Thai & Portuguese pyro teams vow to brighten up sky despite threat of rain

Rain and thunderstorms have been forecast for the opening night of the city’s annual firework contest on Saturday but the pyrotechnic competitors from Thailand and Portugal are confident they will put up a good show neverthelessThese two companies are among the 10 who are competing in this year’s 28th Macau International Fireworks Display Contest organised by the Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO).The competition will take place near Macau Tower this Saturday, next Saturday, on

September 1, 2016 | BY admin

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Lawmaker urges govt to listen to public on Uber row

Lawmaker Au Kam Sun yesterday urged the government to listen to public opinion about the passenger transport service provided by Uber, the global ride-hailing giant. The veteran legislator made the remarks during a press conference about a protest rally slated for Sunday to urge the government to allow Uber to continue its local business. The protest rally is being organised by the grassroots Macau Community Development Initiative (MCDI) group headed by Au and fellow lawmaker Antonio

September 1, 2016 | BY admin

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Premier Li to attend Sino-Luso forum: report

Prime Minister Li Keqiang is slated to attend the 5th Ministerial Conference of the Forum for Economic and Trade Co-operation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries in Macau on October 10-11, the Portuguese-language radio of government-owned broadcast TDM said yesterday in an unsourced report.According to the report, Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa is also expected to attend the forum.The triennial conference has been held in Macau since 2003. The forum is organised by the

August 31, 2016 | BY admin

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Govt plans to start central library construction in 2019

Construction to turn the heritage-protected Old Courthouse in Nam Van into the city’s new central library, a project estimated to cost about 900 million patacas not including the “detailed design” costs, is due to start in 2019, Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) President Guilherme Ung Vai Meng said yesterday.Ung made the comments during a press conference at the bureau to reveal more details of the project which has sparked ample criticism due to its huge budget and doubts whether the Old

August 31, 2016 | BY admin

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Police nab ‘foreigner’ for inventing crime

The Judiciary Police (PJ) announced yesterday the arrest of a 38-year-old male “foreign” national on Sunday on suspicion of inventing a crime in which he claimed he had been imprisoned against his will by loan sharks in Macau over a – purported – gambling loan of HK$150,000.The case concerns the “foreign” suspect lying to his father about being imprisoned by loan sharks. However, the suspect just wanted to obtain HK$150,000 from his father so that he could gamble, according to a PJ

August 31, 2016 | BY admin

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HK man busted in drug case with 15-year-old accomplice

Macau police have detained a Hong Kong man in a drug trafficking case in which he admitted that a 15-year-old Hong Kong pupil had been smuggling the drugs into the city from Hong Kong at his behest.The case was announced during a special press conference by the Judiciary Police (PJ) yesterday.According to a PJ spokesperson, police officers were monitoring the International Centre in Zape on Monday evening after a tip-off that a drug gang from Hong Kong would be sending someone there to sell

August 31, 2016 | BY admin

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Hotel guests rise 12 pct to 1 million in July

Macau’s 104 hotels and guesthouses recorded 1.04 million guests last month, a year-on-year increase of 12.3 percent, the Statistics and Census bureau (DSEC) said yesterday. Guests from the mainland and Hong Kong accounted for 62.1 percent and 17.6 percent respectively. While mainland guests rose by 9.6 percent, Hong Kong guests surged by 22.2 percent. Guests’ average length of stay was 1.4 nights, down by 0.1 night year-on-year. PLEASE READ THE FULL ARTICLE IN OUR PRINT

August 31, 2016 | BY admin

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Lawmaker urges govt to improve public transport

The government should improve public transport as soon as possible, lawmaker Melinda Chan Mei Yi said yesterday.Chan, who heads the Alliance for Change association, made the remarks in a press conference at The Landmark Macau, summarising her work during the 2015/16 session of the legislature which ended on August 15. The legislature is in summer recess until October 15. Chan said many young people had been expressing their concerns about the city’s public transport to her.Lawmaker

August 31, 2016 | BY admin

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GDP decline slows to 7.1 pct in Q2

Macau’s gross domestic product shrank by 7.1 percent year-on-year in real terms in the second quarter of the year, showing signs of improvement compared with the first quarter, the Statistics and Census Bureau (DSEC) said yesterday. GDP contracted by 13.3 percent in the first quarter. A DSEC statement attributed the lower GDP drop to decelerating declines in service exports and investment, as well as a lower base of comparison in the previous year. PLEASE READ THE FULL ARTICLE

August 31, 2016 | BY admin

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Rio Olympians inspire local youngsters

Team China’s Rio Olympics heroes yesterday inspired local youngsters to be well prepared to face any challenges in their lives.The team members also visited the St Paul’s Ruins and Macau Museum on Fortress Hill during the second of their four-day visit. Yesterday morning, the delegation attended a sharing session with young locals at Macau Forum in Zape, where eight Olympians, including bronze-medallist swimmer Fu Yuanhui, who has become an Internet sensation for her cheerful

August 31, 2016 | BY admin

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Police nab Filipina for arson

The Judiciary Police (PJ) announced yesterday the arrest of a Filipina on Monday on suspicion of setting fire to her boyfriend’s flat.A PJ spokesperson revealed details of the case during a special press conference at the PJ headquarters in Zape. The 28-year-old female suspect, surnamed Huertas, told police that she was unemployed.According to the spokesperson, the Fire Services Bureau (CB) was called to a fire in a flat in Travessa dos Becos on Monday, adding that the firefighters suspected

August 31, 2016 | BY admin

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Data protectors probe 155 cases last year

The Personal Data Protection Office (GPDP) launched 155 investigations into allegations of “improperly handled” personal data last year, down 20.1 percent year-on-year, according to its annual report published yesterday.The annual report can be downloaded from the office’s website http://www.gpdp.gov.mo, in Chinese and Portuguese language versions.According to the report, the 155 cases involved 204 entities, of which 136 were private companies, 55 were individuals and 13 were public

August 31, 2016 | BY admin

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1st local online shop not making profit yet: consultant

The consultant to a local online shopping centre, MacauMarket, said yesterday he was not satisfied with the company’s revenue.Zhang Lan, senior project consultant to MacauMarket, made the remarks on the sidelines of a forum at the Economic Services Bureau (DSE) to promote e-commerce to local small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).The forum was co-hosted by MacauMarket and the bureau.Zhang Lan, senior project consultant to MacauMarket, talks to reporters on the sidelines of a forum about

August 31, 2016 | BY admin

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Team China Rio heroes arrive for 4-day visit

The nation’s Rio Olympics heroes and their support team arrived in Macau yesterday afternoon for a 4-day visit, welcomed by hundreds of cheering pupils outside the Outer Harbour Ferry Terminal. The delegation of 64 arrived at the terminal shortly after 4 p.m. yesterday. It includes Rio Olympic gold medallists, coaches and badminton player Lin Dan, sprint athlete Su Bingtian and Fu Yuanhai, the refreshingly outspoken swimmer who has become an Internet sensation.Outside the terminal, a

August 30, 2016 | BY admin

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