgoers, many are long-time supporters, got especially excited when foam flew down on to them as Lai sang one of his old favourite love songs “Give you a

July 29, 2016 | BY admin

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30th int’l music-fest focuses on classical & jazz

The 30th Macau International Music Festival (FIMM), which takes place in October, will be mostly classical music and jazz, according to a presentation yesterday.Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) President Guilherme Ung Vai Meng gave a press conference about the programme at the Tourism Activities Centre (CAT) yesterday. Themed “Glorious 30 – The Sinophone Rhapsodies”, Ung said the bureau had chosen Giacomo Puccini’s three-act opera “Turandot” as the festival’s opening show on

July 29, 2016 | BY admin

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New chef at il Teatro brings new ideas to Italian cuisine

Behind the open kitchen of Wynn Macau’s Ristorante il Teatro is the new Chef de Cuisine Nicholas Olivas.Originally from Denver, Colorado, Olivas decided very early on that he wished to pursue a career in the culinary arts and in order to achieve that, he joined the Le Cordon Bleu Academy.Olivas has over 10 years of experience in Italian cuisine and was Chef de Cuisine at Soleil, a Mediterranean restaurant at The Mulia Resort and Villas in Nusa Dua, Bali, prior to joining Wynn Macau.Grilled

July 29, 2016 | BY admin

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Gaming sector is ‘regionally competitive’: Chui

Chief Executive Fernando Chui Sai On said yesterday that the local gaming sector was still competitive and a leading player in the region despite its two-year downturn. Chui, nevertheless, pledged that the government would always ensure that the industry remains competitive. Chui made the remarks when answering a question from lawmaker-cum-building contractor Mak Soi Kun in a Q&A session in the legislature’s hemicycle yesterday. Mak asked about the competitiveness of the

July 28, 2016 | BY admin

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Chui urges young people to develop int’l perspective

Addressing yesterday’s Q&A session in the legislature, Chief Executive Fernando Chui Sai On encouraged young people to broaden their horizons and develop an international perspective. Responding to lawmaker-cum-developer Lau Veng Seng’s question on talent development and how the government has been providing young people with opportunities and helping them develop an international perspective, Chui said the choice ultimately depended on young people’s willingness to look

July 28, 2016 | BY admin

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Police arrest burglary suspect

The Judiciary Police (PJ) announced yesterday the arrest of a local man suspected of conspiring with two friends to burglarise their friend’s home which resulted in the victim losing valuables worth about HK$850,000.A PJ spokesperson announced the case during a special press briefing.The spokesperson said the 22-year-old unemployed man surnamed Wong was arrested at his home in the northern district.According to the spokesperson, the burglary occurred in May. The two other local men suspected

July 28, 2016 | BY admin

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Union calls for free tertiary education

Representatives of the grassroots Workers’ Self-Help Union yesterday urged the government to consider introducing free tertiary education, hoping that lawmakers will consider their appeal.Lei Kit Meng, the union’s chairman, and several fellow activists handed a petition to an official outside the Legislative Assembly (AL).The activists say in the petition that about 6,000 local secondary school leavers may enter university each year. The union urges the government to spend 300 million

July 28, 2016 | BY admin

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Cotai hospital completion in 2019 ‘too optimistic’: architect

Government-appointed Executive Council (ExCo) member Eddie Wong Yue Kai, whose company was commissioned by the government in 2013 to design the Cotai Healthcare Complex, said yesterday it was too optimistic to expect the construction of the project to be completed by 2019.Wong made the comments to reporters after attending a Q&A session in the Legislative Assembly where Chief Executive Fernando Chui Sai On answered questions from lawmakers.Last month, Secretary for Transport and Public

July 28, 2016 | BY admin

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Activists accuse police of causing ‘conflict’

Activists of the grassroots New Macau Association (NAM) yesterday accused the Public Security Police (PSP) of causing “conflict” between them and the Legislative Assembly (AL). NMA President Scott Chiang Meng Hin made the remarks after a scuffle outside the legislature when the activists tried to hand in a petition and a caricature depicting Chief Executive Fernando Chui Sai On as a “pig’s head”. The NMA activists including Chiang submitted their petition to an official of

July 28, 2016 | BY admin

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Elvis Costello to perform in Macau in September

British singer-songwriter Elvis Costello will be performing at the Macau Cultural Centre (CCM) on September 9, the centre said in a statement yesterday. Widely known for his interpretation of “She” (soundtrack to the film “Notting Hill”, back in 1999), Costello shot to stardom two decades earlier, “thrust by the thrill of new wave and punk movements,” the statement said. He has performed with music giants such as Paul McCartney, Tony Bennett, Chet Baker and Johnny Cash.After

July 28, 2016 | BY admin

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Govt vows to build ‘temporary’ housing to start urban renewal

In an attempt to get urban renewal projects finally off the ground, Chief Executive Fernando Chui Sai On said yesterday the government would build temporary housing for affected residents when the urban renewal projects are being implemented.Chui also said the government would draft a series of bills to support the city’s urban renewal projects such as reducing certain types of taxes to encourage residents to reconstruct their old buildingsThe chief executive made the announcement during

July 28, 2016 | BY admin

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