News

In order to guarantee the safety of the "UN Rio+20 conference", postal administration of Brazil has taken special security measures to all mail items. Macao Post announced that mail delivery services (including Correspondence, Printed Matters, Small Packet, Parcel and EMS) from Macao to Brazil are subject to delay until further notice.
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The Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On, met today with the Ambassador of the Russian Federation to China, Mr Sergey Razov, to exchange views on bilateral trading, culture exchange and co-operation on education. At the meeting at Macao Government Headquarters, an agreement on the mutual exemption of visa was also signed Mr Chui thanked Mr Razov for his presence at the signing ceremony. He said he believed that the mutual exemption of visa may help to promote exchange on tourism, trading and culture between the two places. Mr Razov said that this was his maiden trip to Macao and that he believed the mutual exemption of visa will boost Macao-Russia relationship. He also said that there was room to enhance bilateral co-operation and that both sides agreed to study this. The Consul General of Russian Federation in the Hong Kong SAR and Macao SAR, Mr Vladimir A. Kalinin, the Secretary for Administration and Justice, the Chief-of-Cabinet of the Office of the Chief Executive, Mr Tam Chon Weng, the Secretary-General of the Executive Council, Ms O Lam, the Chief of the Office of the Secretary for Administration and Justice, Mr Cheong Chui Ling also attended the meeting.
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Macau Government Tourist Office held a Public Release of Macau Task Force Report on "Towards a World Centre of Tourism and Leisure" produced by expert members of Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) task force today (June 19). Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Cheong U attended the event and received the report, while Director of MGTO, João Manuel Costa Antunes gave a speech. MGTO entrusted PATA to produce the Macau task force report and offer professional suggestions on Macau development into a World Centre of Tourism and Leisure. It is anticipated that the report will serve as an important reference during the process from tourism policy formulation to goal realization for Macau. During his speech, Antunes stated that PATA has appointed experts to contribute more comprehensive strategic suggestions at policy level regarding Macau's development into a World Centre of Tourism and Leisure. He hoped that this report not only serve as a significant reference but also foster different sectors to reflect and raise various opinions in terms of tourism polices through collective wisdom, jointly building a better future and Macau into a genuinely-acknowledged World Centre of Tourism and Leisure. PATA has appointed six experts from different sectors including aviation, brand and tourist destination management to conduct research and produce the report. The members of the PATA task force are Andrew Drysdale, Executive Director of Mentor Aviation Services Pty Ltd., Australia, Jonathan Hutchison, Managing Director of Business Events Sydney, Alastair Morrison, Chief Executive Officer of Belle Tourism International Consulting Ltd., China, Professor Lindsay Turner from Victoria University, Australia, Susan Warren, Director of Making Tourism Work Associates, New Zealand and UK, and Stewart Raymond Moore, Chief Executive Officer of EC3 Global, Australia. The experts have paid numerous visits to Macau for site inspection and data collection, with significant assistance from local sectors, related organizations/institutes and government entities. Andrew Drysdale, the Chairman of the PATA task force, gave a speech on behalf of the task force, followed by the task force members who introduced the content of the report. The report foremost recommends Macau to formulate a comprehensive master plan for tourism development. It also contributes practical suggestions regarding traffic network perfection, business tourism as well as conventions and exhibitions, diversification of tourism products, marketing and branding of Macau, fostering quality tourism, human resource allocation, strategies for sustainable tourist development, establishment of overall planning and management institutes, etc. to facilitate Macau development into a World Centre of Tourism and Leisure. The attendees of the Public Release include Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Cheong U, officials from MGTO, members of the Tourism Development Council, overseas representatives of MGTO, representatives from PATA, related departments, trade and media, approximately 200 in total. PATA is a leading and influential tourism association in the Asia Pacific region and has bestowed continuous support on Macau tourism development. Macau became a member of PATA since 1958 and has since maintained a close cooperative relation with PATA. In the past, PATA has conducted five task force study projects related to Macau tourism, including "Macau - A study of Tourism Development" in 1980, regarding balance of relic preservation and tourism development; "Macau Education Task Force" in 1990, regarding the training scheme which met mid and long-term manpower demand; "Macau Tourism in Transition" in 1994, regarding Macau development as a MICE destination; "Macau Tourism Marketing - A new Focus for the Millennium" in 1996, regarding establishment of overseas representative offices; "A study of the Future of Macau's Tourism and its International Airport in the Context of the Pearl River Delta Region" in 2002, regarding diversified development and interrelation between aviation network and marketing promotion. These studies have provided valuable advice for Macau tourism development.
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Consumer Council has established the 'Code of Practice' for optical retail outlets, the fourteenth 'Code of Practice under its 'Certified Shop' mechanism'. Consumer Council indicates that as eyewear becomes significant consumer goods that tourists purchase in Macao and eyewear dispensing services become essential to local citizens, different kinds of eyewear, including prescription glasses, contact lens, and sunglasses, have now become a fashion trend. Local optical retail industry is flourishing and the number of optical retail outlets is also increasing. As consumers' eye heath is directly affected by the quality of optical products and eyewear prescription services, it is important to establish a 'Code of Practice' for the optical retail industry to safeguard consumer rights. During the drafting stage of the 'Code of Practice' for optical retail industry, ophthalmologist Dr. Frank Lai from Kiang Wu Hospital was invited as the consultant and optical retail outlets under the 'Certified Shop' mechanism have also been consulted. The optical retail industry is required by the 'Code of Practice' to do business with ethics, the 'Code' not only sets the standard for the industry to provide prescription services but also on how to safeguard consumers' eye health. Consumer Council reminds its 'Certified Shops' of the optical retail industry to comply with this 'Code of Practice' or else the annual assessment of the shop will be affected. The Council also calls on other optical retail outlets to protect consumer rights by supporting the 'Code'. Details of the 'Code of Practice' for optical retail industry can be found in the latest issue no.226 of Consumer Report. The current Consumer Report also features articles on how the 'Certified Shop' annual assessment works, as well as other activities initiated by the Council.
Consumer Report is now available free of charge at the office of Consumer Council (Rua Inácio Baptista, Nº 6-6A Edificio Seaview Garden R/C), and the service counter of Consumer Council at Macao SAR Government Service Centre (Rua Nova da Areia Preta, Nº52), Public Information Centre at Vicky Plaza and libraries. Consumers may also access the resources online at the Council's official website (http://www.consumer.gov.mo). For enquiries, please call 8988 9315.
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The Signing Ceremony of the Agreement between the Government of the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China and the Government of the Russian Federation on Mutual Exemption of Visa Requirements took place in the Macao SAR Government Headquarters on 19 June 2012. The Government of the Macao SAR was granted the authorization from the Central People's Government of the People's Republic of China to conclude the abovementioned agreement. The Secretary for Administration and Justice, Ms. Florinda da Rosa Silva Chan, and the Ambassador of the Russian Federation in Beijing, Mr. Sergey Razov, representing the Government of the Macao SAR and the Government of the Russian Federation respectively, signed the Agreement. After the Agreement enters into force, residents of the Macao SAR holding a valid Macao SAR Passport will be exempted from visa requirements when entering the Russian Federation for a stay of maximum 30 days. The effective date will be announced later. At present, a total of 101 countries or territories have agreed to grant visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to the holders of Macao SAR Passport. Among them, there are 71 countries and 15 territories have agreed to grant visa-free access to the holders of Macao SAR Passport, while the other 15 countries have agreed to grant visa-on-arrival access to the holders of Macao SAR Passport.
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The University of Macau's (UM) congregation this year was not just a solemn and joyous occasion, but also a touching one. In addition to speeches and certificate presentation, which are a staple of the big annual event, this year's UM Congregation also saw students singing in unison, some with tears in their eyes. For years, UM staff and students have been longing to have their own university anthem, and this wish finally came true. Last year, which marked the thirtieth anniversary of the university, UM launched a university anthem lyrics material contest, and set up an Organizing Committee chaired by Mr. Lei Pui Lam, first vice chair of UM's University Council. The Organizing Committee received fifty-two entries by internal and external participants, from which the Evaluation Committee selected nineteen. UM invited Dr. Tse Chi Wai, chair of UM's University Council, who has an extraordinary literary talent, to create the lyrics based on the chosen materials, and Canadian musician Margaret Tse Perron was invited to compose the music. Their collaboration finally yielded a beautiful and deep university anthem. The song made its debut at the congregation, through co-performance by UM Choir, UM Symphonic Band and UM String Orchestra. The University of Macau Anthem Lyrics by: Daniel C. W. TseMusic by: Margaret Tse Perron On Chinese soil where East meets West, UM grows young and strong.
On Taipa Hill or Hengqin Plain where beauty brightness shine. Ren, Yi, Li, Zhi, Xin, marks of College life;
Arts and Sciences thrive in Learned Hall.
Feet firm on ground and eyes on high, our global vision clear.
With hand on heart we proudly march, for Homeland and Mankind.
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Yesterday (18 June) the University of Macau (UM) held its Congregation 2012, which was attended by nearly a thousand graduates. Dr. Chui Sai On, chief executive of Macao SAR and chancellor of UM, said at the congregation that the Macao SAR government will continue to increase input in higher education and provide support to UM, so it can develop teaching and research systems up to international standards according to its unique strengths and nurture more outstanding graduates for the local community. UM Rector Wei Zhao said that UM members will use the advantage given by the new campus to significantly improve the university and win at the new starting line. The congregation took place at the Macau Forum. Chui Sai On officiated at the congregation in the company of Dr. Tse Chi Wai, chair of UM's University Council; Prof. Wei Zhao, rector of UM; and Prof. Simon Ho, Prof. Rui Martins and Dr. Alex Lai, vice rectors of UM. More than two thousand people, including members of UM's University Assembly and University Council, government officials, donors, scholarship sponsors, representatives from the education sector, community leaders, parents and UM staff, attended the congregation to witness the special moment and offer their best wishes to the students. In his speech, Dr. Chui stressed that the SAR government will earnestly implement the policy of "making Macao stronger and more prosperous through education" and will follow the "people-centred" principle in its public administration. He said the SAR government will constantly improve the act on higher education system in order to increase the overall competitiveness of higher education institutions and support the sustainable socio-economic development of Macao. Chui added that the government will do its best to ensure the construction of the new campus is completed on schedule and with good quality so as to elevate UM to a new height in both "hardware" and "software" respects. He pledged continued government support for UM in its development of a quality faculty team and in its implementation of the new "4-in-1" pedagogical model. He reiterated that the SAR government will implement and improve relevant policies to create more favourable conditions for local residents to receive higher education and pursue lifelong learning, thereby increasing the quality of the workforce. He noted that as a comprehensive university, UM should make an effort to contribute to the realization of this goal. In closing, he said that the SAR government will continue to ensure autonomy in higher education, enhance modern management of higher education, and study experience of other countries and regions, in order to establish an evaluation mechanism up to international standards and suited to the unique situation of each university, to help higher education in Macao scale new heights. In his speech, UM Rector Wei Zhao noted that UM has entered a stage where it is experiencing a quantum leap in all areas. Wei Zhao pointed out that numbers of undergraduates and postgraduates increased 20 percent and 84.3 percent respectively from 2006, and published papers by UM academics and citation frequency of papers published in top journals increased 100 percent over the past three years. He mentioned that UM has obtained approval from the Ministry of Science and Technology for the establishment of two state key laboratories, the first of their kind in Macao. He said that UM has stepped up efforts to develop new signature disciplines, while at the same time strengthening the existing characteristic disciplines of each faculty, resulting in some disciplines such as Chinese medicine, microelectronics, and Internet of Things, ranking among the top in Asia. He added that with the completion of the new campus at the end of this year, UM will have a much better environment for teaching and research. In closing, Rector Wei Zhao promised on behalf of all UM members to use the advantage given by the new campus to significantly improve the university so it can win at the new starting line. Student representative Law Chun Ieng from the Faculty of Business Administration, who is among the first graduates of the Honours College (HC), expressed thanks on behalf of all graduates to the teachers for steering the students into the port of knowledge like pilot birds and for teaching them the art of critical thinking like, as well as to all the other staff for arranging various activities and trainings and providing convenient facilities to create a harmonious learning environment for the students. UM graduated more than 1,100 students this year, from the Faculty of Business Administration, Faculty of Education, Faculty of Law, Faculty of Science and Technology, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, and the Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences. The first group of HC graduates also received certificates at the congregation. During the congregation all graduates sang the UM Anthem, which was performed for the first time by UM Choir, UM Symphonic Band and UM String Orchestra.
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Consumer Council released its latest specific price survey on seasonings. Survey result shows that prices of the 13 surveyed brands are similar to those recorded in April. Relevant data has been uploaded to the 'Specific Product Price Information Platform' on the Council's website. Consumer Council conducted a price check on 13 brands of seasonings from 20 retail outlets on 13th June. Survey result shows that general price differences of around 20 to 30 percent were recorded in most surveyed items. 'Tai Yang Hua Brand Table Salt (1lb)' recorded a price difference of 60 percent; 'Taikoo Granulated Sugar (2lb)', which was sold at $10.90 to $17.00, had a price difference of around 56 percent. Consumer Council indicates that selling prices of the same product are found to vary significantly in different retail outlets. Consumers are advised to check with the data provided by the Council on its website (www.consumer.gov.mo). The Council is also planning to include its specific price surveys data to its 'Supermarket price platform' iPhone and Android apps in the near future.
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The Monetary Authority of Macao announced today that the preliminary estimate of Macao SAR's foreign exchange reserves amounted to MOP131.2 billion (USD16.41 billion) at the end of May 2012. The reserves rose by 0.7% or MOP0.9 billion from the revised value of MOP130.3 billion (USD16.31 billion) for the previous month. Macao SAR's foreign exchange reserves at end-May 2012 represented 20 times the currency in circulation or 160.6% of Pataca M2 at end-April 2012. The trade-weighted effective exchange rate index for the pataca, a gauge of the domestic currency's exchange rates against the currencies of Macao's major trading partners, rose by 0.52 points month-to-month and 1.69 points year-on-year to 88.72 in May 2012.
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Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) participates in the 26th Hong Kong International Travel Expo (ITE) to promote leisure and business tourism of Macau. MGTO Director João Manuel Costa Antunes led the MGTO delegation and trade partners to join the opening ceremony of the Expo today. The 26th Hong Kong International Travel Expo takes place in Hong Kong from 14th to 17th June. Officiating the Opening this morning were Shao Qiwei, Chairman of China National Tourism Administration and the Financial Secretary of the Government of HKSAR, John Tsang Chun-wah. MGTO being one of the supporting organizations participates in the Expo together with Macao Economic Services, Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute, and 41 Macau trade representatives from hotels, travel agents, ferry companies and DMCs to showcase the latest tourism products to international exhibitors, trade buyers and public visitors. MGTO also hosted an in-booth cocktail reception today to greet over 200 Hong Kong travel trade partners, MICE organizers and media friends. This year, MGTO employs "Touching Moments Experience Macau" as the promotional theme as well as the booth design. The traditional Portuguese style building of the booth represents the blended culture of the East and the West spanning over 400 years. Through the tunnel with light trimming effect at the frontage, audience can experience the "Enchanting", "Fascinating", "Surprising" and "Tasteful" moments of Macau. At the centre of the booth, the iconic heritage site of Macau - the Ruin's of St Paul's – stands on top of a lotus pond, which signifies the rich cultural ambience of Macau. To strengthen the attractiveness and interaction with visitors, MGTO launched the first-ever KINECT e-book application at the Expo. By body gestures, participants can read the latest attractions and photos of Macau without using a controller. Tablets are also available for browsing Macau tourism information and the "Touching Moments Experience Macau" Facebook fan page. In addition, on 16th and 17th June, MGTO representatives in Hong Kong will organize 2 travel seminars titled "Touching Moments Experience Macau" to introduce the sightseeing options and the "Touching Moments-Bliss in Macau" campaign. Souvenirs and Macau travel guidebooks will also be distributed on site. In recent years, pre-show activities are organized before the ITE. On 13th June this year, international buyers from Mainland China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Philippines, Czech Republic and India participated in the "Experience Macau!" familiarization tour organized by MGTO. They visited the world heritages and various tourist spots, as well as new hotels and business tourism facilities in Macau, to understand the city's potential as a quality destination for leisure and business tourism. MGTO treasures every opportunity to diversify source market and introduce the latest tourism offerings, in the effort to develop diversified tourism products and to build Macau as a World Centre of Tourism and Leisure. The 26th Hong Kong International Travel Expo is an annual prime travel exhibition in Hong Kong, attracting over 650 exhibitors from 55 countries and regions this year. It serves as a crucial platform for international travel industry partners to exchange and develop business opportunities.
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