Briefs | Secretary admits public house quality problem

Secretary for Transport and Public Works Raimundo do Rosário has admitted that falling bricks on the external walls of public houses are a problem, but the Secretary also declared that it is not a major issue. As stressed by Rosário, both public and private houses might experience problems in the future. The Secretary wants the public to accept the problems with some public houses because they were built hastily in the past. Regarding whether the government can ensure the quality of future public houses, Raimundo claimed that no engineer would guarantee that any given project would be without problems.

Over 400 kilos of smuggled vegetables seized

The Macao Customs Service (the Customs), together with the Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM), has inspected seven restaurants, three vegetable stalls and five smugglers suspected of smuggling unquarantined vegetables to Macau. In total, the two bureaus seized 390 kilograms of vegetables, 23 kilograms of meat and 20 kilograms of other types of food. IAM will prosecute the restaurants and the smugglers. The two departments will continue to inspect food premises in Macau, enhance the intensity of winter defense operations, and combat the smuggling of food to Macau in order to ensure food safety in the region.

Local man left scene of accident after injuring infant

A local man in his 50s was called to the Public Security Police (PSP) to cooperate in a police investigation regarding an accident that injured a 3-year-old boy. The incident was recorded on Monday. The man, who claimed to be an occupational driver, is suspected of having injured the boy while driving his motorbike. The boy’s front teeth fell out due to the accident. The man left the scene after the accident but was later found by the PSP. He then admitted to the accident, however he claims that he left the scene because he thought the boy was uninjured.

Lotus checkpoint expected to be relocated by end of 2019

Deputy director of the Macau Liaison Office, Zhang Rongshun, hopes that the relocation of the Lotus checkpoint can be completed within the year. Earlier this week, the government said that Macau and mainland China had reached a consensus regarding the relocation of the Lotus checkpoint to Hengqin. According to Zhang, the new checkpoint in Hengqin is under construction, but he is unaware of its progress. He also stated that the relocation needs to be approved by the National People’s Congress, and that Macau also needs to establish laws to allow the relocation to be completed smoothly.

Musicians can apply for album subsidy until January 31

The deadline for applications for the 2018 subsidy program for the production of original song albums is January 31. Organized by the Cultural Affairs Bureau, the scheme aims to cultivate more talented musicians, producers and music creators in Macau. Each selected album will be granted a subsidy of up to MOP 150,000 as well be given opinions and professional advice from the members of the jury. The subsidy will be given to a maximum of eight beneficiaries.

UM holds calligraphy and painting exhibition

A calligraphy and painting exhibition titled ‘The Fusion of the Chinese and Portuguese Cultural Horizons in the Painting’ has opened at the University of Macau (UM).  The event was co-organized by UM’s Confucius Institute and the Macau Orient Painting and Calligraphy Association, with assistance from UM’s Chinese-Portuguese Bilingual Teaching and Training Centre, Department of Chinese Language and Literature, and Department of Portuguese, and support of the Philosophy and Religious Studies Program. The exhibition includes 58 paintings by eight renowned artists from Macau, Portugal, and Japan.