News

Organized by the Cultural Affairs Bureau, the 27th Macao International Music Festival (MIMF) brings 22 outstanding shows to the territory from October 2nd to November 3rd 2013. The Festival's offering of symphonic music begins with a concert by the Gulbenkian Orchestra on October 18, which, steered by recently appointed Principal Conductor and Artistic Consultant Paul McCreesh, returns to Macao after a long absence, presenting a programme featuring works by Luís de Freitas Branco (Two Melodies), by Brazilian composer Ney Rosauro (Concerto for Marimba and Orchestra) and by Antonín Dvorák (Symphony "From the New World"). Established in 1962 by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation as a mere twelve-piece ensemble, the Gulbenkian Orchestra today boasts a permanent body of sixty-six musicians and a repertoire spanning from the classical period to the 20th century. Each season, in addition to giving their regular series of concerts in the Portuguese capital, the Orchestra travels to perform at numerous other venues throughout Portugal and around the world. A concert not to be missed by one of Portugal's most prestigious and talented orchestras! Portuguese Fado, a regular presence on local stages, joins Cantonese Naamyam (Narrative Songs) in a unique concert combining western and eastern folk music expressions, to be held on October 24, 25 and 26 at the Mandarin's House. Fado was recognised by UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2011 while the Cantonese Naamyam were inscribed on the Tentative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage Items of the Macao S.A.R. in 2009 and on the National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2011. A highlight of this MIMF season is the violin recital by Kyung-Wha Chung, to be held on October 24. After attending the Juilliard School, in New York, international fame came fast on the heels of the South-Korean's win at the prestigious Leventritt Competition, in 1967. Undeniably one of the leading violinists in the world today, Kyung-Wha Chung, throughout her life as a violin soloist and recitalist, has garnered global recognition of the very highest stature. The Macao Orchestra and the Macao Chinese Orchestra take to the MIMF's stages once again, on October 19 and 26, respectively. The Macao Orchestra is joined by the Korean Chamber Orchestra and soprano Aga Mikolajin stirring renditions of Strauss' signature work as well as his final composition, the Vier letzte Lieder. In its turn, the Macao Chinese Orchestra presents well-known TV and film themes, taking the public on a journey to revisit past decades. The quality of the concerts presented to the public is a testimony of the remarkable development and high-level that both local orchestras have achieved throughout the years. Tickets for the 27th Macao International Music Festival can be purchased at all Kong Seng Ticketing outlets, by telephone and through online booking. A variety of discount plans will be offered. For more information related to the 27th MIMF, please visit the Festival's website at: www.icm.gov.mo/fimm.
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The workshop on "Public Procurement in the EU: Evolving Rules for Multiple Goals", being part of the 2nd EU-Macao Co-operation Programme in the Legal Field, will take place from September 24th to September 26th, 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., in the Auditorium of the "Finanças" building, located on Avenida da Praia Grande, n.º 575-585, basement. This event is jointly organized by the Institute of European Studies of Macau and by the Law Reform and International Law Bureau. This event aims at introducing the EU view on public procurement. The role of public procurement has been evolving as a tool to tackle an increasing number of issues: ensuring fair competition and driving the unification of the internal market, preserving the competitiveness of the market structure, promoting (financially, environmentally and socially) sustainable development, fostering innovation. Such an increasing complexity, together with recent tight fiscal policies demanding for higher savings, suggest to move towards demand aggregation and more centralized approach. Finally, an outline will be provided on how different elements of contract and tender design can be used to address different issues. This activity will feature as its guest speaker Prof. Marco Sparro, M.Sc., CONSIP (Concessionnaire of Public Informatic Services) - the National Central Purchasing Body - R&D Unit, Italy. The workshop will be conducted in English with simultaneous translation into Cantonese and this training initiative is set out into three modules: 1. The public (e-) procurement system in the EU: main principles and goals; 2. Managing aggregated demand: Central Purchasing Bodies and Framework Agreements; 3. Basic elements of contract and competitive tendering design. The 2nd EU-Macao Co-operation Programme in the Legal Field, which incorporates this workshop, has as its main objective the "Consolidation of the Macao Legal System" and will take place until December 2013. The execution of this Programme is coordinated by the Law Reform and International Law Bureau, with the participation of several other MSAR's entities and public departments, namely the Legal and Judicial Training Centre, the Legal Affairs Bureau, the Economic Services, the Financial Services Bureau and the Institute of European Studies of Macao.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that the Composite CPI (124.07) for August 2013 increased by 5.31% year-on-year, attributable to higher charges for eating out and outbound package tours, as well as rising rentals for dwellings. In comparison with August 2012, notable increase was observed in the price index of Housing & Fuels (+10.74%); Health (+6.38%); and Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages (+6.09%) on account of rising rentals for dwellings, higher charges for out-patient services and eating out, and dearer prices of fresh food and produce. However, price index of Education and Communication decreased by 3.14% and 2.58% respectively. The CPI-A (124.30) and CPI-B (124.48) increased by 5.93% and 5.15% respectively year-on-year. The Composite CPI for August 2013 increased by 0.17% month-to-month due to dearer prices of Liquefied Petroleum Gas and vegetables, higher rentals for dwellings, as well as rising charges for outbound package tours, eating out and domestic services. Price index of Housing & Fuels; Recreation & Culture; and Household Goods & Furnishings increased by 1.20%, 0.99% and 0.86% respectively. On the contrary, price index of Clothing & Footwear decreased by 3.76% upon seasonal sale of Summer clothing and footwear. The CPI-A and CPI-B increased by 0.33% and 0.08% respectively month-to-month. For the 12 months ended August 2013, the average Composite CPI increased by 5.39% from the previous period. Price index of Housing & Fuels (+8.75%) and Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages (+6.76%) registered marked increase, while index of Education decreased by 3.10%. The average CPI-A and CPI-B rose by 5.91% and 5.36% respectively. The average Composite CPI for the first eight months of 2013 increased by 5.28% year-on-year; the average CPI-A and CPI-B rose by 5.83% and 5.17% respectively. The 2008/2009-based Composite CPI reflects the impact of price changes on the general population. The CPI-A relates to about 50% of the households, which have an average monthly expenditure of MOP6,000 to MOP18,999. The CPI-B relates to about 30% of the households, which have an average monthly expenditure of MOP19,000 to MOP34,999.
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According to statistics released today by the Monetary Authority of Macao, new approvals of residential mortgage loans (RMLs) grew in July 2013 whereas those of commercial real estate loans (CRELs) dropped. With regard to outstanding balance, RMLs increased whereas those of CRELs witnessed decline. New Lending Approved In July 2013, new RMLs approved by Macao banks rose 49.1% month-to-month to MOP4.5 billion; of which, 98.3% was extended to residents. In terms of value, new RMLs to residents expanded 51.9% whereas the amount to non-residents decreased 27.3%. When compared with the same period of 2012, new approvals of RMLs witnessed increase of 17.7%. New RMLs collateralised by uncompleted units (i.e. equitable mortgage) rose significantly by 258.2% month-to-month to MOP33.5 million. The equitable mortgage extended to residents, which accounted for 93.8% of the total, surged 236.2%. When compared with the same period of 2012, this type of bank mortgage contracted by 79.7% New CRELs dropped 33.7% month-to-month to MOP2.6 billion; of which, 95.5% was granted to residents. In terms of value, new CRELs to residents decreased 34.0% while the amount to non-residents dropped by 24.7%. On an annual basis, new approvals of CRELs declined 47.7%. Outstanding Balances As at end-July 2013, the outstanding value of RMLs reached MOP108.4 billion, an increase of 1.9% from one month earlier or 25.9% from a year ago. The resident component made up 94.2% of the total. Compared to end-June 2013, outstanding RMLs to residents grew 2.2% whereas the amount to non-residents dropped 2.3%. Concurrently, the outstanding value of CRELs went down by 1.2% from end-June 2013 but up 18.6% from end-July 2012 to MOP77.4 billion. Residents accounted for 92.0% of the loans. Compared with one month earlier, outstanding CRELs to residents and non-residents slid 1.3% and 0.5% respectively. Delinquency Ratios At the end of July 2013, the delinquency ratio for RMLs stood at 0.05%, which decreased slightly from one month earlier and a year ago. The ratio for CRELs also stayed flat from end-June 2013 and end-July 2012 at 0.08%. Annex For enquiry, please contact:
Research and Statistics Department Monetary Authority of Macao
(Tel：83952532; Fax：28353042)
19 September 2013 Detailed figures on Mortgage Loans Statistics are available on: http://www.amcm.gov.mo/economic_statistics/economic.htm.
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Global Tourism Economy Forum • Macau 2013 ("GTE-Forum" or "the Forum") successfully completed its first day sessions as the Ministerial Roundtable in Collaboration with UNWTO and the Presentation on Tourism And Investment by European Countries and PRC Provinces adjourned. Macau SAR Government hosted Welcome Dinner tonight to celebrate the opening of the Forum as well as to provide an opportunity for networking, exchange of idea and friendship building among attendees. The second edition of Global Tourism Economy Forum is hosted by the Secretariat for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macau SAR Government, co-organized by the China Chamber of Tourism under the authorization of All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce (ACFIC) and coordinated by the Global Tourism Economy Research Centre. Themed as "Regenerate our Economies: Invest in Travel and Tourism", this edition of GTE-Forum has invited nearly 40 ministerial officials from different countries and private leaders from globally-renowned corporations, attracting over 1,000 delegates to join in-depth discussions on why and how investment in tourism industry can propel global economic growth. Cheong U, Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macau SAR Government and Executive Chairman of Global Tourism Economy Forum addressed the dinner, "Tourism plays a vital role in global economic development with an active influence on economic growth and job opportunity increase. The tourism industry currently shows positive expansion whether in advanced or newly-developing economic entities. Different destinations around the world are actively exploring potentials in their tourism industry. As the host city of the first three editions of the GTE-Forum, Macau benefits well from the event's accomplishment. Through establishing an exchange platform again this year, we welcome all of you to inspire the Forum with insightful perspectives on the tourism industry's future prospect. Your ideas and visions will make a valuable reference for Macau and global tourism industry." Guests who attended the welcome dinner include Mr. Ho Hau Wah, Vice Chairman of The National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference cum Forum Chairman of GTE-Forum, Mr. Li Lu, Vice Chairman of All-China Federation of Industry & Commerce, Mr. Michael Frenzel, Chairman of World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) and Chairman of the Supervisory Board, TUI Germany Gmbh and TUIfly Gmbh, Mr. João Manuel Costa Antunes, Chairman of Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) and Ms. Wang Ping, Chairman of China Chamber of Tourism. Foreign and provincial governmental officials include Mr. Hồ Anh Tuấn, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports & Tourism of Vietnam; Mr. Adolfo Mesquita Nunes, Secretary of State of Tourism of Portugal, and Mr. Du Jiang, Vice Chairman of China National Tourism Administration, Ms. He Xiqing, Vice Governor of Hainan Province and Mr. Meng Qiliang, Vice Governor of Guizhou Province, etc.
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To help hospitality and food and beverage professionals understand more about Mexican cuisine, IFT hosted the Mexican Cuisine Cooking Demonstration Workshop on 18 & 19 September 2013. Chef Juan Miguel Prada was invited to share the concepts of Mexican cuisine and several recipes. Born in Mexico, Chef Juan Miguel Prada is the founder of Prada Consulting, one of the most renowned food and beverage consulting companies in Mexico. Because of his quality and experience, Chef Prada has acquired international recognition and has represented Mexican cuisine in several high-profile events in Europe and North America. Specialised in Mexican Haute Cuisine, Mexican traditional, fusion and contemporary cuisine, Chef Prada is a multifaceted cook who has collaborated with very important restaurants in Mexico, and has worked as Executive Chef for the Mexican Minister of Foreign Affairs. Chef Prada has a large experience representing Mexico in international culinary fairs and exhibitions, with the support of the Mexican Embassies and Consulates in many countries, including Canada, Germany, India, Spain and Sweden. He has been chef collaborator in writing award-winning cookbooks such as "La Vainilla Mexicana Cookbook" and "Mezcal Cookbook", as well as a columnist and food critic in several specialised culinary magazines. The workshop composed of five sessions: introduction to the demo Mexican culinary and its ingredients, recipe and mise-en-place of the demo Mexican culinary, key issues of the production process, Mexican culinary making demonstration, food tasting and Q&A. Participants gained a lot of basic knowledge about Mexican cuisine through the demonstration and recipe sharing. The workshop attracted a total of 31 chefs from hotels and restaurants. In 2010, Mexican traditional cuisine was inscribed to the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). This inscription was based on the acknowledgement of the Mexican cuisine's role in the cultural identity of the Mexican people, which has been transmitted from generation to generation. IFT has always been dedicated to organise promotions of different ethnic cuisines for the public. At the same time, it arouses the interests of food service industry in Macao to explore more ideas in cooking. Through "Master Chef Cooking Demo Series" IFT forms a communication platform for local and overseas chefs. The institute will make more efforts to offer more training programmes to help enhance the knowledge and skills of industry professionals.
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In places worldwide, the air traffic volume continues to increase. However, the conventional navigation relies heavily on the ground navigation waypoints; the design of air routes and flight procedures has therefore often been restricted by the configuration of the waypoints and the various navaids. This has given rise to a more and more congested airspace. With the increased popularity of satellite-navigation service, various area navigation procedures are developed by different states or administrations to cater for the increased traffic demand within their limited airspace. To unify the different applications of area navigation, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) requires all states or administrations to implement the Performance Based Navigation (PBN) procedures. With PBN, within the coverage of the navigation signals and within the capacity of the on-board aircraft navaids, the aeronautical authorities will no longer be restricted by the location of the waypoints in working out the optimization of the route spacing and the aircraft separation minima. This will benefit fuel efficiency and result in more environmental-friendly flight paths. In compliance with the ICAO requirement, Macau International Airport will implement its PBN procedures on 19 September 2013. PBN specifies that aircraft navigation performance requirements be defined in terms of accuracy, availability, continuity and functionality required for the proposed operations in the context of a particular airspace, when supported by the appropriate navigation infrastructure. This means that with the application of PBN procedures, and given that an aircraft is equipped with the required on-board navaids, the design of air route will no longer be restricted by the location of the navigation waypoints and the terrain. As long as it is within the coverage of the navigation signals and within the capacity of the on-board aircraft navaids, the route spacing can be designed in a more flexible way; the separation minima can be reduced; the airspace capacity will be enhanced. To reach unification of different applications, ICAO reviewed the various standards adopted by different states or administrations and finally published a standardized global navigation procedure requirement in 2006 known as PBN. This new navigation concept puts together the aircraft required navigation performance and the area navigation, covering the flight paths, the terminal maneuvering area operations, the aircraft approach and landing. PBN represents a shift from sensor-based navigation to performance-based navigation. In accordance with the ICAO requirement, all states or administrations in Asia Pacific must implement PBN procedures between 2013 and 2016. To comply with it, the Civil Aviation Authority of Macao SAR (AACM), CAM-Macau International Airport Co. Ltd., the Administration of Airports Ltd. (ADA) and Air Macau together formed the Macau International Airport PBN Procedures Working Team in June 2012 to carry out the project. The procedure design task was undertaken by CAM. The Shanghai Civil Aviation New Era Airport Design and Research Institute Co. Ltd. was contracted by ADA to work out the design details. Since the Macau Air Traffic Zone lies in between the Hong Kong Flight Information Region and the Guangzhou Flight Information Region, the PBN procedures must also require the approval of the Hong Kong and the mainland aeronautical authorities. During the design process, the aeronautical authorities of mainland China, Hong Kong and Macao were involved. AACM said, "In January of this year, the Working Team successfully validated the PBN procedures using the simulator at Zhuhai Flight Training Centre; then in March, the Working Team entrusted the Flight Inspection Centre of the Civil Aviation Administration of China to conduct the on-site flight validation and confirmed that the Macao PBN procedures meet the fly-ability, safety and accuracy requirements. The aeronautical authorities of the three places agreed that Macao implement its PBN procedures on 19 September 2013." AACM added that all Air Macau registered aircraft have been equipped with the required on-board navaids and the Authority has already granted the air operator the PBN approval for approach. Compared with the conventional sensor-based navigation, the advantages of PBN that are relevant to the application in Macao are reflected in the following aspects: 1. The new procedures can avoid the reliance on sensor-specific operations. The aeronautical authorities can optimize the route spacing, hence reducing flight time and achieving fuel efficiency. This will lead to lower operational costs. More importantly, the new procedures can reduce carbon emission and therefore support environment protection. 2. While en-route, the aircraft can calculate its exact location based on the data collected from different sources. This can increase the accuracy in locating the aircraft and reduce the separation minima, hence allowing more aircraft to fly in an orderly manner within the limited airspace, in other words, increasing the airspace capacity. 3. The new procedures can reduce the frequency of communication between the air traffic controllers and the pilots as well as the need to use radar navigation, trimming down the work chain and hence enhancing operational safety and efficiency. In consideration that not all the airlines which are now operating in Macau International Airport have obtained the relevant PBN approval from their state of aircraft registry, AACM pointed out that the PBN procedures and the conventional sensor-based operations will be in place concurrently for a considerable period of time.
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The current "Date Chop" has been in use since 16th June 1999 and will be ceased after 8th October 2013. The new "Date Chop" for stamps obliteration will be introduced with effect from 9th October 2013 in all post offices' counters that accept postal objects (excluding the Mail Handling and Delivery Centre). The new "Date Chop" design not only has the "★" symbol, but also has the indication of the latest posting time (excluding the chops of Philately Shop, Parcel Area, EMS Area and "Posta Restante" counters). The image sample shown as below is the new "Date Chop" of General Post Office: Meanwhile, General Post Office and all post office branches will apply the " Aceite Após o Horário de Aceitação " slogan die of franking machines（as shown below）on the postal object to identify the latest posting time starting from 9th October 2013.
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The Cultural Affairs Bureau (CAB) is now accepting, from October 17 to 21, applications from registered non-profit cultural associations for a series of subsidy programmes, namely the "Application for Financial Support for Cultural Activities/Projects", the "Programme for Human Resources Training in Cultural and Arts Management" as well as the newly created "Arts in the Community Financing Plan". The projects that meet the following criteria will be prioritised:
1. That take the community as a stage, encourage residents' participation and improve the community cultural atmosphere;
2. That make use of Macao's public spaces such as streets, squares, gardens, monuments, etc, research the history of the city's quarters, cultural aspects and architectural characteristics;
3. That include programmes of arts education, workshops and school tours for children and teenagers, related to human resources training in the cultural and arts area; 4. That encourage originality, in particular of scripts and literary works;
5. Related to contemporary art;
6. Related to the research, transmission, education, school promotion and dissemination of the intangible cultural heritage as well as complete performances of Cantonese opera;
7. Dedicated to the education, research and dissemination of Macao's cultural heritage as well as to raising awareness to its protection;
8. Creative programmes or specialised research in the fields of the city's culture, arts, literature and history;
9. Artistic production and specialised research exchange programmes with foreign cultural associations, scholars and artists; exhibitions and demonstrations abroad of local cultural and artistic creations;
10. That contribute to the training of local audiences and reinforce cultural consumption in Macau such as the implementation projects of ticket sales systems.
Annually, the CAB subsidises cultural activities related to literature, visual arts, Chinese calligraphy, photography, music, dance, theatre, Cantonese opera, traditional song, academic research, video, etc. The newly created "Arts in the Community Financing Plan" is aimed at encouraging local artistic associations to enter communities, promoting residents' collective production and participation, forging bonds within the communities, bringing residents' closer to the arts and boosting the territory's cultural development in several fields, thus promoting local cultural values and strengthening Macao's culture and arts' sustainable development. The application form and related documents can be obtained at the CAB building, located at Tap Seac Square, or downloaded from www.icm.gov.mo. Applicants should hand in the form and any relevant documents at the CAB building, daily from 10am to 5pm, from October 17 to 21 (including Saturday, Sunday and lunch breaks). For more information, please call 2836 6866, during office hours.
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The University of Macau (UM) welcomed back approximately 6,000 undergraduate students today (16 September), the first day of the new semester. Among the 6,000 students, more than 1,500 are first-year undergraduates. Regarding the class schedules, UM notes that for this semester, most of the courses will still be conducted on the current campus, because the various buildings on the new campus are undergoing quality inspection. UM hopes that when all UM students and staff move to the new campus, students will be able to experience firsthand the benefits of the university's unique "4-in-1" mode of education. This year UM received a record number of over 9,000 applications for undergraduate studies, up 21 per cent from last year. Of the 1,520 admitted students, undergraduates account for 80 per cent. To attract more outstanding local students, UM this year continues to provide scholarships to those recommended by their middle school principals. This year a total of 247 students received scholarships in this category. On the curriculum front, UM this year launched two new degree programmes, namely the Doctor of Philosophy (Biomedicine) Programme (Molecular Biology and Biomedicine), and the Bachelor of Science in Accounting Programme. Adjustments have been made to four degree programmes, namely the Bachelor of Science in Accounting Programme (Accounting and Information Systems), the Bachelor of Business Administration Programme (Global Business Management), the Bachelor of Law (Day-time) Programme, and the Bachelor of Science in Computer Science Programme. Also, the original Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities has become two separate faculties: Faculty of Social Sciences, and Faculty of Arts and Humanities. UM is now providing full cooperation to the Macao SAR government and the contractor in carrying out the quality inspection and handover of the various buildings and facilities on the new campus, so that it can start full-scale operation on the new campus next spring. UM hopes that students can cherish their days on the current campus and, after moving to the new campus, experience firsthand the benefits of the unique "4-in-1" mode of education, which consists of discipline-specific education, general education, research and internship education, as well as community and peer education. Prof. Haydn Chen, vice rector for student affairs, made a special trip to the new campus this morning to check how students were doing on the first day of the new semester. In a thoughtful gesture to help cool the summer heat, UM prepared some ice cream, attracting over 100 students. Kary Lei, a new student from the Department of Communication, says, "The beautiful campus, the international faculty, and the all-English teaching environment are what drew me to UM in the first place." She is very excited about starting a new chapter in her life, saying that she will make the most of the four years and take active part in the various extracurricular activities organised by her residential college. Another new student named Toby Wong from the Faculty of Science and Technology highly praises UM for its various services aimed at helping students to adapt to the university life. He says he is particularly interested in the English writing consultation service and hopes to gain practical knowledge from it. He also plans to participate in UM's international exchange programme to broaden his horizons.
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