Briefs | PJ detains arson suspect

The Judiciary Police (PJ) found and detained an arson suspect yesterday. He is accused of starting a blaze in the early hours of Monday which destroyed around 90 motorcycles and caused damage to several commercial establishments and other vehicles parked nearby in the Areia Preta neighborhood. According to a PJ spokesperson the police force also conducted a crime scene reconstruction last night on the site. Besides the damage to vehicles and shops a nearby school was also affected by the fire and the fire fighters had to rescue a man (65) from one of the venues. A shop owner told TDM that she expects her loses to amount to around MOP600,000.

Local enterprises rarely violate Hengqin regulations

The deputy director-general of the Hengqin New Area Administrative Committee, Yan Wu, said that Macau enterprises, which have invested in Hengqin, have rarely violated the region’s regulations, according to a report by TDM. Recently, the Future Bright Group received a notification from Hengqin’s land management authority informing it that no construction projects have been initiated on Hengqin’s lands, as both parties had agreed more than one year ago, whereby the lands are simply left abandoned now. Wu claimed that if the parties involved in the development projects communicate more when problems arise, then mistakes can be more effectively reviewed.

Macau is a popular travel destination of mainland tourists

A report published by Lvmama, a mainland travelling website, reveals that Macau ranks fourth in mainland tourists’ preferences when travelling with their families, especially parents with young children. Hong Kong, Japan, and Thailand occupy the podium, with Korea taking the fifth spot in the list. 70 percent of tourists expect to maintain their travelling budget below RMB20,000 for each trip. Another report from Ctrip, on Chinese tourists’ preferences when traveling within China, including Hong Kong and Macau, indicates that Macau is in the eighth position, following Shanghai, Hong Kong, Beijing, and other mainland cities.

New infectious disease laboratory established in Zhuhai

A new infectious disease laboratory, which focuses on the latest infectious diseases that have showed up after 1970, has been recently established in Zhuhai. Under the administration of Zhuhai Entry-Exit Inspection and the Quarantine Bureau, the laboratory is recognized by China as a national-level laboratory. So far, it has inspected more than 6,400 samples collected at the border, and has found more than 1,500 passengers carrying infectious diseases. Following this new establishment, Zhuhai has now six Chinese national-level laboratories. All of them will supervise food, plants, animals, chemical products, and dairy products.

Inflation grows by 2.56 percent

For the year ending November 2016, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) grew by 2.56 percent. According to information disclosed by the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC), among the products and services that led to an increase in inflation during the past year are Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco (+24.25 percent), Education (+8.53 percent) and Transport (+6.81 percent). For the products that accounted for the largest share of household expenditure (Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverages) the year-on-year increase registered was 2.09 percent while the price index of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco, Education and Transports rose 7.47, 7.38 and 6.70 percent respectively. The Composite CPI increased by 1.53 percent year-on-year to 108.67 in November 2016, an increase from the 1.33 percent growth on the previous period recorded in October.

Weather to warm up later this week

Cold weather is predicted for today with temperatures ranging between 10 to 16 Celsius degrees, according to the Macao Meteorological and Geophysical Bureau (SMG). The day will be cloudy apart from a few sunny intervals, and there will be force four to five northerly winds with gusts. Yesterday, temperatures saw a steep drop compared to the previous day. SMG hoisted the yellow index of temperature, which indicates cold weather. The temperatures ranged between 10 to 16 Celsius degree, and the day remained dry for the most part. SMG’s seven-day forecast shows that starting from today, the temperatures in the territory will keep rising slightly over the next few days.