Briefs | Rebranded ‘International Parade’ with new route

The “2017 Macau International Parade”, which was known as the “Parade through Macau, Latin City” until last year, is going to be held on December 17. Introduced yesterday at a press conference, the event follows the theme of “features of local districts and historic monuments.” With the rebrand, the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) is hoping that “the event will move towards internationalization, demonstrating the unique charm of Macau.” To do so, the parade “will break through the practice of the past editions by setting a new route, aiming at offering innovative elements and new perspectives to residents and tourists,” IC stated.  On the day of the event, crowd control measures will be implemented and some streets will be temporarily closed to traffic.

DSI wants to ease information transfer

The Identification Services Bureau (DSI) has cooperated with other government departments to provide a contact information modification service, according to a statement issued by the bureau. Starting from this week, Macau residents, who are aged 18 or above and are holding an electronic identity card can authorize DSI to share portions of their relevant personal information with other government departments. The information that will become transferable will be chosen by the applicants at the time they update the contact information using the integrated self-service kiosks.

Mainland man arrested for exchanging counterfeit currency

A mainland man was arrested for exchanging 1,845 counterfeit bills of HKD1,000 each with a person from the mainland. According to the Judiciary Police, the victim met the suspect through a casino VIP room event promoter. The victim transferred RMB1.1 million to the suspect’s mainland bank account, and later received the aforementioned amount of HKD bills. The currency was revealed to be counterfeit after both parties were present at the accountant’s office of the casino involved in the operation to check the banknotes. The suspect was then detained by the casino security.

Works in LRT Barra station start Monday

The first stone to mark the commencement of the works at the Barra station will be unveiled on Monday, November 13. The initial works at the station, which will connect the Macau peninsula to the Taipa section of the LRT, includes a subterranean wall with a length of 255 meters and a depth of 40 meters. According to a statement issued yesterday, the wall “will allow a safe environment for the construction of the Barra station in the next phase”. The project contractor is the China Road and Bridge Corporation and it is expected that the conclusion of the subterranean wall will be concluded in the third quarter of 2018.

ANM urges 90-day paid maternity leave

The New Macau Association (ANM) has suggested Macau extend the length of paid maternity leave to 90 days. Recently, the SAR government carried out a public consultation regarding labor relation laws, and suggested maintaining 56 days of paid maternity leave, referring to Hong Kong’s 60 days paid maternity leave, which has not been amended for 22 years. The association felt the “Macau SAR government referred to outdated labor laws, […] which obviously cannot protect women and children rights.” Besides a longer paid maternity leave, ANM also expects an amendment of the laws to avoid arranging pregnant or postnatal (within three months) women to work from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m.

Mandarin House promotes consignment sales

Mandarin House Cultural Relics Information Centre and Gift Shop is calling on the participation of the region’s cultural and creative entities to sell their products on consignment, the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) announced in a statement. Application for the 2018 consignment program is open until November 17. Those already on the list of the Database for Macau Cultural and Creative Industries are qualified for selection and do not need to re-apply, but may submit any updates to the IC before the application deadline. Every year, the IC selects entities from the database to present and sell their own creative products on consignment in the Mandarin’s House Cultural Relics Information Centre and Gift Shop. The Gift Shop markets souvenirs themed around Mandarin’s House and the city’s cultural heritage, IC publications and design items, as well as products of Macau’s cultural and creative brands.

BNU posts profit of USD70.5 million

Banco Nacional Ultramarino (BNU) posted a profit of MOP564 million (USD70.5 million) in the period from January to September, a year-on-year increase of 16.9 percent, according to a balance sheet published in the Official Gazette. The balance sheet states that on 30 September the bank had recorded income of MOP1.399 million and costs in the amount of MOP835 million. BNU posted a profit of MOP482.36 million in the first nine months of 2016. In 2016 the bank posted a profit of MOP560.5 million.

Fourth water supply pipe ready in Q1 2018

The fourth water supply pipe which will carry water from mainland China to Macau will be ready in the first half of 2018, the Director of the Marine and Water Bureau (DSAMA), Susanna Wong, said this week. According to Wong, the pipe’s construction was originally planned to be completed by the end of this year. However, due to the unpredicted impact of Typhoon Hato, the deadline had to be postponed until the next year. Wong highlighted the fact that mainland contractors and the Macau government did not provide a detailed explanation regarding the delay. The fourth pipe will mainly transport water to the Seac Pai Van water plant. The construction’s delay will not affect the current water supply in Macau.

276,000 smoking inspections this year

Following the implementation of the Tobacco Prevention and Control Law in January 2012, law enforcement inspectors have performed a total of 1,566,542 inspections at several kinds of establishments, which have resulted in the identification of 43,764 people who have smoked in forbidden areas. The Health Bureau issued a statement yesterday indicating that between the beginning of the year and October 31, more than 276,000 inspections were performed resulting in 5,812 charges. This year, around half of the infractions were committed by Macau residents (2,882) and only 293 were done by non-resident workers.

65 percent of taxi infractions related to overcharging

The Public Security Police Force recorded 621 taxi infractions during the month of October.  The infractions include 406 cases (65 percent) of over-charging and 165 cases (27 percent) of taxi drivers who refused to accept passengers. No infraction was related to taxis which did not take passengers according to their sequence. During the same period, the police recorded 30 cases involving unauthorized taxis, zero of which related to mobile taxi hailing services. There are 50 cases involving other infractions.