Briefs | 21-year-old dies from motorbike accident

A 21-year-old local resident died last week from a motorbike accident at Av. Marginal do Lam Mau. The deceased is believed to have lost control of his vehicle and collided with a roadside flowerbed. He was sent to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead. This death marks the second fatal traffic accident this year. The Public Security Police Force’s transportation department is investigating the accident.

151k Macau tourists visited Taiwan in 2017

The number of Macau residents travelling to Taiwan increased eight percent year-on-year to reach 151,000 people in 2017, according to Chinese press reports based on information from the Taiwan Tourism Bureau Hong Kong. On the other hand, more than 1.06 million of Macau’s visitors in 2017 were Taiwan residents, with Taiwan becoming Macau’s third largest source of visitors. The Taiwan tourism board said it will continue to work with the Macau government, and that it will launch additional flight promotions to encourage more Macau residents to visit Taiwan.

Pre-sale residentials boost property prices

The overall residential property price index for the three-month period between November 2017 and January 2018 grew by 3.3 percent over the previous October-December 2017 period, according to data newly released by the Statistics and Census Service. The bureau credited the rise to a 14 percent increase in the index of pre-sale residential units. Meanwhile, the index for existing residential units fell by 0.4 percent. Analyzed by district, property price indexes for the Macau peninsula and the islands increased by 2.1 percent and 9.1 percent respectively from the previous period. In comparison to a year ago, the residential property price index for the three-month period increased by 12.8 percent, while the index for pre-sale residential rose 16.8 percent.

GDI coordinator Chau Vai Man dies

The coordinator of the Infrastructure Development Office (GDI), Chau Vai Man, has died last week. Chau headed the GDI since 2015, when he replaced Chan Hon Kit, who resigned. No cause of death was given. The Times contacted the Government Spokesperson Office and the Office of the Secretary for Transport of Public Works in order to confirm the incident. Both offices didn’t officially confirm the death of Chau Vai Man.

UM holds English festival

The University of Macau’s (UM) English Language Centre (ELC) recently held the ‘English Festival X,’ which featured talks and workshops to improve students’ English language skills. The festival included an English debate and a separate speech contest, with the university’s first ever talent show “UM Idol” to close the festival. The participants practiced their English skills through hands-on artwork and photography, as well as sampling international cuisines and participating in various contests, according to a statement issued by UM.  “The festival is an important fixture on the ELC event calendar, as it gives students the opportunity to improve their English in a relaxed atmosphere,” said Dr Sean Grant, a senior instructor from the ELC. “ELC hopes to continue to organize this event in the future to help students improve their English skills,” he added.