Briefs | Advantage Austria launches group for Macau and HK

Advantage Austria, the country’s official trade promotion organization, has created the “Advantage Austria Business Circle in Hong Kong & Macao” LinkedIn Group. The organization said that around 70 Austrians in Hong Kong and South China have already joined the group, which is intended as a networking platform and a discussion forum with a strong focus on China-related issues. Advantage Austria will organize the 2nd Sino-Austrian Investor Conference in Hong Kong on October 20. The event will provide a glimpse into business opportunities in Austria, mainly addressing Chinese investment companies.

Road near PJ headquarters cordoned off after explosion

Local authorities yesterday morning contained a collapsed portion of the Rua de Nagasaki road near the headquarters of the Judiciary Police after the explosion of an underground pipeline in the area. The leakage also flooded the road. A representative for the local water supplier revealed that the aged conduit, which was approximately 10 inches in diameter, had been in use for over a decade. The utility company also received complaints of water supply shortfall from nearby business operators, but claimed that the leakage did not affect other regions in the city. According to estimates, repairs will be lengthy and have thus been scheduled for a later date.

Windsor Arch workmen stage seventh floor sit-in protest

Around 20 disgruntled Windsor Arch workmen sat on the edge of the balcony on the seventh floor of the building – still under construction – on Saturday morning, and demanded their employer immediately return to them their deposit and June wages, which were overdue by one day. Police authorities deployed negotiators to the scene in the presence of the property developer’s representatives. The representatives told the media that they were unsure as to the abrupt protest, given that the company has been overseeing negotiations between the employers and the contractor over the past few weeks. The Labor Affairs Bureau issued a response on the same day, where it said the bureau was following up on the incident. The construction workers already submitted pleas to local officials at government headquarters last Friday following a rally at the Chinese liaison office the day before. The workmen professed that they were unable to reach their contractor for remuneration and decided to stage a sit-in. The crowd dispersed early yesterday morning.

Traffic accident leaves one fatality

A 57-year-old Macanese man was killed last Saturday in a car accident outside Broadway Macau. The fatal accident occurred at 1p.m. when a seven-seater vehicle failed to give way to the motorbike darting out from its left at high speed. The motorist was pronounced dead upon arrival in the hospital. The driver of the car, whose vehicle stopped on the pavement after the collision, was said to have passed a breathalyzer test. According to surveillance footage circulating online, the private car heading to the resort’s parking lot entrance managed to give way to the motorcycle.