Briefs | Illegal transactions with UnionPay reach MOP300 million

The use of bogus transactions through UnionPay machines have reached a total of MOP300 million, according to data provided by the Judiciary Police (PJ) to Portuguese news agency Lusa. Total loss for UnionPay International reached MOP600,000. In May, Macau officials and China’s state-backed payment card network cracked down on the use of bogus transactions, that are sometimes used to circumvent China’s exchange controls for gambling in the territory. Between January and August, the PJ launched investigations into 40 cases related to UnionPay illegal transactions. 34 were referred to the Public Prosecutions Office, and 51 people were arrested in relation to this type of crime in mainland China, Lusa reported. Some gamblers have been illegally using UnionPay cards to obtain cash through fake purchases of goods in Macau, to avoid China’s strict currency-export controls.

Bids open for new wastewater pipe in Areia Preta

The Land, Public Works and Transport Bureau (DSSOPT) has received five bids from contractors for the construction of a 300-meter long wastewater pipe on Estrada Marginal da Areia Preta in the Areia Preta district. The wastewater pipe will channel wastewater to the water treatment plant if the wastewater pump on the Rua Seis do Bairro da Areia Preta ceases to function due to maintenance. This is to prevent the situation where wastewater is directly discharged into the sea when the wastewater pump is shut down. Residents in the neighborhood have previously complained about the foul odor emanating from the sea due to the wastewater discharge.  When the water pump is in operation, the future pipe will function as a rainwater pipe. The construction is expected to begin in the first quarter of next year and will take around 250 days to complete.

Lusa signs agreement with Taiwan’s news agency

Lusa and its Taiwanese counterpart, Central News Agency (CNA), signed a cooperation agreement in Taipei yesterday to swap news content. The extendable one-year agreement was signed by the presidents of Lusa and CNA, Afonso Camões and Fan Hsiang-lin. Under this agreement, the two agencies provide each other with their new content, namely video, text, infograms and photographs. This agreement with CNA is the fourth that Lusa has signed with news agencies in the Asia-Pacific area to swap content, including Xinhua News Agency back in 1989.