News

The University of Macau (UM) today (10 March) kicked off the Career and Internship Fair 2014, which will last until 14 March. The fair attracted 65 companies and organisations offering over 2,300 jobs to graduating UM students as well as internship opportunities to second-year and third-year students. During this period, UM will also hold 30 recruitment talks. Elvo Sou, head of the Student Counselling and Development Section of the Student Affairs Office, said that in addition to providing various employment and internship opportunities, the fair also teaches the students how to make career choices and provides an opportunity for them to improve their interview skills, know more about the job market, and showcase their talent. According to UM's latest employment and further studies survey among bachelor's degree graduates for the 2012/2013 academic year, the three most popular industries for UM graduates are education, entertainment and gaming, as well as banking and finance and hospitality, with the employment rate reaching 82 per cent and the median monthly income being MOP 13,000. 12 per cent of last year's UM graduates chose to pursue further studies. This year's fair includes three parts, the career workshops organised by the Student Affairs Office, on-site interviews with exhibiting companies and organisations, as well as 30 recruitment talks.
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Aiming to strengthen the exchanges and cooperation between the Macao´s convention and exhibition industry with their counterparts abroad, promote the advantages of Macau as an ideal destination for the organizations of conventions and exhibitions, so as to attract the organization of MICE activities in Macao by renowned organizations specialized in this area, members of the External Co-operation Group of the Committee for the Development of Convention and Exhibition and officials of the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM), comprised of 7 persons, travelled to Bangalore, India, from March 4 to 7, to participate in the "UFI Open Seminar in Asia". The said event was held by The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry (UFI). UFI is one of the most representative associations in field of convention and exhibition, whose members include managers and professionals of the MICE industry from all over the world, with the common mission of promoting the development of the MICE industry, in the regional and international context. IPIM is a member of UFI since 2005 and has over the years actively participated in the various events organized by the said association, taking the opportunity to carry out exchanges with persons and institutions belonging to the MICE industry. During the UFI Open Seminar, before an audience of over 150 people, comprised of UFI members and leaders and representatives of the convention and exhibition industry around the world, the President of IPIM, Mr. Jackson Chang, promoted the advantages of Macau as an ideal place for the organization of conventions and exhibitions, the support provided by IPIM to event organizers to bid for the organization of conventions and exhibitions in Macao and also the "one-stop" service provided by IPIM. In addition, IPIM also installed a booth in the venue, to distribute promotional materials to the delegates and answer their questions about Macao. Members of the Macao delegation visited the Indian Exhibition Industry Association (IEIA) and met with its President Rakesh Kuman and its members. Both parties exchanged valuable opinions on the support provided by their respective governments to the development of the convention and exhibition industry and also the measures to attract a greater number of MICE activities to their respective countries and regions. In the meantime, members of Macao delegation also visited the event organiser, The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry (UFI) and met with its Managing Director, Mr. Paul Woodward. The delegation introduced the competitive advantage and the latest development of exhibition industry in Macao. Members of the Macao delegation included the Convenor of the External Development Group of the Committee for the Development of Conventions and Exhibitions of Macao and President of IPIM, Mr. Jackson Chang, the Executive Director of IPIM, Mrs. Irene V. K. Lau, and members of the External Development Group of the Committee for the Development of Conventions and Exhibitions, including the Vice-Chairman of the Macau Convention and Exhibition Association, Mr. Alan Ho, Chairman the Association of Advertising Agents of Macau, Mr. Edmund Wong, President of the Board of Directors of the Association of Advertising Agents of Macau, Mr. Kevin Bi and the President of Travel Industry Council of Macau, Mr. Andy Wu.
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Within the framework of the 15th Cultural Affairs Bureau's "Academic Research Grant" programme, two projects by candidates from Mainland China and Hong Kong have been selected. The Cultural Affairs Bureau has established an "Academic Research Grant" programme with the aim of encouraging advanced and original research projects in the field of Humanities, about Macanese culture or about Macao and East-West cultural exchanges. From the projects submitted between 1 June to 30 November 2013, two have been selected to receive a research grant, namely: Transformations in Macao's Architecture: a Study of its Western Core Factors by Tang Jian, holder of a PhD in Engineering by the University of Kagoshima (Japan), Associate Professor of Civil and Mechanical Engineering (College of Science and Engineering) at Jinan University and Senior Engineer; and An Essay on the Modernist Trends in Macao's Poetry by Au Chung To, holder of a PhD in Philosophy by the Hong Kong University and Assistant Professor at the Department of Literature and Cultural Studies of the Hong Kong Institute of Education.
The first project aims at compiling data on all squares in the city of Macao, "from the 16th century onwards" and statistically evaluate their basic features (such as time coordinates, geographic position and other related data), thus understanding how their features have changed through the aforementioned period. It will also analyse the characteristics of the planning of churches and Western urban spaces led by the Portuguese in the 16th and 17th centuries, providing a systematic explanation of the building process of squares and its relation with the development of the city, suburbs and countryside. The research will also catalogue representative buildings in Macao in the same time period and statistically analyse their building and reconstruction dates as well as their stylistic features, thereby illustrating their transformation through time.
Modernist trends in poetry became evident during the 1980's in Macao and are an important page in the history of local literature. The second project will adopt as a model the characteristics of Western Modernism for the discussion of the subject, while also referring to the peculiarities of Modernism in Shanghai, Taiwan and Hong Kong. Through an analysis of works by five important modernist poets from Macao (Tao Li, Tao Kongliao, Liu Xingzi, Wei Ming and Yi Ling), this research will outline the features of modernist poetry in Macao, thus establishing a dialogue between these local poetry tendencies and Modernism in other parts of the world and placing them in context.
To access the Academic Research Grant Regulations and other information, please visit the Cultural Affairs Bureau's website: www.icm.gov.mo.
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The Government of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) was informed by the Embassy of the Republic of Moldova in Beijing that the holders of Macao SAR Passport have been exempted from visa requirements when entering the Republic of Moldova for a maximum stay of 90 days. On the basis of reciprocity, nationals of the Republic of Moldova are exempted from visa requirements when entering Macao SAR for a maximum stay of 90 days. Up to date, there are 108 countries and territories that have granted Macao SAR Passport holders visa-free/visa-on-arrival access to their region. Moreover, there are 10 countries that have granted Macao SAR Travel Permit holders visa-free access to their region.
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Consumer Council conducted its second 'Supermarket price survey' for March on 5th March for the implementation of Section 2b), Article 10, Law 4/95/M of 12th June. Surveyed locations included supermarkets near Iao Hon Market and the Border Gate area (Portas do Cerco ) 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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The Board of the Association of Portuguese Speaking Universities (AULP) recently held a meeting on the University of Macau's (UM) new campus, and approved the proposal from UM, IPM and IFT to organise the 24th Annual Meeting of AULP in Macao, between 15 September and 17 September. The meeting was chaired by AULP President and Rector of University Lúrio, Mozambique, Prof. Jorge Ferrão.
Besides the president, four vice presidents were also present at the meeting. They are Prof. Clélio Campolina Diniz, rector of the Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil; Prof. António Branco, rector of the University of Algarve, Portugal; Prof. Agatângelo Eduardo, vice rector of the University Agostinho Neto, Angola, representing the rector Prof. Orlando da Mata; and Prof. Rui Martins, vice rector (research) of UM, representing Rector Wei Zhao. The board discussed several issues related to the normal annual operation of AULP, in particular the Fernão Mendes Pinto Prize granted every year to the best PhD thesis selected from all the member universities of AULP, a programme about the mobility of students and the institutional evaluation within AULP, the admission of new members, as well as the diversified range of publications sponsored by AULP. Finally, the board analysed and approved the proposal from UM, IPM and IFT to organise the 24th annual meeting of AULP in Macao, between 15 September and 17 September, on UM's new campus. The theme of this year's annual meeting is "Tourism among the Portuguese Speaking Countries". Besides attending this meeting, AULP board members also made courtesy visits to the Secretariat for Social Affairs and Culture, where they met with Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Cheong U, as well as to the Macao Foundation, where they met with Administrative Committee President Wu Zhiliang. They also held a meeting with UM Rector Wei Zhao. During the meeting board members mentioned that the new campus left a very positive impression on them, describing the new campus as "unique in the world." Other board members who attended the meeting included Prof. Judite Nascimento, rector of the University of Cabo Verde, Cabo Verde; Prof. Lourenço Rosário, rector of University Polytechnic, Mozambique; Prof. Armando Pires, president of the Polytechnic Institute of Setúbal, Portugal; Prof. Matilde Scaramucci, representing the rector of the State University of Campinas, Brazil; Prof. Francisco Soares, representing the rector of Independent University, Angola; and Dra. Teresa Botelheiro, executive secretary of AULP.
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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" will be inaugurated on 7 March, Friday, at 6:30pm, at Tap Seac Gallery, presenting 147 works by the Portuguese artist.
Manuel Casimiro, born in Oporto, Portugal, in 1941, is a painter, sculptor, photographer and film director. His vast work reflects an original and independent itinerary with a strong and very personal creativity of universal content, where the present merges with the past and projects itself into the future. In the numerous phases of his artistic career, an elementary oval shape (the Ovoid) appears repeatedly in different contexts and situations to highlight the differences, without denying the work's narrative elements. These oval shapes appear on papers or paintings but also on natural elements, cities, pictures of museum artworks, hence gaining a new dimension.
Exhibiting in Macao for the first time, the artist shows his multi-faceted creative path, portraying various ways to perceive the world as well as motivating the audience to decipher the meaning of each piece. This exhibition runs until 18 May at Tap Seac Gallery, located at no. 95, Avenida do Conselheiro Ferreira de Almeida, daily from 10am to 7pm. Admission is free. In order to promote education in the field of the visual arts and a better understanding of the artist and his works, guided tours will be offered, on dates to be announced. Additionally, in April, there will be verbal imagery guided tours service for the visually impaired, hoping to share with more people the unique works of this exhibition.
Alongside the exhibition, a talk will be held on the 11 March, from 6.30 pm to 8 pm, at the Rui Cunha Foundation Gallery (no. 749, Avenida da Praia Grande, G/F, Macao). The artist Manuel Casimiro will elaborate on some of his works and his vision on contemporary art, as well as on works by French artist Marcel Duchamp. The talk will be conducted in Portuguese with translation to Cantonese, and is open to the public. Seats are limited and reservations are recommended through number 28933288 until 10 March.
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The Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macau SAR Government presents the 25th Macao Arts Festival (MAF) with the aim of creating a platform for cultural exchange and promoting the arts development in the territory. Celebrating its Silver Jubilee, the MAF will open on Friday, 2 May and, for the period of over one month, will feature thirty-one acts in sixteen different venues, more than half of which are local productions, including comprehensive exhibitions and outreach programmes, in a total of over 200 events, striving to vitalise the citizens' cultural lives and to broaden their artistic horizons.
Apart from local performances, the programme of this year's MAF includes a varied array of performances from Mainland China, Hong Kong SAR, Portugal, United Kingdom, France, USA, Canada, Argentina, Japan, and Singapore, ranging from contemporary dance to Cantonese opera, from multimedia performances to shadow puppetry, from audiovisual architectural mapping to exhibitions of western media and photography. Shows for all tastes take to the stage, not only at the city's performing arts venues but also at many of Macao's world heritage sites. This year, the Festival is themed 'Impulse' - a metaphor for the surging power of the arts which not only nourishes sentiments but boosts creativity. In addition, it demonstrates the progressively strong vitality of the Macao Arts Festival.
We are looking forward to witnessing the 25th MAF opening and closing performances, specially commissioned to local art groups. The Festival begins with the Macao Arts Festival Silver Jubilee Opening Concert, featuring local musical elites specially invited to gather in Tap Seac Square on May 2, at 7:30pm. A Dream of Light, bringing one more original audiovisual mapping show to the Ruins of St. Paul's from May 31 to June 8 at 8pm and 9pm, is sure to bring the Festival to a scintillating close. On May 3 and 4, at 8pm, the Dom Pedro V Theatre will host Venetians Want to Get a House, the most recent production by the Macao Experimental Theatre. An adaptation of Clybourne Park, a recent play by American playwright Bruce Norris, awarded the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the 2012 Tony Award for Best Play, the play explores the impact of fast-paced urban development. The Old Court Building hosts on May 3 and 4 at 8pm a production by Stella & Artists, The Dancer Studio Macao and Amalgama Dance Company (Portugal) who have been cooperating and promoting artistic exchanges since 2012. Revival, an original work that combines enthusiastic and passionate dance with live music, is the result of these exchanges. Other local productions feature dance, theatre, music, multimedia and family entertainment performances, as well as items of Intangible Cultural Heritage such as Cantonese Opera, Macanese Theatre (Patuá theatre), and Cantonese Naamyam. Naamyam will interweave with dance on stage for the first time, offering an innovative and surprising performance in a traditional Cantonese tea house. At the core of the MAF programme are other treats. These include internationally acclaimed modernist ballet Dance, a collaboration between renowned choreographer Lucinda Childs, composer Philip Glass and visual artist Sol LeWitt, that takes to the Macao Cultural Centre Grand Auditorium stage on 17 and 18 May, at 8pm; Robert Lepage's theatrical work The Andersen Project, regarded as a classic that merges real with virtual theatre, which has gained popularity over the years and will also be presented at the Macao Cultural Centre Grand Auditorium on 23 and 24 May at 8pm; Dance Dome, an innovative and intimate 360° immersive cinema developed to surround its audiences in cutting edge contemporary dance in several sessions from 19 to 25 May (Friendship Square) and from 28 May to 1 June (Pak Tai Temple Square); and Eighteen Springs, a fusion of classical and modern theatre, that integrates multimedia design and reinterprets the work of Eileen Chang by adopting an experimental approach, to be held on 31 May and 1 June on the Macao Cultural Centre Grand Auditorium stage. In short, this year's Macao Arts Festival contains many highlights, catering to audiences' different tastes.
Art exhibitions are also featured in the MAF. The Macao Annual Visual Arts Exhibition 2014, this year dedicated to western media, aims at promoting local visual arts and encouraging home-grown talent to participate and exhibit their work. The Macao Museum hosts Collotype • Recurrence, Spatial Convergence of John Thomson and Wong Ho Sang. In this exhibition, renowned Macao photographer Wong Ho Sang aims at providing visitors with a more specific understanding of the photographic processing method – the Collotype or wet plate - used by John Thomson (1837-1921), a pioneering Scottish photographer, geographer and traveller. For more information please consult the MAF booklet or website at www.icm.gov.mo/fam. Tickets for the 25th Macao Arts Festival will be available after 10am on 16 March 2014 at all Macao Kong Seng Ticketing Network outlets. Telephone and online bookings will be available from 12pm on the same day. On the first day of ticket sales, ticket purchases are limited to a maximum of 10 tickets per performance per person. This year, the Festival offers early bird discounts of up to 40%, between 16 and 30 March, when buying tickets for at least 4 different performances or when buying 10 or more tickets for the same performance. 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 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. For more information on the 25th MAF, please call 8399 6699 during office hours. Ticketing hotlines: (853) 2855 5555 in Macao; (852) 2380 5083 in Hong Kong; (86) 139 2691 1111 in Mainland China.
Online Reservations: www.macauticket.com
The MAF's press conference took place on 5 March, Wednesday, at 3pm at the MGM Macau Grand Ballroom. Present at the press conference were the President of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, Dr. Ung Vai Meng accompanied by representatives of the Festival's supporting entities, namely the Deputy Director of the Macao Government Tourist Office, Dr. Tse Heng Sai; the Director of Chinese Programmes of TDM – Teledifusão de Macau, Mr. Ieong Tou Ian; the Commercial Vice-President of Air Macau, Mr. Yang Jianhua and the Vice-President of Marketing and Communications of MGM Macau, Mr. Toby Leung. Present were also the Vice-President of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, Dr. Leong Hio Ming; the Head of the Special Projects Division of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, Mr. Boyce Lam Chon Keong; and representatives of the Festival's participating groups.
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Consumers' increasing awareness to save energy and protect our environment has led to a trend to use energy-saving products. In its latest issue of Consumer Report, Consumer Council includes a feature on compact fluorescent lamps to introduce their characteristics and functions. There are lots of compact fluorescent lamps on the market but testing reports on these lamps are limited. In order to provide relevant information to consumers, the Council has referred to a testing report released by Guangdong Consumer Council and make relevant research to find out the quality of compact fluorescent lamps in Macao,. The Council also provides some safety advice to consumers for using these lamps. Results and other details can be found in the latest issue of Consumer Report. Starting from Q4 of 2013, the Council expanded its scope of work on 'Supermarket Price Survey' to include the number of surveyed supermarkets from 15 to over 90. The website of 'Supermarket Price Information Platform' has also been updated with newly-added searching and comparing functions. In the current issue, a step-to-step guide with pictures is included to help consumers know more about the 'Platform' and use it in a more efficient way. Other articles such as how to avoid junk mails and messages, and recent activities of the Council are included in the latest issue no. 245 of Consumer Report. Consumer Report is now available free of charge at the Consumer Council (Av. Horta e Costa, N.º 24-A, Edf. Cheung Heng, R/C), and the service counter of the 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 magazine online on the Council's official website (http://www.consumer.gov.mo). For enquiries, please call 8988 9315.
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13 kiosks for electronic identity card renewal and SAR passport application have been set up at the China Plaza. The Identification Services Bureau will extend the above-mentioned kiosks to the Government Services Centre in Areia Preta as needed. In order to improve the kiosk services continuously, the Identity Services Bureau will collect opinions from the kiosk users regularly and welcomes citizens to provide their valuable comments. Continuous Improvement on Document Collection Process The Identification Services Bureau has implemented the electronic document collection measures on trial basis in September 2013, so that citizens no longer need to queue up for collecting documents. After arriving the Identification Services Bureau, citizens just need to input the barcode of the document collection receipt with the kiosk, and then wait in the seating area until they are instructed to collect their document at the designated counter. Before using the self-service kiosks for electronic identity card renewal and SAR passport application and the electronic document collection process, citizens can browse the relevant demonstration videos in advance at the Electronic Services Area, the Document Collection Counter and the official website (www.dsi.gov.mo) of the Identification Service Bureau. The introduction of self-service kiosks for electronic identity card renewal and SAR passport application marked an important milestone on the development of electronic government services of the Identification Services Bureau. The Identification Services Bureau will continue to promote electronic services and continuously improve working processes and enhance service quality.
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