News

Organized by the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao S.A.R. Government and co-organized by the Rui Cunha Foundation, the exhibition "Paint the Idea – Manuel Casimiro" open to the public at Tap Seac Gallery offers free guided tours as well as guided tours for the visually impaired, allowing visitors to get to know in depth the works on display as well as the creative concepts behind them. The Tap Seac Gallery organises guided tours open to the public and for groups, conducted by experienced guides that will introduce the work and creative journey of Portuguese artist Manuel Casimiro. Tours for the public are offered on Saturdays and Sundays from 22 March to 6 April, and from 19 April to 18 May, at 3.30, 4.30 and 5.30pm, and will be conducted in Cantonese, Mandarin and English. Guides tours for groups and schools need to be booked in advance and will be available on Sundays from 23 March to 6 April and from 20 April to 18 May, from 10am to 1pm; participants can choose their preferred language (Cantonese, Portuguese, English and Mandarin). Each tour takes about one hour and each group should include no more than 25 people. In April, guided tours for the visually impaired will also be available hoping to share with even more people this exhibition's unique pieces through the description of the works on display. These tours will take place on 12, 13, 20 and 27 April, at 2.30pm, each lasting close to one hour. For reservations and more information, schools and interested groups should contact the Cultural Affairs Bureau through tel. no. 8399 6699, during office hours. The exhibition runs until 18 May, daily from 10am to 7pm, at Tap Seac Gallery. Admission is free.
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The Monetary Authority of Macao announced today that the preliminary estimate of Macao SAR's foreign exchange reserves amounted to MOP123.6 billion (USD15.47 billion) at the end of February 2014. The reserves dropped by 4.5% from the revised value of MOP129.5 billion (USD16.19 billion) for the previous month. When compared with a year earlier, the reserves dropped by MOP9.0 billion or 6.8%. Macao SAR's foreign exchange reserves at end-February 2014 represented 12 times the currency in circulation or 109.1% of Pataca M2 at end-January 2014. The trade-weighted effective exchange rate index for the pataca, a gauge of the domestic currency's exchange rates against the currencies of Macao's major trading partners, dropped 0.18 points month-to-month and 0.74 points year-on-year to 96.62 in February 2014. For enquiry, please contact:
Research and Statistics Department, Monetary Authority of Macao (Tel: 83952532; Fax: 28353042)
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The 25th Macao Arts Festival (MAF), organized by the Cultural Affairs Bureau, brings 31 outstanding shows to the territory from 2 May to 8 June 2014. Tickets for the MAF go on sale at 10am on 16 March at all Kong Seng Ticketing outlets; telephone and online bookings will be available from 12pm onwards on the same day. The organizer will distribute numbers to interested ticket buyers from 9am at ticketing outlets, in order to shorten queuing time. On the first day of ticket sales, purchases are limited to a maximum of 10 tickets per performance per person. The Festival presents a rich variety of shows, including Cantonese opera, theatre, dance, multimedia and children shows, Portuguese Fado and Cantonese Naamyam, catering to audiences' different tastes. Early Bird discounts of 40% are available between 16 and 30 March when buying tickets for at least four different performances or when buying 10 or more tickets for the same performance as well as for Student Card and Macao Senior Citizen Card Holders. After 31 March, purchasers meeting the same conditions will still receive a 30% discount. A 20% discount is also available on tickets to any show upon presentation of a Teacher Card, a Bank of China (Macau), Banco Weng Hang (Macau), LTD., Tai Fung Bank, ICBC (Macau), BCM Bank, Luso International Banking LTD., or BNU Credit Card or a Bank of China Tri-Currency Debit Card. In collaboration with MGM Macau, the MAF is also offering the Festival Jubilee Scratch Card Prizes. For every ticket purchase over MOP 250 (net price calculated after discounts), customers can receive one Festival Jubilee Scratch Card; two scratch cards for purchases over MOP500, and so on. Prizes include round trip air tickets sponsored by Air Macao and one night in a luxury suite at MGM Macau, among many others. In addition, the "Taste & Art" dining campaign gives exclusive dining vouchers for offers at selected food and beverage outlets at MGM MACAU. One free voucher per ticket purchased. Buy more, get more! Both offers available while stocks last. For more information on the 25th MAF, please consult the MAF booklet, available at the Cultural Affairs Bureau's Building, the Tap Seac Gallery, Kong Seng Ticketing outlets, the Macao Conservatory, the Macao Central Library, the Macao Cultural Centre, the Public Information Centre, as well as at local bookstores, music stores and designated restaurants. For eco-friendly purposes, the electronic version of the booklet can be viewed and downloaded at www.icm.gov.mo/fimm.
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To celebrate World Consumer Rights Day on 15th March, Consumer Council will hold a Chinese news writing competition and a crossword puzzle to arouse the public's interest and participation in social affairs and enhance their awareness of consumer rights. Consumers International calls on its members around the globe to organize annual activities to celebrate World Consumer Rights Day, aiming at drawing the attention of governments and the public in getting to know more about consumer rights. Macao Consumer Council has been promoting consumer rights and legal knowledge through various kinds of activities. This year, the Council will hold a Chinese news writing competition and a crossword puzzle for the public, it also plans to continue its work in promoting consumer rights and education through community activities. The mentioned Chinese news writing competition is aimed at middle school students and the Council hopes to draw the attention of teenagers to participate more in social affairs, as well as to enhance their knowledge in consumer rights. Three winners will be awarded with cash prizes of $6,000, $4,000, and $3,000 respectively, 20 extra awards of $200 will also be given to entrants with outstanding works. The Council indicates that professors and representatives from local educational institutes and media have been invited to be judges of the said competition. Entrants are expected to submit works that reflect their knowledge in areas such as current affairs and local laws regarding consumer rights. Entrants are welcome to submit their work by mail or in person to the Council before 30th September of this year. For the Chinese crossword puzzle, consumers can submit the completed puzzle online at the Council's website or by mail. The puzzle will start on 15th March and last for a month. 50 winners will be drawn and awarded with cash prize of $200 each. Interested parties can visit the Council website (www.consumer.gov.mo) for details of both contests and download the relevant forms. Further, under the agreement signed by the Council and other consumers organizations in the pan-Pearl River Delta area to co-operate, the Council will set up a 'Pan-Pearl River Delta Consumer Rights News Platform' to provide information to consumers. The first stage of this platform will be launched by having information provided by 9 consumers organizations from mainland China, and Macao Consumer Council will be responsible for consolidating and publishing the news, which include consumer alerts, testing information, legal information and others on clothing and apparel, food and beverages, and other daily living products and services. The platform will be launched at the end of March, and the Council hopes to enrich the contents of the platform in the future.
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A sample batch of live poultry imported from the mainland was yesterday tested positive for the H7 avian flu virus, the Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau announced. None of the chicken from the farm that is the source of the H7 positive sample has been put on the market. The public health contingency response mechanism was activated shortly after the find, which prompted a series of control measures that included culling and sterilisation. The sample that tested positive for the H7 virus in a batch of quarantined live chickens came from Jin Feng Poultry Farm (Registration No. ZHP203) in Doumen, Zhuhai. The poultry wholesale market was sealed off immediately after the virus was detected yesterday; it was then thoroughly cleaned and sterilised after the culling of about 7,500 chickens. The sale of all live poultry in Macao has been suspended for 21 days from today, in line with the World Health Organisation guidelines. The authorities said there had been no report of any resident contracting the virus so far, but they would remained vigilant.
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Consumer Council conducted its fourth 'Supermarket price survey' for March on 12th March for the implementation of Section 2b), Article 10, Law 4/95/M of 12th June. Surveyed locations included supermarkets near Horte e Costa, Avenida do Ouvidor Arriaga and Rua da Emenda areas in Santo António Parish. The latest 'Supermarket Price Survey' is now available on Consumer 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. 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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The Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) released survey results of Manpower Needs and Wages for the fourth quarter of 2013. Survey coverage comprised the Gaming Sector, Wholesale & Retail Trade; Transport, Storage & Communications; Security Activities and Public Sewage & Refuse Disposal Activities, excluding own-account workers, junket promoters and junket associates. At the end of the fourth quarter of 2013, the Gaming Sector had 56,608 persons engaged, up by 3.2% year-on-year, among which 25,250 were dealers. Average earnings (excluding bonuses and allowances) at the end of December 2013 stood at MOP19,120, up by 6.0% year-on-year with dealers earning MOP16,710 in average. Wholesale & Retail Trade had 45,819 persons engaged, up by 18.2% year-on-year, with 29,015 working in Retail trade. In December, average earnings of full-time employees rose by 7.8% year-on-year to MOP11,730, with Sales representatives and Salespersons earning MOP13,430 and MOP11,290 respectively in average. Transport, Storage & Communications had 9,225 persons engaged, up by 5.9% year-on-year. In December, average earnings of full-time employees increased by 6.1% year-on-year to MOP18,210. Drivers of passenger/cargo transport by land earned an average of MOP21,100. Security Activities had 5,827 persons engaged, up by 12.9% year-on-year. The average earnings of full-time employees in December rose by 6.1% year-on-year to MOP9,530, with Security guards earning MOP9,140 in average. Public Sewage & Refuse Disposal Activities had 736 persons engaged, up by 1.4% year-on-year. The average earnings of full-time employees in December increased by 14.2% year-on-year to MOP14,530. At the end of the fourth quarter of 2013, the Gaming Sector had 1,966 vacancies, down by 158 year-on-year, Retail Trade reported 2,703 vacancies, down by 374, while vacancies in Transport, Storage & Communications rose by 208, to 885 posts. In terms of recruitment prerequisites, 84.6% in Public Sewage & Refuse Disposal Activities and 59.1% in the Gaming Sector required working experience, 94.3% of the vacancies in Security Activities and 61.8% in the Gaming Sector required junior secondary education or lower. Furthermore, 82.8% and 70.4% of the vacancies in the Gaming Sector required knowledge of Mandarin and English respectively, while in Retail Trade 80.1% and 65.2% of the vacancies required knowledge of Mandarin and English respectively. In the fourth quarter of 2013, a total of 3,503 new employees were hired in the Gaming Sector and the employee recruitment rate (6.3%) increased by 1.0 percentage point year-on-year. The job vacancy rate (3.4%) fell by 0.4 percentage points, indicating that some of the vacancies were already filled. Despite the vacancy rates in Retail Trade and in Security Activities decreased by 3.2 and 0.7 percentage points year-on-year, both still remained high at 10.2% and 15.1% respectively, indicating that many of the vacancies were unoccupied still.
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Hosted by the Government of Macao Special Administrative Region, the 2014 Macao International Environmental Protection Forum and Exhibition (2014MIECF) will be held from 27 to 29 March in the Convention and Exhibition Centre of Venetian Macao-Resort-Hotel. Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM) and Macao Environmental Protection Bureau (DSPA) are the Host Co-ordinators for the event. The theme this year is "Energising Green Business Growth", carrying forward the principle of the "Thinking Green, Going Green, Living Cool" spirit. 2014MIECF will cover six areas, namely, energy efficiency, renewable energy, green building, green transportation, waste and water management solutions and environmental services. The Host Co-ordinators have invited internationally renowned enterprises in the environmental protection industry, to generate vast business opportunities for exhibitors from around the world. Up to the present, the following companies have already confirmed their participation: Nam Kwong Natural Gas Co Ltd, PV Vacuum Engineering (from Singapore), Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (from Japan), Macau Energy, Xin Kan Shun Motors Ltd (Renault Cars), BMW Macau, and Melco Crown Entertainment. Besides, Macau New Environment Research Centre (subsidiary of Nak Yue Technology Group), Donasonic (from the United Kingdom) and Uniseal Creative Solutions (from Singapore) will debut at the 2014 MIECF. Products and services to be showcased include renewable energy, energy efficiency, energy-saving products, green building services and electric vehicles. Discussions on Retrofitting for Energy Efficiency and Sustainable Transportation at the Green Business Co-operation Day In the afternoon of the first day of the 2014MIECF (27 March), a series of activities will be held in connection with the Green Business Co-operation Day, including Forum, Green Business Networking Cocktail and Signing Ceremony. Experts from Mainland China (especially from the Pan-Pearl River Delta Region), Asia-Pacific, Europe and the Portuguese-Speaking Countries, as well as senior officers and representatives of international brands have been invited, to share their insights on market dynamics and explore co-operation opportunities. The Forum will consist of two sessions, namely "Retrofitting for Industrial and Commercial Energy Efficiency – The Business Behind the Change" and "Incentives and Innovation Behind Sustainable Transportation". Keynote speakers for the first session will include Mr Bill Prescott, Corporate Director of Chinook Sciences, LLC, (from UK) and Mr James Lim, CEO of Uniseal Creative Solutions Pte Ltd (from Singapore), while Mr Antonio Trindade, President of the Macao Association of Environmental Protection Industry will moderate. Keynote speakers in the second session will be Mr Vincent Piket, Head of Office of the European Union to Hong Kong and Macao, with other speakers including Mr João Marques da Cruz, Executive Board Member of EDP – Energias de Portugal, S.A. and President of Portuguese-Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (from Portugal), Mr Yang Shiming, Assistant Chairman of China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, Automotive Sub-Council and China Chamber of Commerce, Automotive Chamber (from Mainland China), Mr Lei Hongjun, Senior Engineer and Assistant General Manager of Dongfen Yangzte Motor /Wuhan Co Ltd, (from Mainland China) and Mr Keith Bevis, General Manager of Evalu8 Transport Innovations Ltd. (from the United Kingdom) and Ir. Daniel M Cheng, President of Hong Kong Environmental Industry Association and Deputy Chairman of Federation of Hong Kong Industries will act as moderator for this session. The Green Forum will be followed by another series of activities, including the Networking Cocktail Reception and Signing Ceremony, to provide the exhibitors and enterprises from around the world with the opportunity for business exchanges, while also promoting co-operation between Macao enterprises and their counterparts from abroad (especially those in the Pan-Pearl River Delta and the European Union), in the field of environmental industry.
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The Institute for Tourism Studies' Bachelor Degree Programme emphasises on the balance between theory and practice. Students are required to complete certain hours of practical tasks related to their specialisations every year. One of the tasks given to the Tourism Business Management students is to provide free guided tour to tourists and local residents. The activity, with the theme of "Tour around Macao with IFT Students", is organised by year two students of Tourism Business Management Degree Programme. With the assistance from the instructors, five different itineraries have been designed and each lasts about one hour and thirty minutes. This free guided tour service will be provided to all tourists and local residents on Saturday and Sunday, from 15 March – 6 April. The main objectives of the activity: I. It allows the students to put what they have learnt about tourism into practice. The whole project, from itinerary design to time control to the actual tour guiding, is planned by the students themselves with assistance from instructors. By coordinating the activity, their communication skills can also be enhanced. II. To promote Macao to the tourists by offering the free guiding service at the city centre and tourist attractions. Residents will also be made aware of the importance of tourism to Macao. IFT is the only public higher education institution in Macao that cultivates talents for tourism and service industry. It endeavours to promote Macao through various activities and to leave a good impression to everyone who visits the place.
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Consumer Council conducted its third 'Supermarket price survey' for March on 10th March for the implementation of Section 2b), Article 10, Law 4/95/M of 12th June. Surveyed locations included 8 supermarkets in Toi San, Ilha Verde and Fai Chi Kei areas in N. Sra. de Fátima Parish. The latest 'Supermarket Price Survey' is now available on Consumer 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. 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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