Briefs | Wei Zhao not applying for third mandate at UM

The rector of the University of Macau (UM), Professor Wei Zhao, will not apply for a third mandate as head of the tertiary institution, as reported by Radio Macau. Wei, who has led the UM since 2008 and is now on his second mandate, revealed his intentions yesterday to the academic community. Wei’s mandate finishes in November 2018, after which UM leadership will change hands.

Authorities extend use of overseas e-channels

Since Macau passport holders gained access to countries such as Japan and Australia’s automated clearance system, the authorities have been in talks with other regions for similar deals. According to a TDM report, DSI director Ao Ieong U said the MSAR passport could be technologically compatible with any country’s automated clearance system, depending on whether those countries would accept it. However, Ao declined to disclose the countries and territories with which the Macau authorities are in talks. Meanwhile, Immigration Department senior officer Wong Kim Hong, citing recent statistics, said 60 percent of the 164 million people who entered and exited Macau used the Automated Passenger Clearance System, or e-channels.

Scientists: Air pollution due to local emissions

A recent study by air scientists from Macau and Hong Kong concluded that both territories contribute large quantities of “particulate matter” to their own atmospheres, as opposed to the more widely held view that the majority originates from mainland China.  This means that the build-up of pollutant particles in Macau’s air is not entirely due to the northerly winds from the mainland. Instead, the source of the pollutants is most likely local vehicle emissions or light industry. “It’s not easy to argue in [all cases] that winds were blowing particulate matter to Hong Kong [from mainland China],” argued co-author Professor Chan Chak Keung, according to an article in the South China Morning Post.  The paper was published in scientific journal Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics in November 2016.

HKZMB checkpoint to be completed by year-end

The company responsible for the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge (HKZMB) revealed the Macau checkpoint will be completed by the end of this year. Macau’s checkpoint will be located on the southern side of the HKZMB’s artificial island, covering an area equivalent to more than 75 football fields, according to TDM English news. The construction work will take place across four main sections, including the customs building, the parking lot and the administration building. State-owned CCCC Fourth Harbor Engineering Company, which is one of the four companies in charge of construction, said it was confident that the bridge would be open to the public by the end of the year.

Resident arrested for burning clothes

A Macau resident in his sixties was arrested on Thursday night after he was found holding a burning pair of pants in the lobby of a casino located in the NAPE area. The Judiciary Police (PJ) said that the fire was eventually extinguished by casino security. According to the PJ, the fire did not lead to any injuries or property damage.