Briefs | Wong urges investigation over national flag

Earlier this week, a Chinese national flag was found hanging upside down at the Macau Ferry Terminal. The Secretary for Security, Wong Sio Chak, has condemned the people who photoshopped the image of the upside-down flag onto other pictures which were then posted online. According to a report by Macao Daily News, Wong clarified that the Chinese national flag was not hanging upside down anywhere else, other than besides the ferry, confirming that the photoshopped upside down flag image and accompanying stories created by netizens were fabricated. Further to this, Wong declared that the digital alterations not only insulted the national flag but insulted the Customs Services. He informed that the Judiciary Police will proceed with investigations into netizens who posted the digitally altered pictures of the national flag online.

800 aged residents looking for job

Some 800 Macau residents aged over 60 years old are registered at the Labor Affairs Bureau (DSAL) to receive assistance while job seeking. According to a report by TDM, this number corresponds to data collected between January and May, 2017. According to the Social Welfare Bureau, 130 of these residents (corresponding to 16 percent of the total) were successfully employed after receiving help from the bureau. The latest government data indicates that the unemployment rate among those aged between 55 and 64 years old is 2.9 percent. DSAL considers this low rate a reflection of Macau providing positive environments for mature age workers to be included in the job market.

CHCSJ accused of medical negligence

A patient’s relatives have accused the Hospital Conde de São Januário (CHCSJ) of medical negligence during the patient’s life-saving procedures. CHCSJ denied the accusation and said that the hospital denies the charges made by the patient’s relatives, who question the decisions made by a doctor from the hospital. CHCSJ noted that the hospital already fully understood the patient’s condition, and that, according to medical records, the patient’s relatives agreed to not transfer the patient to the Intensive Care Unit. CHCSJ also stated that the late patient’s relatives could sue CHCSJ or forward the case to the region’s medical accidents committee for further investigation.

Local film projects selected for trade fair  

Nine film projects were selected last Tuesday for the 2017 Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Film Production Investment and Trade Fair. Co-organized by the Cultural Affairs Bureau, the fair is a platform for film investors and producers from the three regions to cooperatively invest in the film industry. The fair cultivates filmmaking talents and promotes the film industry in the three regions. Eligible films were selected by an adjudication panel, based on the story’s creativity, the applicant’s experience and execution, the executive producer and production team, and the budgeting rationale. The applicants whose film projects were chosen for the fair include Vong Tin Leong, Long Wai I, Wong Kong Po, Tong Ka Chun, Ieong Lek On, Lou Ka Hou, Fernando Eloy, Vincent Hoi and Wong Teng Teng. These applicants will be invited to attend the fair on July 25 and 26.

Money supply rebounds

According to statistics released yesterday by the Monetary Authority of Macau, the money supply rebounded in May, while the share denominated in MOP remained stable. Both resident deposits and loans grew in comparison to the previous month. The currency in circulation in May dropped 0.9 percent from the previous month, with the portions denominated in MOP, HKD, RMD and USD standing at 31.3 percent, 52.9 percent, 3.9 percent and 9.8 percent respectively. Total deposits within the banking sector grew 1.5 percent from the previous month to MOP988.5 billion, out of which resident deposits and non-resident deposits amounted to MOP539.8 billion and MOP263.1 billion respectively. Meanwhile, domestic loans to the private sector increased 0.6 percent month-on-month to MOP424.8 billion, while external loans rose 3.9 percent to MOP417.4 billion. Concurrently, at the end of May, the loan-to-deposit ratio for both the resident and non-resident sectors grew to 85.2 percent.

6th Global Tourism Economy Forum to be held in October

The Global Tourism Economy Forum (GTEF) held a networking luncheon at the Guangzhou Marriott Hotel Tianhe on Tuesday to introduce the 6th edition of GTEF, which is scheduled for October 16 to 17 of this year. This year’s theme is, “Regional collaboration towards a better future.” The event included representatives from outbound tour operators and travel agencies, travel and trade industry representatives from Guangdong Province, leading operators from Macau (including SJM Holdings and Sands China), and members of the media. This year, GTEF will showcase 16 central and eastern European countries as featured “partner countries” to embrace China’s “16+1” economic framework, and will present Guizhou province as the featured Chinese province. Furthermore, in support of the 2017 International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development, GTEF will be engaging with prominent leaders from both public and private sectors to deepen regional collaboration and foster tourism development.

Scholar receives award from engineers institute

 Assistant Professor Lu Yan from the University of Macau’s (UM) State Key Laboratory of Analog and Mixed-Signal VLSI received the 2017 Outstanding Young Author Award from the circuits and systems society of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). He was given the award in recognition of his paper titled, “A fully-integrated low-dropout regulator with full-spectrum power supply rejection,” published in March 2015. The paper has since been cited in highly influential journals and various conferences. The regulator was designed by Lu during his doctoral studies at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST). Papers shortlisted for the award are evaluated for their general quality, originality, contributions, subject matter and timeliness. Only one paper is selected for this award each year. This is the second time that a professor from the laboratory has received the award.