News

Consumer Council conducted its specific price survey on oral care products on 12th August for the implementation of Section 2b), Article 10, Law 4/95/M of 12th June. Result of the mentioned survey has been uploaded to the Council's website (www.consumer.gov.mo) and is available in the Council's 'Supermarket Price Information Platform' iPhone and Android apps. For inquiry, please call the Council's hotline: 8988 9315.
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The Monetary Authority of Macao released today the credit card statistics for the second quarter of 2013. The total number of personal credit cards in circulation was 693,485 at the end of June 2013, equivalent to an increase of 3.7% over a quarter earlier. The numbers of Pataca (MOP) cards, Hong Kong Dollar (HKD) cards and Renminbi (RMB) cards were 498,078, 74,153 and 121,254 respectively. MOP cards, HKD cards and RMB cards witnessed respective growth of 2.9%, 2.3% and 7.7% quarter-to-quarter. Compared with a year ago, MOP cards and HKD cards rose 13.2% and 8.6% respectively, while RMB cards registered an upsurge of 34.0% mainly driven by a marked 35.2% growth of MOP/RMB dual-currency cards. As at end-June 2013, credit card credit limit granted by banks in Macao reached MOP12.3 billion, up 7.9% from end-March 2013. Credit card receivables amounted to MOP1.6 billion while the rollover amount totalled MOP519.9 million, accounting for 32.2% of credit card receivables. The delinquency ratio, i.e. the ratio of delinquent amount overdue for more than three months to credit card receivables, edged down slightly to 0.64%. For the second quarter of 2013, the credit card turnover grew 2.6% quarter-to-quarter to MOP3.3 billion. The cash advance turnover was MOP160.9 million, accounting for 4.9% of total credit card turnover. Credit card repayments, in which payments for interest and fees are included, went down 9.0% from the previous quarter to MOP3.2 billion. For enquiry, please contact:
Research and Statistics Department
Monetary Authority of Macao (Tel：8395 2532Fax：2835 3042)
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Consumer Council conducted its specific price survey on seasonings on 8th August for the implementation of Section 2b), Article 10, Law 4/95/M of 12th June. Result of the mentioned survey has been uploaded to the Council's website (www.consumer.gov.mo) and is available in the Council's 'Supermarket Price Information Platform' iPhone and Android apps. For inquiry, please call the Council's hotline: 8988 9315.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that the total population was estimated at 591,900 as at end-June 2013, an increase of 5,600 quarter-to-quarter; female population totalled 306,200, accounting for 51.7% of the total. There were 1,524 live births delivered in the second quarter of 2013, a decrease of 85 quarter-to-quarter (-5.3%). Male babies totalled 842 and the gender ratio of the newborn stood at 123.5, corresponding to 123.5 male babies per 100 female. In the first half year of 2013, a total of 3,133 live births were recorded, down by 100 year-on-year. Meanwhile, there were 442 mortality cases, a decrease of 49 quarter-to-quarter; the top three underlying causes of death were Neoplasms (165 cases), Diseases of the Circulatory System (104 cases) and Diseases of the Respiratory System (63 cases). In the first half year of 2013, mortality cases went down by 57 year-on-year to 933. In the second quarter of 2013, there were 800 Chinese immigrants and the individuals granted right of abode registered a net inflow of 360, up by 120 and 268 quarter-to-quarter. Non-resident workers totalled 121,194 at the end of the second quarter, an increase of 6,478 quarter-to-quarter. A total of 1,050 cases of marriage registration were recorded in the second quarter, down by 118 quarter-to-quarter. In the first half year of 2013, there were 2,218 cases of marriage registration, up by 236 year-on-year.
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The 25th Macao Arts Festival (MAF), organised by the Cultural Affairs Bureau (CAB), will take place in May next year. In order to promote de development of local arts, the CAB invites all registered local associations to present projects for shows until November 8. Selected works will be included in next year's MAF programme. The MAF will enter its 25th year following three major objectives: "disseminate traditional Chinese culture", "present prominent works from all over the world" and "promote the development of local arts", offering the population a variety of performances and exhibitions, enriching the city's cultural life and, at the same time, giving local performing arts a platform from display and exchange.
All registered local art associations are invited to present their proposals. There are no restrictions to genre or form of the shows, which can be original or have been shown before. However, shows must conform to the MAF's objectives, reflecting the rich regional culture and popular spirit, and possess high artistic quality and visual appeal.
In order to encourage creativity and further develop artistic education, the following shows will be first and foremost taken into account: 1. Productions inspired by local literary works;
2. Children's plays.
Interested registered local associations should submit detailed proposals including the concept, the script, set design plan, production team and cast's brief introduction, budget estimate as well as any additional information regarding the Project. Proposals should be submitted until November 8 to the Cultural Events Department, Cultural Affairs Bureau Building, in an envelope marked 'Call for Local Performance Proposals for the 25th Macao Arts Festival'. For further details, please visit the Cultural Affairs Bureau website at www.icm.gov.mo or telephone Ms. Chou or Ms. Lei on 8399 6653/ 8399 6605, during office hours.
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Outreach Programme of the 27th Macao International Music Festival (MIMF) organized by the Cultural Affairs Bureau of Macao is open for enrolment. Mr. Chow Fan Fu, acclaimed Hong Kong performing art critic, is going to speak on the delicate art of opera. His talk series entitled 'Enter the World of German and Italian Opera' presents an excellent guide to the opera events of the Festival. World-renowned violinist Kyung-wha Chung will share her stage experience with the audience, limited vacancies available. Besides, Jazz-it-up! Workshops are welcomed with enthusiasm. The beginner and advanced classes are full; however the "Mini Jazz" initiation classes still have a few opennings. Mr. Chow Fan Fu, speaker of the talk series 'Enter the World of German and Italian Opera', is a music critic active in the Greater China, and was awarded Medal of Honour by the Government of Hong Kong S.A.R. The series consists of four talks. The debut introduces Mozart's Bastien und Bastiene and Mr. Chow's '6S's' method to the appreciation of opera for beginners. In the following talks, Mr. Chow with his '6S's' key, is going to bring the audience through the gate of the splendid realm of opera through Wagner's Das Rheingold, Verdi's Aida, as well as the latter's Requiem, the 'opera in ecclesiastical robes'. The dates of the four talks are respectively August 16th, 23rd, 30th and September 6th. Attendees of no less than three talks of the 'Enter the World of German and Italian Opera' series will each be awarded one free ticket for the opera performance Bastien und Bastiene. Besides, world-renowned violinist Kyung-wha Chung will share with the audience her stage experience and performance techniques. Two participants will be selected for a small coaching session on playing two designated pieces of music. This is an extremely rare learning opportunity for local music students. The Violin Master Class with Kyung-wha Chung is open for enrolment from today to August 15th (office hour). The medium of instruction is English, with Cantonese interpretation. As the vacancies are limited, prospective attendees should make enquiry and enroll by calling 83996699 or 83996617. Application form can be fetched and submitted to the Cultural Affairs Bureau Building on the Tap Seac Square, or through email to fimm@icm.gov.mo. Programme in details can be downloaded from the refined MIMF website: http://www.icm.gov.mo/fimm.
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that a total of 1,146 new companies were incorporated in the second quarter of 2013, up by 197 year-on-year; total value of registered capital increased by 93.9% to MOP174 million. Analysed by industry, the majority of new incorporations were operating in Wholesale & Retail (390) and Business Services (253), and the total value of capital amounted to MOP72 million and MOP40 million respectively. In the second quarter of 2013, companies in dissolution totalled 144, and the value of registered capital of companies in dissolution amounted to MOP18 million. Analysed by size of registered capital, there were 787 new incorporations (68.7% of total) registered with capital under MOP50,000 and the total value of capital amounted to MOP21 million. On the other hand, there were 37 new companies registered with capital of MOP1,000,000 or over, and the total value of capital reached MOP113 million (65.1% of total), indicating the predominance of new incorporations with small capital. In the second quarter of 2013, capital of the new companies came mainly from Macao (MOP88 million) and Mainland China (MOP40 million), including MOP18 million from the 9 Provinces of the Pan-Pearl River Delta Region. Analysed by combination of the shareholders, there were 713 new companies established solely by Macao shareholders, and 129 joint ventures between shareholders from Macao and other countries or regions. In the first half year of 2013, a total of 2,134 new companies were incorporated, and total value of registered capital amounted to MOP328 million, up by 16.6% and 13.7% respectively year-on-year. Number of companies in dissolution totalled 273 in the first half year, and the value of registered capital of companies in dissolution amounted to MOP206 million. At the end of the second quarter of 2013, number of registered companies totalled 41,648, an increase of 3,403 from a year earlier.
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Consumer Council conducted its specific price survey on tissue papers on 6th August for the implementation of Section 2b), Article 10, Law 4/95/M of 12th June. Result of the mentioned survey has been uploaded to the Council's website (www.consumer.gov.mo) and is available in the Council's 'Supermarket Price Information Platform' iPhone and Android apps. For inquiry, please call the Council's hotline: 8988 9315.
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The Macao International Music Festival (MIMF) brings this year to the city 22 productions, in a total of 32 shows. Tickets have been available at Kong Seng Ticketing Network outlets since Sunday, August 4 and, until 6pm of the first day of sales, 6.700 tickets had already been sold. The 27th MIMF, organized by the Cultural Affairs Bureau, will take place between October 2 and November 3; artists from over ten countries and regions have been invited to present outstanding music shows, catering to music lovers' different tastes. Operas, musicals, large scale symphonies and small musical pieces appeal the most to local audiences. On the first day of ticket sales, the organizer placed staff members at every Kong Seng outlet to distribute numbers to interested ticket buyers, thereby reducing their waiting time. In each outlet, around 600 numbers were distributed to the satisfaction of the public, who praised the services supplied by the organizer and also the help of staff members in purchasing tickets. Several shows were highly sought after, revealing the tastes of the public. Sold out shows include Songs Along the Danube, by the Vienna Boys Choir, and the jazz concert Unclouded, by Norwegian Silje Nergaard. Around 80% of tickets for Wagner's opera in 1 act Das Rheingold, for the Dresden Philharmonic, the Korean Chamber Orchestra and the Terem Quartet concerts, and for Mozart's opera in 1 act Bastien and Bastienne, among others, have also already been sold. In celebration of the 200th anniversary of Richard Wagner and Giuseppe Verdi's birth, the MIMF presents masterpieces by these two prominent opera composers, including Verdi's Aida, for which only a third of all tickets is still available. Tickets for the Dragon Quartet's concert were also in great demand, with only 30% still available. This year's MIMF closes with "Miss Saigon – The Musical", which takes to the stage in three consecutive days in a total of five performances. With each purchase of two tickets for Miss Saigon, buyers can receive a "buy 1 get 1 free" voucher for Cotai Water Jet ferry tickets. Tickets for free performances – Verdi's Messa da Requiem by the Latvian National Opera, the Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra's concert and the concert The Soul of Orthodox Chant by Divna and Melódi, all to take place at heritage-listed St. Dominic's church – were fully distributed by 12pm on August 4. For more information on the 27th MIMF, please consult the MIMF booklet, available at several locations and also for download at www.icm.gov.mo/fimm.
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The Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao SAR Government (CAB), in cooperation with the Macao Architects Association, organises the Macao Pavilion at the 2013 Shenzhen and Hong Kong Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism/Architecture (Shenzhen), and is not inviting applications for the Pavilion until August 30. Macao was, for the first time, invited to participate in this Biennale, whose theme this year is "Urban Border". Individual residents or legal persons are both invited to apply for this Project. The Biennale was first organised in Shenzhen in 2005 and an invitation to participate was extended to Hong Kong in 2007, with both cities co-organising the exhibition from this year on and turning it into a "Bi-City Biennale". It is currently the only biennale in the world dedicated to urbanism; in the four editions already held in Shenzhen and Hong Kong, more than 520 works from around the world went on display and over 110 forums were organised. Macao was for the first time invited to participate in this event. The CAB hopes this participation can successfully promote the cultural exchange between Macao and third countries, contribute to better knowledge of the national and international cultural tendencies in urbanism and architecture and attract the population's interest in architecture, urban planning, art and design. The theme "Urban Border" stems from urban areas' characteristic multiplicity of values, and is centred in the often ignored and hidden tendency for diversity, differentiation and individuality that is revealed beyond the mainstream and homogeneity during the urbanization process. The Shenzhen exhibition will be curated by Ole Bouman's team in cooperation with Li Xiangning and Jeffrey Johnson's team. The CAB will hold a clarification session, on August 10, at 3pm, at the CAB Building, located at Tap Seac Square, to introduce the Biennale's background, location and theme, among other topics. The exhibition project will be supervised by the Organising Committee of the Macao Exhibition – 2013 Shenzhen and Hong Kong Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism/Architecture, and the selection of applications will be carried out by the Jury Commission for the Macao Pavilion Exhibition Plans – 2013 Shenzhen and Hong Kong Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism/Architecture. Interested parties who have any questions relating to this project, can send an email to pr@icm.gov.mo until August 9 (Friday). The organizer will reply all queries by email before August 16 (Friday), and all replies will be made available for consultation at the CAB's website. The application form and regulation are available for download at the CAB's website, at www.icm.gov.mo.
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