Briefs: Eighteen hotels under construction in Q2

Statistics released by the Land, Public Works and Transport Bureau (DSSPOT) revealed that there were 18 hotel projects under construction in the second quarter of this year. Among the 18 projects, nine of them were in the Macau Peninsula, five in Cotai, three in Taipa and one in Coloane. Judging from the information provided by the developers, DSSPOT estimated that the projects will provide around 9,800 hotel rooms after completion. 7,500 of them will be in Cotai and 1,000 in Macau.  The total floor area of the 18 projects amounted to 1.88 million square meters and they will provide more than 9,800 parking spots. Moreover, the authorities are evaluating 28 projects that were estimated to provide almost 15,800 rooms, with 12,000 of them in Cotai.

Caritas calls for postponement of retirement age

The director of Caritas’ Family Support Centre, Hellen Mary Sou, claimed that some of her colleagues are turning 60 and are about to retire. Nevertheless, they still do not have a plan for their lives after retirement. According to Ms Sou, many people are still very healthy even though they have reached 60. Therefore, she believes that it is more suitable to retire at the age of 65. The director said that employers should consider allowing their staff to work one or two more years after reaching retirement age, so that they can continue to have “inner sustenance” and income. She also expressed hopes that the government can organize more activities and classes for retirees to enrich their post-retirement lives.

TUI defers ruling on referendum related appeal

The Court of Final Appeal (TUI) has decided not to rule on the appeal filed by the Open Macau Society regarding the decision of the Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau (IACM), which prohibited the use of public space for the promotion of the civil referendum. The panel of judges was to discuss the case last Friday afternoon. However, it claimed that the complexity of the case has led to the postponement of the ruling. When submitting the application for appeal last week, Jason Chao stated that TUI has no reason to reject a ruling on the case this time.