China determined to further open up despite COVID-19 epidemic

CommentaryHAIKOU – At this critical juncture when the COVID-19 epidemic is still ravaging the globe, China is opening its door wider to the world instead of trying to close it.China announced yesterday that it will build its island province of Hainan into a free trade port, a move that demonstrates the resolve to contribute to a stable world economy by continuing to advance reform and opening-up, widen market access, improve the business environment and expand imports and outbound

June 2, 2020 | BY admin

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Macau gaming revenue falls 93 pct in May

Macau's gross revenue from games of chance fell 93.2 percent year-on-year to 1.76 billion patacas (US$221 million) last month, the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ) announced today. It was the second steepest year-on-year decline this year, after April's 96.8 percent plunge. However, gross gaming revenue was up 134 percent month-on-month. April's revenue amounted to a mere 754 million patacas, the lowest of any month this year. Casinos' revenue in the first five

June 1, 2020 | BY admin

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I can’t breathe

Commentary by Swallow Xu*It’s only accidental if the header conforms to the ‘I can’t breathe’ protests in USA now and before (for sure I lament any loss of life and condemn any form of brutality), but when wearing a facemask in summer, my gut feeling is: Ouch, I can’t breathe! Though by now virtually everywhere in the world seems to have integrated this little guy into our everyday life, the sultry summer in Macau makes it annoying. I hail all citizens’ sticking to wearing

June 1, 2020 | BY admin

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COVID-19 financial support to start mid-month

The government has announced that employees, the self-employed and companies will receive financial support from the middle of this month, as one of its measures to tackle the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Macau.The one-off grants for the three groups are among the government’s second round of financial support measures first announced in April which is covered by a 10-billion-pataca ad hoc fund managed by the public Macau Foundation (FM).Secretary for Administration and Justice

June 1, 2020 | BY admin

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‘Let him who is without sin cast the first stone’ – Editorial

EditorialThe West’s self-righteous support for Hong Kong’s anti-government protesters by deliberately turning a blind eye to their rioting and vandalism reminds me of one of the best-known utterances attributed to Jesus in the Bible that I learnt during my two years of religious lessons as a Lutheran confirmand in my teens: “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.” I have been an agnostic for decades now, but some of what Jesus is said to have said

June 1, 2020 | BY admin

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76 million ‘government facemasks’ sold, 14th round of facemask sales starts today

Addressing Friday’s press conference about Macau’s novel coronavirus (COVID-19) situation, Alvis Lo Iek Long, a clinical director of the public Conde de São Januário Hospital Centre, said that 76 million facemasks have been sold under the government’s facemask purchase scheme since its launch in late January.Lo also announced that the 14th round of the facemask purchase scheme will start today.The facemasks sold under the scheme are colloquially known as “government facemasks”.Under

June 1, 2020 | BY admin

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4 groups ask govt to step up efforts to protect ocean

Four local associations have jointly asked the government to protect the marine environment, improve the city’s sewage treatment plant, impose a speed limit on ferries and investigate the cause of deaths of the cetaceans recently washed ashore on the city’s coastline.Representatives of Macau Ecological Society, Macau Green Student Union, Green Future, as well as History and Culture Association of Port of Macau jointly submitted a letter addressed to Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng on Friday

June 1, 2020 | BY admin

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Activists vow to hold June 4 vigil in private: report

Activists are planning to hold their annual June 4 vigil at a private venue after Macau’s top court last week upheld a police ban on holding the event in a public place due to the government’s COVID-19 prevention measures, public broadcaster Radio Macau-TDM has reported. Friday’s report quoted non-establishment lawmaker-cum-activist Au Kam San as saying that Thursday’s vigil would probably be held in an enclosed space and be streamed live. Au said that his fellow activists

June 1, 2020 | BY admin

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2 men, 1 woman nabbed for using others’ consumption cards

Two local men and a non-resident worker were arrested for using other people’s government-issued consumption subsidy smartcards which they found in the street, the Public Security Police (PSP) announced on Friday.The two local suspects are a 64-year-old jobless man surnamed Chong and 70-year-old man surnamed Wong who works as a cashier in a snooker hall. The non-resident suspect is a Filipina in her forties whose surname was not released.A local man reported to the police recently that after

June 1, 2020 | BY admin

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Police probe 2 weekend deaths

The police said in separate messages over the weekend that they are investigating two deaths.The Judiciary Police (PJ) received a report from the Fire Services Bureau (CB) at 9:40 p.m. on Friday that a male corpse was found in a flat of a residential housing estate in Travessa da Penha, according to a message by Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Lai Man Vai on Saturday.The deceased is a 59-years-old local man surnamed Lam.According to the police, Lam lived alone in the flat. His family had not

June 1, 2020 | BY admin

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Local artist showcases ‘Vibrant Script’ in Western calligraphy

An exhibition organised by The Lettering Artists Association of Macau (LAAOM), sponsored by the Macau Foundation (FM), entitled “Western Calligraphy: Season III – The Vibrant Script”, by local artist Henry Kwok Man See is on display at 10 Fantasia.The event is being co-hosted by 10 Fantasia as its Permanent Exhibition 2020 and the St. Lazarus Church District Creative Industries Promotion Association, according to an unsigned article on 10 Fantasia’s Facebook page.Kwok’s work conveys

June 1, 2020 | BY admin

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COVID-19 pandemic cuts Macau's GDP by 48.7 pct in Q1

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Macau's gross domestic product (GDP) dropped 48.7 percent year-on-year in real terms in the first quarter of the year, the Statistics and Census Bureau (DSEC) announced today. A DSEC statement noted that the novel coronavirus pandemic "has significantly dampened global economic activity", adding that Macau's economy, which mainly consists of exports of services, has been "severely hit" by COVID-19, "with a substantial decline in total

May 30, 2020 | BY admin

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COVID-19 pushes up locals' jobless rate to 3.1 pct

Macau's general unemployment rate for February-April rose 0.1 percentage point to 2.2 percent from the previous employment survey period (January-March 2020), while the unemployment rate of local residents grew 0.2 percentage points to 3.1 percent, the Statistics and Census Bureau (DSEC) has announced. The general unemployment rate comprises local employees and non-resident workers. Yesterday's DSEC statement attributed the rise in unemployment to the impact of the novel coronavirus

May 30, 2020 | BY admin

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76 million facemasks sold by Macau government

The Macau government has sold more than 76 million facemasks to residents and non-resident workers since late January, the Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre announced today at its daily press conference about the local situation of COVID-19.The 14th 10-day round of "government facemasks" - as they are colloquially known - will start on Monday, officials said at the press conference, pointing out that the government is studying new recommendations for using the

May 29, 2020 | BY admin

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