Briefs | Esports final coming to Macau this month

Asian consumer internet platform provider Garena has announced that the esports 2018 League of Legends Master Series (LMS) Spring Playoffs will take place on Saturday April 14, Sunday April 15, and Sunday April 22. The final will be held at Macau’s Studio City integrated resort. The playoffs will comprise best-of-five match format and will be contested by four teams in a seeded, winner-advances-style battle for prize money and championship points. The semifinals on April 14 and 15 are scheduled to take place at Garena eSports Stadium in Taipei. The 2018 LMS Spring Final will mark the first time that the event has taken place in Macau. It will also be the largest esports event to be held in Macau this year, according to the company. The team that finishes in 1st place in the LMS Spring Split Team Prize will receive a cash prize of TWD1.5 million (MOP415,000).

IACM helps to improve street market’s competences

The management regime for street market and vendors, which is currently under public consultation, suggests a maximum of 30 rest days for street market stalls. It has been suggested that vendors be given a maximum of 60 days of rest. IACM president José Tavares said that street markets face significant competition from supermarkets, thus urging a faster amendment of the relevant law to help the industry. He added that the IACM will also improve the competencies of street markets. The IACM and the Cultural Affairs Bureau reached an agreement for the renovation of the Red Market to only target internal facilities, not the external appearance.

Gongbei seized 28,000 tonnes of smuggled solid waste

Gongbei Customs seized 27,000 tonnes of solid waste in a single smuggling case, according to a report by Jornal Va Kio.  The items were first seized on February 11, declared by a company from Shanghai. On March 22, a test carried out by the Guangdong quarantine authority concluded that the batch of items were residual materials, scraps, and unqualified mixture that had originated from the production of pellets. Three people were arrested in Shanghai on March 25 for smuggling.

Chinese company wins La Liga image rights in China

The Spanish Football League, La Liga, has confirmed that Chinese company “Nice International Sports Ltd” will be awarded the right to manage the audio-visual rights for the league, as well as for the second division, in mainland China, Macau and Taiwan until the end of the 2021/22 season. In a press communique released this week, La Liga confirmed the agreement “is of major importance in one of the key regions for the Spanish competitions and one which will take them closer to their fans” in the area. La Liga said that it wants its fans in China to be able to “enjoy a premium product.” Meanwhile, the awardee assured it will work “with its partners in the market to guarantee the promotion of La Liga and the management of its rights in China.”

C2 Magazine discusses bookstore survival

The twenty-sixth issue of C2 Magazine will be launched today, discussing the business and operation models of local brick-and-mortar bookstores in Macau and their survival in the “Feature” section. According to a statement issued by the Cultural Affairs Bureau, the story behind local design brand established by two local sisters of the post-90s generation TICK.DESIGN, is shared in the section “Brand Story.” In the section “Budding Talents”, street art team GANTZ5 was invited to share its experience in graffiti art creation, while local columnists shared their perspectives on the development of the cultural and creative industries. C2 is a bimonthly online trilingual magazine issued on the first Wednesday of every two months.