Briefs | Ho Iat Seng joins video conference with Japanese lawmakers

Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng has discussed with members of Japan’s parliament how to facilitate economic and trade cooperation and people-to-people exchange between Macau and Japan, and how to step up support for Japanese businesses to take part in the development of the Greater Bay Area. A video conference was held on Monday at the Government Headquarters between the local government and representatives of a Japanese parliamentarians’ union for friendship between Japan, Macau and other cities covered in the Greater Bay Area initiative. According to a statement from the Macau government, the Chief Executive said he was pleased to see more involvement from Japan business sector in the city-cluster initiative. Other topics discussed during Monday’s video conference included industrial diversification, talent development, food culture, importation to Macau of Japanese agricultural products, smart city development, application of low carbon and new energy technology, and development of traditional Chinese medicine.

Responsible Gambling Promotions 2020 kicked off yesterday

Under the theme ‘Lost Control, Lose Family’, this year’s Responsible Gambling Promotions kicked off yesterday. The event aims to remind the public that they should have self-control when gambling, and to increase public awareness about the importance of parenting. The organizers of Responsible Gambling Promotions 2020 will roll out a series of promotional activities from September to December, including community-based promotions and activities. In addition to the various training and community-based activities by the gaming industry and the social service sector, print media, television broadcast, radio broadcast and social media platforms will be used to promote gambling disorder prevention to the public.

University of Macau awards outstanding student athletes

The University of Macau’s (UM) Office of Sports Affairs recently held the 2019-2020 UM Sports Awards Presentation Ceremony to commend outstanding student athletes and university sports teams for their excellent performance and contributions, as well as to thank sports scholarship donors for their support. This year, 16 UM students and two university sports teams received sports scholarships, and 30 coaches received certificates of appreciation. UM Vice Rector Billy So thanked the sports scholarship donors for their support to the development of sports affairs at UM, and praised the hard work and contributions of the coaches and student athletes. In addition to awarding scholarships based on the students’ athletic performance, each year, UM also provides scholarships to up to 30 student athletes recommended by their high school principals, including the UM Golden Lotus Scholarship (up to eight recipients), UM Silver Lotus Scholarship (up to ten recipients), and a one-time cash prize of MOP5,000 (up to 12 recipients).