News

The 26th Macao Arts Festival (MAF), organized by the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC), proceeds this weekend with one of the most anticipated shows of the event, the play in Patuá Macao’s Got Talent by Dóci Papiaçám di Macau Drama Group, Saturday and Sunday, at 7:30pm at the Macao Cultural Centre Grand Auditorium. The plot unfolds in today’s Macao, a city in which the production of talents is a priority, in order to contribute to the intellectual and technical development of our city. Theatre in Patuá was inscribed on the List of Macao S.A.R. Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2012, and the dialect has been identified as a critically endangered language by UNESCO. Also on 23 and 24 May (Saturday and Sunday), at 8pm (23/5) and 3pm (24/5), the MAF presents Out of Context – for Pina, by Les ballets C de la B (Belgium), at the Macao Cultural Centre Small Auditorium. In this dance performance, director Alain Platel continues his search for a language of movement connected to the unconscious, the arbitrary, the uncontrolled. As a former special-needs educator working with children with motor and multiple disabilities, Alain Platel understands deformities and muscle impediments. Rather than censuring, he celebrates the beauty that the malformed and the misshapen have wrung, the laid-bare crux of human emotion expressed through movements and gestures. An award-winning homage to his close friend, the late German choreographer Pina Bausch, in Out of Context – for Pina, Platel attempts to devise a new physical language, from which, out of chaos, we can decipher rational undertones and find peace. From 23 to 25 May (Saturday to Monday), at 3pm and 5pm, it’s the turn of Transports Exceptionnels, by Beau Geste (France), to take the stage of the Praça do Lago Sai Van. An unexpected duo between a dancer and an excavator, a poetic twenty-minute dialogue between a man and a huge machine, between iron and flesh, on opera music. The machine almost has human movements and is in harmony with the choreography of the dancer. The metaphor is legible; it’s a matter of accepting that the world is under construction, in motion for the worth and the better. Between 28 and 31 May (Thursday to Sunday), from 6:30pm to 9pm, the Outdoor Performing Arts Showcase takes the stage of the Largo do Pagode da Barra, aiming to bring the arts closer to the public. It features artists and traditions from home and abroad, providing an ample variety of artistic performances for everyone to enjoy! For four consecutive evenings, local and foreign artists and groups offer a series of culturally rich and entertaining performances such as Chizhou Nuo opera from Anhui Province, songs and dances from Xinjiang Province, shadow theatre from Turkey, Awantika Kathak dance from India, among others. In case of adverse weather conditions, outdoor performances may be delayed or cancelled by the Organization, to be decided according to the situation. All changes and new arrangements will be announced at the performance venues. For more information, please visit the website of the Cultural Affairs Bureau www.icm.gov.mo or the Macao Arts Festival official Facebook page. The 26th Macao Arts Festival programme information is available at www.icm.gov.mo/fam and ticket reservations can be made through tel. no. 28555555.
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Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO), together with Macau Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM) and representatives of eleven tourism enterprises from Macau, participated in the Worldwide Exhibition for Incentive Travel, Meetings & Events in Frankfurt, Germany (IMEX Frankfurt) from 19 - 21 May to promote Macau's MICE and business tourism products widely. IMEX Frankfurt 2015 was held at Messe Frankfurt. MGTO hosted a booth on the exhibition floor, targeting incentive travel organizers and buyers from different European countries. Through the exhibition, MGTO presented Macau’s potential as an incentive travel destination and its advantage of offering multi-destination tours. MGTO also took the opportunity to promote its Incentive Travel Stimulation Program so as to attract more remote and incentive travel tourists to come to Macau. In addition, Macau travel information leaflets and souvenir were distributed to the visitors. During the exhibition, MGTO conducted several appointments which attracted a total of 100 attendants. IMEX Frankfurt attracted over 3,500 exhibitors from 150 countries and regions this year, an unparalleled record compared with its past editions since 2003. The latest exhibition also boasted 55 new booths and 20% of existing exhibitors had chosen to book larger stands at the show, including Mainland China and Macau. Moreover, 170 workshops and sessions were offered to industry professionals through IMEX's education programme this year. The main events in IMEX Frankfurt included talks, workshops, networking, seminars, forums, inaugural ceremony and welcome dinner, etc. This press release is available at: http://industry.macautourism.gov.mo/en/pressroom/
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that the Composite CPI for April 2015 increased by 4.51% year-on-year to 104.86, down significantly from the 5.10% growth in March 2015. Higher rentals for dwellings and rising charges for eating out remained the main drivers of the increase in CPI. In comparison with April 2014, notable increase was observed in the price index of Housing & Fuels (+9.84%); Health (+5.17%) and Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages (+4.73%) on account of rising rentals for dwellings, as well as dearer charges for out-patient services and eating out. On the contrary, price index of Recreation & Culture (-1.43%) and Alcoholic Beverages & Tobacco (-1.40%) showed marked decrease. The CPI-A (105.05) and CPI-B (103.31) increased by 4.96% and 3.58% respectively year-on-year. The Composite CPI for April 2015 increased by 0.31% month-to-month. New arrival of summer clothing and footwear, higher rentals for parking spaces and dearer charges for maintenance & repair of vehicles drove up the price index of Clothing & Footwear and Transport by 2.81% and 0.67%. On the other hand, lower prices of vegetables, fruits, fresh fish and seafood tapered off the rise in charges for eating out and prices of fresh pork, causing the price index of Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages to decrease slightly by 0.04%. The CPI-A and CPI-B rose by 0.32% and 0.23% respectively month-to-month. For the 12 months ended April 2015, the average Composite CPI increased by 5.62% from the previous period. Price index of Housing & Fuels (+11.49%); Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages (+5.66%) and Health (+4.83%) registered remarkable increase. The average CPI-A and CPI-B rose by 6.10% and 5.26% respectively. The average Composite CPI for the first four months of 2015 increased by 4.91% year-on-year, with the price index of Housing & Fuels; Health; and Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages rising by 10.68%, 5.44% and 5.11% respectively. The average CPI-A and CPI-B increased by 5.33% and 4.22% respectively. The Composite CPI reflects the impact of price changes on the general households. The CPI-A relates to about 50% of the households, which have an average monthly expenditure of MOP10,000 to MOP29,999. The CPI-B relates to about 30% of the households, which have an average monthly expenditure of MOP30,000 to MOP54,999.
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Consumer Council added fresh, refrigerated and frozen pork to its specific product price survey. Consumer can now check the information on the Council’s website for price comparisons. For the implementation of Section 2b), Article 10, Law No. 4/95/M, Consumer Council continues to expand its work on price data collection as consumers’ needs for price information keep on increasing in recent years. Starting from May, the Council includes prices of fresh, refrigerated and frozen pork in its specific product price survey. The current phase includes collection and comparison of pork prices in markets, supermarkets, and frozen food stores. The survey result shows that prices of fresh pork (MOP/lb) differ for over 42 percent. The highest and lowest prices recorded are $37.1 and $21.5 respectively while the average price (MOP/lb) is $30.7. Refrigerated and frozen pork on the market come from different origins and varieties. Prices of the surveyed refrigerated pork (MOP/lb) range from $30 to $36, and the average price recorded is $32.3. Frozen pork price range from $21 to $30 and the average price recorded is $23.6. The specific product price survey on fresh, refrigerated and frozen pork is now available on the Council’s website (http://www.consumer.gov.mo). For enquiry, please call 8988 9315.
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The use of public surveillance cameras is regulated by legislation and supervised by related departments, and the use of information from the network will be in full compliance with the law. This re-assurance was given today by Security for Security, Mr Wong Sio Chak, when spoke to reporters after attending a radio phone-in programme. He said the use of information would be regulated by legislation, one of which was enacted in 2012, and closely monitored by judicial bodies. Locations for instillations will be installed following discussions and from the Office for Personal Data Protection. According to Mr Wong, the planned 1,620 cameras system would be set up in four phases with different emphases. Work on the first phase had started and the police would evaluate social conditions and its operation as the numbers increase in the future. The building of the camera network was to safeguard public security despite Macao’s low crime rate. Surveillance cameras are in use in many countries.
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Consumer Council conducted its sixth ‘Supermarket price survey’ in May on 20 May for the implementation of Section 2b), Article 10, Law 4/95/M of 12 June. Surveyed locations included supermarkets in São Lázaro and São Lourenço Parishes. The latest ‘Supermarket Price Survey’ is now available on Consumer Council’s website (www.consumer.gov.mo), ‘Supermarket Price Information Platform’ iPhone and Android apps, and on the Council’s WeChat account page. The survey is also available free of charge at the offices of Consumer Council, IACM’s Iao Hon and S. Domingos Markets, bookstores and libraries. Consumers may also access the resources through WAP channels on their mobile phones. With reference to the local six parishes and the number of supermarkets in each parish, the Council has divided around 100 supermarkets into 8 areas for price collection. The Council collects prices from these supermarkets for the provision of a more comprehensive database for consumers to check price discrepancies and make price comparisons according to their desired locations. For inquiry, please call 8988 9315.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that there were 28 banks in Macao and number of full-time employees totalled 5,742 at the end of the first quarter of 2015, an increase of 253 year-on-year. Analysed by occupation, there were 1,573 directors and managers, and 1,904 clerks, including 694 bank tellers. In March 2015, average earnings (excluding bonuses and allowances) of full-time employees amounted to MOP23,900, up by 5.9% year-on-year. Average earnings of bank tellers increased by 7.0% to MOP13,900. At the end of the first quarter of 2015, job vacancies totalled 318, an increase of 73 year-on-year; vacancies for clerk stood at 169, including 66 for bank tellers. In terms of recruitment prerequisites, 45.3% of the vacancies required working experience, 86.5% required tertiary education, and requirement for knowledge of Mandarin and English accounted for 98.4% and 89.9% respectively. In the first quarter of 2015, the Banking Sector hired 245 new employees; the employee recruitment rate (4.3%) edged up by 1.1 percentage points year-on-year, while the employee turnover rate (3.7%) fell by 0.4 percentage points, indicating that the human resource situation of the Banking Sector was relatively stable in this quarter. As regards vocational training, the Banking Sector had 4,562 participants attending training courses provided by the banks (including courses organized by the banks or in conjunction with other institutions, and those sponsored by the banks). The majority (69.8%) of the participants attended Business & Administration courses, followed by Law courses (14.2%). About 92.2% of the participants attended courses organized by the banks and almost all participants were employer-sponsored.
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In cooperation with 789 Multimedia Marketing Limited and Chon Chin Association of Macau, Institute for Tourism Studies (IFT) Tourism Retail and Marketing Management year 3 students, led by Dr. Fernando Lourenço, worked on a project on finding business opportunities for multimedia products and services for leisure and entertainment industries in Macao. It is believed that this project is crucial to Macao as the Macao SAR Government and local companies need to identify ways to diversify Macao’s economy and industries. Via this project, students conducted market research to identify business opportunities, market needs, and concepts to develop mobile applications, business models and marketing campaigns. A sharing session was arranged after the project is completed. The President of Chong Chin Association of Macau, André Ritchie, and the shareholders of 789 Multimedia Marketing Limited were invited to attend and give feedback to the students as well as assess the outcomes. Certificates were given to students for appreciating their efforts and recognising the performance and quality of IFT students.
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According to the statistics released today by the Monetary Authority of Macao, the proportion of international business in the local banking sector retreated slightly in the first quarter of 2015. At end-March 2015, the share of international assets in total banking assets fell to 85.9% from 86.0% at end-2014, while the share of international liabilities in total banking liabilities dropped to 81.1% from 81.6%. Non-local currencies continued to be the dominant denomination in international banking transactions. At end-March 2015, the shares of the pataca in total international assets and total international liabilities were 0.7% and 2.0% respectively. Hong Kong Dollar, US Dollar, the renminbi and other foreign currencies accounted for 39.6%, 37.1%, 15.8% and 6.8% of total international assets as well as 44.8%, 33.7%, 13.1% and 6.4% of total international liabilities respectively. International Banking Assets At end-March 2015, total international assets advanced by 2.6% from a quarter ago and by 11.3% from a year earlier to MOP1,036.1 billion (USD129.7 billion). Within this total, external assets increased by 6.9% year-on-year to MOP762.7 billion while local assets in foreign currencies jumped by 25.7% to MOP273.4 billion. As a major component of international assets, external non-bank loans grew by 19.8% to MOP354.6 billion. International Banking Liabilities Total international liabilities increased by 2.2% from three months ago and by 11.3% year-on-year to MOP979.0 billion (USD122.6 billion). Of this total, external liabilities and local liabilities in foreign currencies expanded year-on-year by 14.4% to MOP515.1 billion and 8.0% to MOP463.9 billion respectively. Foreign currency deposits held by residents and the MSAR government in local banks continued to form a major component of international liabilities. This type of deposits grew by 6.2% to MOP424.2 billion at end-March 2015 from MOP399.5 billion at end-March 2014. Breakdown of External Banking Assets and Liabilities by Region The majority of external assets and liabilities were related to the regions of Asia and Europe. At end-March 2015, claims on Hong Kong SAR, Mainland China and Singapore occupied 34.8%, 30.8% and 1.9% of total external assets correspondingly, while claims on Portugal, Germany and the United Kingdom took up 5.1%, 2.8% and 1.8% respectively. On external liabilities, Hong Kong SAR, Mainland China and Thailand accounted for 46.2%, 22.1% and 7.4% of the total respectively while France, Portugal and Germany took up respective shares of 2.5%, 1.9% and 1.3%. The compilation of International Banking Statistics follows the methodology advocated by the Bank for International Settlements in order to facilitate Macao SAR’s participation in the “Locational International Banking Statistics” project of the international organisation.
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The Government attaches great importance in enhancing the quality of medical services and it is carrying out reforms for a better system to meet the people’s increasing healthcare needs. This is according to the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Mr Tam Chon Weng, who told the Minister of the National Health and Family Planning Commission, Ms Li Bin, in a meeting on 17 May before the opening of the 68th World Health Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland. Mr Tam said he was looking forward to more co-operation opportunities between local institutes and the mainland, including more exchanges of medical staff, to enhance standards. He thanked Ms Lin for the country’s support in building a contact mechanism, allowing the Government to receive the latest information on epidemics to prevent outbreaks, especially during the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2003. Ms Li said the Commission would give full support to the Macao Government in developing a better medical service system; the Commission was looking forward to more involvement from Macao in strengthening its countrywide rescue team, following the call for a new global health emergency workforce by the Assembly. The following day (18 May) Mr Tam attended the opening of the Assembly, as a member of the Chinese delegation, along with the Chief of Office of the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Mr Lai Ieng Kit; the Director of the Health Bureau, Mr Lei Chin Ion; and the Deputy Director of the Health Bureau and Director of the Conde S. Januário hospital, Mr Kuok Cheong U. The World Health Assembly is the supreme decision-making body of the World Health Organization (WHO). This year, it is being held in Geneva between 18-26 May. Its main functions are to stipulate policies for WHO, supervise financial policies, and review and approve the proposed programme budget.
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