News

Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that the Composite CPI (123.34) for June 2013 increased by 5.31% year-on-year, attributable to higher charges for eating out, rising rentals for dwellings, and dearer prices of fresh vegetables and fruits. In comparison with June 2012, notable increase was observed in the price index of Housing & Fuels (+8.91%); Health (+7.31%); and Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages (+6.47%) on account of rising rentals for dwellings, higher charges for out-patient services and eating out, as well as dearer prices of vegetables, fruits and fresh meat; however, price index of Education and Communication decreased by 3.12% and 2.69% respectively. The CPI – A (123.29) and CPI-B (123.91) increased by 5.77% and 5.24% respectively year-on-year. The Composite CPI for June 2013 increased by 0.67% month-to-month. Dearer prices of Summer clothing and higher charges for domestic services drove up the price index of Clothing & Footwear; and Household Goods & Furnishings by 2.96% and 1.73% respectively. On the contrary, price index of both Recreation & Culture; and Miscellaneous Goods & Services decreased by 0.35% due to reduced charges for package tours and lower prices of gold jewellery. The CPI-A and CPI-B increased by 0.66% and 0.71% respectively month-to-month. For the 12 months ended June 2013, the average Composite CPI increased by 5.52% from the preceding period. Price index of Housing & Fuels (+8.48%) and Food & Non-Alcoholic Beverages (+7.10%) registered notable increase, while that of Education and Communication decreased by 2.27% and 2.01%. The average CPI-A and CPI-B rose by 6.03% and 5.54% respectively. The average Composite CPI for the second quarter of 2013 increased by 5.13% year-on-year; the average CPI-A and CPI-B rose by 5.69% and 5.00% respectively. For the first half year of 2013, the average Composite CPI increased by 5.26% year-on-year; the average CPI-A and CPI-B rose by 5.81% and 5.15% respectively. The 2008/2009-based Composite CPI reflects the impact of price changes on the general population. The CPI-A relates to about 50% of the households, which have an average monthly expenditure of MOP6,000 to MOP18,999. The CPI-B relates to about 30% of the households, which have an average monthly expenditure of MOP19,000 to MOP34,999.
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Today (20 July), the University of Macau's (UM) new campus is officially handed over to UM. As of today the new campus will be governed by the laws of Macao SAR. Cheong U, secretary for social affairs and culture of Macao SAR, noted during his inspection of the new campus that the new campus is a generous gift to Macao from the central government. He thanked the central government on behalf of the Macao SAR government for its support and said he hopes the various departments and UM colleagues can continue to work closely to ensure smooth relocation. This morning, Cheong U, secretary for social affairs and culture of Macao SAR, and Lau Si Io, secretary for transport and public works of Macao SAR, made their first, historic entry into the new campus through the underwater tunnel to inspect the various facilities on the new campus. Also in the inspection team were Choi Lai Hang, director-general of the Macao Customs Service; Chan Chi Ping, director of the Government Information Bureau; Vong Iao Lek, acting president of the Administrative Council of the Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau; Lei Siu Peng, commissioner of the Public Security Police Force; Ma Io Weng, commissioner of the Fire Services Bureau; Chiang Ngoc Vai, acting director of the Transport Bureau; Shin Chung Low Kam Hong, deputy director of the Land, Public Works and Transport Bureau; Tse Chi Wai, chair of the University Council of UM; several Standing Committee members of the University Council; Rector Wei Zhao; Vice Rectors Simon Ho, Rui Martins and Alex Lai; more than 20 faculty members and students; as well as other guests. Cheong U noted that with the handover of the new campus, the size of Macao increased about one square kilometre. He said the new UM campus is a generous gift to Macao from the central government, and he expressed his gratitude on behalf of the Macao SAR government to the central government for its support for the development of higher education in Macao. Cheong U said that the construction of the new campus has been an important job for the SAR government, and the Guangdong government, Zhuhai government, Lau Si Io and his team, and UM members, worked diligently and closely to overcome numerous difficulties during the process of planning and construction, and finally built a beautiful and good-quality campus, which he believes will help UM to nurture more outstanding graduates to contribute to the sustainable development of Macao SAR. Cheong U added that after the handover of the new campus, UM will carry out a lot of follow-up works and prepare for the relocation in stages. He noted that the relocation is a complex project and he hopes the various departments and UM colleagues can continue to work closely to ensure smooth relocation in stages. He said he hopes the new campus can fully open to the public in next January or February, and when that happens, some of the facilities and resources on the new campus, including the University Hall, the Sports Complex and the Library, will also be shared with the Macao community. Students and faculty members who participated in the visit felt very excited about entering the new campus on the handover day. Dr. Greta Seng Peng Mok, assistant professor of the Faculty of Science and Technology (FST), said that the minute the bus entered the underwater tunnel she and her colleagues on the bus were so excited that they clasped hands together, because they felt that was truly a historic moment. She remarked that the buildings on the new campus looked very grand, combining the characteristics of Chinese and Portuguese architectures. She said such a beautiful campus would make teaching all the more enjoyable. She added that she hopes UM can achieve the goal of becoming a world-class university in the not-so-distant future. Katrine Cheong, a student from the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities (FSH), said before she needed to go through immigration clearance at Hengqin Border whenever she went on a visit to the new campus, but today she entered the new campus directly through the underwater tunnel, which finally made her feel that UM is indeed a university in and for Macao. She said she looks forward to moving to the new campus and living in a residential college so she could make friends with students from different parts of the world. UM Rector Wei Zhao said that the new campus project has been a huge and complex one. He thanked the central government, the Macao SAR government, and Macao residents on behalf of UM for their great support. He also expressed gratitude to all the staff, engineers and construction workers for their hard work. Rector Wei Zhao said that after the handover, UM will gradually implement the relocation plan, and within the next several months a lot of follow-up works will be carried out, including quality inspection of the new campus buildings by the Macao SAR government in accordance with the relevant Macao laws, execution of the trial operation plan, and arranging for more than 2,000 students to move in to the new campus. Wei Zhao noted that after completion of all the follow-up works and the quality inspection by the Macao SAR government, UM will carry out full-scale relocation during the winter break. The new campus covers an area of approximately one square kilometre, with more than 80 buildings. It is 20 times larger than the current campus, with the capacity to hold approximately 10,000 students. The new campus project has attracted a lot of attention both at home and abroad. Now with the handover of the new campus, UM will be better equipped to implement the "4-in-1" mode of education, which includes discipline-specific education, general education, research and internship education, and community and peer education. Environment plays an important role in education. The excellent environment of the new campus will allow UM to provide a multifaceted education to its students and nurture more outstanding graduates for society.
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The 19th International Postage Stamp Design Contest organized by Korea Post has begun. From now till September 13, the Communications Museum provides collection service for local participants. The main objective is to promote stamp collection and encourage people interested in design to show their creativity by participating in this postage stamp design contest. Fabulous prizes will be awarded to the winners of the contest. The design by the Grand and Gold Prizes winners will be issued as a stamp by the Korea Post. In addition, Macao residents who submit their works through the Communications Museum and win the Grand or Gold Prizes will be granted by the Macao Post a set of free Macao-Korea round-trip air tickets to participate in the awards ceremony in Korea. The 18th International Postage Stamp Design Contest, under the themes "New Year Greetings of the Year 2015" and "Stamp Collecting", is divided into Youth Category (born after 01/01/1995) and University /General Category (born before 31/12/2014). For more information, interested participants are welcomed to visit the websites of the Korea Post and the Communications Museum: http://www.koreastamp.go.kr, http://www.koreapost.go.kr, http://macau.communications.museum.
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A total number of 3,614 cases were received by Consumer Council during the first six months of 2013. The total number of cases includes 843 complaint cases, 2,749 inquiries, and 22 suggestions. Number of cases received has dropped 4.68 percent compared to the figures from the same period of 2012. 415 cases or 11.48 percent of the total number of cases received were lodged by tourists.
Among the top five categories of complaint cases, 'telecommunication equipment and supplies' (109 cases, 12.93 percent of total) replaced 'telecommunication services' as top one of the first-half year. 'Telecommunication services' (97 cases, 11.5 percent of total) came next, followed by 'food and beverages' (78 cases, 9.25 percent of total) and 'electrical appliances' (46 cases, 5.46 percent of total). 'Tourism' and 'restaurants' (both 43 cases, 5.1 percent of total) replaced 'clothing and apparel' as number five of the first half of 2013.
For the 415 cases received from tourists, 187 were complaints. The top five complaint categories were 'telecommunication equipment and supplies' (33 cases), 'tourism' (19 cases), 'watches' (18 cases), 'photographic equipment and supplies' (15 cases) and 'clothing and apparel' (14 cases).
A detailed analysis of the number of cases received in the first six months of 2013 will be published later by the Council in its monthly magazine Consumer Report. For inquiry, please call 8988-9315.
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According to statistics released today by the Monetary Authority of Macao, new approvals of residential mortgage loans (RMLs) and commercial real estate loans (CRELs) grew in May 2013. With regard to outstanding balance, RMLs and CRELs both witnessed increases. New Lending Approved In May 2013, new RMLs approved by Macao banks rose 27.2% month-to-month to MOP4.1 billion; of which, 97.2% was extended to residents. In terms of value, new RMLs to residents and non-residents increased 26.9% and 38.2% respectively. When compared with the same period of 2012, new approvals of RMLs witnessed growth of 3.8%. New RMLs collateralised by uncompleted units (i.e. equitable mortgage) grew significantly by 189.6% month-to-month to MOP380.6 million. The equitable mortgage extended to residents, which accounted for 98.2% of the total, increased 185.9% while the amount to non-residents went up notably by 913.9%. When compared with the same period of 2012, this type of bank mortgage expanded by 146.4% New CRELs rose 31.6% month-to-month to MOP2.6 billion; of which, 99.3% was granted to residents. In terms of value, new CRELs to residents increased 35.5% whereas the amount to non-residents declined 75.2%. On an annual basis, new approvals of CRELs rose 33.2%. Outstanding Balances As at end-May 2013, the outstanding value of RMLs reached MOP104.5 billion, an increase of 2.2% from one month earlier or 29.0% from a year ago. The resident component made up 93.7% of the total. Compared to end-April 2013, outstanding RMLs to residents grew 2.5% whereas the amount to non-residents dropped 1.2%. Concurrently, the outstanding value of CRELs went up by 2.1% from end-April 2013 or 20.4% from end-May 2012 to MOP76.9 billion. Residents accounted for 91.9% of the loans. Compared with one month earlier, outstanding CRELs to residents grew 2.5% whereas the amount to non-residents went down by 1.2%. Delinquency Ratios At the end of May 2013, the delinquency ratio for RMLs stood at 0.05%, which was largely unchanged from one month earlier but down 0.01 percentage point from a year ago. The ratio for CRELs went down by 0.01 percentage point from end-April 2013 and end-May 2012 to 0.08%.
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Cheong U, secretary for social affairs and culture of Macao SAR, on 17 July called another cross-departmental meeting to discuss mattersrelated to the construction progress and handover of the University of Macau's (UM) new campus. Construction works inside the new campus have been overall finished. Relevant personnel are now testing electromechanical systems in order to remedy any possible defects. The underwater tunnel is scheduled to receive the first inspection of the fire protection system in late July. The fire protection systems in the various independent buildings on the new campus will receive inspection in stages. The public and private sections of the main roads inside the new campus have been laid with bitumen. In view of the latest inspection progress, UM has adjusted its relocation plan accordingly. According to the latest relocation plan, UM will relocate to the new campus in stages.Starting mid-August, some students will be arranged to move to the residential units on the new campus in batches. After the start of the next academic year in mid-September, a small percentage of the courses will be conducted on the new campus, and some academic support units and administrative units will also move to provide support. After the handover, the new campus will be put into operation in stages. Cheong U noted at the meeting that after the joint meeting held on 26 April this year, various tasks proceeded in an orderly manner. The Infrastructure Development Office and the contractor Nam Yue Group tried their best to speed up construction, and made arrangements for equipment testing and inspection of fire protection systems to be completed before the handover. Cheong U said that other departments concerned also provided full support with respect to the application of the laws of Macao SAR on the new campus. Cheong U thanked the various departments for their great support during the process of construction. He noted that the new UM campus is a significant project which the Macao SAR government and Macao residents care about deeply. He said that after the handover, the new campus will be governed by the laws of the Macao SAR, and he hopes that the various departments continue to strengthen collaboration and work together with a sense of ownership to complete the various new-campus-related tasks so as to create better conditions for Macao youth to receive quality higher education. At the meeting, representatives from the Infrastructure Development Office updated participants on the latest progress of the new campus. Representatives from UM reported the latest relocation plan. Various departments exchanged ideas about handover-related matters. Advisors of the Office of the Chief Executive, Office of the Secretary for Economy and Finance, Office of the Secretary for Security, Office of the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, and Office of the Secretary for Transport and Public Works; representatives from the Macao Customs Service and the Government Information Bureau; officials fromdepartments directly under the various secretariats; as well as UM's top management attended the meeting. Two representatives from the contractor sat in on the meeting.
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The Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On, met with the Director-General of World Health Organization (WHO), Dr Margaret Chan, to exchange views on the prevention and control of infectious diseases and co-operation on Chinese traditional medicine projects. The meeting took place at the official venue to receive VIPs, Santa Sancha, where Mr Chui thanked Dr Chan on behalf of the Macao Government for the WHO concern and long-term support on building of health and medical services, and in the prevention of communicable diseases. He said Macao and WHO have a close relationship, which was again highlighted in the recent H7N9 case when the Government, working in close contact with the WHO, quickly provided timely and comprehensive information and launched preventive plans which helped put the minds of residents at ease. Mr Chui said that the Macao Government would spare no efforts to safeguard the people's health by strictly following the guidance provided by WHO in dealing with public health issues. Dr Chan advised that it was necessary to closely monitor the changes of H7N9 virus in the winter, and that the WHO would keep in close contact with the Macao Government on this. She also expressed interests in the Traditional Chinese Medicine Science and Technology Industrial Park, and the co-operation project of traditional medicine between the Macao Government and the WHO, adding that WHO would soon announce its 10-year development plan for traditional medicine. On behalf of the Macao SAR Government and WHO, they had signed a co-operation agreement on Chinese traditional medicine on 28 July 2011. The terms of the agreement, which commenced from 2 September 2011 and ending on 31 December 2015, include holding training courses in Macao.
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With the aim of continuing to deepen the co-operation between Guangdong and Macao and implement joint investment promotion of the Guangdong-Macao Co-operation Industrial Park, enabling the Macao community and interested parties to have better understanding of the investment promotion procedures of the Guangdong-Macao Co-operation Industrial Park and relevant preferential policies in Hengqin, the "Guangdong-Macao Co-operation Industrial Park Joint Investment Promotion and Hengqin Policies Seminar" was jointly organised by the Commercial Office of the Economic Affairs Department of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Macao SAR, Department of Foreign Trade and Economic Co-operation of Guangdong Province, Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM), Administrative Committee of Hengqin New Area and the Zhuhai Investment Promotion Bureau. The seminar was held from 15:00 to 17:00 on Wednesday, 17 July 2013, at the Lotus Room located on the 5th floor of the Macao World Trade Centre Building. During the Seminar, speeches were made by Mr. Hu Jingyan, Deputy Director-General of Economic Affairs Department, Head of Commercial Office of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Macao SAR and Mr. Chen Yuehua, Deputy Director-General of Department of Foreign Trade and Economic Co-operation of Guangdong Province. Mr. Jackson Chang, IPIM's President, talked about the guidelines and arrangements of the joint investment promotion of the industrial park. Mr. Yezhen, Deputy Director of the Administrative Committee of Hengqin New Area, briefed on the priority industries, policies on taxation, customs clearance, finance and trade in services, as well as the business environment in Hengqin. Mr. Liuyang, Director of Exchange and Co-operation Bureau of the Administrative Committee of Hengqin New Area in Zhuhai, gave a presentation on the "Guiding Catalogue for the Development of Industries in the Hengqin New Area". Mr. Yanwu, Director of Finance Affairs Bureau of the Administrative Committee of Hengqin New Area, Zhuhai gave a presentation on the "Interim Administrative Measures of the Department of Finance of Guangdong Province on Subsidising the Differences in Personal Income Tax of Hong Kong and Macao Residents Working in the Hengqin New Area in Zhuhai". A Q & A session was held to enable participants to raise questions on the requirements and procedures of investing in the industrial park, as well as related preferential policies in Hengqin. Macao enterprises and investors interested in investing in the Guangdong and Macao Co-operation Industrial park may submit their application to Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM) between 1 August to 31 October. Application Collection Counter of Guangdong-Macao Co-operation Industrial Park in Hengqin is located at IPIM's Macao Business Support Centre (address: 19th Floor, China Civil Plaza Building, 263 Alameda Dr. Carlos d'Assumpção, Macao). For enquiries, please contact 853-2872 8328 or email to onestopservcie@ipim.gov.mo, or visit IPIM's website www.ipim.gov.mo.
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From 1 to 9 July, Institute for Tourism Studies (IFT), Macao and Leeds Metropolitan University, U.K. jointly organised Summer International Exchange Programme 2013 in Yorkshire. U.K. Themed "Developing Cultural Tourism" this year, the Programme attracted 25 students from China (including Macao and Hong Kong), Japan and the United Kingdom to participate. In the nine-day programme, they acquired the knowledge about the theme through interacting and exchanging ideas with experts, industry professionals and officials, as well as conducting seminars, field trips and presentations. In the last day of the programme, the participants concluded what they had learnt in a sharing session and received certificates from the organiser. Since 1998, IFT has been organising the Summer Programme annually with different themes, and brought students from all over the world to Macao and IFT for cultural exchange. From 2009, IFT has been collaborating with an overseas partner, Asia-Pacific Education and Training Institutes in Tourism (APETIT), to conduct the Programme out of Macao for widening local students' horizon. This programme not only welcomes university students from Macao but also other countries and regions to join. Participants can have the unique opportunity to experience other cultures and get along with people from different cultural background that It is certainly beneficial for them to develop career in the tourism industry in the future. This is the fifth year that IFT organised the programme in cooperation with institutions outside Macao. Through conducting collaborations with institutions in other countries and regions alike, IFT strives to promote the globalised tourism education development of Macao.
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A male inmate from Mainland China, sentenced to imprisonment for homicide, lost consciousness while taking a shower at the detention zone yesterday (15 July). He was sent to the hospital for treatment but was certified dead later. The male inmate's surname Li, aged 47, Mainland Chinese resident, was born in Kaiping, Guangdong. He was sentenced to 18 years in prison for homicide in 1995. In February 2000, while serving his sentence, he was given a 15-year sentence for killing another inmate, making his total imprisonment 33 years. According to the Prison's medical records, inmate Li was suffering from a chronic illness. He commenced his psychiatric treatment in 2003. In 2009, he was diagnosed with chronic nephritis. The deterioration of his kidney function led to illnesses such as renal failure and secondary hypertension. Hence, starting from September 2011, he needed to undergo renal dialysis twice a week at the hospital. Inmate Li was confined on the single cell floor in Block 7 of the Male Detention Zone. Approximately 5:05 p.m. yesterday, inmate Li suddenly fainted while taking a shower. A foreign inmate witnessed that and called the on-duty prison guard for help. The prison guard instantaneously summoned the prison medical staff to perform first aid, and called an ambulance to transport the inmate to Conde S. Januário Hospital for emergency treatment. The hospital certified his death at 6:27 p.m.. Prison information indicates that there were no anomalies surrounding his death while the cause was yet to be confirmed. After the incident, prison social workers contacted his family, and would assist with the ensuing formalities and provide appropriate counseling services. Furthermore, the incident has been passed to the Judiciary Police while the Prison will initiate an internal investigation. In addition, two pregnant female inmates were sent to the hospital on an ambulance in early morning yesterday (15 July) and at the wee hours of today (16 July) respectively. One of the female inmate surname Ning gave birth to a baby girl on 15 July night; both mother and daughter are in good health. The other female inmate, surname Tian, is still in hospital. According to prison regulations, female inmates are entitled to living together with their newborns until they reach three years of age, per the internal regulations and conditions.
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