Briefs | Syria v South Korea to be played in Malaysia

As the Times reported yesterday, South Korea and Syria will not play their World Cup qualifier in Macau as previously scheduled. The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) said the match will now take place at Paroi Stadium in Malaysia’s Seremban state next Tuesday, September 6. The measure is a solution to the deadlock created when the agreement between the Macau Football Association and Syrian Football Association was called off on Wednesday.  The Korea Football Association (KFA) had initially said that the final Asian qualifying round match for the 2018 FIFA World Cup could not be played in Lebanon as originally planned. This was due to the difficulty of acquiring air tickets on such short notice, in addition to existing security concerns.

Health Bureau reinforces preventive ‘sexual’ measures against Zika virus

The Health Bureau (SSM) is calling on residents to take preventive measures regarding the Zika virus, in measures specifically related to their sex lives. In a statement issued yesterday, the Bureau is appealing to “pregnant women or women of child-bearing age that do not adopt trusted contraceptive measures to avoid ‘sexual activities’ with men that have been in areas affected by the virus or impose the use of contraceptives during the sexual act.” In the same statement, the SSM warns people who have been in potentially affected areas not to donate blood in the 28 days following their departure from those locations. The statement is in response  to a significant rise in the number of Zika cases in South Asian countries.  More on p12

Portugal, Thailand to open Fireworks 2016

Teams from Thailand and Portugal will present fireworks displays to open the 28th Macao International Fireworks Display Contest, which will take place this Saturday at the lake area in front of the Macau Tower.  This year’s edition marks Thailand’s fourth and Portugal’s sixth participation in the annual contest. Both teams’ displays will be accompanied by traditional musical performances from their respective countries.  The contest, organized by the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO), will be held on September 3, 10, 15, 24 and October 1. Each of the five nights will feature a special theme: “Pyro Fantasia”, “Tribute to Bond”, “Mid-Autumn Harmony”, “Stars from afar” and “Celebration in the Sky.” In order of appearance, the teams hail from Thailand, Portugal, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Japan, Korea, Italy, Canada, Romania and China.