4 groups of residents can opt to undergo COVID-19 tests at public hospital

Addressing yesterday’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, announced that four groups of local residents can now choose to undergo their nucleic acid tests at the public hospital under the local government’s current nucleic acid testing (NAT) scheme, in addition to choosing to undergo the tests at the programme’s testing station in the Taipa Ferry Terminal in

May 26, 2020 | BY admin

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Snapshots of daily life as city fights COVID-19

Parents take their children to school as classes officially resumed for senior primary school pupils yesterday. It was their first day back at school after in-class teaching had been suspended since the Chinese New Year due to the COVID-19 epidemic. However, because of torrential rain yesterday morning, children were told they didn’t need to go to school in the afternoon.oung people play musical instruments and sing while others capture their performance on a video camera in the S. Lázaro

May 26, 2020 | BY admin

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NPC Constitution & Law Committee deliberates draft civil code, decision on HK

BEIJING – The Constitution and Law Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC) yesterday deliberated a draft civil code and a draft decision of the NPC on establishing and improving the legal system and enforcement mechanisms for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) to safeguard national security.The two documents are being deliberated at the ongoing third session of the 13th NPC.During the deliberations, NPC deputies considered the draft civil code relatively mature

May 26, 2020 | BY admin

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Macau ranks globally 48th among int’l convention cities: survey

The Macau Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM) said in a statement yesterday that Macau has moved up 23 places to 48th among international convention cities worldwide, according to the “International Meetings Market 2019 Report” recently published by the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA). Among Asia-Pacific cities, Macau ranks 12th, five places up compared to 2018. The statement also noted that ICCA has recognised 54 international conferences held in

May 26, 2020 | BY admin

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Bank staff wages rise 5.2 pct in March

The average earnings – excluding bonuses – of the banking sector’s full-time employees rose 5.2 percent year-on-year to 30,460 patacas in March, the Statistics and Census Bureau (DSEC) has announced. Bank tellers’ average earnings rose 12.2 percent to 18,800 patacas in March, according to a DSEC statement last week. At the end of the first quarter, Macau had 30 banks, an increase of 3 year-on-year. The sector’s full-time employees rose by 343 year-on-year to 6,806,

May 26, 2020 | BY admin

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Retail sales drop 45 pct in Q1

Macau’s value of retail sales fell 45.1 percent year-on-year to 11.2 billion patacas in the first quarter, the Statistics and Census Bureau (DSEC) announced yesterday. Macau’s economy has been hard hit by the novel coronavirus disease epidemic since late January.According to a DSEC statement, the sales value of watches and jewellery fell 57.5 percent, department store sales dropped 56.4 percent and sales of adults’ clothing declined 52.9 percent year-on-year. However, the value of

May 26, 2020 | BY admin

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Filipino robs ex-girlfriend of handbag: police

A Filipino robbed his ex-girlfriend of her handbag after a quarrel last week, Public Security Police (PSP) spokesman Choi Iok Kin said during a regular press conference yesterday.According to Choi, the suspect was arrested on Friday when the police also recovered the victim’s handbag, her smartphone and work permit (“blue card”), as well as 5,400 patacas in cash.The suspect is a non-resident worker in his twenties surnamed Chantengco who works as a hotel room attendant.According to Choi,

May 26, 2020 | BY admin

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Non-resident worker cheats businessman out of 600 million yuan

A non-resident worker from the mainland has been arrested for cheating a mainland businessman out of 600 million yuan (672 million patacas) in an investment scheme, Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Lai Man Vai said in a regular press conference yesterday.According to the scheme, which started in 2016, the money was supposed to be invested in a travel agency, investment company, catering company, and beverage companyThe police are looking for other possible suspects and the whereabouts of most of

May 26, 2020 | BY admin

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High time now for action regarding HK national security legislation

Commentary by Grenville Cross*As the 2020 Two Sessions meetings got underway in Beijing on Thursday, many of those attending felt that it was high time for the National People’s Congress (NPC) to enact national security legislation for Hong Kong, and the reasons are obvious.It is now almost 23 years since Hong Kong was reunified with China under the “One Country, Two Systems” principle in 1997, and it has important responsibilities to the rest of the country. Although national security is

May 26, 2020 | BY admin

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Police probe deaths of 16-year-old boy, 70-year-old man

The Judiciary Police (PJ) received a call yesterday morning at 9:45 a.m. from the Fire Services Bureau (CB) that a 16-year-old boy was found dead on the balcony of a residential flat in Rua de Bragança in Taipa and requested PJ officers be sent to the scene to investigate, according to a message from PJ spokesman Leng Kam Lon.According to the message, the boy’s mother found him lying on a chair with no response at about 9 a.m. He was sat on the chair, with his head and feet touching the

May 25, 2020 | BY admin

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US urged to ditch illusions, political calculations on Taiwan question

BEIJING –  China urges the United States to ditch its illusions and political calculations, and not to make any attempt to challenge China’s red line on the Taiwan question, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said yesterday.The Taiwan question is China’s internal affair, and the one-China principle is the international consensus and the political foundation of China’s diplomatic relations with other countries, Wang said.“We firmly oppose official interactions with

May 25, 2020 | BY admin

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National security legislation for HKSAR won’t affect its high autonomy

News AnalysisHONG KONG – The draft decision of the nation’s top legislature to introduce national security legislation for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) will not affect HKSAR’s high degree of autonomy, analysts say.On the contrary, the legislation will serve as institutional reinforcement of the “One Country, Two Systems” principle, safeguard the rule of law and a stable business environment in Hong Kong, and protect the well-being of the vast majority of Hong

May 25, 2020 | BY admin

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Not the end but hopefully a new beginning for HK – Editorial

     When the central authorities revealed in Beijing last week that they were preparing to legislate on Hong Kong’s long-delayed national security issue, the special administrative region’s “pan-democrat” lawmaker Dennis Kwok Wing-hang claimed apocalyptically that “this is the end of Hong Kong.” Well, I beg to differ. Quite the reverse, I hope that it will be a new beginning for Hong Kong so that after the national security law agenda is finally off the

May 25, 2020 | BY admin

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Govt mulls changing wearing facemask guidelines

Addressing Saturday’s press conference about Macau’s novel coronavirus (COVID-19) situation, the Health Bureau’s (SSM) Control of Communicable Diseases and Surveillance of Diseases Department Coordinator Leong Iek Hou said that the government plans to amend its guidelines as to in what circumstances residents should wear a facemask.Leong pointed out that the National Health Commission (NHC) has constantly formulated and amended its guidelines on wearing facemasks in line with the overall

May 25, 2020 | BY admin

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