News

Postal Registered electronic Mail (PReM) provides a secure and trusted exchange of electronic messages, enabling the sending of electronic messages by an authenticated mailer for delivery to an authenticated addressee or addressees with proof of sending and proof of delivery. PReM uses secure electronic means and the proofs of sending and delivery are certified by Macao Post.
In accordance with the Dispatch of the Chief of Executive No.186/2013, PReM is equivalent to the physical registered mail with delivery advice. PReM attests the following:
1) The authenticity of the sender, addressee, and designated operators of origin and destination;
2) The sending, forwarding, delivery, non-delivery, rejection and expiry of the electronic message, and the corresponding dates and time;
3) Confidentiality of the electronic message;
4) Integrity of the electronic message.
In addition, this service was created in accordance with Article RL 256bis of the Letter Post Regulations of Universal Postal Union, and Postal Registered electronic Mail functional specification (S52) of the Universal Postal Union. The identities of the sender and addressee are rigorously authenticated . Furthermore, international recognized cryptographic standards and technologies are employed to generate non-reputable evidences and ensure the confidentiality and integrity of electronic messages.
For further information about this service, please visit our website http://seps.macaupost.gov.mo or contact us through our hotline 28720029 or email us through the email info@seps.macaupost.gov.mo .
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The 27th Macao International Music Festival (MIMF) enters its second week, bringing to the city choral music, two famous operas and a jazz concert this weekend. After the success of Verdi's Messa da Requiem, by the Latvian National Opera, the MIMF's choral music programme goes ahead with the concert Songs Along the Danube, by the veteran Vienna Boys Choir, to take place on October 10 (Thursday), at 8pm, at the Macao Tower Theatre. A joy of both musicianship and personalities, the world's preeminent children's choir has enchanted audiences across the globe with its purity of tone, distinctive charm and a diverse repertoire that encompasses Austrian folk songs and waltzes, classical masterpieces, cherished pop songs and Gregorian chant. In commemoration of the 200th anniversary of Verdi's birth, the MIMF presents Aida, an Opera in 4 Acts by Giuseppe Verdi, on October 11 and 12 (Friday and Saturday), at 7.30pm. at the Macao Cultural Centre Grand Auditorium. This Latvian National Opera production was designed by the outstanding Latvian artist Ilmārs Blumbergs to resemble a giant painting, the colours and shapes of which evoke the majesty of Ancient Egypt. A timeless story in which light and darkness, love and hate, triumph and defeat and hope and death all stand together, this is an opera not to be missed! The MIMF also brings to the Dom Pedro V Theatre stage, on October 13 and 14 (Sunday and Monday), at 3pm (only on 13/10) and at 8pm, one of Mozart's first operas, Bastien und Bastienne, written when the composer was only twelve years old. The Mozart Opera Institute reveals the musician's precocious talent, unraveling a story about love, betrayal, intrigue and eventually a happy ending. On October 12 (Saturday), at 8pm, Mount Fortress welcomes the first jazz concert of this year's edition of the Festival. Members of the group Iberian Jazz All Stars, after holding several jazz workshops in the territory during the summer, will now take to the stage together with some of their trainees, gathered under the name Macao Big Band, thus revealing the quality and talent of local musicians. Tickets for the 27th MIMF are still available, in limited numbers, at all Kong Seng Ticketing Network outlets. Telephone bookings may be made on 2855 5555. Admission is free for the Iberian Jazz Stars and Macao Big Band jazz concert.
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Consumer Council conducted its specific price surveys on seasonings, beverages, and dairy products on 4th October for the implementation of Section 2b), Article 10, Law 4/95/M of 12th June. Results of the mentioned surveys have been uploaded to the Council's website (www.consumer.gov.mo) and are available in the Council's 'Supermarket Price Information Platform' iPhone and Android apps. For inquiry, please call the Council's hotline: 8988 9315.
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In order to spread the traditional Chinese culture, enhance cultural exchange among postal workers, promote the development of postal corporate culture, and demonstrate the talent of postal workers through their photography, calligraphy and art masterpieces, the China Post Group, Macao Post, Hong Kong Post Office Recreation Club and Chunghwa Post Co., Ltd. have jointly organized the "Beautiful China – Cross-Strait Four-Regions Photography, Calligraphy and Arts Exhibition of Postal Workers". A total of 165 art pieces are selected, including 81 photographs, 52 calligraphy works and 32 art works. They will be exhibited in the Communications Museum from 7 to 13 October, and the exhibition will be toured to Mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan afterwards.
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In order to encourage local secondary school students to employ their theoretical scientific knowledge on practical experiments, the Communications Museum of Macao and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers will launch this month an Electronic Device Construction Competition. This year the proposed subject will be Car Tournament. Full-time students of Macao secondary schools can compete individually or as part of a group (maximum of 4 members), divided into two competing categories: Junior Secondary Group or Senior Secondary Group. Each of the top three winners will be presented with trophies, winning certificates, book coupons and attractive prizes. All entries will be displayed at the Museum. Two explanatory sessions in Cantonese will be held in the Communications Museum Auditorium at 14:00 (Junior Secondary Group) and 16:00 (Senior Secondary Group), on 26 October 2013. Reservations can be made through the phone lines 28718570 / 28718063 or email to info@macao.communications.museum Science and Art Activity for Primary Students
Organized by the Macao Society of Biomedical Engineering and Communications Museum, the Science and Art Activity for Primary Students is of the theme "Component Revamp". Participants will use different electronic components and safe and simple tools to create a 3-dimensional object. Primary 4 to 6 students are welcomed to register individually or in groups of 2 persons. The activity is to be held on 14 December 2013. Winners of the three best works and their supervisors will also be invited to join "A Tour at Hong Kong Museums".
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The Communications Museum will organize the Stamp Festival 2013 from 9 October 2013 to 5 January 2014. The Museum will launch a series of fun activities for residents and tourist to freely tour around the Museum, enrich their recreational life and increase their appreciation of the philately culture. "Kid's Dreams on Stamps" is the theme of the Stamp Festival 2013. Stamps from different countries and related to "Children of the World", "Dream Paradise" and "Kid's Playthings" will be exhibited. The exhibition will also showcase interactive games and classic toys that recall the happy moments of our childhood. There are also thematic guided tour and hands-on activities for schools, organizations and elderly groups. All are welcomed to book. Adults and kids are welcomed to play the Funny Stamp Chess located at the lobby on the Ground Floor. Every visitor will be given a Tour Rewards Card. They simply need to fill out the card and drop it into the lucky draw box at the Reception Counter. Then they can redeem it for a 2014 calendar as souvenir and will be eligible for the lucky draw. The background images at the "Personal Picture Postcard" and the "Design Your Own Stamp" will be changed. And there will be a new perforation machine for making oval-shaped stamps. The free daily workshop "Yo Yo Kids" will be held at 11am and 3:30pm. Draw My Story of Stamps is a competition that invites participants to draw a picture by developing on the selected "Macao China" stamp or souvenir sheet. The objective is to encourage and discover more artists to participate in cultural creative arts and design through stamps. Individuals are welcomed to participate in the Primary Student, Secondary Student or General Category. The General Category has no age limit. Deadline for submission of works is on 6 December 2013. The final program of the Stamp Festival 2013 is the Kids Carnival to be held during Christmas. From 2:30pm to 5:30pm on 28 December 2013, families and groups of friends are welcomed to visit the Communications Museum and play the different games. The carnival includes interactive games, demonstrations and hands-on workshops for participants to show their creativity. Online registration is open from 01/11/2013 to 18/12/2013. For details of the Stamp Festival 2013, please browse the Museum website.
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The Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On, has appointed seven members to the fifth Legislative Assembly, according to the Macao SAR Gazette published today. An executive order signed by the Chief Executive named them as Tsui Wai Kwan, Tong Io Cheng, Ma Chi Seng, Vong Hin Fai, Fong Chi Keong, Lau Veng Seng and Sio Chi Wai. In accordance with the Amendment to Annex II of the Basic Law, the Assembly shall consist of 33 members, 14 of whom are directly elected, 12 indirectly elected and seven appointed by the Chief Executive. The Gazette also published a proclamation of the Court of Final Appeal to confirm the result of the direct and indirect elections of the fifth Legislative Assembly.
The 14 directly elected legislators are Chan Meng Kam, Mak Soi Kun, Ho Ion Sang, Si Ka Lon, Pereira Coutinho, Leong On Kei, Kwan Tsui Hang, Ng Kuok Cheong, Au Kam San, Melinda Chan, Zheng Anting, Wong Kit Cheng, Song Pek Kei and Leong Veng Chai.
The 12 indirectly elected legislators are Ho Iat Seng, Kou Hoi In, Cheang Chi Keong and Chui Sai Peng (Industrial, Commercial and Financial Sector ); Lam Heong Sang and Lei Cheng (Labour Sector); Chui Sai Cheong, Leonel Alves and Chan Iek Lap (Professional Sector); Chan Hong (Social Services and Educational Sector); Cheung Lup Kwan and Chan Chak Mo (Culture and Sport Sector).
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Consumer Council expands the scope of its supermarket price survey this October to collect prices of over 300 products from almost 100 supermarkets in different areas of Macao. The Council has also updated the searching system of its 'Supermarket price information platform' website for consumers' better navigation and for making better price comparisons. Consumer Council indicates that as consumers demand for more price information and the number of local supermarkets keeps on increasing, supermarkets have become an important location for consumers to purchase daily commodities. The Council has not only expanded its supermarket price survey work by adding the amount of products surveyed and the number of chain supermarkets, but also updated and enhanced its website and the functions of its iPhone and Android smart phone 'Supermarket price information platfrom' apps. Starting this October, the Council further expands the scope of its supermarket price survey work by collecting prices from more supermarkets. With reference to the local six parishes and the number of supermarkets in each parish, the Council has divided around 100 supermarkets into 8 areas for price collection. The Council collects prices from these supermarkets all over Macao monthly for the provision of a more comprehensive database for consumers to check prices of several hundreds of products directly according to their desired locations. The Council now collects prices of over 300 products, such as cooking oil, rice, and canned foods, etc, in 12 different categories. The 'Supermarket price information platform' website has also been updated. Consumers may now choose their own parishes, check the price information of all supermarkets in their parishes, and make price comparisons. The Council indicates that similar updates will also be launched later for both its iPhone and Android apps.
The areas to be surveyed in the expanded price collection work this time include supermarkets in N. Sra. de Fátima Parish (Areia Preta and Venceslau de Morais). The latest 'Supermarket Price Survey' is now available on the 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. Consumers may also access the resources through WAP channels on their mobile phones. For enquiry, please call 8988 9315.
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According to statistics released today by the Monetary Authority of Macao, broad money supply continued to grow in August. As total deposits grew at a faster pace than total loans, the overall loan-to-deposit ratio of the banking sector dropped from a month earlier.
Money supply
Currency in circulation grew 1.7% whereas demand deposits dropped 0.5%. M1 thus decreased 0.2% from one month earlier. Concurrently, quasi-monetary liabilities rose 2.5%. The sum of these two items, i.e. M2, increased 2.1% to MOP419.3 billion. On an annual basis, M1 and M2 rose 34.4% and 20.5% respectively. The share of Pataca (MOP) in M2 stood at 24.7%, down 0.3 percentage points from a month ago but kept virtually unchanged from a year earlier. The share of Hong Kong Dollar (HKD) in M2 was 52.9%, up 0.2 percentage points month-to-month but down 2.6 percentage points year-on-year.
Deposits
Resident deposits rose 2.1% from the preceding month to MOP410.8 billion. Of which, MOP deposits, HKD deposits and other foreign currency deposits increased at respective rates of 0.8%, 2.5% and 2.6%. Non-resident deposits grew 3.6% to MOP161.0 billion. Public sector deposits with the banking sector increased 5.0% to MOP61.9 billion. As a result, total deposits with the banking sector grew 2.8% from a month earlier to MOP633.6 billion. The shares of MOP and HKD in total deposits were 20.1% and 45.3% respectively.
Loans
Domestic loans to the private sector increased 3.3% from a month ago to MOP240.8 billion. Among which, MOP75.6 billion was MOP-denominated and MOP140.7 billion was denominated in HKD, representing 31.4% and 58.4% of the total respectively. On the other hand, external loans rose 0.2% to MOP267.0 billion; of which, loans denominated in MOP and HKD accounted for 1.1% (MOP3.0 billion) and 22.6% (MOP60.3 billion) respectively.
Loan-to-deposit ratios
The loan-to-deposit ratio for the resident sector at end-August rose 0.4 percentage points from the previous month to 51.0%. The ratio for both the resident and non-resident sectors dropped 0.9 percentage points to 80.1%.
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Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) participated at Incentive Travel & Conventions, Meetings Asia (IT & CMA) held in Bangkok, Thailand from 1 to 3 October to promote business tourism. Running it's 21st edition, IT & CMA is Asia-Pacific region's premier business tourism tradeshow which also serves as a platform for promoting incentive travel. This year, the show attracted over 280 exhibitors from 19 countries and regions. This year, MGTO ran a booth under the theme "Touching Moments Experience Macau". MGTO joined hands with Macau Economic Services (DSE) and 23 local trades to promote the latest business tourism products and facilities. In addition, MGTO promoted the "Incentive Travel Stimulation Program" among incentive travel organizers. Since 2009, the "Incentive Travel Stimulation Program" initiated by MGTO has been welcomed by the trades. In accordance with the figures by the Statistics and Census Service, there were 458 Meetings, Incentives, Convention and Exhibitions held in Macau in the first half of this year.
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