Civil servant steals ‘siu fai kat’, shreds it after use

A civil servant was arrested on Friday for stealing a consumption subsidy smartcard (known in Cantonese as “siu fai kat”) and using it to spend 456 patacas at the end of July and 22.90 patacas in early August, Public Security Police (PSP) spokesman Wong Wai Chon said during a regular press conference yesterday. The 57-year-old suspect surnamed Tou works as a civil servant in a government office located in the city centre.According to Wong, the female victim reported to the police on August

August 25, 2020 | BY admin

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Retail sales fall 61 pct in Q2

The value of Macau’s retail sales fell 61.3 percent year-on-year in the second quarter to 6.92 billion amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Statistics and Census Bureau (DSEC) announced yesterday.A DSEC statement underlined that after removing the effect of price changes, the sales volume index dropped 61.5 percent.Among the major retail trade activities, the sales value of watches, clocks and jewellery (-87.3 percent), leather goods (-72.8 percent), goods sold in department stores (-71.7 percent)

August 25, 2020 | BY admin

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University graduate cheated out of 390,000 patacas in ‘police officer’ phone scam

A female graduate was cheated out of 390,000 patacas in a phone scam after completing her studies in Taiwan and returning to Macau when she was in 14-day quarantine here in early July, Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Lai Chio Hong said during a regular press conference yesterday. According to Lai, the victim, who is in her twenties, reported the case to the police on Saturday. She said that she had returned to Macau from Taiwan in early July after completing her studies, after which she stayed

August 25, 2020 | BY admin

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Snapshots of daily life as city tackles COVID-19

People react during a gathering at Praça do Tap Seac on Sunday.A man sits next to a broken digital advertising signboard and a broken bench cordoned off in Nam Van on Sunday. A woman climbs onto a platform to take pictures of leaves of a tree in Taipa Village on Saturday. Photos: Camy Tam and Monica Leong

August 25, 2020 | BY admin

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96 pct back govt’s vocational subsidy scheme: survey

The Macau Service Sector Employees General Association said in a statement yesterday that over 96 percent of the respondents of a survey that it carried out recently said that they support the government’s decision to run a vocational training subsidy scheme during the novel coronavirus pandemic.The statement was released yesterday during a press conference at the association’s office in Rua do Campo.The statement said that the association recently surveyed 1,009 employees from the service

August 25, 2020 | BY admin

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Investor creates local coffee brand using East Timor coffee beans

Charles Chi, president of Charlestrong Café Company Limited, said in a speech yesterday that his company aimed to create a local coffee brand, “Café Diliy”, using East Timor organic coffee beans, adding he hoped that the coffee brand would become a “unique Macau souvenir”.Chi, also known as Shi Liqiang, delivered the speech during the contract-signing ceremony between his company and MGM yesterday at the Portuguese-speaking Countries Food Products Exhibition Centre in Praça do Tap

August 25, 2020 | BY admin

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Designers showcase ‘Flashfly Pictures’

An exhibition entitled “Flashfly Pictures” co-hosted by Stargate Technology (Macau) Co. Ltd., 10 Fantasia and the St. Lazarus Church District Creative Industries Promotion Association is on display at the 10 Fantasia gallery in São Lázaro district.The event is sponsored by the public Macau Foundation (FM) and White Picture Productions Co. Ltd., according to information provided 10 Fantasia.The exhibition showcases a total of 12 pictures which present how designers use the principles of

August 25, 2020 | BY admin

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6 caught for beauty products parallel trading worth 4.55 million patacas: Customs

Six suspects were caught on Saturday for parallel trading in violation of the External Trade Law, resulting in the confiscation of more than 19,400 beauty products worth 4.55 million patacas, the Macau Customs Services said in a statement yesterday.The Customs Services said that following the seizure of 5,900 cosmetic products worth about 3.8 million patacas on Thursday involving 15 suspects, another suspected parallel trading shop (known in Cantonese as “seui fo dim”) near the Barrier

August 24, 2020 | BY admin

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Kindergarteners to return to classes early next month

Education and Youth Affairs Bureau (DSEJ) Acting Director Kong Chi Meng said on Saturday that secondary schools, primary schools and kindergartens will return to in-class teaching at the beginning of September.Kong made the remarks after the opening ceremony of the “Macau Youth Politics Training Programme” organised by the Macau Youth Federation at the Macau Science Centre.Kong said that 60 percent of schools will start on the September 1, around 15 percent will start on September 2 and the

August 24, 2020 | BY admin

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Metal frame in corridor project between Gongbei & Barrier Gate collapses

Part of a metal framed structure in the ongoing reconstruction project of the corridor between Zhuhai’s Gongbei checkpoint and Macau’s Barrier Gate checkpoint collapsed near the Gongbei side on Saturday afternoon.The authorities at the Gongbei checkpoint informed Macau police about the incident, which did not cause any injuries but travellers on their way from Gongbei to Macau were unable to walk cross the border for 1 1/2 hours. According to local media reports, the incident happened at

August 24, 2020 | BY admin

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BOP records surplus of 12.1 billion patacas in 2019

Macau’s preliminary balance of payments (BOP) for last year recorded a surplus of 12.1 billion patacas, the Macau Monetary Authority (AMCM) has announced.According to an AMCM statement on Friday, last year’s current account surplus amounted to 142.8 billion patacas, while financial non-reserve assets showed a net increase of 83.5 billion patacas.In 2019, exports of goods decreased 8.3 percent year-on-year while imports of goods rose 0.7 percent. As a result, the merchandise trade deficit

August 24, 2020 | BY admin

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Old factory in future tyre park to be demolished for hygiene reasons: Cheong

Secretary for Administration and Justice André Cheng Weng Chon says that a row of former textile factory buildings situated in an area planned for the city’s first-ever tyre park in Taipa need to be demolished as they are posing an environmental hygiene threat to the nearby residential neighbourhoods, apart from the fact that some of the low-rise buildings have asbestos roofs, a prohibited construction material as it is harmful to people’s health.Inhalation of asbestos fibres can lead to

August 24, 2020 | BY admin

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2nd phase consumption cards inject 790 million patacas in economy

The Economic Services Bureau (DSE) said in a statement on Friday that the second phase of the government’s consumption subsidy smartcard scheme injected around 790 million patacas into the local economy in 20 days.According to the statement, up to last Thursday 610,000 residents had topped-up their existing smartcards to 5,000 patacas. The bureau also gave out 19,000 new cards.The statement said that in the first 20 days of the subsidy scheme, over 7.7 million transactions were made. The

August 24, 2020 | BY admin

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Indian, local caught in separate sexual harassment cases

Repeater masturbates on bus, leaves semen on victim’s legAn Indian man was arrested on Thursday for sexual harassment of a female bus passenger, after he committed the same kind of crime last month, while awaiting deportation to India, Public Security Police (PSP) spokesman Kam Ka Kit said during a regular press conference on Friday.The 32-year-old suspect surnamed Raina told the police that he is jobless.According to Kam, a passer-by called the Public Security Police at about 3 p.m. on

August 24, 2020 | BY admin

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