Briefs | Gov’t confident about inscription of ‘sea silk route’ as UNESCO heritage

The Government of Macau is confident about the inscription of the “sea silk route” on the UNESCO cultural heritage list, a Beijing wish that encompasses 25 cities for now. “We hope that, as we [Macau’s old town] were registered [as a] world heritage site in 2005, we will also be part of this route in a few years,” said the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Alexis Tam yesterday. Tam spoke to reporters on the sidelines of the International Silk Maritime Route Symposium, which brought local and mainland Chinese academics together in Macau.

Michael Wong to visit Macau

Hong Kong Secretary for Development Michael Wong will visit Macau today to attend the 2019 Mainland, Hong Kong & Macao Symposium on Built Heritage Reuse. The event is co-organized by the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, the Hong Kong Government Development Bureau and the Cultural Affairs Bureau. This year’s theme is “Community x Living x Revitalization of Historic Buildings.” Wong will speak at the opening ceremony. He will also visit the Biblioteca do Patane to learn more about the historic building cluster’s restoration and revitalization.

UM students win gold prize at iGEM

A group of students from the University of Macau (UM) Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS) recently won the gold prize in the Environment Track of the International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) competition for “a self-activating nanoparticle collector they developed, which provides a safe and cheaper alternative to the traditional way of purifying waste water,” the Government Information Bureau revealed. The UM team also won a Best Part Collection award, and ranked among the top five in this category. Held in Boston, the United States, this year’s competition attracted a total of 7,500 contestants in 344 teams from 45 countries and regions. This is the first time that a team from Macau has participated in iGEM.

IAM issued fresh food licenses to 207 sites

The Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) has issued licenses to 207 vegetable, meat and fish retail sites, IAM revealed yesterday.
Between 2016 and 2019, the number of licenses issued for fresh meat retail increased 120%, from 15 to 33 licenses; for chilled meat retail, the number of licenses increased by 51%, from 71 to 107 licenses; and for frozen meat retail, the number of licenses increased by 20%, from 123 to 148. By issuing more licenses to retailers, IAM hopes to provide the public with more choices and availability, as well as to safeguard the supply of fresh food and maintain price competitiveness.