On the lawmakers’ agenda

HEALTH MATTERS Health is the population’s greatest concern, according to lawmaker Si Ka Lon. At yesterday’s plenary meeting, the lawmaker focused on the lack of human resources in the public

Young musicians’ contest applications open in mid April

MGTO to cooperate with Angolan counterparts

  The Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) inked a collaborative memorandum with Angola’s Ministry of Hotels and Tourism Office of International Exchanges yesterday, seeking to strengthen inter-cooperation in tourism affairs between

Beijing urges MSAR to join manhunt for corrupt officials

A leading Beijing official has urged Macau’s anti-graft agency, the Commission Against Corruption, to cooperate in the central government’s attempt to hunt down corrupt fugitives from mainland, South China Morning

Chengdu pandas arrive in May

After three months of deliberation, on Tuesday two giant pandas were selected as gifts from the central government to Macau. According to Xinhua, a female panda, numbered 667, and a male,

Gaming | Mongolia considering casinos to diversify economy from mining

Mongolia’s parliament is considering allowing casinos in the country to attract more tourists and reduce the economy’s dependence on mining revenue. Mongolia, which has a population of 3 million in an

Online retail | Why Amazon refuses to wear purple lanyards in Vegas

About 1,300 people from the online retail industry are in Las Vegas this week for the annual Catalyst Americas conference. Every attendee is sporting a name badge they were given

Corporate Bits: Galaxy donates mop100,000 to handicapped association

“The donation from GEG can help us further refine our facilities and subsidize some needy families. It fully demonstrated its adhesion to the philosophy ‘from the community, for the community’

Mozambique | Gov’t approves new minimum wages

The government of Mozambique has approved the new minimum wages to be paid by each sector and sub-sector of activity, with increases ranging from 4 to 13 percent coming into

Angola | 2,000 hotel rooms will be opened this year

By the end of 2015 Angola will have an additional 2,000 hotel rooms, said Tuesday in Luena, Moxico province, the State Secretary for Hotels and Tourism, Paulino Baptista Domingos, cited

Economy | Gloomy China, Japan data add to pressure for stimulus

China and Japan reported gloomy industrial data yesterday, adding to pressure on leaders of the world’s second- and third-largest economies to launch new stimulus. Two surveys showed Chinese manufacturing was weak

Minnesota professor accused of smuggling ivory to China

A China-born university philosophy professor was arrested yesterday (Macau Time) on charges of conspiring to smuggle rhinoceros horns and elephant ivory out of the United States and into China. Yiwei Zheng,

Vietnam | Thousands strike at Nike, Adidas shoe factory

Several thousand people at the Taiwanese-owned Pou Yuen factory in southern Ho Chi Minh City began the stoppage last Thursday. Pou Yuen Vietnam, which employs more than 80,000 workers, is

Thailand | Junta to replace martial law with absolute power

Thailand is about to lift martial law. But make no mistake — 10 months after staging a coup, a military junta is still ruling the country, essentially with absolute power,

The Invisible Man | Adoptee from South Korea faces deportation from US

More than three decades ago, a 3-year-old South Korean boy and his sister flew to the U.S. to become the adopted children of American citizens, but their life together didn't

South Korea | Man charged in knife attack on US envoy

South Korean prosecutors yesterday indicted a man who slashed the U.S. ambassador in Seoul last month on charges of attempted murder. Kim Ki-jong, 55, was also indicted on charges of assaulting

Aviation | Emirates, Etihad planes involved in air traffic scare

Jetliners from the United Arab Emirates' two main airlines avoided a possible mid-air collision after they got too close to each other over the Indian Ocean earlier this week. The incident

Germanwings tragedy | Lufthansa: Co-pilot disclosed earlier “severe depression”

Lufthansa knew that the co-pilot of the passenger plane that crashed in the French Alps last week had suffered from an episode of "severe depression" before he finished his flight

Mexico | At least 4 killed in clash between vigilante groups

A clash between two vigilante "self-defense" groups in the troubled Mexican state of Guerrero killed at least four people and dozens more were taken prisoner by each side, a leader

This Day in History: 1977 Hat trick for Red Rum

The steeple chaser won the race in 1973 and 1974 and came home second in the following two years. Before the race concern was expressed that at 12 the horse was

Offbeat: New research says Anne Frank likely died a month earlier

Teenage Jewish diarist Anne Frank likely died of typhus in a Nazi concentration camp about a month earlier than previously thought, the Amsterdam museum that honors her memory said Tuesday,

F1 | High winds cause damage to roof at Silverstone

Former Netherlands forward and assistant coach Patrick Kluivert has made a winning start in World Cup qualifying as coach of Curacao. The Caribbean island team advanced to the second qualifying

Sailing | America’s Cup teams vote to downsize boats

America’s Cup teams have voted to reduce the size of boats to be sailed in the 2017 regatta in Bermuda, a cost-cutting move that could lead to the two strongest

Rugby | North out of club’s biggest game of season after head injury

Wales winger George North will miss his club’s biggest game of the season as he recovers from a third concussion in four months, amid warnings from experts that he should

Baseball | Study projects average MLB salary tops USD4m

Even before the first pitch of the 2015 season is thrown, an eye-popping baseball record will be set. The average salary when opening-day rosters are finalized Sunday will break the

Brazil World Cup fever delivers Korean bond buyers reality check

Kwak spent 50 million won (USD45,230) of her savings on Brazilian sovereign bonds in June 2013, enticed by tax-free yields three times greater than at home and speculation the country

HK Observer: Asia’s World city, Asia TV and the Singapore factor

The Hong Kong International Film Festival is one of the few remarkable cultural events in the calendar here, in terms of a solid declaration that we are truly Asia’s World

Thursday, April 2, 2015 – edition 2283

* Thailand junta to replace martial law with absolute power * Amended budget passes * Chengdu pandas arrive in May * Mongolia considering casinos to diversify economy   DOWNLOAD

World Briefs

SOUTH CHINA Sea China is “creating a great wall of sand” through land reclamation in the South China Sea, causing serious concerns about its territorial intentions, the commander of the

Gaming | Analysts slash forecasts as downturn accelerates

Analysts are racing to slash their forecasts for Macau casino revenue this year after a lackluster Lunar New Year showed the pace of the downturn is accelerating. Gross gambling revenue is

Crime | Indonesian prosecutors seek up to 18-year term for US couple

  Indonesian prosecutors yesterday sought jail sentences of 18 years for an American man and 15 years for his girlfriend if they are found guilty of murdering the woman’s mother while

Cooperation | Forum enters new phase with Echo Chan as coordinator

The tenth regular meeting of the Supporting Office to the Permanent Secretariat of the Forum for Economic and Trade Co-operation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries (Forum Macau) was held yesterday.

Health | Nurses oppose changes to registering scheme

The Medical Affairs Committee discussed changes to the nurse-registering scheme yesterday. Lei Chin Ion, the Health Bureau director, acknowledged that most of the local nurses were against the implementation of

Authorities assure Macau is not an ivory smuggling destination

  The amount of ivory seized in Macau has remained low in the past few years. Since January, authorities have not launched any operations to seize illegal ivory within the territory.

Education | UM student grabs top title in English speaking contest

A student from the University of Macau (UM), Lisandra Wagan Fesalbon, has outperformed other 100 thousand contestants in the “21st Century Coca-Cola Cup” National English Speaking Competition, taking home the

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