News

The ‘Phenix Coder’ Team, composed of scholars from the University of Macau (UM), Southeast University, and the University of Massachusetts, won an excellence award at GeekPwn 2016 held in Shanghai. In addition to developing a way to break internet encryption technologies, which they hope can serve as a wake-up call to manufacturers of smart devices, the team also developed anti-hacking technologies. The related paper is expected to be published soon.
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On the occasion of the 30th Macao International Music Festival (MIMF), the Macao S.A.R. Government invited the consuls of various countries accredited to Hong Kong and Macao to participate in a tour organized by the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) on 30 October. The delegation visited Anim’Arte NAM VAN and the Taipa Houses-Museum. Later the delegation attended the MIMF’s closing performance “Chaplin Once More!”. This cultural visit allowed the consuls to experience the charm of Macao’s cultural tourism. The consular corps was accompanied by the Vice-President of IC, Leung Hio Ming; the Chief of the Department of Cultural Events of IC, Kent Ieong Chi Kin; and the Chief of the Department for the Promoting Cultural and Creative Industries, Ho Ka Weng. The consular corps firstly arrived at the Anim’Arte NAM VAN, jointly managed by the Cultural Affairs Bureau, the Sports Bureau, the Macao Government Tourism Office and the Institute for Tourism Studies, comprising pedal boats, specialized dining, cultural and creative shops, a craft market, exhibitions and performances to provide diverse tourism services and experiences, thereby enhancing Macao’s cultural tourism products offering. Under the guidance of the IC representatives, the consular corps visited Anim’Arte NAM VAN, the cultural and creative shops, the Smiling Workshop, the Preference Book Station and the Lakeside Gallery, the current exhibition entitled “Walk and See—Youth Artist Art Exhibition” and “Sylviye’s Thermae” as well as a “Glass Beads Ornaments Workshop” hosted by the Macau Handcraft and Creative People Association. The consular corps actively participated in the workshop and enjoyed in the production process, showing the success of the tour in showcasing the development of Macao’s cultural and creative industries. The delegation subsequently participated in the “19th Lusofonia Festival” to experience the Portuguese speaking countries customs and feel the Festival’s cheerful atmosphere. They also visited three buildings of the Taipa Houses-Museum, which are used for exhibitions and opened to the public in October after undergoing restoration. By preserving the original characteristics of the buildings, the Government further integrated the five buildings, creating a multicultural leisure area and building a platform for showcasing the culture of the Portuguese-speaking countries and international cultural exchange. In the evening, the delegation enjoyed a video commemorating the 30th anniversary of the MIMF and the closing performance “Chaplin Once More!” at the Dr. Carlos d’Assumpção Park, where the Macao Orchestra presented a live performance of the music of Charlie Chaplin’s film “City Lights”. The performance had an enthusiastic response and concluded to the Pearl Jubilee of MIMF successfully.
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The seminar on “Countering Drug Trafficking and Drug Addiction” integrated as part of the 3rd Macao Special Administrative Region - EU Co-operation Programme in the Legal Field, will take place on November 7th to 10th, from 6 pm to 8:30 pm, in the auditorium of the Civil Service Training Centre located on Alameda Dr. Carlos D’ Assumpção n.° 322-362, Cheng Feng Commercial Centre, 7th floor. This event is organised by the Legal and Judicial Training Centre. This activity will feature as its guest speakers Mr. Antoine Michel R. VERACHTERT, Seconded Officer of Transnational Organized Crime of Pompidou Group of the Council of Europe and Chief Commissioner of Belgian Federal Judicial Police and Mr. Robert TELTZROW, Principal Project Consultant of Health and Rehabilitation of Pompidou Group of the Council of Europe. The seminar will be conducted in English with simultaneous translation into Cantonese and Portuguese. This training initiative is set out into four modules: 1. 2016/11/07: a. Introduction - European and national drug policy institutions - Pompidou group, EMCDDA, national and international drug agencies; b. Introduction to drug trends, drug use patterns and drug problems; c. General overview of drug trafficking in Europe and the law enforcement response. 2. 2016/11/08: a. Drug policy fields. Harm reductions, treatment, prevention and law enforcement; b. Goals of drug policy - The balanced approach - human rights, public health and rule of law; c. Examples of successful interventions: Drug trafficking by air in Europe. Threats, trends, challenges and best practices. Priorities for Law enforcement to an effective policy. 3. 2016/11/09: a. Criminal justice responses to drug use and trafficking; b. Excurse drugs in prison; c. Alternatives to punishment; d. Precursor chemicals and new psychoactive substances; e. Trends, drug markets, cooperation with the industry, NPS legislation and counterfeit medicines. 4. 2016/11/10: a. Cross cutting issues: Vulnerable groups & mental health; b. The way ahead: risks and opportunities; c. Drugs and cybercrime. The emerging trend of drug sales on line. Darknet investigations, cooperation with the Internet providers, postal services and express mail companies. The 3rd Co-operation Programme in the Legal Field between the Macao Special Administrative Region and the European Union, which incorporates this seminar, has as its main objective “Promote the Development and Modernisation of the Macao Special Administrative Region’s Legal System” and is going to take place until November 2019. The execution of the Co-operation Programme is coordinated by the Legal Affairs Bureau, together with many entities and public departments of the Macao Special Administrative Region, namely the Legal and Judicial Training Centre, the Institute of European Studies of Macau, the Economic Services, the Consumer Council and the Social Welfare Bureau.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that new registration of motor vehicles decreased by 40.1% year-on-year to 979 in September 2016. In the first three quarters of 2016, new registration of motor vehicles dropped by 31.7% year-on-year to 10,078, with that of motorcycles (5,785) and light automobiles (3,785) falling by 25.3% and 41.9% respectively. Total number of licensed motor vehicles reached 249,013 at the end of September, up by 1.2% year-on-year; motorcycles and light automobiles accounted for 52.3% and 44.6% of the respective total. There were 1,119 traffic accident cases in September and number of casualties totalled 328. In the first three quarters of 2016, number of traffic accidents decreased by 6.4% year-on-year to 11,000 cases, resulting in 3,346 casualties and 8 of them were killed. Cross-border vehicle traffic totalled 413,763 trips in September 2016, down by 1.0% year-on-year. In the first three quarters of 2016, cross-border vehicle traffic rose slightly by 0.7% year-on-year to 3,846,929 trips, of which vehicle traffic through the Border Gate took up 76.8%. Passenger ferry movements between Macao and Mainland China and between Macao and Hong Kong decreased by 3.8% year-on-year to 11,496 trips in September, while movements in the first three quarters (102,930 trips) dropped by 6.1%. Commercial flight movements at the Macao International Airport totalled 4,124 in September 2016, down slightly by 0.2% year-on-year. In the first three quarters of 2016, commercial flight movements increased by 5.4% year-on-year to 40,778 trips; flight movements to and from Thailand and Taiwan rose by 14.5% and 13.7% respectively, while movements to and from Mainland China dropped by 4.6%. Helicopter flight movements between Macao and Mainland China and between Macao and Hong Kong decreased by 10.1% year-on-year to 1,082 trips in September, and movements in the first three quarters (8,017 trips) fell by 24.0%. Gross weight of seaborne containerized cargo dropped by 49.0% year-on-year to 12,822 tonnes in September 2016. Seaborne container throughput totalled 10,916 TEU, equivalent to 7,537 containers handled, down by 10.8% and 8.6% respectively year-on-year. In the first three quarters of 2016, gross weight of seaborne containerized cargo decreased by 32.6% year-on-year to 134,309 tonnes, of which 50.9% passed through Inner Harbour (68,300 tonnes); seaborne container throughput (95,765 TEU) and containers handled (65,764) fell by 14.8% and 13.3% respectively. Gross weight of containerized cargo by land decreased by 52.9% year-on-year to 1,239 tonnes in September. In the first three quarters of 2016, gross weight of containerized cargo by land dropped by 2.8% year-on-year to 17,608 tonnes, of which cargo through the Checkpoint of Cotai (15,357 tonnes) accounted for 87.2%. The Macao International Airport handled 2,674 tonnes of air cargo in September 2016, rose by 1.1% year-on-year. In the first three quarters of 2016, inward air cargo (4,691 tonnes) decreased by 13.4% year-on-year while outward air cargo (13,339 tonnes) increased by 17.3%; inward air cargo from Taiwan (56.5% of total) dropped by 19.8% whereas outward air cargo to Taiwan (46.8% of total) went up by 30.3%. Transit air cargo (4,770 tonnes) rose by 3.4% year-on-year in the first three quarters. At the end of September 2016, number of fixed-line telephone subscribers decreased by 7.3% year-on-year to 137,463. Number of mobile telephone subscribers rose by 4.4% to 1,895,968, of which stored-value GSM card subscribers (1,199,678) accounted for 63.3%. Number of internet subscribers increased by 9.6% year-on-year to 357,105. In the first three quarters of 2016, the cumulative duration of fixed broadbard internet usage grew by 10.7% year-on-year to 870 million hours.
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In the first half-year of 2016, a total of 176 initial applications for temporary residency for managerial personnel, technical and professional qualification holders were received by the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM) (a decrease of 60 compared with the same period last year), 14 initial applications for major investment / investment plans (a decrease of 24 compared with the same period last year), representing 92.63% and 7.37% of the total of 190 initial applications in the first half-year of 2016. Approved cases for managerial personnel, technical and professional qualification holders amounted to 46 (an increase of 23 compared with the same period last year), approved applications for major investment / investment plans totalled 1 (a decrease of 5 compared with the same period last year). * Attachment For further enquiries on the residency application guidelines, please contact IPIM by visiting the website: www.ipim.gov.mo, email: gjfr@ipim.gov.mo, tel: 28712055 or fax: 28713950. Applicants may also visit the website and enquire about the progress of their residency application status online.
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The 2017 Macao-Guangzhou Fine Products Fair, co-organised by IPIM and Guangzhou Municipal Commission of Commerce, will be held from 6 to 8 January 2017 at the Poly World Trade Centre in Guangzhou. This event plays a very important role in Guangzhou-Macao trade and economic co-operation. The 2017 Macao-Guangzhou Fine Products Fair will cover a wide range of products and service including MinM, Macao souvenirs, cultural and creative products, consumer goods, food products, wine, products from Portuguese-speaking countries, commerce of cross-border e-commerce as well as other merchandise. During the fair, fine products from Macao and Guangzhou will be showcased and sold to residents of and visitors to Guangzhou. There will also be diverse activities, including business matching sessions, product procurement and promotional events for Macao and Guangzhou companies during the fair, which will serve as a platform for companies from Macao and Guangzhou to network and co-operate, thereby promoting economic and trade ties between the two places. In order to encourage companies from Macao to participate in the exhibition, IPIM is providing an incentive programme for companies from Macao. The incentives cover a standard booth, accommodation, transportation, round-trip freight transportation, storage area and temporary staff. Eligible enterprises only need to pay a participation fee of MOP$2,000.00 for a booth or MOP$1, 800.00 for raw space. The scope of exhibits will include: products manufactured in Macao, Macao brands and overseas products with an agent in Macao (priority will be given to products from Portuguese-speaking countries). All Macao enterprises are welcome to participate in the event and explore new business opportunities. Local companies interested in participating may obtain an application form from IPIM, located on Avenida da Amizade, 918, World Trade Centre Building, 4th Floor, Macao or Alameda Dr. Carlos d’Assumpção, 263, China Civil Plaza Building, 19th floor, Macao during office hours until 10 November. As the number of booths is limited, applications will be processed on a first-come first-served basis with the organisers reserving the right of final decision. Registration and enquiry hotline: 8798 9267 / 8798 9274.
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Cultural heritage is a valuable cultural resource of the city. In order to strengthen the educational promotion of cultural heritage and optimize the website’s service, the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC, from the Portuguese acronym) launched a new cultural heritage webpage today, 31 October. This new webpage is based on a user-friendly design concept, focusing on the release of cultural heritage’s information and activities, hoping to build an online communication bridge for enhancing the public’s awareness to the protection of cultural heritage. The “Cultural Heritage” webpage (www.culturalheritage.mo) will replace the Macau heritage webpage (www.macauheritage.net), the former becoming a platform for the release and update of IC’s information on cultural heritage. The webpage covers classified immovable heritage and intangible cultural heritage, offering not only daily news but also the relative legislation, guidelines and public consultation information, among others. Likewise, the “Macau World Heritage” page (www.wh.mo) also has a new version, keeping its URL unchanged, featuring the functions of releasing news related to the world-heritage classified “Historic Centre of Macao” and promoting education about the latter. Both above-mentioned Webpages are available in traditional Chinese, simplified Chinese, Portuguese and English, respectively. The new WebPages are compatible with the browsing functions of electronic products such as mobile phones and tablets, and the new page layout and design interface is based on a user-friendly design concept. While improving its security, availability and compatibility, the page makes it easy to search for latest news about cultural heritage, and provides links to thematic websites such as the Mandarin’s House, the Lou Kau Mansion and the Dom Pedro V Theatre, among others, providing clear indications on using various services and applications as well as promotional videos about cultural heritage. IC will continue to improve the site functions and information, and actively develop all kinds of communication channels in order to strengthen even further the public’s knowledge on Macao’s cultural heritage and, thereby, protect Macao’s cultural heritage in collaboration with all local social sectors.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that visitors on package tours decreased by 20.0% year-on-year to 596,000 in September 2016. Package tour visitors from Mainland China (482,000) and Taiwan (33,000) dropped by 23.0% and 11.1% respectively year-on-year, while those from the Republic of Korea (25,000) recorded an increase of 44.9%. In the first three quarters of 2016, visitors on package tours totalled 5,420,000, down by 27.8% year-on-year. Outbound residents using services of travel agencies totalled 93,000 in September 2016, down by 16.1% year-on-year. Residents travelling on package tours decreased by 26.8% year-on-year to 32,000; residents travelling to Mainland China (23,000) dropped by 36.8% while those travelling to the Republic of Korea (3,300) soared by 220.8%. In the first three quarters of 2016, outbound residents using services of travel agencies totalled 910,000, down by 17.2% year-on-year. There were 107 hotels & guesthouses operating at the end of September 2016, up by 4 year-on-year and 2 month-to-month. Number of guest rooms increased by 20.7% year-on-year to 36,000, with 3-star hotel rooms (5,500) surging by 116.9%. With new hotels commencing operations, number of guests of hotels & guesthouses in September 2016 increased by 20.2% year-on-year to 1,025,000. Guests from Mainland China (644,000), the Republic of Korea (29,000), Hong Kong (152,000) and Taiwan (47,000) recorded double-digit growth, up by 20.9%, 75.5%, 12.5% and 40.6% respectively year-on-year. The average length of stay of guests held stable as in September 2015, at 1.4 nights. The average occupancy rate of hotels & guesthouses stood at 82.1% in September 2016, up by 3.7 percentage points year-on-year, and 4-star hotels took the lead at 86.5%, up notably by 10.5 percentage points. In the first three quarters of 2016, guests of hotels & guesthouses totalled 8,585,000, up by 12.9% year-on-year. The average occupancy rate of hotels & guesthouses stood at 81.2%, up by 1.2 percentage points; the average length of stay of guests was 1.4 nights, down by 0.1 night year-on-year. Visitor-guests accounted for 71.0% of the total overnight visitors, up by 3.0 percentage points year-on-year.
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“Hosting large-scale conventions and business events attracts professional visitors and business delegations to Macao, promoting the local economy”. This is an idea that is materialising gradually as more and more international conventions and meetings are coming to Macao. In September, Macao hosted three high-profile conventions, attended by more than 20,000 visitors. In addition to boosting the economy in the Cotai area, those events also contributed to increasing trade for businesses in Taipa village and in the northern part of Macao. According to the organiser of the “Greater China NU Skin Academy”, the stay of the 5,000 attendees and their families contributed a total expenditure of approximately 40 million patacas. Estimating an average per capita spending of 5,000 patacas, the three events contributed an aggregate of about 100 million patacas in consumption in different areas of the city – a very encouraging figure. The organisers of the three events agree that the well-established hotels, venues and other infrastructure in Macao – together with the diversified activities surrounding these venues – make it easy to tour the city and arrange sightseeing activities: something convenient for organisers planning events in Macao. The three organisers say Macao continues to be the first choice for large-scale meetings and conventions; they expect to hold other events in Macao. Macao, the perfect match for work and entertainment In September, Macao hosted three large-scale events, each with more than 1,000 attendees: “Nu Skin SouthEast Asia Star Academy Macao 2016” (1,000 participants), early in the month; “Amway Diamond Recognition Meeting” (14,000 participants), in mid-September; followed by the “Greater China NU Skin Academy” (5,000 participants). Evita Quiambao Singson, Regional Vice President of Sales for Asia Pacific of Nu Skin, said her event in Macao was “a perfect match of work and entertainment”. According to Ms Singson, Macao is well equipped with facilities for large-scale conventions, having also attractive tourism landmarks and a unique history, with a diversified suit of products. Visitors that love to shop have a very enjoyable experience in Macao, she noted. “If you only sit in the conference room without walking around, then your trip to Macao will be meaningless,” said Ms Singson. With such a unique combination between the convention and exhibition industry and the tourism sector, Ms Singson said she expects to host more large-scale events in Macao in the future. Large-scale conventions promote community-based economy With co-ordination from the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM), the organiser of the “Nu Skin SouthEast Asia Star Academy Macao 2016” worked with industry representatives; and trade associations from the Islands District, the Central and Southern District and the Macao Northern District; as well as travel agents, in order to organise tours of the city for the event’s participants. The attendees visited famous landmarks in Macao, such as the Macau Tower, the Ruins of St. Paul's, and Rua da Felicidade, among others. The visits were a good opportunity for the participants to enjoy scenic spots of Macao, and helped stimulate consumption in different communities across the city. Hsu Min-Che, General Manager of Fulin International Limited, the organiser of the “Amway Diamond Recognition Meeting”, said the event attracted a total of 14,000 attendees from over 40 countries and regions. Since the meeting took place in the afternoon, participants were able to enjoy other time on their own, going shopping or exploring the city and sampling some traditional gastronomy products. Mr Hsu said that without doubt the conventions and exhibitions industry attracts professional visitors to Macao, helping to propel a community-based economy. Patrick Yeung, President of Hong Kong & Macau and Regional Vice-President of Leaderships at Nu Skin Enterprises, said most of the 5,000 participants of the “Greater China NU Skin Academy” came to Macao with their families. According to Mr Yeung, a large number of the participants extended their stay for one or two days after the event, so as to visit some of the city’s landmarks, such as the Ruins of St. Paul's, Rua do Cunha and other attractions; with some of them even exploring the city’s Northern District, as well as trying local delicacies. The estimated tourism consumption figure reached approximately 40 million patacas, said Mr Yeung. Estimating an average spend of 5,000 patacas per attendee – based on 20,000 participants in the three events in September – the total consumption associated with these events is expected to have reached 100 million patacas – an amount spent in the community. Such an outcome shows that the volume of business grows whenever there is a large-scale event in Macao, said merchants in the Islands District, adding they hoped that the city welcomes further large-scale events. More Large-Scale Events to Come Macao is to host a number of large-scale events in the fourth quarter of 2016. These include the “9th ACM SIGGRAPH Conference and Exhibition on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques in Asia (with more than 5,000 participants expected). Several other events are each expected to attract more than 7,000 participants. For more information, please visit the official website of IPIM: http://www.ipim.gov.mo
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Consumer Council conducted its latest ‘Supermarket price survey’ in October on 28 October for the implementation of Section 2b), Article 10, Law 4/95/M of 12 June. Surveyed locations included 12 supermarkets in Taipa and Coloane area. The latest ‘Supermarket Price Survey’ is now available on Consumer Council’s website (www.consumer.gov.mo), and the ‘Supermarket Price Information Platform’ iPhone and Android apps. The survey is also available free of charge at the offices of Consumer Council, IACM’s Iao Hon and S. Domingos Markets, bookstores and libraries. With reference to the local seven parishes and the number of supermarkets in each parish, the Council has divided over 100 supermarkets into 8 areas for price collection. The Council collects prices from these supermarkets for the provision of a more comprehensive database for consumers to check price discrepancies and make price comparisons according to their desired locations. For inquiry, please call 8988 9315.
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