Briefs | New themed resort announced

A new themed resort located in Cotai was presented yesterday. Lisboeta, a HKD5 billion resort, will be developed by Macau Theme Park and Resort Limited. The company’s directors include SJM executive director Angela Leong and her son Arnaldo Ho. Occupying a land plot of over 100,000 square meters, the project includes three hotels, a cinema and indoor skydiving, among other attractions. “At this moment the project does not have gaming elements. That is because I’m not a gaming operator. At this moment this land is for hotel purposes,” Arnaldo Ho said during the presentation. 

MGM suspends planed resident show

Destiny, one of the planed resident shows at MGM Cotai, was suspended. Earlier this year, the show had been described by an MGM China press release as “an electrifying, action-packed immersive theatrical production that is inspired by the concept of TV game shows and adventure video games.” Grant Bowie, chief executive officer and executive director of MGM China, confirmed the decision yesterday. “The show has been suspended. The challenge for us is to try and make sure we do something that’s significant and actually adds value,” he said.

China’s tax policy guaranteed not to affect residents

China’s Minister of Finance, Liu Kun, said that the tax bill amendment in mainland China will not increase tax burdens for Macau residents. Recently, the Secretary for Economy and Finance, Lionel Leong, met with Liu in Beijing. During the meeting, Leong expressed the concerns of some of Macau residents regarding the mainland’s legislative changes over personal income taxes. Liu assured Leong that there would be no impact on Macau residents, having also claimed that China will continue to make beneficial arrangements for Hong Kong and Macau residents.

Former Viva Macau president denies relation to bankruptcy

The former president of Viva Macau, Ngan In Leng, claims that he has not been questioned by government departments regarding Viva Macau’s bankruptcy case, according to a report by Exmoo. The case is being investigated by the Commission Against Corruption. Recently, the company’s former president was asked by the media whether or not a government department had requested his assistance in the investigations. Ngan declared that he has no relationship to the incident, nor is he aware of the investigation progress.

100 affordable house buyers receive properties

Fai Chi Kei Edifício Fai Ieng affordable housing candidates have been receiving their housing units since yesterday. In total, there are 100 eligible buyers who are paying through installments, and they can now get the keys to their new properties and sign the property management contract.  Edifício Fai Ieng provides a total of 436 house units divided into two apartment designs: one featuring two bedrooms and another including three bedrooms. House prices range from MOP800,000 up to MOP1.2 million.

Gongbei seizes 69,000 batches of prohibited items

In the first three quarters of this year, Gongbei Customs has seized 69,000 batches of prohibited items, an increase of 1.5 percent year-on-year, according to statistics released by Gongbei Customs. The items weigh 57,000 kilograms in total, an increase of nearly 10 percent. The main items intercepted were fruit, meat, seeds and dairy products, of which 4,601 items were detected to contain pests. Gongbei Customs issued a reminder that prohibited seeds may pose a great threat to the domestic ecological and environmental safety of mainland China.