Time magazine on Monday named Tesla chief and space entrepreneur Elon Musk as its person of the year 2021, citing his embodiment of the technological shifts but also troubling trends reshaping peoples lives.

Musk who overtook Amazon founder Jeff Bezos this year to become the worlds wealthiest person wields impact on Earth with his Tesla electric car company and beyond our planet with his SpaceX rockets.

Musks rise coincides with broader trends of which he and his fellow technology magnates are part cause and part effect, Time editor-in-chief Edward Felsenthal wrote.

Among those trends, Felsenthal listed the continuing decline of traditional institutions in favor of individuals; government dysfunction that has delivered more power and responsibility to business and chasms of wealth and opportunity.

Time editors have previously defined the title which last year went to President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris as going to people who embodied what was important about the year, for better or for worse.

In October, Musks electric car companys valuation soared above a trillion dollars, and SpaceX has teamed up with US space agency NASA to launch various missions including a test run of protecting Earth from an asteroid.

The brash South African-born 50-year-old has seen his wealth soar during the pandemic to over $250 billion, according to Forbes real-time billionaires list.

He has also courted controversy with his provocative Twitter feed that can attack, joke and provoke including a poll in November asking Twitter whether he should sell a 10 percent share of his Tesla stock.

Felsenthal noted Musks provocative vision is accompanied by a persona which is a blunt instrument that often seems to revel in division and aggressive mockery as he gives the world access to his id through social media.

Musk has appeared ever-present in American culture in recent years, amassing66 million Twitter followers and guest-hosting the famed late-night comedy show Saturday Night Live in May.

Musk speaks ambitiously about his interest in colonizing Mars, and plans orbital flights next year as part of SpaceXs planned American return to the Moon.

The goal overall has been to make life multi-planetary and enable humanity to become a spacefaring civilization, Musk told Time in an interview released with the Person of the Year announcement.

SpaceX is starting a program to take CO2 out of atmosphere & turn it into rocket fuel. Please join if interested, he tweeted later Monday, in an announcement that was as eye-catching as it was short of detail.

Musk has also been known to move markets and the value of cryptocurrencies with a single tweet, but his main terrestrial influence for now is with his electric vehicles.

Our intent with Tesla was always that we would serve as an example to the car industry, and hope that they also make electric cars so that we can accelerate the transition to sustainable energy, Musk told Time.

Time notes that in an earlier era interplanetary travel was a collective undertaking that leaders used to rally their nations, but that increasingly private companies are involved.

To Musk, that is progress, steering capital allocation away from the government to those who will be good stewards of it, Felsenthal wrote.

To others, it is testament to capitalisms failings as staggeringly wealthy, mostly white men play by their own rules while much of society gets left behind, he added.

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Elon Musk named Time magazine person of the year - Macau Business

Five workers were injured on Saturday after a section of roofing in Galaxy Macaus Phase 3 development collapsed.

According to information released by Macaus Labour Affairs Bureau (DSAL), contractors have been ordered to cease all work in the area while the cause of the accident is investigated. DSAL said the accident may involve engineering design or engineering quality issues.

The five injured workers are all believed to have been working underneath the section of roofing when it collapsed on Saturday morning. They were transported to hospital where two of the workers remain for observation.

In a statement, Galaxy Entertainment Group, the owner and operator ofGalaxy Macau, said it was deeply concerned about the incident.

After learning about this incident, we have immediately reported it to related government departments, and five injured workers were transported to the hospital and representatives have been assigned to follow up and provide necessary assistance, GEG said.

As of now, three minor injured workers have been discharged from the hospital while two workers remain in the hospital for further observation.

GEG would like to take this opportunity to send our most sincere regards to the related workers. We have also requested the contractor to carry out a thorough investigation on the glass chandelier installation related to the incident.

As the case is currently under investigation, we have no further information to provide.

DSAL published a number of images of the collapsed roofing on Saturday, however GEG has disputed the authenticity of video footage circulating on social media over the weekend alleging to show the aftermath of the incident. Inside Asian Gaming has viewed some of these videos but has not been able to verify their source or accuracy.

We have learned that there was a video being circulated on social media that displays inaccurate content and therefore we would like to take the opportunity to clarify that the video has no relation with the incident, GEG said.GEG reserves the right to take appropriate action against that.

With work temporarily halted, DSAL noted that, according to Decree No. 44/91/M, contractors are obliged to ensure a safe working environment on the site and the operation of facilities, and to supervise workers in accordance with construction safety procedures to protect the lives of workers.

The Labour Bureau will continue to strengthen the supervision of the occupational safety and health status of construction sites. If there is an occupational safety and health violation, it will be dealt with in accordance with the law.

Galaxy Macau Phase 3 is due for completion in 2022, adding a number of new hotels, more gaming and retail space and the Galaxy International Convention Center.

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Five injured as roofing collapses on Galaxy Macau Phase 3 construction site - IAG - Inside Asian Gaming

Reopening from a worldwide pandemic was always going to be a risky bet for Las Vegas and Macau, the world's two largest gambling hubs. New...

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Reopening from a worldwide pandemic was always going to be a risky bet for Las Vegas and Macau, the world's two largest gambling hubs. New government data released on Monday shows that one city's roll has come up snake eyes, while the other is cashing in more chips than ever.

In Macau, the Chinese gambling Mecca, games of chance accounted for 80% of the government's tax income and 55.5% of the city's GDP before the pandemic hit. Nowadays, the go-for-broke mentality is just, well, broke.

Xi's Gamble: Covid resurgences in South Asia and the looming prospect of a government crackdown on casinos floated by China's government in September after earlier and massively disruptive interventions in tech and real estate have kept worrying gamblers on the sidelines:

Viva Las Vegas: But then there's Vegas, where high vaccination rates and pent up demand has the city playing a historically hot hand. Casinos on the Strip collected a record $2.1 billion in gambling revenue in the third quarter, the Nevada Gaming Control Board reported last week. The previous record was $1.8 billion in the fourth quarter of 2006.

Vegas' citywide gambling revenue is up 0.6% this year over pre-pandemic 2019. Revenues hit $604.6 million in September, a 9.9% increase over September 2019.

Now, if we could just get Elvis back.

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A Tale of Two Sin Cities - The Motley Fool

With the pandemic causing the closure of borders and mandatory quarantine once more returning to the city, the yearning to voyage has been intensified.Macau-based Russian artist Konstantin Bessmertny, who has been fixture on the Macau art scene since 1992, had titled his ongoing art exhibition, Voyage 2021, a conceit that plays on social conditions whereby staying put in a place has become the norm.Voyage 2021 invites the public to see a different reality through the eyes of the artist. Although the exhibition does not travel to different places it does allow the public to travel in the same space: exploring different scenarios at different timelines.Speaking to the Times, Bessmertny expressed his passion for creating different narratives in a series of layers creating another reality in the mindset of the viewers.It is the duty of the artist to create his own reality, and people believe or are comfortable or uncomfortable but at least its another statement, said the artist.

The ongoing exhibition features pieces which date back in 1996, large-scale artworks which were part of the Art Biennale, and few which were inspired by his recent stay at Koh Samui: a trip Bessmertny made before staying put in Macau, since undergoing quarantine is not something that can be repeated.The arts industry is one of many industries that have been devastated amid the ongoing pandemic given that Covid-19 cases in the region have led to shutdowns of public cultural spaces in line with the governments aim to deter the spread of the virus.The last shut-down occurred in September, when the government closed its cultural venues and cancel various arts and cultural activities due to the string of cases that were discovered.During the peak of the pandemic early last year, the government also shut down public venues, and only gradually reopened them. This meant that different kinds of artistic performances and exhibitions were either cancelled or postponed.For Bessmertny, having had a significant number of solo exhibitions in Europe and Asia, this years exhibition is to keep myself in shape.The Art Biennale exhibition was half of the time closed [due to the pandemic]. People like to have real experience now. This is the second year [were in the pandemic] and Im here to keep myself in shape, said the artist.

Close to impossibleLocal artists particularly emerging ones may already have had difficult time holding their own exhibitions prior the pandemic. Now this is an even greater hurdle.According to Bessmertny, Macau is one of the best places to create art, citing support and resources provided by the government.However, to make a sustainable living out of merely producing artworks and showcasing them is another question that could frankly be answered as close to impossible.Its close to impossible to build it up as sustainable profession. [It will be] close to impossible to survive, he said.In the pop culture and in the winner takes all economy, only a few survive. Its sad to say but [with] the ratio [of artists and general public], its quite difficult. How many artists does Macau need? Bessmertny asked.In his view, an artist should ideally hold a solo exhibition in Macau only once in three to five years.If you exhibit three times a year, its a disaster. You overproduce, you overexpose and the effect is negative, the artist explained.Bessmertny said that the plans of emerging artists who are moving to Hong Kong in the hopes that there are more opportunities there, are unrealistic, since there already are lot of younger artists in Hong Kong who are also trying to survive.

Next project: Macau historyBessmertny is currently contemplating a new project that tells the history of Macau. Although two artworks related to this theme are currently showcased at Voyage 2021, this time the artworks would be installations done created according to a Japanese technique.Its about what Praia Grande looked like in the 1600s, prior the arrival of the Portuguese. Im bringing justice to historical events because there were no paintings made at the time, he explained.The artworks are currently on display at Clube Militar de Macau until November 6.

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Konstantin Bessmertny | Exhibition showcases art that transports viewers to another reality - Macau Daily Times

Authorities are investigating a company suspected of providing false data about local workers to the Financial Services Bureau and the Social Security Fund, in order to improperly receive subsidies to support the fight against the pandemic, the Commission Against Corruption announced on announced on Monday.

The company in question provides maintenance and repair services for the building of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Border Post, CCAC said in a statement.

During the investigation, the CCAC verified that the referred company declared, with the relevant services, that it had hired 24 local workers, but six of the declared workers had a record of abnormal border movements and rarely stayed in Macau, you can read. if in the note.

There was even the case of someone who left Macau in 2015 and never came back in, pointed out the CCAC.

Some workers confessed that they had never worked at the company or that they had not received any salary, stating that the payment of contributions to Social Security was only to receive the pension for elderly people granted by the Government in the future, the organization also said. to combat corruption.

For the CCAC, there are strong indications that the workers in question are simulated workers, having the body denounced the case to the Public Ministry, on suspicion of crime of falsifying documents.

The CCAC also suspects that the workers in question have improperly received pecuniary support to combat the epidemic, granted by the Government of the Macao Special Administrative Region].

Last year, each local worker in the aforementioned company received 15,000 patacas [1,605 euros] as pecuniary support to combat the epidemic, reported the CCAC.

The anti-graft body reported this case of undue receipt of amounts by these workers to the Financial Services Bureau(DSF) .

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Company suspected of declaring false workers to receive subsidies being probed - Macau Business

The grandfather of a boy whose parents died in an Italian cable car crash appealed Monday the Israeli court ruling returning the child to family in Italy, a spokesman said.

The battle for custody of Eitan Biran, the sole survivor of the May accident that killed 14 people, has captured headlines since his maternal grandfather, Shmulik Peleg, brought him to Israel on a private jet last month.

Peleg has insisted that he drove Eitan from Italy to Switzerland before jetting him back to Israel instead of returning him to paternal aunt Aya Biran, who lives in northern Italy because Eitans late parents wanted him to be raised in the Jewish state.

But Peleg has become the subject of a kidnapping probe by Italian prosecutors, and Israeli police questioned him over those allegations last month.

A family court in Tel Aviv on October 25 recognised an Italian judgement that established Biran as a legitimate guardian, and said Peleg had unlawfully removed the boy from his aunts care.

The court ordered the return of the minor to his usual place of residence in Italy.

A spokesman for Peleg said he filed an appeal Monday to the district court, saying the family tribunal did not address the tragic circumstances at hand and ignored the unilateral actions of (Biran), who allegedly acted in deceit behind the backs of the grieving Peleg family to win custody.

Peleg also accused Biran of not upholding the temporary custody arrangements agreed after the child was brought to Israel.

There is no reason that the debate over where Eitan spends his life should take place while he is in Italy, the spokesman said in a statement, adding that most family members from both sides lived in Israel.

Eitanand his parents, AmitBiranand Tal Peleg, had been living in Italy, where AmitBiranwas studying medicine, together with their other child, Tom, who also died in the crash.

Eitan suffered severe chest and abdominal injuries and spent a week in intensive care after the May accident, that occurred when the cable snapped on the aerial tram bringing weekend visitors to the top of the Piedmont regions Mottarone mountain.

The accident was one of Italys worst in over two decades.

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Israel grandfather appeals ruling returning child to Italy - Macau Business

20 years in the WTO is a milestone achieved not just by Mainland China, but Taiwan, too.

MB October 2021 Special Report | China attheWTO

The WTO formally approved Taiwan for Membership in November 2001.

Taiwan had been negotiating for entry into the WTO for more than 12 years. However, as Professor Andrew Christie Papadimos, International Business and Economics, School of Business, Australian Catholic University, states, Taiwans main obstacle was that it had to accede to Chinese demands that China be allowed entry first, even though negotiations and the terms of Taiwans accession to the WTO were effectively completed two years before.

Beijings argument was that despite Taiwans status as a separate territory from Mainland China, it is a part of China that will eventually be reunited with the mainland. So, to accommodate Beijings view, within the WTO Taiwan is known as Chinese Taipei and it entered the WTO as the Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu.

In contrast to other international organizations, the WTO does not require its members to be states, and it was this constitutional feature that allowed Taiwan to join the WTO. 20 years later, the WTO is now the only major international organization in which Taiwan can participate as a full member.

Professor Papadimos, author of the bookChina and Taiwans WTO Experiences, notes that despite the tension between China and Taiwan, both areas have been forced to adopt WTO rules stipulating that all Members must treat each others goods and services equally. He adds, however, that because the tensions between China and Taiwan are a zero-sum game by nature, where there will ultimately only be one winner and one loser, the WTO will find it difficult to ease political tensions between the two sides.

Political tensions but also opportunities.

To take stock of these 20 years and understand whether belonging to the WTO is more important from a geostrategic point of view than a commercial one,Macau Businesssought the opinion of one of Taiwans leading experts, Professor Roy Lee, Senior Deputy Executive Director, Taiwan WTO and RTA Centre, Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research.

Commercial interest is equally significant, if not more. In particular, WTO membership facilitated the rapid development of Taiwans electronics industry, which before WTO accession had suffered from trade barriers in key export markets, Professor Lee replies.

Specifically, the WTOs Information Technology Agreement (ITA) held tariff rates at zero for a broad range of products, including semiconductors, desktop and laptop computers (and components), smart phones, display monitors and digital set-top-boxes. As ITA-covered products account for more than 50 per cent of Taiwans overall exports, the benefit for Taiwan is significant, he explains.

The ITA also offsets the economic impact of Taiwans exclusion from regional free-trade areas such as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), since a majority (over 70 per cent on average) of Taiwans exports to RCEP members is already tariff free. Other sectors that have gained the most from WTO participation are solar PV components, automotive parts, and steel manufacturing, Professor Lee, also a member of the Advisory Committee to Taiwans Mainland Affairs Council, adds.

Professor Steve Charnovitz, George Washington University Law School, Washington DC, asserts that what Taiwans membership does do, however, is to establish some rule of law between Taiwan and China and to give Taiwan standing in an international tribunal should it wish to assert that China has violated WTO rules. The parallel memberships of Taiwan and China also provide a neutral international forum for those two governments to meet and negotiate if needed.

In particular, WTO membership facilitated the rapid development of Taiwans electronics industry, which before WTO accession had suffered from trade barriers in key export markets , Roy Lee

As in other sectors of Taiwans life, the Taipei Governments biggest ally in its accession to the WTO was the United States.

Two decades later, Washington remains in the front row.

Recently Washington announced its intention to elevate Taiwans status, as the two sides revived a Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) that was signed in 1994, but essentially moribund since then, according to Joseph Bosco, who served as China Country Desk Officer in the Office of the Secretary of Defense from 2005 to 2006. Now a member of the advisory board of the Global Taiwan Institute, Bosco adds, Beijing strongly objected to the Trump administrations growing ties with Taiwan and warned that Washington would have to choose which trade partner was more important to its interests. The political impasse over Taiwans economic status was reminiscent of the years-long delay that held up its accession to the World Trade Organization in the 1990s.

What are the possible consequences of this US decision?

Cross-Strait relations, insofar as the economic aspect is concerned, are decided mainly by the architecture of the global supply network, Roy Lee tellsMacau Business. For instance, the semiconductors exported to China by US fabless [non-fabricating] chip firms such as QUALCOMM, AMD and Apple are manufactured in Taiwan. Those chips are added to laptop computers, iPhones and Chinese smart phones, which are assembled in China, in many cases by Taiwanese companies (e.g. Foxconn) with premises in China, he continues.

This indicates that the major factors affecting the TaiwanChina economic relationship are actually associated with the USChina de-coupling process, rather than the TIFA, Professor Lee says, adding that while an improved Taiwan-US relationship at government level is certainly a good sign, commercial interest is still the dominating factor for the private sector at the end of the day.

His prediction: In summary, we expect to see a decline of outbound investment from Taiwan to China because of the supply network re-configuration, yet bilateral trade will remain strong for the time being.

Previous | Tobeornottobeadevelopingeconomy

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Special Report - Taiwan: the other issue - Macau Business

Russian authorities said Monday that doctors were under extraordinary strain due to surging coronavirus cases in Europes worst-hit country, with Moscow shuttered during a nationwide holiday to curb infections.

The capital was quiet on the first morning of the working week, with businesses mostly closed and non-essential services in the capital halted from October 28 to November 7.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that doctors working in red zones were facing extreme physical and emotional stress with the recent rise in cases.

Of course the situation is not straightforward. Beds are filled to a large extent, and these days the situation is not becoming easier, Peskov said.

This is an excessive and extraordinary burden on our doctors, who are demonstrating heroism with what is happening, he added.

Russia is one of the worst-hit countries in the world and a devastating wave this autumn has seen infections and deaths reach new records, with more than 1,000 fatalities per day.

A government tally recorded 40,402 new infections and 1,155 deaths on Monday, figures that in both cases were just shy of records set over recent days.

Russia has rolled out several homegrown vaccines including Sputnik V but only about a third of the population is fully innoculated.

The Kremlin said last week it hoped the paid holiday period would help stabilise Russias outbreak and cautioned people against travelling, after surveys showed some 30 percent of Russians intended to travel.

Ex-president and former prime minister Dmitry Medvedev warned in the Rossiiskaya Gazeta daily Monday there were was an urgent need to increase vaccination rates.

If we do not find ways to convince people of their irresponsibility, even, to put it bluntly, their anti-social behaviour, we will face even more difficult times, he said.

Authorities have been accused of downplaying the pandemic and figures from statistics agency Rosstat last week showed nearly twice as many Covid deaths compared with the government tally.

Rosstat said 44,265 people died of coronavirus in September nearly double the official government figure, bringing the agencys total virus toll to nearly 450,000, the highest in Europe.

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Russia warns of strain on doctors as virus spreads - Macau Business

Macaos Catholic Cathedral will close next month for about nine months for renovation, the Portuguese-language radio channel of public broadcaster TDM reported today.

According to the report, the project is estimated to cost around 9 million patacas (US$1.1 million). The report did not indicate the source of the estimate, nor how it will be financed.

The report cited the cathedrals vicar, Fr Daniel Ribeiro, as saying that at the request of the government the project includes structural strengthening.

The concrete building of the Cathedral of the Nativity of Our Lady was constructed in 1937, which replaced an edifice built in 1850 that was badly damaged by a typhoon in 1874. A small wooden chapel built in the present location was elevated to cathedral in 1623, according to information provided by the diocese.

The report also said that the installation of a large and weighty organ donated to the diocese will require structural strengthening of the nave.

Fr Ribeiro told Radio Macau that the government requested the renovation project as some parts of the building are believed to be in risk of collapse. The report pointed out that some of the present building structure dates back to the 18th century.

Fr Ribeiro also said that from next month the Masses customarily celebrated at the Cathedral will take place at the nearby S. Domingos Church during the renovation project, following the same schedule.

According to the report, the renovated Cathedral is slated to reopen next June. However, Fr Ribeiro admitted that possible complications could delay the reopening.

Macaus Catholic diocese, which was founded in 1576, comprises 11 churches in nine parishes. According to its website, the diocese runs 31 education establishments and 22 social service institutions.

An introduction to the diocese on the website estimates its flock at 30,000 or about 4.5 per cent of the population.

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Macau Cathedral to close in October for renovation - Macau News

The Galaxy Entertainment Macao International Marathon will be held on December 6, opening with a total of 12,000 spots available for participants, the Sports Bureau (ID) announced in a press conference.Registration for the marathon and half marathon will open to the public on September 12. Registration for the mini marathon will open on September 13.The 38th iteration of the event will have 1,400 spots available for the marathon, 4,800 for the half marathon and 5,800 for the mini marathon.The full marathon and half marathon courses will start at Governor Nobre de Carvalho Bridge, pass World Heritage site A-Ma Temple and run along the Sai Van Bridge.The marathon and half marathon races will start at 6 a.m., while the mini-marathon will kick off at 6:15 a.m.Registrants who opt for on-site registration may go to the Tap Seac Multisport Pavilion from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on September 12 and 13. They should bring the completed registration form, a copy of their identification document, membership card from the General Association of Athletics of Macau for the current year and the registration fee.Galaxy Entertainment Group will sponsor the event until 2021, following the renewal of their title sponsorship for the event last year.The marathon is one of the few events in the city that will occur despite the ongoing pandemic. Macau has not seen a new locally-transmitted case of Covid-19 for several months.The ID said that it will pay close attention to the Covid-19 pandemic and will adopt preventive measures according to the guidelines by the Health Bureau.Meanwhile, there was no information given about what will happen to foreign athletes who are keen on participating in the marathon.If foreigners and non-resident workers are still not allowed to enter the city prior to the date of the marathon, the event will likely be held with athletes from mainland China and Hong Kong only.

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Macau marathon to be held with infection control measures - Macau Daily Times

The draft of the Master Plan for Macaus urban development has revealed that the future of the SARs tourism and entertainment industries would remain in the current Cotai and NAPE areas, while several locations would become new non-gaming tourism areas.

The draft, launched on Thursday, separated and classified various functions for different districts in Macau. According to the drafts suggestions, the core tourism and entertainment industries would remain in their current areas.

Officials of the Macau SAR Government said at a press conference that casinos would be mainly based in and around hotels in these areas, however the government will keep a certain level of flexibility in considering the compatibility of land in practice.

Meanwhile, the northern part of Taipa, currently referred to as new urban area zones C and D, would become an urban waterfront area via the development of tourism and business elements.

The government also plans to build a new tourism and leisure route along with the new urban area B, Nam Van and Barra areas in order to enrich entertainment experiences in Macau.

The southern part of the artificial island upon which the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge boundary sits would be reserved for the development of hotels, exhibitions and conventions in order to promote a platform of cooperation between the three cities.

With the re-tendering of gaming licenses scheduled for 2022, when the six current concessions expire, the distribution of land for gaming operators and further development of tourism industries in Macau would be a focus in the foreseeable future.

A public consultation for the draft will be held from 4 September to 2 November 2020.

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New urban plan to expand Macau tourism areas but casino activity to remain within current locations - Inside Asian Gaming

MACAU, China--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Recently, the high-profile Aollywood Film Critics Association declared to establish in Macau, China. This is one of the film industry associations founded by Aollywood which is Eastern Hollywood founded in Macau, China. It is committed to speaking out for the establishment of Chinese films international discourse power, aesthetic standards and evaluation system. Moreover, its mission is to enable outstanding Chinese films to receive objective and fair evaluation from overseas and to help build the bridge between Chinese films and other films from all over the world.

The Aollywood Film Critics Association board members elected a new leadership team, and the chairman is the famous film critic Zhou Liming; the vice-chairmen are Mao Jian, Lie Fu, Wei Junzi, Song Ziwen, and Zuo Heng; the secretary-general is Hu Jianli. In addition, Alang was elected as the supervisor of the association and the members are senior film critics Li Xingwen, Han Haoyue, Tan Fei, Ye Hang and other 25 people. These scholars are all well-known Chinese film critics.

Zhou Liming, the chairman of the Aollywood Film Critics Association, said that film criticism is a link in the entire film ecosystem. Film critics need to provide evaluations of films, provide guidance to audiences, and provide feedback to the filmmakers. He hopes that the Aollywood Film Critics Association can help the healthy development of Chinese film industry, discover more potential successful filmmakers, recommend more excellent films, and grow together with the whole Chinese film industry.

It is also reported that the Aollywood Film Critics Association will participate in hosting of the Aollywood International Film Festival.

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Aollywood (Macau-Hollywood, the Eastern Hollywood) established the first Film Critics Association in Macau, China - Business Wire

Xploring has become Ulysse Nardins motivation, and the result is a universe of X-factor: X like an adventure, X like our deepest desires, X for the unknown, X for whats forbidden, bold and exciting. To bring this sense of exploration to life, Ulysse Nardin has partnered with DFS Group, the worlds leading luxury travel retailer, on the Sharks in Macau exhibition at T Galleria by DFS, Macau, City of Dreams. Inspired by the discovery of the mysterious underwater world, the pop up features Ulysse Nardins first interactive shark photobooth in Asia Pacific where adventurers can dive into the deep sea and experience a thrilling moment with ferocious and dangerous sharks suddenly appearing and attacking courageous divers.

To celebrate the opening of the pop up store, Ulysse Nardin presents the below novelty and high complication pieces:

The SKELETON X case, reshaped and very small, a mere 42mm, is perfectly on-trend: more angular, more masculine, less round. Its shape-within-shape-within-shape geometry - an X formed by four of the indexes is framed in a rectangle, in turn inside a circle - delights the eye. Inside and clearly visible beats one of the star innovations of the watchs antecedent: a super-light balance wheel in silicium, extra-wide, with nickel flyweights and stabilizing micro-blades. The new Manufacture movement, the UN-371 caliber has 96-hour power reserve can be read through the back by means of windows, like those in the barrel. The SKELETON X eXists in four different satin-finish versions: satin-finish titani-um blue, satin-finish titanium black, satin-finish rose gold or matte-finish Carbonium GOLD.

Skeleton X Ulysse Nardin

The FREAK X, the little cousin of its Freak antecedents, stands out as the entry point into the FREAK collection. It has a crown for time correction, which breaks with one of the most iconic as-pects of the previous crown-less FREAK models. The sizing is tighter - 43mm. The baguette move-ment is still a carousel, turning once on itself every hour to indicate the time. It is simpler, bolder, and has fewer wheels. It has no dial and no hands - the central bridge acts as a minute hand and one of the wheels indicates the hours.

FREAK X Ulysse Nardin

From now until December 31, 2020, Ulysse Nardin timepieces will be showcased in T Galleria by DFS, Macau, City of Dreams. Do you dare to explore this deep-sea adventure?

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Ulysse Nardin - The brand and DFS Present Sharks in Macau Exhibition - Events - WorldTempus

The government is set to launch a tourism promotion campaign during the second week of September on Beijings busiest commercial street. The campaign will involve the citys six gaming concessionaires.According to a report by Radio Macau, the promotional campaign, which is being coordinated by the MacaoGovernment Tourism Office (MGTO), will take place on Wangfujing Street in Beijing.This is the first tourism campaign being run abroad since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.During the first half of 2020, visitor arrivals declined by 84% year-on-year to 3.26 million due to travel and border restrictions.Last month, China had set a date for the resumption of tourist visas for visitors travelling to the Macau SAR. From September 23, any mainland resident will be able to apply for an Individual Visit Scheme (IVS) visa to visit Macau for tourism purposes.The timing positions Macau for a tourism recovery bounce during Chinas Golden Week in early October, a normally popular time in the Macau gaming calendar.As the promotion of gambling is prohibited on the mainland, gaming operators are likely to publicize their hotel and restaurant promotions during the upcoming campaign.Recently, the government launched a scheme for tourists from mainland China, aiming to boost the economy and protect local jobs.The scheme was initiated by the Macau SAR government with support from e-commerce giants Tencent and Alibaba, as well as Air Macau. It aims to attract tourism to the city through promotions on air tickets and hotels, and rebates on shopping and dining to encourage tourists to increase their spending and length of stay.After the IVS was reinstated for Guangdong residents on August 12, preliminary data shows that the city recorded a 25% rise in visitor arrivals compared to the weekend prior.Previously, the Public Security Police Force had said that it did not expect significant changes in border traffic. However, they are now predicting a gradual upward trend in the number of arrivals in the coming weeks.

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Govt collaborates with gaming operators to promote in Beijing - Macau Daily Times

The Chinese embassy in Prague on Saturday condemned this weeks visit to Taiwan by a Czech delegation as a serious infringement on Chinas national sovereignty.

A delegation of about 90 Czech politicians, entrepreneurs, scientists and journalists led by senate speaker Milos Vystrcil visited Taiwan from August 30 to September 4.

Under its One China policy, Beijing considersTaiwana part of its territory and does not send official delegations to the island.

TheCzechcentre-left government officially accepts the One China policy, but Vystrcil is a member of the right-wing opposition Civic Democrats and is not bound by the protocol.

The embassy said the visit was a serious interference in Chinas internal affairs and called on the Czech Republic to take specific steps to remove the unfavourable impact of the said incident.

There is only one China in the world and Taiwan is an inseparable part of its territory, it said.

No matter what manipulation the Taiwanese authorities and anti-China forces come up with, they cannot change this.

On Monday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi described the trip as a provocation, saying that China would make Vystrcil pay a high price for his short-sighted behaviour.

The Czech foreign ministry then summoned Chinas ambassador to Prague and Beijing followed suit.

Vystrcil gave a speech inTaiwans parliament and met President Tsai Ing-wen, whose re-election earlier this year upset China as she views the island as a sovereign nation.

Ties between Prague and China suffered a blow last October when Prague city hall, run by a mayor from the anti-establishment Pirate Party, pulled out of a twinning deal with Beijing over its insistence on the One China policy.

Prague mayor Zdenek Hrib, who was on Vystrcils delegation, then signed a partnership agreement with Taipei in January, triggering outrage in Beijing.

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China says Czech visit to Taiwan harmed its sovereignty - Macau Business

Democratic vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris said Sunday that President Donald Trump is living in a different reality when he denies there is systemic racism in America.

The reality of America today is what we have seen over generations and, frankly, since our inception, which is we do have two systems of justice in America, Harris told CNN.

I think that Donald Trump and Bill Barr are spending full time in a different reality, said Harris, the first woman of color on a major US White House ticket taking aim at the president and his attorney general.

Joe Bidens running mate spoke two days after the White House disclosed that Trump had ordered federal agencies to stop funding anti-racism training sessions for employees, saying they amount to divisive, un-American propaganda that suggests the country is inherently racist.

And last week Barr dismissed the idea that there is, effectively, one justice system for whites in the United States and another for blacks.

I think we have to be a little careful about throwing the idea of racism around, Barr said. I dont think it is as common as people suggest.

Trump is working feverishly to appeal to his largely white, blue-collar base with a tough law-and-order mantra while fighting an uphill battle for re-election amid a pandemic, a struggling economy and a fraught national reckoning over racial injustice in policing and other walks of life.

Protests in major US cities erupted after the death of African American George Floyd in May at the hands of a white police officer in Minneapolis, and flared up again last month after another black man, Jacob Blake, was shot in the back repeatedly by a white policeman in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

Trump has blasted such demonstrators as violent anarchists.

Harris insisted that peaceful protest is an American right and that racism is indeed embedded in the country.

I dont think that most reasonable people who are paying attention to the facts would dispute that there are racial disparities and a system that has engaged in racism in terms of how the laws have been enforced, said Harris.

She blasted Trump as having bungled the nations handling of the coronavirus pandemic, which has killed nearly 190,000 people in America, and for not doing enough to help millions of people left jobless or otherwise suffering as a result of the global health crisis.

There is no question that Donald Trump has been an abject failure and incompetent when it comes to addressing the severe job loss that has happened as a result of the pandemic, because he has failed to address the pandemic itself, she said.

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Trump in 'different reality' on racism: Harris - Macau Business

Chan Chak Mo

The Macau SAR government decided to include 15 types of healthcare professionals into registration and the operation-licensing regime in order to regulate high-risk medical areas as well as to protect the jobs of unqualified practitioners.

According to information revealed by lawmaker Chan Chak Mo during Fridays Legislative Assembly (AL) plenary meeting, the SAR government has excluded from the regime healthcare-related professionals, except for 15 specific types, because the concerned individuals may lose their sources of income.

Today (Friday), the Legislative Assembly (AL) passed the law on the registration of healthcare professionals. A total of 15 types of medical personnel are required to be registered with the Macau SAR government.

Lawmakers and government representatives exchanged opinions on the bill, which was eventually passed article by articles, despite various concerns for professionals outside the 15 types.

The law, named Healthcare Personnel Professional Qualification and Operation Registration Regime, regulates medical practitioners, Chinese medicine practitioners, dentists, pharmacists, nurses, midwives, medical laboratory technologists, occupational therapists, radiographers, physiotherapists, chiropractors, nutritionists, psychiatrists, speech therapists, and Chinese medicine pharmacists.

More eight lawmakers, including Agnes Lam, Chan Chak Mo, and Chan Wa Keong, voiced their opinions on the 15 types of healthcare professionals.

Overall, Sulu Sou, Agnes Lam, Chan Iek Lap and others believe that more healthcare professionals, such as optometrists, should be included in the regime.

Ella lei asked how the government will regulate other types of healthcare professionals when there is a violation of the regulation.

Sulu Sou then remarked that these non-included professionals regard themselves as healthcare professionals and consider themselves to be providing a medical service and these individuals should be regulated and because many members of the public use the services of these people.

Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Ao Ieong U said that the SAR government had decided on the types of regulated professionals based on the popularity of the service and the risks of the concerned medical topics.

Director of the Health Bureau (SSM) Lei Chin Ion responded that the government will study whether to establish laws to regulate parties who sell healthcare-related services to people while labeling the service as medical treatment.

However, Lei indicated that the SAR government, at the current stage, has no intention of establishing another registration regime for other healthcare professionals.

After these lawmakers long interrogation towards the government representatives, Chan Wa Keong and Chan Chak Mo voiced their support to the law.

Chan Wa Keong defended the governments proposed law by saying that no law can include everybody.

There is no absolute good nor absolute bad, Chan Wa Keong commented, adding that more types can be included in the bill at any moment.

Following Chan Wa Keong, lawmaker Chan Chak Mo revealed another consideration of the government. According to Chan Chak Mo, the SAR government had a massive discussion on the types of professionals included in this law. The government took into account three aspects when considering the types, including the health risk of these types of healthcare services and the employment situation of the concerned professionals.

If we include [other types], many people may lose their jobs because they dont meet the requirements. Many types are not included because people who are currently offering the service have not reached a professional level and many people will be unable to take exams and internships. They may lose their source of income, said Chan.

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Law excludes unqualified healthcare personnel in order to protect their jobs - Macau Daily Times

Table tenniss mens and womens world cups and tour finals will be held in China in November, its world body announced, in a rare instance of international sport in the country since the coronavirus pandemic.

The mens and womens world cups are shifting from Dusseldorf and Bangkok respectively despite a mandate from Chinese authorities banning most international competition to prevent virus outbreaks.

No venues were announced for the world cups in mid-November or the tour finals, which are pencilled in for December 10-13. The table tennis calendar has been on hold since March.

Ensuring a safe return to international table tennis has been our utmost priority ever since the pandemic broke out and so I am delighted that we have managed to get events back up and running before the end of 2020, International Table Tennis Federation president Thomas Weikert said in a statement.

The announcement comes just days after the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions in Shanghai, Asias richest golf tournament with a blockbuster purse of $10.25 million, joined Chinas list of cancellations.

Shanghais Formula One Grand Prix and all of Chinas WTA and ATP tennis tournaments, including the WTA tour finals, have been axed because of the coronavirus, which emerged in Wuhan late last year.

The table tennis competitions will be held under strict bio-security conditions, including a ban on breathing on balls and no handshakes after matches.

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Table tennis world cups shifted to China in coronavirus restart - Macau Business

The reputation of this period as the silly season has always been a bit undeserved. Things keep happening; things always keep happening. What also happens is that we need to switch off, pay attention to something else, or nothing at all. Likewise, media outlets feel that pressure, not least because staff favors this season to take a break away from it all.

Unfortunately, as far as we, Macau residents (or, at least, most of us), are concerned, the period got a fancy new name staycation. For many, in fact, at-home-cation. So, as things keep happening, as usual, we are somehow bound to pay more attention to them, which is unusual. Still, the mood of authors, this one included, is also under the seasons spell. A few loose thoughts can come together, and no more.

Pick, for instance, the sempiternal topic of the Light Rail. Readers may remember that issues popped up when the company published the 2019 accounts (or whatever passed as such.)

In particular, among other things, it was not clear from where the declared profits could come. The company just operated for free less than three weeks at the end of the year. One of our legislators duly filed a written request for clarification. The government reply came back a couple of days ago. Should this be a normal silly season, we might not have noticed. As things stand, we could not avoid noticing.

Admittedly, we hoped to learn something new, even exciting:how to make profits without revenues. The answer was no need to hold your breath or roll the drums somewhat of an anticlimax. If full sense we can make from the media reports, the answer was that the declared profit is, in fact, a benefit that should not be understood a profit (QED?).

Let us put aside that accounting norms define well enough what a profit is and how it should be determined. Further, let us ignore that there are mandatory rules concerning the publication of financial results by companies. Ignore also, for another moment, that the CE published, on the first day of his mandate, specific legislation aiming to make the results and operations of companies such as this one more transparent and accountable.

Leave all that aside; the answer to this riddle is straightforward. Publish the accounts and other relevant information according to the applicable laws. Nothing could be easier.

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OPINION-Loose thoughts - Macau Business

Although casinos in Macau have resumed operations following the coronavirus-induced shutdown, casino tables still remain empty. This has resulted in a sharp decline in gross gaming revenues (GGR) in July. Notably, gaming revenues from the worlds largest gambling hub fell for the 10th consecutive month. Moreover, GGR declined more than 90% for the fourth straight month.

In July, gaming revenues from Macau plunged 94.5% to 1.3 billion patacas ($162.89 million) following a decline of 97% in June. The can primarily be attributed to a reduction in footfall as China continued to decline individual and group visas to Macau as a safety precaution. The government has also enforced body temperature check at casino entrances.

Moreover, in the first seven months of 2020, GGR fell 79.8%, year over year to $35.1 billion patacas. Notably, the casino operators in Macau were already grappling with a slowdown in China, the coronavirus pandemic has only aggravated their woes. Per Macau's Statistics and Census Bureau (DSEC) in the first half of 2020, the region witnessed a decline of 83.9% in visitation to the region.

Nevertheless, the worst seems to be over for the gaming industry in Macau as China is slowly easing certain restrictions. In mid-July, the Guangdong province lifted quarantine measures. Further, non-tourist visas will commence for the whole country from Aug 12. Analysts anticipate reissuing of visas to Macau in August or September.

However, Macau is likely to record revenue decline in the rest of the year as well. Moreover, gambling industry is suffering in Las Vegas, which is one of the hotspots for gamblers, due to coronavirus outbreak. Although casinos in Las Vegas have resumed operations, traffic is still very low due to the safety protocols and fears related to the pandemic.

The industry currently carries a Zacks Industry Rank #197, which places it at the bottom 22% of more than 250 Zacks industries. Year to date, the industry has declined 27.5%, against the S&P 500s growth of 1.7%.

Shares of Wynn Resorts, Limited WYNN are down 47.4% year to date. In the past 90 days, estimates for the current year have been revised downward to a loss of $11.82 from a loss of $2.74. The company currently has a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell).

Shares of MGM Resorts International MGM have declined 50.9% year to date. The companys performance in 2020 will be impacted by the coronavirus-induced crisis. In the past 90 days, estimates for the current year have been revised downward to a loss of $1.53 from a loss of 33 cents. The company currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

Shares of Las Vegas Sands Corp. LVS have tanked 36.2% year to date. In the past 90 days, estimates for the current year have been revised downward to a loss of $1.49 from a loss of 27 cents. The company currently has a Zacks Rank #4.

Shares of Melco Resorts & Entertainment Limited MLCO have plunged 29.3% year to date. The company, which develops, owns, and operates casino gaming and entertainment casino resort facilities in Asia through its subsidiaries, has been impacted by the deadly virus. The Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell) companys earnings estimates for current year have declined to a loss of $1.42 from a loss of 30 cents in the past 90 days.

You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Story continues

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Gaming Industry Continues to Bear Coronavirus Brunt in Macau - Yahoo Finance