News

According to statistics released today by the Monetary Authority of Macao, new approvals of residential mortgage loans (RMLs) decreased whereas those of commercial real estate loans (CRELs) increased in June 2016. With regard to the outstanding balance, RMLs and CRELs both witnessed increases. New lending approved In June 2016, new RMLs approved by Macao banks decreased by 12.8% month-to-month to MOP4.7 billion. Of which, new RMLs to residents, accounting for 77.4% of the total, fell by 31.1%. In contrast, the non-resident component surged by 830.3%, which was mainly attributed to larger loan amounts recorded for a few number of approvals to enterprises. When compared with the same period of 2015, new approvals of RMLs rose by 19.7%. New RMLs collateralised by uncompleted units (i.e. equitable mortgage) shrank 88.2% from the preceding month to MOP244.4 million. The equitable mortgage extended to residents, which accounted for 86.7% of the total, dropped by 89.7% from a higher comparison base in the previous month. When compared with the same period of 2015, new equitable mortgage approved went down by 13.4%. New CRELs surged by 126.5% month-to-month to MOP6.5 billion; of which, 68.1% was granted to residents. In terms of value, new CRELs to residents increased by 67.3% while those to non-residents soared by 829.7%, mainly driven by new loans granted to enterprises collateralised by land. On an annual basis, new approvals of CRELs rose by 3.9%. Outstanding balances As at end-June 2016, the outstanding value of RMLs was MOP176.6 billion, an increase of 0.7% from one month earlier or 6.7% from a year ago. The resident component made up 93.6% of the total. Compared to end-May 2016, outstanding RMLs to residents and non-residents rose 0.7% and 0.5% respectively. Concurrently, the outstanding value of CRELs rose by 1.8% month-to-month or 20.1% year-on-year to MOP169.1 billion. Residents accounted for 87.6% of the loans. Compared with a month earlier, outstanding CRELs to residents and non-residents increased by 1.3% and 6.0% respectively. Delinquency ratios At the end of June 2016, the delinquency ratio for RMLs was 0.10%, down 0.01 percentage point from a month ago or up 0.03 percentage points from a year ago. The ratio for CRELs was 0.02%, up 0.01 percentage point from a month ago or down 0.05 percentage points from end-June 2015.
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Consumer Council conducted its specific price survey on tissue papers, household cleansing products, and oral care products on 10 August for the implementation of Section 2b), Article 10, Law 4/95/M of 12 June. Result of the mentioned survey has been uploaded to the Council’s website (www.consumer.gov.mo) and is available in the Council’s ‘Supermarket Price Information Platform’ iPhone and Android apps, as well as on the Council’s WeChat account page. For inquiry, please call the Council’s hotline: 8988 9315.
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One of the tourist seriously injured during the accident has now been transferred from the intensive care unit to the general ward. There are still 2 seriously injured tourists in the intensive care unit, 1 of which underwent craniofacial surgery and remains in serious condition and in coma, with stable vital signs. The third injured is in stable condition. All 3 injured tourists are being accompanied by their families who arrived in Macao. 7 more injured tourists remain in the hospital for observation and are stable and fine. No further tourists were discharged from the hospital today. Eight other injured tourists that were treated on the day of the accident today returned to the hospital for follow up treatment on their wound dressings. Yesterday 4 family members of the injured tourists arrived in Macao and were provided accommodation by the local Macao tour operator. Later today 2 additional family members will arrive in Macao. The tourists that were discharged from the Hospital went once again today to the Public Prosecutions Office in order to handle the necessary legal formalities. As of 6:00 p.m. today, 12 tourists had already reached an agreement with the local Macao tour operator and have left Macao and 2 more will leave later today. The remaining 8 tourists will continue to negotiate with the local tour operator and once an agreement is reached, the tour operator will make the necessary arrangements for them to leave Macao. The tour bus accident affected a total of 44 tourists, 24 of which have left Macau, 2 will that leave today while 18 still remain here. If necessary, affected tourists and their families can contact the 24-hour Tourism Hotline: (853) 2833 3000.
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Co-organised by the Macao Cultural Affairs Bureau, the Hong Kong Film Development Council and the Guangdong Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television, the “2016 Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Film Production Investment and Trade Fair” (“Investment Fair”) will be held on 16 and 17 August at the Regency Hotel Macau. During this year’s Fair, a seminar on “Film Financing” will be held on Wednesday, 17 August, at 2:30pm at the Ballroom of the Regency Hotel Macau located on the first floor. Online registration for the Seminar is available from today. Admission is free. All interested parties are welcome to attend. Hong Kong senior filmmakers Patrick Tong and Mathew Tang, and independent investor from Mainland China and securities industry director of the Finance and Investment Committee of the Tsinghua University Alumni Association in Guangzhou, Liu Xiaofeng, have been invited to share the new trends of film financing in the Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao regions. Patrick Tong, Managing Director of the Mei Ah Entertainment Group Ltd., is in charge of the finances and administration of the Group and has over 20 years’ experience in financial management and film investment. He has been the executive producer and film producer of nearly 100 films, including Echoes of the Rainbow, The Grandmaster, Port of Call and so on. Mathew Tang has been a coordinator, planner, producer and director for many domestic and foreign films, and he has also participated in the shooting of nearly 40 films, including working as producer for ten films, most notably Cold War and Finding Mr. Right. He established Movie Addict Productions Ltd. in 2012, and co-produced and directed Tales from the Dark 1 and Tales from the Dark 2 with Edko Films Ltd. Liu Xiaofeng studied in France at the NEOMA Business School after he graduated from Tsinghua University, where he received his Master of Science in Finance. He has been engaged in the field of investment banking and market equity financing over the years and has worked as a senior financial professional. He has actively participated in film crowd-funding in recent years. There are thirty seats available on a first come, first served basis. The seminar will be conducted in Cantonese and Mandarin, with Chinese to Portuguese interpretation provided. All interested parties are welcome to enrol through IC's “Activity Registration System” (www.icm.gov.mo/eform/event). For enquiries regarding the Investment Fair or the Seminar, please contact Mr. Chong, staff member of IC, through tel. no. (853) 2892 4040 during office hours.
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The Bachelor of Science in Computer Science (full-time) programme, offered by the University of Macau’s (UM) Faculty of Science and Technology (FST), has received full accreditation from the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers (HKIE). Earlier this year, three other bachelor’s degree programmes in engineering offered by the FST, namely Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering, Bachelor of Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Bachelor of Science in Electromechanical Engineering, also received full accreditation from the HKIE UM received accreditation from the HKIE for its Bachelor of Science in Computer Science programme for the first time in 2013, and full accreditation in 2016. Students starting this programme between the 2011/2012 academic year and the 2018/2019 academic year will be eligible to apply for HKIE membership upon graduation to receive professional qualifications recognised worldwide. To better understand the Bachelor of Science in Computer Science (full-time) programme, the HKIE accreditation team and representatives of the Macau Institution of Engineers in 2015 met with UM’s rector, vice rectors, the dean and all the faculty members of the FST, FST advisory board members, departmental advisors, and representatives of alumni and students. After the meeting, the accreditation team noted that UM has outstanding faculty, a solid academic foundation, and extensive resources to provide quality education to students from the programme. The HKIE is the only statutory qualifying body for engineers in Hong Kong. It is responsible for setting and maintaining professional and technical standards and undertakes professional accreditation to evaluate the quality of computer science degree programmes. The HKIE is a signatory of the Seoul Accord, which recognises substantial equivalence in the accreditation of academic qualifications in computing and information and communication technology (ICT)-related education. Computer science programmes accredited by the HKIE are recognised by all the signatories to the Seoul Accord.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that the total population was 652,500 as at end-June 2016, an increase of 3,400 quarter-to-quarter; female population (332,600) accounted for 51.0% of the total. There were 1,639 live births delivered in the second quarter of 2016, a decrease of 25 or 1.5% quarter-to-quarter. Male babies totalled 850 and the sex ratio at birth stood at 107.7, corresponding to 107.7 male babies per 100 female babies. In the first half year of 2016, a total of 3,303 live births were recorded, down by 71 year-on-year. Meanwhile, mortality totalled 562, a decrease of 95 quarter-to-quarter; the top three underlying causes of death were Neoplasms (171), Diseases of the Circulatory System (153) and Diseases of the Respiratory System (113). In the first half year of 2016, mortality went up by 197 year-on-year to 1,219. In the second quarter of 2016, Chinese immigrants totalled 1,271, down by 1,424 quarter-to-quarter. Individuals granted right of abode totalled 339, same as that in the first quarter of 2016. Non-resident workers totalled 182,459 at the end of the second quarter, an increase of 1,023 over the previous quarter. A total of 1,008 cases of marriage registration were recorded in the second quarter, up by 33 quarter-to-quarter. In the first half year of 2016, there were 1,983 cases of marriage registration, up by 92 year-on-year.
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From the tourist bus accident which left 32 people injured (12 male and 20 female), 22 have already been treated and discharged from the hospital, while there are still 10 being hospitalized in the Kiang Wu Hospital, 3 of which are in serious condition. Of the three seriously injured (all female) that are now in the intensive care unit, one is in coma and being accompanied by family members, while the other two are conscious and in stable condition. The remaining seven (3 male 4 female) are in the general ward, having their recovery monitored while also in stable condition and being treated for common injuries. No further tourists were discharged from the hospital today. The Health Bureau will continue to liaise with the Kiang Wu Hospital and follow up closely. After coordination between the Macao travel agency and Kiang Wu hospital, there will be no immediate need to settle the medical expenses, the travel agency will later contact the insurance company to process the claims. In addition, the mainland travel agency has stated that in on where it concerns personal insurance, the tourists should purchase individually appropriate travel insurance according to their personal needs. The 22 tourists that were discharged from the Hospital this morning were taken by the local tour operator in Macao to the Public Prosecutions Office in order to handle the necessary legal formalities and were in the afternoon taken to the Traffic Department of the Public Security Police Force for further follow up. According to the information collected, the tourists have already presented their formal complaints. The local Macao tour operator is currently negotiating the compensation terms with the tourists based on the level of injuries sustained and will advance the compensation payments. The local Macao tour operator is at the moment also in negotiations with the insurance company regarding insurance issues. The Mainland China travel agency in Shenzhen assisted last night in contacting the families of the injured and the family members of one of the tourists who is in serious condition had already arrived in Macao while the families of the other 2 seriously injured tourists and 1 of the tourists in the general ward have already applied for the necessary visit permits, the arrival of their families is expected later today. The local Macao tour operator has pledged to cover the transportation and accommodation expenses incurred by the injured tourists and their families in Macao. The 12 tourists that were not injured in the accident already left Macao yesterday. The Tourism Crisis Management Office (GGCT) will continue to closely follow up the case and coordinate with the Health Bureau, the Macao Government Tourism Office, Public Security Police Force, the tourism industry as well as other relevant entities in order to provide the necessary assistance to the families.
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For the implementation of Section 2b), Article 10, Law 4/95/M of 12 June, Consumer Council collects prices of fresh pork and vegetables from wet markets and supermarkets for consumers’ reference. The mentioned data collected during 3 August to 9 August are used for comparing the selling prices of the same products from Zhuhai and Hong Kong. The relevant data has been uploaded to the Council’s website for consumers’ reference. The comparison report is now available on the Council’s website (www.consumer.gov.mo), iPhone & Android ‘Supermarket Price Information Platform’ app, and the Council’s WeChat Account page. For enquiry, please call 8988 9315.
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The tickets for the 30th Macao International Music Festival (MIMF), organized by the Cultural Affairs Bureau, went on sale on 7 August. A large number of music fans waited at different ticket offices to purchase tickets. Sales reached a satisfactory result as 5,500 tickets were sold up to 5pm on the first day of ticket sales. The 30th MIMF will be held from 1 to 30 October, featuring 20 shows and a total of 27 performances. At 8:30am on the first day of ticket sales, the organiser sent staff to each ticket office to maintain order and to distribute, queuing vouchers to waiting purchasers from 9am onwards, thereby making ticket purchase more convenient for the public. Sales on the first day were in good order, and more than 300 queuing vouchers were issued at various ticket offices. In order to celebrate the Festival’s Pearl Jubilee with the public, the organizer promoted “‘Music’ with the Public Lucky Draw”, supported by the Macau Coca-Cola Beverage Co., Ltd. IC staff encouraged the public to participate, giving them the opportunity to enter the lucky draw by posting a “Like” on the MIMF’s page on Facebook or by taking photos with portable frames specially designed for this edition of the Festival. All participants were offered prizes such as Cola-Cola glasses, beverages and MIMF’s badges, thereby creating a more festive atmosphere. With an enthusiastic response on the first day of ticket sales, tickets for the Berlin Philharmonic String Quintet, Quintessence Night, Magic Bow and The Story of Pipa, among others, are already sold out. All tickets for the free admission concert Gloria were completely distributed, while sales for local shows and for the performances A Dream of Fragrancy and Bravo Macao! were also successful. In addition, the performances Turandot, Ray Chen – Violin Recital, From Russia, With Classics and the free performance Chaplin Once More! were highly sought after. Those interested are advised to purchase tickets as soon as possible. From now until 14 August, an early bird discount of 30% is available for ticket purchases for 4 or more different performances, for 10 or more tickets for the same performance, and for valid full-time Student Card or Teacher Card holders; Macao Senior Citizen Card or Disability Assessment Registration Card holders can enjoy 50% discount on ticket purchases (one discounted ticket per performance per card holder only). Holders of designated bank card and credit card can enjoy a 20% discount. For more details on the programme, please access the Festival’s website at www.icm.gov.mo/fimm. Ticketing hotline: 2855 5555. Ticketing website: www.macauticket.com.
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Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) participates in the event known as “Beautiful China – Grasslands Silk Road Tour” and the Event for Tourism Exchange and Cooperation between Inner Mongolia, Hong Kong and Macao. During the event, MGTO signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Tourism Cooperation with the Tourism Bureau of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region today (9 August) to foster mutual exchange and cooperation in the tourism field. Jointly organized by the Department of Affairs on Tourism of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan of China National Tourism Administration (CNTA), Tourism Bureau of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Tourism Commission of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and MGTO, the “Beautiful China – Grasslands Silk Road Tour” and the Event for Tourism Exchange and Cooperation between Inner Mongolia, Hong Kong and Macao is held in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region from 8 to 12 August. The co-organizers include Asia Tourism Exchange Center, Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) and Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong. MGTO Deputy Director Cecilia Tse and Head of Communication and External Relations Department, Kathy Iong, participate in the event together with delegates of travel trade from Macao including President of Association of Macao Tourist Agents, Guan Dehui, and representatives of China Travel Service (Macao) Ltd. The “Beautiful China – Grasslands Silk Road Tour” and the Event for Tourism Exchange and Cooperation between Inner Mongolia, Hong Kong and Macao features the three destinations’ presentation, announcement ceremony of the incentive travel policy and promotion scheme for Hong Kong and Macao visitors to Inner Mongolia, signing ceremonies, travel mart, familiarization visits along the Grasslands Silk Road, summary discussions and so forth. The Hong Kong and Macao delegations were kindly received by senior officials including CNTA Vice Chairman, Li Shihong, and Vice Chairman of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Regional Government, Yun Guangzhong. On 9 August, Inner Mongolia, Hong Kong and Macao held a joint destination presentation followed by an array of signing ceremonies in Hohhot, during which Director of Tourism Bureau of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Wei Guonan, and MGTO Deputy Director Cecilia Tse signed the Memorandum of Understanding on Tourism Cooperation to enhance mutual cooperation and communication as well as to foster tourism developments of both destinations. CNTA Vice Chairman Li Shihong, and Vice Chairman of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Regional Government, Yun Guangzhong, Head of Department of Affairs on Tourism of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan of CNTA, Liu Kezhi, and Director of the Economic Affairs Department of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong SAR, Sun Xiangyi, witnessed the ceremony together with other guests. On the day, MGTO elaborated Macao’s tourism development and presented the latest tourism facilities and products while publicizing Macao’s positioning as a World Centre of Tourism and Leisure. Tourism Bureau of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and HKTB both presented the tourism situation and resources of their destinations as well. During her speech, Deputy Director Cecilia Tse remarked that with Macao being a major hub along the Maritime Silk Road, the SAR Government will actively support the “Belt and Road Initiative”. By joining hands with the Mainland authorities, participating in and promoting the work involved, the SAR Government will strive to raise the international influence of the “Silk Road” cultural tourism brands including “Maritime Silk Road” and “Grasslands Silk Road” and jointly promote regional tourism development. Through participation in the event, MGTO seeks to deepen tourism cooperation between Macao and Inner Mongolia, while creating opportunities for members of the travel industry from both destinations to connect and share their latest industry news and tourism products for stronger connections and collaboration. The delegation of MGTO and Macao’s travel trade will pay familiarization visits to a range of major tourism resources and facilities in various places including Hohhot, Xilamuren Grasslands, Baotou as well as Ordos around Inner Mongolia as part of the Grasslands Silk Road from 9 to 12 August.
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