News

A research project jointly conducted by the University of Macau (UM), Nanjing Tech University, and Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, has achieved a significant breakthrough, laying a theoretical foundation for materialising high-efficiency and low-cost perovskite light emitting diode (LED). The related finding has been published in Nature Communications. The research can help to significantly improve the luminous efficiency of perovskite LED and have the potential to bring low-cost, high-efficiency LED displays and LED light sources into daily life.Researchers from the three universities discovered that the slow bimolecular recombination that drives three-dimensional lead-halide perovskites’ outstanding photovoltaic performance is conversely a fundamental limitation for electroluminescence. By probing the microscopic carrier dynamics with femtosecond laser spectroscopies, the slow bimolecular recombination limitation can be overcome by tailoring the three-dimensional perovskites into van-der-Waals-coupled Ruddlesden-Popper perovskite multi-quantum-wells. High-efficiency electroluminescence can be achieved with this new type of perovskites. The research project was jointly led by Dr Xing Guichuan, assistant professor from UM’s Institute of Applied Physics and Materials Engineering; Prof Huang Wei, president of Nanjing Tech University; and Prof Sum Tze Chien from Nanyang Technological University.According to Dr Xing, the newest technology available on the market is organic light emitting diode (OLED). Because of the low-temperature solution processability, large range emission colour tenability, and low cost, the perovskites are promising alternatives to the organic molecules for LED applications. UM’s research can help to significantly improve the luminous efficiency of perovskite LED and promote the development and commercialisation of this technology.Dr Xing is one of the initiators of the research in the application of this new type of perovskites. In 2014, the paper first-authored by him, titled, ‘Low-temperature Solution-processed Wavelength-tunable Perovskites for Lasing’, was published in Nature Materials. It has been cited more than 600 times. Another paper first-authored by him, titled ‘Long-range Balanced Electron-and Hole-transport Lengths in Organic-inorganic CH3NH3PbI3’, was published in Science magazine in 2013, and has been cited over 1,800 times. In 2016, he received the PVSEC-26 Young Scientist Award, in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the research in perovskite optoelectronics.
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For the implementation of Section 2b), Article 10, Law 4/95/M of 12 June, Consumer Council conducted its specific price surveys on refrigerated and frozen pork on 6March. Result of the mentioned survey has been uploaded to the Council’s website (www.consumer.gov.mo).For inquiry, please call the Council’s hotline: 8988 9315.
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The Government has set up a committee to advance Macao’s participation in and contribution to the country’s “Belt and Road” initiative, according to an Executive Order published today in the Macao SAR Gazette.The Committee for the Development of the ‘Belt and Road’ will be responsible for coordinating work regarding Macao’s participation in and contribution to – in the short-, medium-, and long-term – the country’s “Belt and Road” initiative. The Committee will also conduct research to help draft policies related to such efforts.The Committee’s responsibilities will additionally include: an annual work plan, and a report in order to monitor the implementation of work; and the setting of goals and guidelines for any events organised by the Committee.The new body will be directly under the supervision of the Chief Executive, who is defined in the Executive Order as the Committee’s Chairman. Other members of the committee will include: the Secretary for Administration and Justice; the Secretary for Security; the Secretary for Economy and Finance; the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture; the Secretary for Transport and Public Works; the Chief-of-Office of the Chief Executive’s Office; and the Government Spokesperson.Also on the Committee will be representatives of: Macao Foundation; the Policy Research Office; the Chief Executive’s Office; the Office of the Secretary for Administration and Justice; the Office of the Secretary for Economy and Finance; the Office of the Secretary for Security; the Office of the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture; and the Office of the Secretary for Transport and Public Works.The Executive Order states that the Committee Chairman may invite various experts and representatives from the public or private sectors to assist the work of the Committee, or attend its meetings if deemed necessary.The Chief Executive’s Office will provide administrative, technical and logistical support to the Committee. The Committee’s budget will come from the Chief Executive’s Office.Macao’s involvement in the country’s development of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road (collectively known as the “Belt and Road” initiative) is part of the city’s strategic development programme.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that the total population at end-2016 dropped by 1,900 year-on-year to 644,900 due mainly to a decrease in the number of non-resident workers, marking the first year-on-year decline since 2009. Female population accounted for 52.6% of the total. The elderly population (aged 65 and over) made up 9.8% of the total, up by 0.8 percentage points year-on-year; the proportion of adult population (aged 15-64) dropped by 1.4 percentage points to 77.7%. The ageing ratio has been rising for twenty consecutive years, up by 3.3 percentage points year-on-year to 78.9%, which indicated a continuous ageing of the population.A total of 7,146 live births were delivered in 2016, up by 91 year-on-year; the birth rate stayed the same as in 2015, at 11.0‰. The sex ratio of newborns stood at 109.4, corresponding to 109.4 male babies per 100 female babies. Mortality totalled 2,248 in 2016, up by 246 year-on-year; 56.7% of them were males. The number of mortality cases from Malignant neoplasms was the highest (815), comprising 36.3% of the total, up by 0.1 percentage point year-on-year; the proportions of mortality from Pneumonia & influenza (296) and Hypertension (187) grew by 0.5 percentage points year-on-year to 13.2% and 8.3% respectively.Non-resident workers totalled 177,638 at end-2016, down by 4,008 year-on-year. Following the successive completion of large-scale entertainment facilities, non-resident workers in Construction dropped significantly by 8,868 (-20.4%) year-on-year. There were 6,327 Chinese immigrants in 2016, down by 2,141 year-on-year, with 4,876 coming from Guangdong Province. Female immigrants accounted for 60.9% of the total. A total of 1,447 individuals were granted right of abode in 2016, down by 337 year-on-year. Meanwhile, 1,290 illegal Chinese immigrants were repatriated to the Mainland, down by 488 year-on-year.In 2016, marriage registration totalled 3,891 cases, up by 172 year-on-year. Median age at first marriage was 28.7 for the bridegrooms and 27.3 for the brides, up by 0.3 and 0.4 year respectively. Number of divorce cases increased by 77 year-on-year to 1,245, of which divorce by mutual consent accounted for 91.7%.At end-2016, number of households totalled 189,200, down by 3,500 year-on-year.
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The concert “Weekend Music Party - Sand Art Music Show”, specially presented by the Macao Orchestra, under the auspices of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, was held successfully on 4 March, at the Dom Pedro V Theatre. The Macao Orchestra joined hands with renowned Hong Kong sand painting artist Ma Wing Cheung, who created with his deft hands stunningly beautiful pictures to the vigorous melodies which indulged the audience with a dazzling art performance.In the concert “Weekend Music Party - Sand Art Music Show”, Ma Wing Cheung used sand to offer heart-warming and compelling scenes and stories to the audience. The sand flowed between his fingers to the sound of the two selections from L’estro armonico (“The Harmonic Inspiration”) and La stravaganza (“The Extravagance”), concluding with the Concerto for flute, oboe, and bassoon in F Major “La tempesta di mare” (“The Storm at Sea”) by Antonio Vivaldi. Music aficionados enjoyed the lively violin music, while feeling the flowing sand scenes created by Ma Wing Cheung, which turned this concert into an absolutely memorable show.The Macao Orchestra will also present the two special productions “Weekend Music Party – Musical Yoga” and “Weekend Music Party – Memory of Youth”, to be held on 22 April and 24 June, respectively, at 4pm, at the Dom Pedro V Theatre. “Musical Yoga” will present various pieces of classical music with even and slow tempo, while “Memory of Youth” will be dedicated to film soundtracks that remind the public’s most precious and unforgettable memories of those youthful days on campus.Tickets for the concert are priced at MOP120 and MOP100, with various discount packages available. Ticketing Hotline: (853) 2855 5555. For details and enquiries about the programme, please contact OM through tel. no. 2853 0782 or visit the Macao Orchestra’s website (www.om-macau.org).
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Part of the “2017 Macau Library Week”, the Macao Public Library of the Cultural Affairs Bureau will launch the “Book Exchange” activity on 6 March, in order to promote reading habits as well as to encourage residents who love reading to make friends through books and share their resources. The book collection period will last from 6 March to 16 April.Any residents interested in participating in the “Book Exchange” activity can bring their book collection to the Bureau’s libraries and receive a stamped scorecard. During the activity, on 22 and 23 April, residents can exchange books of equivalent value to the value on their scorecard at the Old Court Building located in Av. da Praia Grande. Book collection locations: Macao Central Library, Sir Robert Ho Tung Library, Patane Library, Mong Ha Library, Coloane Library, Red Market Library, Taipa Library, S. Lourenço Library, Wong Ieng Kuan Library in Areia Preta Urban Park, Library in Ho Yin Garden, Mobile Library and Preference Book Station at Anim’Arte NAM VAN. In addition, residents can use the score value received at the Preference Book Station at Anim’Arte NAM VAN in this activity.Book collection rules: the staff will categorise the books according to their original price and count the books individually. The scoring method is one point for every MOP10 but the score for books worth less than MOP10 will be rounded off; each point will be stamped once. The maximum score for each book or set is 100 points, and the books without price indication will be counted as MOP10. Textbooks, exercise books, dictionaries, various encyclopaedias, yearbooks, magazines, indecent publications, books related to religion, comics, IT books published over one year ago, travel books published before 2015, audio-visual materials, promotional materials, pirate books (which violate the copyright law), damaged and contaminated books, incomplete collection and books with inside pages inscribed cannot be exchanged. Only individuals can participate in this activity.For more information, please contact the Sir Robert Ho Tung Library through tel. 2893 0077, the Macao Central Library through tel. 2855 8049 or the Taipa Library through tel. 2884 3105, during office hours.
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The Government of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) of the People’s Republic of China expresses strong opposition to the content relating to Macao carried in the Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2016, lately issued by the Department of State of the United States of America.Since its establishment, the Macao SAR has been strictly adhered to the principle “One country, two systems”, “Macao people governing Macao”, and a high degree of autonomy. The successful implementation of the principles effectively protects the rights and freedoms of Macao residents as stipulated in the Basic Law of Macao. These achievements have been widely recognised by international communities and agencies.Foreign countries have no right to interfere in China’s domestic affairs and should not interfere in any form in the internal affairs of Macao. The content in the report relating to Macao is groundless and baseless.
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The Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On, will hold meetings in Beijing with mainland authorities, to discuss the nurturing of the talent of Macao’s young people, assistance regarding the country’s preparation for the 2022 Winter Olympics, and participation in the development of the “Belt and Road” initiative.Mr Chui briefed reporters this morning before he departed for Beijing to attend Sunday’s opening ceremony of the 5th Session of the 12th National People's Congress (NPC).During his four-day visit to the capital, Mr Chui will hold meetings with, respectively, officials of the Ministry of Education, the General Administration of Sport of China, and the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council.Regarding a scheduled meeting with the Ministry of Education, Mr Chui said he would discuss further cooperation on nurturing the talents of Macao’s young people, as part of the city’s economic development effort.The Ministry of Education has increased – since the start of the year – the number of Macao students directly admitted to mainland universities; and has expanded the list of universities covered by the scheme.Such efforts would improve the opportunity for Macao students to receive an education at one of the renowned universities on the mainland, thus helping Macao to develop its stock of talented people available for work in various professions, said Mr Chui.As of mid-January, there was a total of 723 Macao students – the highest number on record – enrolled in mainland universities via the direct admission scheme, Mr Chui said.The Chief Executive additionally said he would discuss during a meeting with the General Administration of Sport of China how to strengthen cooperation in competitive sports and how to promote “sport for all” in Macao.The Government would explore further partnership with the Administration in relation to the promotion of the 2022 Winter Olympics, and the supply to the event of volunteer services. The event is to be held in Beijing. Macao had previously held a series of promotional activities in relation to the 2008 Summer Olympics that were held in Beijing, noted the Chief Executive.Mr Chui would also meet officials of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, to discuss how Macao could participate in the country’s development of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road, collectively known as “Belt and Road” initiative. The discussion would touch on the achievements of recent visits by the Chief Executive to Fujian Province and Guangdong Province.A topic for discussion with the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office would be how Macao might take advantage of the network of overseas Chinese with links to the city, and how this might contribute to the “Belt and Road” initiative. Of particular interest was how to make better use of the network of overseas Chinese in order to enhance people-to-people exchanges – one of the major goals of the initiative – said Mr Chui.Officials accompanying Mr Chui on the visit included: the Chief-of-Office of the Chief Executive’s Office, Ms O Lam; the Director of the Government Information Bureau, Mr Chan Chi Ping; and the Director of the Protocol, Public Relations and External Affairs Office, Mr Fung Sio Weng.
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The Identification Services Bureau was confirmed by the Consulate General of Japan in Hong Kong that Macao SAR Passport holders can participate in the Japan’s Trusted Traveler Program (abbreviated as TTP). Participants can use the automated immigration clearance system of Japan after registration, which will expedite the process of immigration clearance of Macao residents to Japan.Eligibilities of ApplicantsUsers of the above-mentioned program have to meet the relevant requirements of the Immigration Bureau of Japan, such as persons who intend to stay in Japan for a short period of time for such purposes as commercial business, sightseeing or visiting relatives, persons who have visited Japan at least two times within the 12-month period prior to the day of registration, persons who do not have a record of departure from Japan pursuant to a deportation order or a departure order, persons who have been affiliated with the designated organizations or companies in the capacity of full-time employee for at least 1 year and intend to continue in their position, persons who have not been sentenced to a fine or a greater criminal punishment in Japan or another country, etc.There are no age restrictions on the use of the automated immigration clearance system of Japan provided that the users can capture their fingerprints and operate the machine by themselves at the time of using the automated gates.Registration ProceduresEligible persons can lodge an application and electronically submit the necessary materials on the website of the Immigration Bureau of Japan prior to entry into Japan. Upon receipt of the application, the Immigration Bureau of Japan will conduct a preliminary review and send an electronic notification of the result to the applicants. Besides, it is also possible to apply in person at the registration booths located in the airports of Japan.The result of the preliminary review is valid for 3 months. Applicants who have passed the preliminary review have to go to Japan to conduct registration procedures for the secondary review within the following 3 months, otherwise they will need to lodge the application again. The registration counters are located at the immigration inspection area of the airports. Applicants are required to proceed to the registration counters for the secondary review after usual entry inspection at the immigration booths. Applicants have to capture their fingerprints, provide other personal identification information and original copies of the materials which they submitted electronically to the Immigration Bureau of Japan during the online application. After the registration is approved, applicants can pay the registration fee and a registered user card will be issued right after. Successful registrants will be able to start using the automated immigration clearance system from the time of their next departure. The above-mentioned registered user card is valid for 3 years, or until the validity date of the registrant’s passport if the remaining validity period of the passport is less than 3 years.At present, the automated immigration clearance system is available at Narita, Haneda, Chubu and Kansai airports in Japan. When using the automated immigration clearance system, the passport holders have to operate as instructed by the system. They can enter Japan after successful verification of their identity.For the latest information on the application, procedures and locations of Japan’s automated immigration clearance service, please visit the website of the Immigration Bureau of Japan (www.immi-moj.go.jp/ttp2/index.html).For the list of other countries where holders of Macau SAR electronic passport can use the automated immigration clearance system, please visit the website of the Identification Services Bureau (www.dsi.gov.mo/download/ep_autogate_e.pdf).
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The Government has organised a visit – with the participation of the 11 economies within the Pan-Pearl River Delta (PPRD) Region – to Brazil and Portugal. It aims to strengthen ties between the places on issues relating to environmental protection and management of water resources.The visit – from 5 to 12 March – is an additional step in the efforts to diversify trade and economic cooperation between the mainland, Portuguese-speaking countries and Macao. It also aims to enhance Macao’s strategic positioning as a commercial and trade cooperation service platform between China and Portuguese-speaking countries.The PPRD Region covers nine provinces and two special administrative regions (SARs) – an aggregation also known as the “9+2”. The PPRD Region comprises: Fujian; Jiangxi; Hunan; Guangdong; Guangxi; Hainan; Sichuan; Guizhou; Yunnan; the Hong Kong SAR; and the Macao SAR.During the eight-day visit to Brazil and Portugal, the delegation is scheduled to visit: the Chinese embassy in Brazil; the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency; Brazil’s Ministry of the Environment and Ministry of Planning, Budget and Management; and environmental protection projects in the Amazon River area.The delegation will also hold meetings with representatives of environmental companies in the two countries, to gain a better understanding on the latest developments of the sector. The group will also hold talks on how to introduce and apply the latest environmental protection technology in the different provinces of the mainland and in the SARs.The delegation is led by the President of the Administrative Committee of the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute, Mr Cheong Chou Weng, and is composed of more than 50 members. The delegation includes: representatives from the National Development and Reform Commission; members of an environmental science association based in Sichuan Province; representatives from the Office of the Secretary for Economy and Finance of Macao; representatives from the Guangdong Provincial Development and Reform Commission; and members of governmental environment departments; and other related public departments from the provinces and SARs of the PPRD Region.Premier Li Keqiang announced – when he visited Macao last year – a number of measures from the Central Government to support the development of Macao as a platform for enhancing cooperation between China and Portuguese-speaking countries.The visit to Brazil and Portugal also seeks to implement the measures outlined in the guidelines – issued by the State Council – on the promotion of further cooperation within the PPRD Region. It is also aligned with the vision outlined during the Pan-Pearl River Delta Regional Cooperation Chief Executive Joint Conference.The Government organised in June 2016 a visit – with the participation of members from the PPRD Region – to Portugal and Belgium to explore further opportunities with the two European countries.
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