News

The government bodies and the aviation operators involved in airport security jointly conducted the “Bomb Threat Exercise 2016” in Macau International Airport in this early morning (29 July 2016) to simulate the activation of the Airport Emergency Plan and the security contingency procedures in response to a bomb threat that occurred in the passenger terminal. The exercise took place from 02:00 to 05:00 this morning. The scenario was of a an anonymous phone call made to an airline from an association who claimed that they had put bombs in the airport and threatened to explode them. With the assessment made by the bomb threat analysis and evaluation group, the airport declared emergency and activated the airport emergency plan to handle the crisis. The operations centre of the Public Security Police Force activated their security contingency procedures to carry out necessary tasks such as conducting a comprehensive inspection in the airport and eventually found two suspect baggages. The site was cordoned off and the people in that area were evacuated. The special police were called in to inspect the two baggages; it was confirmed that one of these baggages was a genuine bomb. The bomb was then detonated. The exercise was deemed smooth. There were about 150 participants. The exercise was coordinated by Public Security Police Force with the participation of other entities including Unitary Police Force, Macao Customs Services, Judiciary Police, Fire Services Bureau, Security Coordination Office, Health Bureau, Marine and Water Bureau, Civil Aviation Authority, CAM-Macau International Airport Company Ltd, Administration of Airports, Ltd., Macau Security Company Ltd. (airport security), Menzies Macau Airport Services Ltd and Air Macau Company Ltd. Macau International Airport carries out different types of exercise every year. Earlier this April, the fuel farm exercise was conducted; following this bomb threat exercise, the full scale emergency exercise and the heliport exercise will be held later in the second half of the year.
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The Government said a female patient placed under medical observation after travelling to Macao from Saudi Arabia does not have the virus-borne condition Middle East respiratory syndrome, also known as MERS. Tests showed the 11-year-old patient was negative for the virus associated with MERS. The patient sought medical treatment at Kiang Wu Hospital in Taipa on Thursday (28 July) after complaining of fever and abdominal pain. She entered Macao on 27 July after leaving her country on 18 July. To date – and since the Health Bureau was notified by the World Health Organization (WHO) regarding the development of the virus – there have been no indications of MERS having a presence in Macao. Since WHO’s notification, the Government has strengthened its monitoring regarding non-specific pneumonia and other cases of respiratory infection. Typical symptoms of MERS – during the initial phase – include fever, cough and shortness of breath. People with an impaired immune system or with a chronic disease are considered to be at higher risk of MERS than other people. The Health Bureau advises residents – especially if travelling to the Middle East – to avoid visiting farms and having contact with animals; in particular camels and birds. The public is encouraged to practise good personal and environmental hygiene. Citizens should seek medical treatment immediately if they develop symptoms such as a fever or cough.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that total merchandise export for June 2016 amounted to MOP821 million, down by 11.5% year-on-year; value of re-exports (MOP673 million) dropped by 14.9%, with that of Clocks & watches (MOP62 million) falling by 39.4%; value of domestic exports (MOP148 million) expanded by 8.2%, with that of Tobacco (MOP52 million) soaring by 116.2%. Total merchandise import decreased by 14.6% year-on-year to MOP5.71 billion, of which imports of Motor cars and Watches declined by 68.5% and 31.1% respectively. Merchandise trade deficit amounted to MOP4.89 billion. In the second quarter of 2016, total value of merchandise export (MOP2.41 billion) and merchandise import (MOP16.60 billion) fell by 12.7% and 18.5% respectively year-on-year, resulting in a trade deficit of MOP14.19 billion. In the first half year of 2016, total value of merchandise export declined by 6.5% year-on-year to MOP5.11 billion, of which value of re-exports (MOP4.27 billion) and domestic exports (MOP836 million) decreased by 5.7% and 10.4% respectively. Total value of merchandise import fell by 21.1% to MOP33.61 billion. Merchandise trade deficit widened to MOP28.50 billion for the first half year of 2016. Analysed by destination, merchandise export to Mainland China increased by 4.1% year-on-year to MOP890 million in the first half year of 2016, of which exports to the nine provinces of the Pan Pearl River Delta (MOP844 million) rose by 2.4%; exports to Hong Kong (MOP3.00 billion) decreased by 11.1%. Meanwhile, exports to the EU (MOP92 million) and the USA (MOP75 million) reduced by 29.4% and 22.7% respectively. Exports of Non-textiles declined by 6.5% year-on-year to MOP4.75 billion, of which value of Clocks & watches (MOP534 million) and Machines, apparatus & parts (MOP482 million) dropped by 32.5% and 21.7% respectively, but that of Electronic components (MOP577 million) grew by 46.2%. Exports of Textiles & garments totalled MOP354 million, down by 6.4%. By place of origin, merchandise import from Mainland China (MOP12.38 billion) and the EU (MOP7.99 billion) in the first half year of 2016 decreased by 21.6% and 17.8% respectively year-on-year. Analysed by place of consignment, merchandise import from Mainland China declined by 9.2% to MOP5.58 billion, of which imports from the nine provinces of the Pan Pearl River Delta (MOP5.31 billion) fell by 9.2%. Imports of Consumer goods dropped by 16.9% to MOP20.85 billion, with imports of Watches (MOP1.96 billion) and Motor cars & motorcycles (MOP593 million) decreasing by 41.6% and 56.7% respectively. Moreover, imports of Fuels & lubricants (MOP2.88 billion), Mobile phones (MOP2.30 billion) and Construction materials (MOP1.06 billion) declined by 16.9%, 47.6% and 32.3% respectively. External merchandise trade totalled MOP38.71 billion in the first half year of 2016, down by 19.4% compared with MOP48.04 billion a year earlier.
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In celebration of the 30th anniversary of Macao International Music Festival (MIMF), the Cultural Affairs Bureau will host the “Macao International Music Festival Forum” themed “Music and Arts Festivals as Drivers of a City’s Cultural Development” from 30 September to 1 October at the Macao Cultural Centre conference room, conducted by various renowned guests from cultural sectors from both overseas and the nearby regions. Additionally, the publication 30th Macao International Music Festival Special Commemorative Edition will be launched, featuring the development and transformation of the Festival. The “Macao International Music Festival Forum” features a number of talks and discussion sessions by prominent practitioners from overseas and the nearby regions, including Managing Director of Barbican Centre, Sir Nicholas Kenyon; Founder and Executive Director of Verbier Festival, Martin Engstroem; CEO of Arts House Limited, Singapore, Lee Chor Lin; Executive Director of Hong Kong Arts Festival, Tisa Ho; Co-founder and Artistic Director of Clockenflap, Hong Kong’s Music and Arts Festival, Jay Forster; Digital Strategist of Clockenflap, Hong Kong's Music and Arts Festival, Simon Bratt; Dean of the School of Music of Shanghai University, Wang Yong; Director of Shanghai Culture Square, Zhang Jie; General Manager of Wu Promotions, Wu Jiatong, among others. Admission to the forum is free and all are welcome to register. Seats are limited and will be severed on a first-come, first-served basis. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Festival, the Cultural Affairs Bureau will launch the publication 30th Macao International Music Festival Special Commemorative Edition, which covers programme reviews and the historical evolution of the Festival in the past years, as well as insightful commentaries and news articles by former festival directors and local scholars, offering an overview of the Festival’s contribution to Macao’s cultural development over the past three decades. The public is welcome to register for the Forum through the MIMF website (www.icm.gov.mo/fimm), or submit completed application forms, available in the Cultural Affairs Bureau and its public libraries, by mail or in person (during office hours) to the Cultural Affairs Bureau Building at Tap Siac Square by 28 September . The aforementioned publication will be available for sale at the performance venues during the Festival. For enquiries, please call IC through tel. no. 83996699, during office hours.
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The 30th Macao International Music Festival (MIMF) Outreach Programme features 18 activities in six categories, including Talks, Pre-show Talks, Backstage Tours, Master Classes, Meet-the-artist and Community Screenings, thereby seeking to broaden music enthusiasts’ horizons. Renowned Portuguese pianist Adriano Jordão, the leader of famous percussion ensemble Colin Currie Group, Colin Currie, the nationally acclaimed huqin master Xu Ke and the “queen of pipa” Zhong Hongyan, were invited to conduct master classes, offering learning opportunities to local musicians. The Talks will be conducted by the well-known Hong Kong literary and art critic, Chow Fan Fu; the Assistant Professor of the Chinese Language Department of the University of Macau, Tam Mei Leng; and the Co-Artistic Director of Hong Kong’s experimental art group Zuni Icosahedron, Danny Yun Ning-Tsun. Jazz guitarists Lawrence Ku and Eugene Pao will share experiences of this music genre as well as of funk and rock. During the 30th MIMF, several pre-show talks and four backstage tours of the opera Turandot will be held, allowing the public to appreciate the wonderful costumes, props and sets used in the production. Between September and October, numerous community screenings will be held, followed by analysis and comments by film experts Leong I On and Chan Ka Keong. In addition, as the Cultural Affairs Bureau specially invited the local and creative entity GUGUMELO Studio to design four types of “Gugumesic Postcards to the Future” in the previous edition of the Festival, over three thousand postcards with the public’s wishes were collected. On the eve of this edition, the Organiser has printed a “Scratch to win!” game onto the postcards and has attached a specially designed badge and invitation card with a 30% discount on tickets for the 30th MIMF, to be sent to music lovers. The two winners of the “Scratch to win!” game will be awarded two sets of free tickets for all performances of the Festival, and 30 participants will receive a “Gugumesic souvenir set” , celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Festival. For more information on the activities of the 30th MIMF Outreach Programme, please refer to the respective Booklet or visit the Festival webpage at www.icm.gov.mo/fimm. Admission is free to most activities but the seats are limited. Registration is available through the webpage www.icm.gov.mo/eform/event. For enquiries, please call IC through tel. no. 8399 6699, during office hours, or email outreach@icm.gov.mo.
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The 30th Macao International Music Festival (MIMF), organized by the Cultural Affairs Bureau, will be held from 1 to 30 October. In celebration of its Pearl Jubilee, top-level musicians and ensembles from Russia, the Unites States, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Portugal, Mongolia, Taiwan, Mainland China, Hong Kong and Macao, will offer 20 programmes and a total of 27 excellent performances. This edition of the MIMF is themed “Glorious 30 ‧ The Sinophone Rhapsodies”. Aside from the usual renowned classics, this year the MIMF specially presents several works of ethnic appeal. The 30th MIMF also features the “Macao International Music Festival Forum” and the 30th Macao International Music Festival Special Commemorative Edition will be launched on this occasion. IC will also hold a press conference in Guangdong Province, thereby widening the promotion of the Festival’s international charm. Opera in three acts Turandot opens the curtain; Charlie Chaplin’s classic film scores screened with live music The Festival kicks off with its own production, joining hands with internationally renowned Italian stage director Giancarlo del Monaco and acclaimed set and costume designer William Orlandi to present Giacomo Puccini’s opera in three acts Turandot, which narrates the story of the romance of life and death between Chinese Princess Turandot and Prince Calaf of Tartary. Renowned American conductor Timothy Brock leads the Macao Orchestra on the live accompaniment of the silent films “City Lights” and “The Gold Rush” by comedy genius Charlie Chaplin, bringing to a close the MIMF’s pearl jubilee at Park of Dr. Carlos d’Assumpção under a starry sky. First chamber opera A Dream of Fragrancy; magnificent works of ethnic appeal In order to mark the 400th anniversary of the death of the great playwright, Tang Xianzu, the Festival has specially produced the chamber opera A Dream of Fragrancy, created local professionals, an adaptation of Tang Xianzu’s travelling experience to Macao in 1591. The Berlin Philharmonic String Quintet joins hands with huqin master Xu Ke in the concert Quintessence Night, Magic Bow; The China Philharmonic Orchestra cooperates with local pianist Kuok-Wai Lio to perform several music genres; Mongolian State Morin Khuur Ensemble accompanies the morin khuur with the throat singing technique khoomei, whereby one singer produces two notes simultaneously, introducing the music of this traditional instrument, classified as national intangible cultural heritage. Distinguished pipa master Zhang Hong Yan will share with the audience stories of the pipa; outstanding musicians from the Macao Chinese Orchestra, the Guangdong National Orchestra, the Taipei Youth Chinese Orchestra and the Hong Kong Yao Yuen Chinese Music Association take to the stage to jointly present the concert Joyous Harmony, allowing the audience to enjoy the beauty of national music. Internationally renowned artists; top-notch musicians in the spotlight Brilliant classical music conductor Valery Gergiev leads the world famous Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra in the performance of Russian masters Prokofiev and Shostakovitch’s classical works. Extraordinary early music conductor William Christie steers the ensemble Les Arts Florissants in a concert featuring period musical instruments and vocal music. British group Colin Currie Group makes its debut in Asia with a minimalist concert featuring percussion works by iconic composer Steve Reich. Mount Fortress hosts the hypnotising fado of Portugal’s new rising star Carminho; brilliant contemporary jazz trumpeter Roy Hargrove will play several works by jazz giant Miles Davis, and a jazz concert brought by musicians from the Cross-strait four regions, namely Red Groove Project, Eugene Pao’s band, Minyen Hsieh and Hon Chong Chau, who will offer six hours of jazz music. Promising classical violinist Ray Chen and the MIMF’s first artistic director and remarkable Portuguese pianist, Adriano Jordão, will take to the Dom Pedro V Theatre stage to present solo concerts. The Coro Perosi and Coro Dolce Voce de Macau join hands in the concert Gloria, showcasing the talent of local choirs. In order to encourage local talents, this edition of the Festival continues to offer the concerts Bravo Macao!, allowing promising local musicians to shine on stage. Tickets on sale from 7 August Tickets will be on sale from 10am on 7 August 2016 (Sunday) at the Macau Ticketing Network and telephone and online bookings are available from 12pm on the same day. On the first day of ticket sales, ticket purchases are limited to a maximum of 10 tickets per performance per person. Early bird discounts of 30% will be offered when buying tickets between 7 and 14 August, and a 20% discount will be offered when buying tickets between 15 and 21 August. Holders of BOC Multi-Currency Credit Card or BOC Card may also enjoy a 30% discounts on tickets for Turandot - Opera in Three Acts by Puccini, A Dream of Fragrancy - Chamber Opera Premiere, From Russia, with Classics - Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra or The Russian Legends - Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra . A 20% discount will be offered in the purchase of tickets for all other shows for holders of the designated credit card or bank card. A 50% discount will be offered for holders of Macao Senior Citizen Card or Disability Assessment Registration Card (each card holder is allowed to purchase one discounted ticket per performance only). For every ticket purchase over MOP1,000 (net price calculated after discounts), purchasers will receive a “buy 1 get 1 free” voucher for Cotai Water Jet ferry tickets. For every ticket purchase over MOP500 (net price calculated after discounts), purchasers will receive one 30% F&B coupon which can be redeemed when dining at selected restaurants in The Venetian® Macao. This edition of the MIMF counts with the support of the Macao Government Tourism Office, TDM – Teledifusão de Macao, Air Macau, Air Macau, The Venetian® Macao, and has Cotai Water Jet as official ferry company. For more details on the programme and offers, please access the Festival’s website at www.icm.gov.mo/fimm. For enquiries, please call IC through tel. no. 8399 6699, during office hours. Ticketing hotlines: 2855 5555 (Macao), 2380 5083 (Hong Kong), 139 269 11111 (Mainland China). Ticketing website: www.macauticket.com. The press conference of the 30th MIMF was held on 28 July, at 3:30pm at the Tourism Activities Centre. The press conference was attended by the President of Cultural Affairs Bureau, Ung Vai Meng; the Acting Director of the Macao Government Tourism Office, Tse Heng Sai; the Vice-President of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, Leung Hio Ming; the Vice President of Corporate Communications & Community Affairs of Venetian Macau Ltd., Winnie Wong; the President Assistant of the Bank of China Macau Branch, Jiang Kuiwei; the Cotai Water Jet Executive Director of Finance and Operations, Wong Ying Kit Alex; the Programme Producer of Social Culture and Economic Programme Department, TDM, Ltd., Raymond Cheang; the Head of the Department of the Cultural Events of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, Kent Ieong Chi Kin and the Head of the Division of Performing Arts of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, Paula Lei.
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Immigration Department of the PSP investigated and cracked a false employment case and exposed somebody profited illegally by making use of the quota of Non-resident worker to assist foreigner to obtain a Macao visa. The case happened in early July, when the Investigation Subdivision of the Immigration Department was handling a forged document case, abnormal employment record of a local Macanese woman was detected, showing that she applied for employing non-resident workers for several times but cancelled them rapidly soon after. It was suspected that somebody provided assistance to profit illegally. After investigation, a Vietnamese woman admitted that she benefited by cooperating with this Macanese woman in assisting others to get a Macao visa easier through application of non-resident worker quota. Our Force sent the two suspects to the Public Prosecutions Office for involving in several “forged document” cases. Furthermore, our Force strengthens cooperation with the Chinese Consulates in various countries by adopting appropriate measures to interrupt together the situation of using illegal tricks to get a Macao visa. Meanwhile, our Force has established a sustainable routine reporting mechanism with the Labour Affairs Bureau to follow up the situation of illegal use and cancellation of “Authorization to Employment for Non-Resident Workers”. Among the cases that were sent to the Public Prosecutions Office, staff of employment agencies was found to use their employer’s quota illegally and assist foreigners to apply for a “Macao visa” and “Authorization to Stay for Non-Resident Workers”. The PSP appeals and reminds the public to be alert to the situation. Never be greedy of temporary convenience. Be careful of anyone who purports to apply for “Authorization for Non-resident Worker” on your behalf or lending you the relevant quota or asking you to sign any blank form or unknown document. Never perform and profit from false employment. All the above behavior may violate the criminal law. Employment of non-resident workers can be applied through Labour Service Agencies with approval and good reputation.
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Three undergraduate students from the University of Macau’s (UM) Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, namely Fan Yawang, Chan Sio Man, and Pun Ian In, placed third among all the teams and received the second prize at the Ninth Inter-University Invitational Civil Engineering Competition, which was held at Shanghai Jiaotong University, from 10 July to 15 July. This year’s competition dealt with the challenging issue of designing earthquake resistant bridges. Each contesting team was required to design and build an earthquake-resistant model bridge with wood. The model bridge was then tested by having a model car with asymmetrical loading moving from one end to the other, under different combinations of earthquake intensities on both ends of the bridge. The model that demonstrated the highest efficiency ratio would be declared the winner. The model designed by the UM team, which combined elements of both an arch bridge and a beam bridge, placed third among all the model bridges and received the second prize. The UM team was led by Prof Er Guokang, with Dr Lam Chi Chiu and Mr Tou Ka Man providing assistance on model testing. The competition attracted 16 teams from Asian and Australian universities that enjoy great renown in the field of civil engineering, including the National University of Singapore, Monash University, the University of Hong Kong, Infrastructure University Kuala Lumpur, Tsinghua University, Tongji University, Shanghai Jiaotong University, and Central South University. The first prize went to the team from Shanghai Jiaotong University, and the other second prize went to Central South University. The biennial competition aims to provide a platform for civil engineering students from around the world to showcase their creativity and skills, to establish international linkages, and to exchange ideas with their peers from diverse backgrounds. The first competition was held at Tsinghua University, Beijing, in 2000. UM was the host of the third competition in 2004. UM received a second prize at the Seventh Inter-University Invitational Civil Engineering Competition held in 2012.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that visitors on package tours totalled 571,000 in June 2016, down by 20.7% year-on-year and up slightly by 0.7% month-to-month. Package tour visitors from Mainland China (442,000) and Taiwan (34,000) decreased by 24.1% and 27.0% respectively year-on-year, while those from the Republic of Korea (31,000) increased by 125.8%. In the first half year of 2016, visitors on package tours totalled 3,431,000, down by 31.2% year-on-year. Outbound residents using services of travel agencies totalled 94,000 in June 2016, down by 20.9% year-on-year. Residents travelling on package tours decreased by 21.7% year-on-year to 37,000, and the main destinations were Mainland China (64.9% of total), the Republic of Korea (11.1%) and Taiwan (7.3%); those travelling to the Republic of Korea soared by 611.4% due to the low base of comparison in June 2015 resulted from the outbreak of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome. In the first half year of 2016, outbound residents using services of travel agencies totalled 597,000, down by 17.7% year-on-year. There were 105 hotels & guesthouses operating at the end of June 2016, an increase of 3 year-on-year. Number of guest rooms totalled 32,000, up by 2,500 (+8.4%) year-on-year; those of 5-star hotels (21,000) and 4-star hotels (7,700) together accounted for 87.9% the total. A total of 935,000 guests checked into hotels & guesthouses in June 2016, up by 16.5% year-on-year. Guests from Mainland China (583,000), Hong Kong (145,000) and Taiwan (44,000) registered double-digit growth, at 17.2%, 13.0% and 39.2% respectively. The average length of stay of guests held stable at 1.4 nights as in June 2015. The average occupancy rate of hotels & guesthouses rose notably by 6.6 percentage points year-on-year to 82.0%, with 4-star hotels leading at 85.7%, up significantly by 12.4 percentage points year-on-year. In the first half year of 2016, guests of hotels & guesthouses totalled 5,443,000, up by 12.8% year-on-year. The average occupancy rate of hotels & guesthouses stood at 78.6% and the average length of stay of guests was 1.4 nights, down by 0.1 percentage point and 0.1 night respectively. Visitor-guests accounted for 71.7% of the total overnight visitors, up by 3.3 percentage points year-on-year.
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Consumer Council conducted its latest ‘Supermarket price survey’ in July on 27 July 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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