Briefs | Education regulator warns about fake background check calls

Several residents have reported calls made in English by people claiming to be officers of the education authority attempting to collect data with regard to scholarship or subsidy applications, or to conduct a telephone survey. The Education and Youth Affairs Bureau (DSEJ) confirmed that these calls were not real and reminded residents to stay vigilant when these calls are received. The bureau stressed that although scholarship or subsidy programs have been recently taking applications, its officers will only contact applicants during office hours. In these official calls, no personal data or bank information will be requested. Additionally, officers will not ask the call takers to call back. The DSEJ has referred the cases to the Judiciary Police for investigation.

Lawmaker asks about progress of sorted waste recycling

Referring to the 1,500-ton daily waste handled by the city’s three incinerators, Lawmaker Au Kam San, in his recent written inquiry, urged the government to trial sorting waste for recycling. He pointed out that although waste is burnt in many locations, unsorted waste burning by a 30-year-old incineration facility is a burden to both the facility and the city, and is not advantageous to promoting waste recycling. The lawmaker urges the government to initiate a local recycling industry as he sees that Macau currently has the economies of scale to handle its own recycling. Otherwise, the government should at least advocate sorted waste handling to ease air pollution.

Reclamation Zone C to finish early next year

The 32-hectares of reclaimed land off the coast from Ocean Garden in Taipa is expected to be finished in January 2021, the government has announced. Officially known as the New Urban Zone C, the piece of land is partially out of water, including the dike of the land. The budget for the work is 816 million patacas. The constructor has pledged it will have a 685 workday construction period. Work started in November 2018. In his first policy address, Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng has called for a halt to the ground-level construction on the Zone C, since any construction will impact the coastal view of the city, saying, “coastal view is crucial to a city.”

MPI tells consul-general more Angolan students welcome

The Consul-General of Angola in Macau, Eduardo Velasco Galiano, and his delegation visited the Macao Polytechnic Institute (MPI) on July 10 and were welcomed by the President of the Institute, Professor Im Sio Kei. According to a statement from the university, the two parties had friendly talks on strengthening cooperation in higher education and talent cultivation. During the meeting, Im thanked the consul-general for his long-term support to MPI. Im also mentioned the learning progress and condition of the students from Angola who are currently studying at MPI, further welcoming more Angolan students to come and study in Macau, especially in the professional areas of international Chinese language and public administration.