News

In order to encourage local secondary school students to employ their theoretical scientific knowledge on practical experiments, the Communications Museum of Macao and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers will launch this month an Electronic Device Construction Competition. This year the proposed subject will be Car Tournament. Full-time students of Macao secondary schools can compete individually or as part of a group (maximum of 4 members), divided into two competing categories: Junior Secondary Group or Senior Secondary Group. Each of the top three winners will be presented with trophies, winning certificates, book coupons and attractive prizes. All entries will be displayed at the Museum. Two explanatory sessions in Cantonese will be held in the Communications Museum Auditorium at 14:00 (Junior Secondary Group) and 16:00 (Senior Secondary Group), on 26 October 2013. Reservations can be made through the phone lines 28718570 / 28718063 or email to info@macao.communications.museum Science and Art Activity for Primary Students
Organized by the Macao Society of Biomedical Engineering and Communications Museum, the Science and Art Activity for Primary Students is of the theme "Component Revamp". Participants will use different electronic components and safe and simple tools to create a 3-dimensional object. Primary 4 to 6 students are welcomed to register individually or in groups of 2 persons. The activity is to be held on 14 December 2013. Winners of the three best works and their supervisors will also be invited to join "A Tour at Hong Kong Museums".
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The Communications Museum will organize the Stamp Festival 2013 from 9 October 2013 to 5 January 2014. The Museum will launch a series of fun activities for residents and tourist to freely tour around the Museum, enrich their recreational life and increase their appreciation of the philately culture. "Kid's Dreams on Stamps" is the theme of the Stamp Festival 2013. Stamps from different countries and related to "Children of the World", "Dream Paradise" and "Kid's Playthings" will be exhibited. The exhibition will also showcase interactive games and classic toys that recall the happy moments of our childhood. There are also thematic guided tour and hands-on activities for schools, organizations and elderly groups. All are welcomed to book. Adults and kids are welcomed to play the Funny Stamp Chess located at the lobby on the Ground Floor. Every visitor will be given a Tour Rewards Card. They simply need to fill out the card and drop it into the lucky draw box at the Reception Counter. Then they can redeem it for a 2014 calendar as souvenir and will be eligible for the lucky draw. The background images at the "Personal Picture Postcard" and the "Design Your Own Stamp" will be changed. And there will be a new perforation machine for making oval-shaped stamps. The free daily workshop "Yo Yo Kids" will be held at 11am and 3:30pm. Draw My Story of Stamps is a competition that invites participants to draw a picture by developing on the selected "Macao China" stamp or souvenir sheet. The objective is to encourage and discover more artists to participate in cultural creative arts and design through stamps. Individuals are welcomed to participate in the Primary Student, Secondary Student or General Category. The General Category has no age limit. Deadline for submission of works is on 6 December 2013. The final program of the Stamp Festival 2013 is the Kids Carnival to be held during Christmas. From 2:30pm to 5:30pm on 28 December 2013, families and groups of friends are welcomed to visit the Communications Museum and play the different games. The carnival includes interactive games, demonstrations and hands-on workshops for participants to show their creativity. Online registration is open from 01/11/2013 to 18/12/2013. For details of the Stamp Festival 2013, please browse the Museum website.
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The Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On, has appointed seven members to the fifth Legislative Assembly, according to the Macao SAR Gazette published today. An executive order signed by the Chief Executive named them as Tsui Wai Kwan, Tong Io Cheng, Ma Chi Seng, Vong Hin Fai, Fong Chi Keong, Lau Veng Seng and Sio Chi Wai. In accordance with the Amendment to Annex II of the Basic Law, the Assembly shall consist of 33 members, 14 of whom are directly elected, 12 indirectly elected and seven appointed by the Chief Executive. The Gazette also published a proclamation of the Court of Final Appeal to confirm the result of the direct and indirect elections of the fifth Legislative Assembly.
The 14 directly elected legislators are Chan Meng Kam, Mak Soi Kun, Ho Ion Sang, Si Ka Lon, Pereira Coutinho, Leong On Kei, Kwan Tsui Hang, Ng Kuok Cheong, Au Kam San, Melinda Chan, Zheng Anting, Wong Kit Cheng, Song Pek Kei and Leong Veng Chai.
The 12 indirectly elected legislators are Ho Iat Seng, Kou Hoi In, Cheang Chi Keong and Chui Sai Peng (Industrial, Commercial and Financial Sector ); Lam Heong Sang and Lei Cheng (Labour Sector); Chui Sai Cheong, Leonel Alves and Chan Iek Lap (Professional Sector); Chan Hong (Social Services and Educational Sector); Cheung Lup Kwan and Chan Chak Mo (Culture and Sport Sector).
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Consumer Council expands the scope of its supermarket price survey this October to collect prices of over 300 products from almost 100 supermarkets in different areas of Macao. The Council has also updated the searching system of its 'Supermarket price information platform' website for consumers' better navigation and for making better price comparisons. Consumer Council indicates that as consumers demand for more price information and the number of local supermarkets keeps on increasing, supermarkets have become an important location for consumers to purchase daily commodities. The Council has not only expanded its supermarket price survey work by adding the amount of products surveyed and the number of chain supermarkets, but also updated and enhanced its website and the functions of its iPhone and Android smart phone 'Supermarket price information platfrom' apps. Starting this October, the Council further expands the scope of its supermarket price survey work by collecting prices from more supermarkets. 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 all over Macao monthly for the provision of a more comprehensive database for consumers to check prices of several hundreds of products directly according to their desired locations. The Council now collects prices of over 300 products, such as cooking oil, rice, and canned foods, etc, in 12 different categories. The 'Supermarket price information platform' website has also been updated. Consumers may now choose their own parishes, check the price information of all supermarkets in their parishes, and make price comparisons. The Council indicates that similar updates will also be launched later for both its iPhone and Android apps.
The areas to be surveyed in the expanded price collection work this time include supermarkets in N. Sra. de Fátima Parish (Areia Preta and Venceslau de Morais). The latest 'Supermarket Price Survey' is now available on the Council's website (www.consumer.gov.mo), and the 'Supermarket Price Information Platform' iPhone and Android apps. 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. For enquiry, please call 8988 9315.
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According to statistics released today by the Monetary Authority of Macao, broad money supply continued to grow in August. As total deposits grew at a faster pace than total loans, the overall loan-to-deposit ratio of the banking sector dropped from a month earlier.
Money supply
Currency in circulation grew 1.7% whereas demand deposits dropped 0.5%. M1 thus decreased 0.2% from one month earlier. Concurrently, quasi-monetary liabilities rose 2.5%. The sum of these two items, i.e. M2, increased 2.1% to MOP419.3 billion. On an annual basis, M1 and M2 rose 34.4% and 20.5% respectively. The share of Pataca (MOP) in M2 stood at 24.7%, down 0.3 percentage points from a month ago but kept virtually unchanged from a year earlier. The share of Hong Kong Dollar (HKD) in M2 was 52.9%, up 0.2 percentage points month-to-month but down 2.6 percentage points year-on-year.
Deposits
Resident deposits rose 2.1% from the preceding month to MOP410.8 billion. Of which, MOP deposits, HKD deposits and other foreign currency deposits increased at respective rates of 0.8%, 2.5% and 2.6%. Non-resident deposits grew 3.6% to MOP161.0 billion. Public sector deposits with the banking sector increased 5.0% to MOP61.9 billion. As a result, total deposits with the banking sector grew 2.8% from a month earlier to MOP633.6 billion. The shares of MOP and HKD in total deposits were 20.1% and 45.3% respectively.
Loans
Domestic loans to the private sector increased 3.3% from a month ago to MOP240.8 billion. Among which, MOP75.6 billion was MOP-denominated and MOP140.7 billion was denominated in HKD, representing 31.4% and 58.4% of the total respectively. On the other hand, external loans rose 0.2% to MOP267.0 billion; of which, loans denominated in MOP and HKD accounted for 1.1% (MOP3.0 billion) and 22.6% (MOP60.3 billion) respectively.
Loan-to-deposit ratios
The loan-to-deposit ratio for the resident sector at end-August rose 0.4 percentage points from the previous month to 51.0%. The ratio for both the resident and non-resident sectors dropped 0.9 percentage points to 80.1%.
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Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) participated at Incentive Travel & Conventions, Meetings Asia (IT & CMA) held in Bangkok, Thailand from 1 to 3 October to promote business tourism. Running it's 21st edition, IT & CMA is Asia-Pacific region's premier business tourism tradeshow which also serves as a platform for promoting incentive travel. This year, the show attracted over 280 exhibitors from 19 countries and regions. This year, MGTO ran a booth under the theme "Touching Moments Experience Macau". MGTO joined hands with Macau Economic Services (DSE) and 23 local trades to promote the latest business tourism products and facilities. In addition, MGTO promoted the "Incentive Travel Stimulation Program" among incentive travel organizers. Since 2009, the "Incentive Travel Stimulation Program" initiated by MGTO has been welcomed by the trades. In accordance with the figures by the Statistics and Census Service, there were 458 Meetings, Incentives, Convention and Exhibitions held in Macau in the first half of this year.
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The latest issue of Consumer Report (no. 240) is available and the contents include the total number of cases received by the Council in the first half of 2013 and tips and guidelines for choosing an old age home for the elderly. Consumer Council handled 3,614 cases in the first half of this year. 843 cases were complaints and 2,749 cases were inquiry, 22 cases were suggestions from consumers. The top five complaint categories, which amounted to around 50 percent of the complaint cases, were telecommunication equipments and services, food and beverages, electronic products, travel agency business and restaurants. Details regarding the analysis of the complaint and enquiry cases can be found it the current issue. With the increase in ageing population in Macao, the demand for elderly service has been increased accordingly. Some consumers will choose to place their elderly family members at old age homes. Now, there are around 10 non-government subsidized, private old age homes in Macao. Requirements for admission and operation rules of the old age homes have to be approved by the relevant department. As service provision and charges may vary among different old age homes, consumers are suggested to get more information before making the choice. An article about the operations of private old age homes can be found in the current issue. The current issue also features articles about suggestions of CI on consumers' right to access fair and stable financial services, the visit of "Hong Kong Ming Pao Student Reporter Scheme" to the Council, as well as some health information for consumers. Consumer Report is now available free of charge at Consumer Council (Av. Horta e Costa, N.º 24-A, Edf. Cheung Heng, 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, libraries and bookstores. Consumers may also access the resources online on the Council's official website (http://www.consumer.gov.mo). For enquiries, please call 8988 9315.
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The 25th Macau International Fireworks Display Contest adjourned splendidly. SAS BREZAC Artifices from France won the championship, followed by the fireworks teams from China and Switzerland in the second and third rank. The prize-giving ceremony was held at Macau Tower Convention and Entertainment Centre and was attended by Director of Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO), Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes as well as Deputy Directors Manuel Pires and Cecilia Tse, etc. During her closing speech, Senna Fernandes remarked that starting from a small-scale production, Macau International Fireworks Display Contest has developed into a mega event which enjoys not only wide recognition among the press across the region and overseas but also huge popularity among visitors and citizens today. As the organizer, MGTO has given great efforts and passion to present a spectacular contest over the past 25 years. Innovations were also introduced this year to improve the contest such that it made not only a grand tourism and entertainment event but also a festive season for local citizens to celebrate in Macau. The prize for the champion team is 8,000 US dollars whereas the second and third prize winners were awarded 4,000 and 2,500 US dollars respectively in the contest. The ten teams came from five continents namely Asia, Europe, America, Oceania and Africa to join the event this year, including fireworks companies from Spain, South Africa, Switzerland, Korea, Portugal, Australia, Italy, Canada, France and Mainland China. Four of the teams won the championship in the past Macau contests. The three fireworks shows on the last night of the contest were presented by the teams from France, Italy and Mainland China; to celebrate the 64th Anniversary of the National Day, the fireworks company from Mainland China was arranged to present the finale spectacle again this year, filling the evening with warm ambience. Citizens flocked into streets to see the fireworks shows during the National Day's holiday while different areas were bustled with visitors around Macau Peninsula and Taipa. A festive atmosphere pervaded the city. This year's contest introduced five innovations including "Pyrotechnics Industry Forum", contestant teams from five continents, an African fireworks company's debut, laser light effects and a promotional micro movie. There were also live broadcasts of the fireworks shows on television as well as the mobile message game to raise citizens' involvement. In addition, MGTO worked together with the General Union of Neighbors Association of Macau again to present the Fireworks Carnival, which added fun and color to the splendid fireworks evenings through a variety of entertainment shows and delicacies offered. MGTO launched the Macau International Fireworks Display Contest since 1989. The contest has developed into an annual highlight event in Macau which attracts many visitors and enjoys international recognition today. Citizens equally look forward to the delightful moments of the fireworks displays. Filling the holidays and festive season with joyous atmosphere, the fireworks contest has become Macau's brand and signature event.
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The Macao Special Administrative Government is fully dedicated to boosting the substantial development in politics, the economy and culture to enhance the people's livelihood. The Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On, said this today when he addressed some 900 guests at the National Day reception hosted by the Government. He said government would bolster economic and social development and facilitate people's livelihood by establishing a long-term effective and protective mechanism. The Government has the determination to solve housing problems, to ensure employment opportunities for locals, to take care of the needy and to share the economic achievements of the region. The Government will put more efforts in dealing with transportation and flooding problems, and other politics relating to the people's livelihood, he pledged.
Mr Chui said the country's prosperity has further promoted the stable development of Macao's politics, economy and culture. On politics, 14 direct and 12 indirectly legislators have been successfully elected in the fifth Legislative Assembly election. The new legislature would continue to fulfill the duty of formulating laws and monitoring government's policies. Mr Chui stressed the Government would have more interaction with the Assembly and work harder to contribute to the region.
New opportunities have been created for the people of Macao to start businesses in the Mainland with the implementation of the Framework Agreement on Co-operation between Guangdong and Macao and the 10th Supplementary Protocol to CEPA signed this year.
The Fourth Ministerial Conference of the Forum for Economic and Trade Co-operation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries Economic Co-operation Forum (Macao) would be held in Macao soon, and Macao would once again act as a bridge and platform between China and the Portuguese-speaking countries. With the full support of the Central Government, Macao is actively serving as a world tourism and leisure centre and a commercial and trade platform for China and the Portuguese-speaking Countries in speeding up economic diversification.
Through regional co-operation, the multi-destination travel scheme would also enhance the tourism benefit of the entire region, Mr Chui said. Guests attending the reception included the Vice Chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), Mr Ho Hau Wah; the Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Macao Special Administrative Region, Mr Bai Zhijian; the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China in Macao Special Administrative Region, Mr Hu Zhengyue; the Commander of the Macao Garrison of the People's Liberation Army, Senior Colonel Zhu Qingsheng; the President of Legislative Assembly, Mr Lau Cheok Va; and the President of the Court of Final Appeal, Mr Sam Hou Fai. In the morning, some 200 guests attended the flag raising ceremony at Golden Lotus Square. A number of government departments have also organised celebratory events, including a variety show organised by the Macao Sport Development Board, at Macao East Asian Games Dome, at 2 pm. Pyrotechnics displays of the 25th Macau International Fireworks Display Contest, by teams from France, Italy and China, will take place on the waterfront near Macau Tower at 9 pm, 9:30 pm and 10 pm.
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The Macao International Music Festival (MIMF), organised by the Cultural Affairs Bureau, opens its 27th edition with a Latvian National Opera production of Richard Wagner's opera Das Rheingold, to be held on October 2nd, Wednesday, at 8pm, at the Macao Cultural Centre Grand Auditorium, in commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the composer's birth. The MIMF brings 22 outstanding shows to the territory from October 2nd to November 3rd 2013. Das Rheingold, the first opera in the cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring cycle), introduces Wagner's vast, mythical world. In legendary times, Northern Europe consisted of three realms: the underworld, where the Nibelungs lived; the earth's surface, inhabited by giants and mortals; and the cloudy heights, home of the gods. The dwarf Alberich renounces love and steals the gold guarded by the maidens of the Rhine. He forges a magic ring from the gold, but it soon becomes an object of desire for Wotan, the ruler of the gods, who wants to save his wife's sister from the giants. The infuriated Alberich lays a curse on his lost treasure – anyone who possesses it will eventually meet their doom… This modern version of Das Rheingold by the Latvian National Opera, together with a strong cast and exquisite sets, will certainly enrapture the audience. The 27th MIMF's opening ceremony will take place before the opening performance, at 7.45pm, at the Macao Cultural Centre lobby. The public is welcome to attend. Tickets for the 27th Macao International Music Festival can be purchased at all Kong Seng Ticketing outlets, both by telephone and online. A variety of discount plans is offered. For more information pertaining to the 27th MIMF, please visit the Festival's website at: www.icm.gov.mo/fimm.
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