News

Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that the average daily wage of construction workers decreased by 1.8% quarter-to-quarter to MOP779 in the first quarter of 2016, attributable to reduction in overtime for large-scale construction projects in Cotai compared with the previous quarter. The average daily wage of local construction workers (MOP990) dropped by 1.0%, while that of non-resident construction workers (MOP653) fell by 2.2%. The average daily wage of skilled & semi-skilled workers was MOP787, down by 1.4% quarter-to-quarter. The average daily wages of structural iron erectors (MOP863) and concrete formwork carpenters (MOP850) decreased by 6.9% and 5.9% respectively, while the wages of painters (MOP819) and carpenters (MOP1,073) increased by 3.5% and 1.9%. Meanwhile, the average daily wage of unskilled workers was MOP392, down slightly by 0.3%. After discounting the effect of inflation, the wage index of construction workers (100.7) for the first quarter of 2016 decreased by 2.1% quarter-to-quarter in real terms, while that of local construction workers (129.0) increased by 1.3%. As regards construction materials, the average price of concrete increased for nine consecutive quarters, rising by 2.9% quarter-to-quarter to MOP827 per cubic metre in the first quarter of 2016; the average price of spiral & round reinforcing steel bars decreased by 0.8% to MOP4,290 per tonne. Meanwhile, the price index of construction materials for residential buildings (132.1) in the first quarter of 2016 rose slightly by 0.3%.
…

The “Precious Moments in Macao” 2016 Photography Competition’s online portal is now open. Participants may submit their works online from 17 May 2016. This year’s competition has a special feature prize entitled “Our Waters”. The aim of the competition is to chronicle the developments and events of Macao over the past year, and to select suitable photos for the Macao Yearbook, which is published by the Government Information Bureau. The competition is co-organised by the Government Information Bureau, eight photography organisations and five media associations. Submitted photos should depict changes in the cityscape and the bright side of people’s lives over the past year to underscore Macao’s best qualities. Since the introduction of the competition’s online portal, the response from participants has been overwhelming, drawing outstanding works on a variety of themes. This year the theme of the special feature prize under the competition is “Our Waters”. In late 2015, the Central People’s Government demarcated the boundary of Macao’s territorial waters and land, thereby expanding the space for Macao’s development, deepening Guangdong-Macao cooperation and improving Macao people’s wellbeing. This year’s special feature is dedicated to the vitality of our 85 square kilometres of territorial waters. Subjects may include activities conducted in Macao waters, scenery of the coastline, water sports and maritime industries. Anyone wishing to enter can visit the website http://photo.gcs.gov.mo to register and upload their works from 17 May (00:00) to 7 June (24:00). Winners of the First, Second and Third Prizes in the “Precious Moments in Macao” 2016 Photography Competition will receive cash prizes of 8,000 patacas, 5,000 patacas and 3,000 patacas respectively, in addition to a trophy. A total of up to 50 Merit Prizes will also be awarded and their winners will each get a certificate as well as a cash prize of 500 patacas (Note: the final number of merit prizes will depend on the standard of competition entries). In addition, the Editorial Committee of the 2016 Macao Yearbook will select winners of the Special Feature Prize, who will each receive a cash prize of 1,000 patacas (the actual number of winners will depend on the number of suitable entries). The 13 co-organisers are: the Photographic Society of Macao, Photography Salon Society of Macao, Macao Association for the Promotion of Photographic Art, Macao Association of Photographers, Macao Multimedia Photographic Art Association, Macao Association of Photographic Art, Macao Camera Lens Art Association, Macao Digital Photography Association, Macao Media Workers Association, Macao Journalists’ Club, Macao Journalists’ Association, Macao Media Club, and Macao Association of Sports Reporters (listed in no particular order). Winning works and outstanding entries will be featured in publications and government promotion, and suitable entries will be used as illustrations of the 2016 Macao Yearbook. All photography aficionados are welcome to take part. Information pamphlets about the competition are available from the 13 co-organisers; Princess Photography Equipment; Nice Photography Equipment; Foto Digital Fantastic; Digital Hang Seng; Foto Digital “Ieng Fo”; Digital Chi Pak; the Government Information Centre; Cultural Affairs Bureau libraries; DSEJ education centres; the University of Macau; Macau University of Science and Technology; Macao Polytechnic Institute; Institute of Tourism Studies; Academy of Public Security Forces; University of Saint Joseph; City University of Macau; Kiang Wu Nursing College; Macau Institute of Management; Macao Centre of Continuing Studies; and the Macao Association of Civil Servants. Judging will take place on 26 June 2016. Results will be announced in July.
…

Consumer Council and Macao Customs work together before 1 May holiday to distribute leaflets to ‘Adherents’ and ‘Certified Shops’, aiming to enhance shops’ awareness on compliance with laws, and remind shops to assure the quality and safety of their products. Labour Day holiday is a high season for shopping in Macao, to safeguard the rights of local citizens and tourists, Consumer Council and Macao Customs visited ‘Adherents’ and ‘Certified Shops’ earlier to make sure they meet the standard of the ‘Certified Shop’ mechanism. The Council and Macao Customs mainly visited mobile phone retailers, jewellery shops, and drugstores, newly-printed leaflets were distributed to remind ‘Adherents’ and ‘Certified Shops’ to purchase stock from reliable sources, and refrain from selling counterfeit products. Retailers were also reminded to comply with laws, from procurement to retail sales, to ensure that their goods sold to consumers are safe and legal. The Council states that on-site visits in various forms will be carried out for the monitoring of ‘Adherents’ and ‘Certified Shops’, measures will be taken timely if problems are found to ensure the standard and quality of ‘Adherents’ and ‘Certified Shops’ are secured.
…

The Secretary for Administration and Justice, Ms Chan Hoi Fan, said the mainland authorities’ experience in coordinating legislation and drafting laws was an important reference point for Macao. The Government would press ahead with optimisation of centralised legislative processes; study of the city’s legal system; and the enhancement of planning for the process of lawmaking, she added. Ms Chan made the comments in Beijing during meetings with the Deputy Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, Mr Feng Wei; the Chairman of the Basic Law Committee of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, Mr Li Fei; and the Deputy Director of the Legislative Affairs Office of the State Council, Mr Gan Zangchun. Topics discussed at the meetings – held on Tuesday (26 April) – included: reforms to public administration; coordination of legislation; and training of professionals regarding the drafting of proposed laws. Mr Feng Wei forwarded a message to the Macao Government from the Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office, Mr Wang Guangya. In it, Mr Wang recognised the work of the Government, including the highly responsible and able ways in which the Government had performed its management tasks. During the meeting, Mr Feng said administrative reform was an important issue that ought to be approached in a scientific manner. He added his office would provide the necessary support to the Macao Government, in order to ensure the long-term stability of the Special Administrative Region. In another meeting during Ms Chan’s visit, Mr Li Fei said the Macao Government’s efforts in promoting the Basic Law of Macao had produced good results. He said the Macao Government should step up efforts in further promoting the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China and the Basic Law, and further encourage understanding – in particular among young people – of the “two systems” under the concept of “One country” and the sense of belonging to the country. In addition, Mr Gan Zangchun shared some thoughts on the challenges and difficulties he had experienced during the course of planning legislative timetables. He stated his office would offer help for training Macao professionals in relation to the drafting of proposed laws, and would strengthen exchanges and cooperation with the Macao Government. Macao officials attending the Beijing meetings included: the Chief of Office of the Secretary for Administration and Justice, Ms Iao Man Leng; the Director of the Legal Affairs Bureau, Mr Liu Dexue; the Head of the Department of Legislative Drafting of the Legal Affairs Bureau, Ms Carmen Maria Chung; and the Acting Head of the Department of Legal System Study and Legislative Coordination of the Legal Affairs Bureau, Mr Cheong Ham.
…

Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that new registration of motor vehicles decreased by 44.9% year-on-year to 932 in March 2016. In the first quarter of 2016, new registration of motor vehicles dropped by 27.6% year-on-year to 4,001, with that of motorcycles (2,241) and light private cars (1,299) falling by 23.4% and 42.1% respectively. Total number of licensed motor vehicles reached 249,215 at the end of March 2016, up by 3.0% year-on-year; motorcycles and light private cars accounted for 52.0% and 41.2% respectively of the total. Traffic casualties totalled 408 in March, with 3 being killed. Number of traffic accidents in the first quarter increased by 2.7% year-on-year to 3,874 cases, resulting in 1,200 casualties and 4 of them were killed. Cross-border vehicle traffic totalled 432,917 trips in March 2016, up slightly by 0.4% year-on-year. In the first quarter of 2016, cross-border vehicle traffic edged down by 0.3% year-on-year to 1,258,172 trips, of which vehicle traffic through the Border Gate took up 77.5%. Passenger ferry movements between Macao and Mainland China and between Macao and Hong Kong decreased by 4.7% year-on-year to 11,602 trips in March, while movements in the first quarter (34,578 trips) dropped by 3.7%. Commercial flight movements at the Macao International Airport totalled 4,516 in March 2016, up by 5.8% year-on-year. In the first quarter of 2016, commercial flight movements increased by 8.0% year-on-year to 13,709 trips, with movements to and from Mainland China, Thailand and Taiwan rising by 1.1%, 24.0% and 15.5% respectively; meanwhile, flight movements to and from Vietnam decreased by 21.1%. Helicopter flight movements between Macao and Mainland China and between Macao and Hong Kong declined notably by 41.0% year-on-year to 630 trips in March, while movements in the first quarter (2,371 trips) fell by 36.8%. Gross weight of seaborne containerized cargo dropped by 26.5% year-on-year to 17,315 tonnes in March 2016. Seaborne container throughput totalled 10,928 TEU, equivalent to 7,413 containers handled, down by 20.6% and 20.3% respectively year-on-year. In the first quarter of 2016, gross weight of seaborne containerized cargo decreased by 24.3% year-on-year to 47,740 tonnes, of which 54.9% (26,212 tonnes) passed through Ka Ho Harbour; seaborne container throughput (31,575 TEU) and containers handled (21,303) dropped by 11.1% and 11.0% respectively. Gross weight of containerized cargo by land rose by 23.8% year-on-year to 1,914 tonnes in March. In the first quarter of 2016, gross weight of containerized cargo by land surged by 63.4% year-on-year to 6,957 tonnes, of which cargo through the Checkpoint of Cotai (5,945 tonnes) soared by 85.2%. The Macao International Airport handled 2,838 tonnes of air cargo in March 2016, up by 30.0% year-on-year, owing to a 49.4% growth in outward air cargo (1,669 tonnes). In the first quarter of 2016, inward air cargo (1,470 tonnes) decreased by 13.4% year-on-year while outward air cargo (4,168 tonnes) increased by 21.5%; inward air cargo from Taiwan (59.2% of total) dropped by 16.9% whereas outward air cargo to Taiwan (40.1% of total) rose by 11.9%. Transit air cargo (1,527 tonnes) increased by 12.0% year-on-year in the first quarter. At the end of March 2016, number of fixed-line telephone subscribers decreased by 5.6% year-on-year to 143,488. Number of mobile telephone subscribers increased by 1.9% to 1,883,544, of which stored-value GSM card subscribers (1,209,173) accounted for 64.2%. Number of internet subscribers increased by 10.8% year-on-year to 344,917. In the first quarter of 2016, the cumulative duration of internet usage (288 million hours) rose by 13.7% year-on-year.
…

Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that total merchandise export for March 2016 amounted to MOP1.01 billion, down by 3.9% year-on-year; value of domestic exports (MOP147 million) dropped by 21.5%, with that of Garments (MOP1.53 million) falling by 79.2%; value of re-exports (MOP867 million) edged down by 0.1%. Total merchandise import declined by 23.2% year-on-year to MOP5.49 billion, of which imports of Motor cars and Mobile phones decreased by 63.7% and 57.6% respectively. Merchandise trade deficit amounted to MOP4.48 billion. In the first quarter of 2016, total value of merchandise export fell by 0.2% year-on-year to MOP2.70 billion, of which value of domestic exports (MOP380 million) decreased by 25.0%, but that of re-exports (MOP2.32 billion) increased by 5.5%. Total value of merchandise import fell by 22.1% to MOP17.30 billion. Merchandise trade deficit widened to MOP14.60 billion for the first quarter of 2016. Analysed by destination, merchandise export to Mainland China increased by 3.5% year-on-year to MOP400 million in the first quarter of 2016, of which exports to the nine provinces of the Pan Pearl River Delta (MOP386 million) rose by 4.7% but exports to Hong Kong (MOP1.68 billion) decreased by 0.5%. Meanwhile, export to the EU (MOP41 million) and the USA (MOP30 million) reduced by 23.1% and 48.2% respectively. Exports of Non-textiles declined by 0.4% year-on-year to MOP2.49 billion, of which value of Machines, apparatus & parts (MOP257 million) dropped by 25.1% but that of Clocks & watches (MOP385 million) grew by 5.7%. Exports of Textiles & garments totalled MOP209 million, up by 2.5%. By place of origin, merchandise import from Mainland China (MOP6.27 billion) and the EU (MOP4.21 billion) in the first quarter of 2016 decreased by 24.4% and 21.8% respectively year-on-year. Analysed by place of consignment, merchandise import from Mainland China declined by 14.9% to MOP2.57 billion, of which import from the nine provinces of the Pan Pearl River Delta (MOP2.41 billion) fell by 15.8%. Imports of Consumer goods dropped by 16.1% to MOP11.04 billion, with imports of Watches (MOP1.06 billion) and Motor cars & motorcycles (MOP339 million) decreasing by 38.8% and 48.2% respectively. Moreover, imports of Fuels & lubricants (MOP1.34 billion), Mobile phones (MOP1.30 billion) and Construction materials (MOP489 million) declined by 19.9%, 51.8% and 39.3% respectively. External merchandise trade totalled MOP20.00 billion in the first quarter of 2016, down by 19.7% compared with MOP24.92 billion a year earlier.
…

As Labour Day holiday is approaching, consumption by citizens are expected to increase, so are the number of inbound tourists. Consumer Council held a meeting earlier with Economic Services Bureau (DSE), Macao Government Tourist Office (DST), Transport Bureau (DSAT), Judiciary Police (PJ), Public Security Police Force (PSP), Macao Custom Service, Civic and Municipal Affairs Council (IACM), Health Bureau (SS), and Bureau of Telecommunications Regulation (DSRT) to discuss on the protection of consumer rights for local citizens as well as inbound tourists. Consumer Council reminds consumers and tourists that if anyone finds his or her consumer rights being infringed, he or she should file a complaint at the Council or other departments and provide all necessary detailed information. The Council will also assign its staff to provide services to consumers through its hotline during 0900 to 1800 during Labour Day holidays (1 & 2 May). Consumer Council hotline: 8988 9315.
…

Organised by the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) and co-organised by PYO Gallery, the exhibition “Travelogue--works by Park, Seung Hoon”, was inaugurated on Thursday, 28 April, at 6:30pm, at Gallery of Taipa Houses-Museum. Sixteen photography works by the young Korean artist, Park, Seung Hoon, were showcased, showing the feature of cultural tourism. Residents and tourists are welcome to visit the exhibition. The opening ceremony was officiated by the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Alexis Tam Chon Weng; the Acting Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China in the Macao S.A.R., Pan Yun Dong; the Director of the Department of Education and Culture of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Macao S.A.R., Xu Ting; the President of the Cultural Affairs Bureau; Ung Vai Meng; the President of PYO Gallery, Misun Pyo; the Curator, Heidi Chang and the Artist, Park, Seung Hoon. The exhibition features two series of photography works by Park, Seung Hoon, namely Textus and A Better Explanation. The Textus series is captured on positive 16mm movie film with an 8 x 10mm camera. Park weaves multiple film strips that he produced across the continents over the years into a single unique photograph to reconstruct a perfect scenario. The latest work of Park, A Better Explanation, is a manifestation of change over time and space through the long-term photography of the riverside scenery of the Arno River, in Florence. With his artistic language, he presents the scene of the moment while depicting the social and historical development of the Arno River. The organiser hopes this exhibition can share the detailed and creative works of the young Korean artist Park, Seung Hoon with the public, for exploring the possibility of artistic creation and inspiring audience to develop their own imagination through his photography works. The exhibition “Travelogue--works by Park, Seung Hoon” will be held from 29 April to 26 June at Gallery of Taipa Houses-Museum. Admission is free. The exhibition is open daily from 10am to 6pm including public holidays (closed on Mondays). For enquiries, please contact IC through tel no. 8988 4000 during office hours.
…

The University of Macau (UM) has achieved a breakthrough in the research of biochips. The Computational Biology and Bioinformatics Lab (CBBio), under UM’s Faculty of Science and Technology, and the State-Key Laboratory of Analog and Mixed-Signal VLSI, have successfully developed a computational intelligence-based software programme to address the challenges of conformational sampling in 3D protein-surface structure prediction, which helps to produce biochips with the ability to locate the optimal protein configuration in the most promising low-energy region. The work was recently published by Oxford University Press’s journal Bioinformatics, the most authoritative publication in the field of bioinformatics and computational biology. In order to predict the optimal protein configuration computationally, the research team translated the problem into an optimisation task, to search intelligently among all possible orientations and positions of protein with respect to the surface, for the most promising low-energy region where the optimal is. Inspired by nature, the ‘intelligent’ part of the project is based on the social behaviour model of bird flocking when searching for food. Birds in a flock would memorise places where the most food has been found, and communicate with one another to update the best food source. Based on this knowledge, the birds iteratively adjust their flying direction towards previously successful regions until no better food source is found. By combining the search model with a newly devised forcefield-based energy function describing the protein-surface interactions and fine-tuned parameters, the research team has created an efficient computer algorithm to address the protein-surface structure prediction problem, ProtPOS. The programme (http://cbbio.cis.umac.mo/software/protpos/) can work seamlessly with most popular molecular simulation software, so prediction results can be used right away in further computational studies for biochip design. The research project was conducted by UM PhD student Nga Choi Fong, jointly supervised by Dr Shirley Siu Weng In and Prof Elvis Mak Pui In, and funded by UM.
…

The 27th Macao Arts Festival (MAF), organized by the Cultural Affairs Bureau, kicks off this Saturday, 30 April, with an opening ceremony to be held at 7:40pm at the lobby of the Macao Cultural Centre. All are welcome. This edition of the MAF presents 27 excellent shows and artistic exhibitions as well as an outreach programme, in a total of over 100 activities, offering a sumptuous arts feast. This year, the MAF is themed “Time” and has “Reshape your Imagination. Experience the Spirit of the Times” as slogan, conveying the message that the performing arts have undergone thousands of years of condensation, development and transformation while the classics, enriched by the spirit of the age, manage to provide guidance to our growth. Among these, the opening show, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, one of Shakespeare’s romantic comedies rendered by the Shakespeare Theatre Company from the USA, takes to the stage on 30 April and 1 May, featuring stunning and delicate sceneries and wardrobe. In addition, Tracy Wong, Mao Wei and Justin Chow present the ballet Shelf Life on 30 April and 1 May, at the Old Court Building, featuring a combination of visual arts and installation, offering the audience a new visual experience by breaking the barriers of conventional stages; Mu Guiying Battling in Hongzhou, interpreted by the Macao Kaifong Cantonese Opera Juvenile’s Troupe, takes to the stage of Cinema Alegria on 1 May, passing on the essence and aestheticism of intangible cultural heritage; and in In Chants, suitable for children between 6 months and 3 years of age, using puppets to create magic moments by the actors. In order to promote and encourage local creations, as well as to mark the 400th anniversary of the death of two world literary giants, namely William Shakespeare and Tang Xianzu, this year the MAF invited two local illustrators, Neiko Ng and Wakka Cheang to design four exclusive stationery items featuring portraits of Shakespeare and Tang Xianzu, having as background their most famous works and including quotes from their classics. Souvenirs are available from 30 April at the Macao Cultural Centre, Dom Pedro V Theatre and Old Court Building, with various discount packages. Additionally, in order to raise the public’s participation possibilities in the Festival, the Cultural Affairs Bureau will launch the contest “Win air tickets by playing jigsaw puzzles”. Participants will have a chance to win a round-trip economy class ticket from Macau to any NX operated destination offered by Air Macau (3 winners), a one-night accommodation at MGM MACAU Grand Room with breakfast for two (5 winners) and a 60-minutes body massage at The Spa at MGM MACAU (3 winners). For more information on this contest, please visit the Festival’s page on Facebook or the ICmacao’s WeChat account. The MAF has been highly sought after, with few tickets remaining for some shows. The public is advised to purchase their tickets as soon as possible. Tickets are available through the Macau Ticketing Network. The Festival’s programme can be found in the respective booklet, which can be downloaded from the MAF’s webpage at www.icm.gov.mo/fam. Ticketing hotline: 2855 5555; online ticketing: www.macauticket.com.
…