Category Archives: Macau

Brunei reported two coronavirus deaths Tuesday, the first fatalities from Covid-19 in the Southeast Asian nation in over a year as it battles a fresh outbreak.

An 85-year-old woman and a 69-year-old man, both Bruneians, died after contracting lung infections following their admission to a quarantine centre this month, the health ministry said.

It brings the total virus deaths in the sultanate on Borneo island to five since the start of the pandemic.

The country, home to about 450,000 people, reported its last Covid-19 death in June last year.

Brunei introduced fresh curbs in August after seeing its first local infections for 15 months.

Authorities have closed cinemas and places of worship, banned dining in at restaurants and barred people from leaving their homes except for essential reasons.

Another 110 new virus cases were recorded Tuesday, taking total infections to 1,983 since the beginning of the pandemic.

Bruneis outbreak remains small compared to other parts of Southeast Asia, which are battling fierce virus waves driven by the Delta variant.

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Brunei reports first virus deaths in over a year - Macau Business

Guns once owned by Al Capone, one of the most notorious gangsters in United States history, are to go under the hammer at a California auction.

The mobsters favored .45 automatic pistol is among the haul, which also includes vintage photos, a letter to his son written from Alcatraz, and the bed he shared with his wife at their luxury Florida mansion.

The 174 items on sale in October are a collection entitled A Century of Notoriety: the Estate of Al Capone, in what auctioneers say will no doubt go down as one of the most important celebrity auctions in history.

Capone was one of the most feared figures in organized crime during the Prohibition Era, when the sale or production of alcohol was banned in the United States.

He was the boss of the Chicago Outfit, a 1920s gang that beat out rivals in bootlegging and racketeering with increasingly brutal methods.

These culminated in the 1929 St Valentines Day Massacre, when seven members of a rival gang were killed, execution style.

Capone was famously never convicted for violence, but jailed for tax evasion, ultimately ending up at Alcatraz, an island fortress off San Francisco.

Auctioneers at the October 8 sale in Sacramento estimate the .45 Colt automatic could fetch up to $150,000, while another pistol owned by the gangster might raise as much as $60,000.

The haul, which also includes a platinum and diamond Patek Philippe pocket watch, is from a collection passed down to Al and Mae Capones only son, Sonny.

It is currently owned by Diane and Barbara Capone, granddaughters of the infamous crook.

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Al Capone's guns to go under the hammer in US auction - Macau Business

A DR Congo soldier accused of attempted rape shot dead the father of his victim, as well as three other people, before being killed himself by the security forces, local police said on Monday.

In an incident on Sunday in the town of Kisangani in the northeast of the country, the soldier was killed by police and the army as they tried to arrest him for attempted rape, the deputy police chief of Tshopo province, Colonel Gerard Bosange told AFP.

On Sunday, a sergeant shot two soldiers and a civilian who had been sent to arrest him after killing a father who had tried to stop him raping his daughter, Bosange said.

On the orders of the government in Kinshasa, the police and the army used a mortar to kill the soldier, who had two combat weapons and five loaded clips and refused to hand over the body of the victim.

On August 11, a soldier shot dead two officers trying to stop him from bundling his wife into a military vehicle in Beni, a restless region in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the army regularly clashes with armed groups.

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Five killed in DR Congo as alleged rapist resists arrest - Macau Business

Aug 19, 2021 Newsdesk Latest News, Macau, Top of the deck 

A number of non-gaming facilities, mostly involving catering, at some Macau casino resorts remained shut as of Thursday, despite the citys government lifting from Wednesday its two-week ban on operation of certain entertainment venues excluding casinos as a countermeasure against the risk of spreading the Delta variant of Covid-19.

That restriction had been brought in after four locals were found earlier this month to have been infected with that strain, leading to mass testing of those present in Macau. At that time, some of the citys casino operators had paused not only facilities that had been covered by the initial government order, but also some other non-gaming venues. The move coincided with a slump in tourism numbers during the Delta-variant alert.

A number of outlets mostly restaurants in some of these casino resort properties is still shut for the time being, according to GGRAsias review of announcements on the respective websites of the citys casino resorts. But some of these properties have flagged that their dining facilities will gradually resume operations.

Daily visitor numbers to Macau have remained low in the past fortnight, relative to the modest recovery seen in the spring and early summer.

But Macaus six casino operators have seen key non-gaming attractions reopened at their venues, including various spas, gymnasiums, beauty salons, swimming pools, and bars.

The properties with such notifications include: Grand Lisboa Palace and Grand Lisboa, promoted by SJM Holdings Ltd; MGM Macau and MGM Cotai, promoted by MGM China Holdings Ltd; Wynn Macau and Wynn Palace, promoted by Wynn Macau Ltd; Galaxy Macau, run by Galaxy Entertainment Group Ltd; the Venetian Macao and the Londoner Macao on Cotai, as well as Sands Macao on Macau peninsula, promoted by Sands China Ltd; and City of Dreams, and Studio City, promoted by Melco Resorts and Entertainment Ltd.

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GGRAsia Some non-gaming at Macau resorts still shut as of Thurs - GGRAsia

IPOH: A 19-year-old student here was cheated of about RM37,000 in a purported Macau scam.

Jay Ng said he received a phone call, supposedly from Telekom Malaysia, on Friday (Aug 13) alleging that his mobile number was being used in an illegal gambling activity in Seremban.

Ng said he was told to lodge a report with the Seremban police, and was given a number of the district police station, which he later found out had been spoofed.

"I checked the number on the Internet to verify its authenticity.

"As the same number was shown, I then believed the matter to be true and started to get worried," he told a virtual press conference held by Perak MCA public service and complaints bureau chief Low Guo Nan on Tuesday (aug 17).

"A man, claiming to be one Asst Comm Datuk Hafiz, said he could help clear my name, but needed me to deposit some money first," he added.

Ng said he first transferred RM20,000 to a bank account belonging to one "Mohd Nasrullah".

"I was then told to transfer RM11,800 to a different account under 'Ramly Ab Hamid', and another RM5,000 to the same account," he said.

"Having almost cleared my bank account, I was asked for more and to borrow from friends or relatives.

"I then informed my father who told me to stop what I was doing as he believed that I had been scammed," said Ng, who added the money was inherited from his late mother for him to further his studies.

"I am aware of scam cases, but did not think that they would use a police station's number," said Low, who added people should always be vigilant.

"First, the people should never panic, and to go to the nearest police station to verify the matter.

"They should never ever reveal bank accounts and online banking details to strangers," said Low, who added that subsequent checks with the Semak MULE portal (a list maintained by the police commercial crime investigation department) found both accounts to be listed there.

"Why weren't the accounts frozen and are still actively being used by the syndicates?

"I hope the relevant authorities will work together to fight against these crimes that are getting rampant," he said.

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19-year-old student loses RM37,000 in Macau scam - The Star Online

The number of crimes reported in Macau during the first half of this year (H1) rose by 26.1%, official statistics released yesterday by the Secretariat for Security show.Topping the list of incidents are cybercrimes, which registered a growth of 382% when compared with the same period last year.In the first half of 2021 the number of cybercrimes recorded reached 617 incidents 489 more than in 2020.Also growing significantly was criminal activity that facilitated illegal immigration, which rose 81.9% year-on-year from 182 cases in 2020 to 331 reported this year.Also on the rise were cases of sexual assault committed against underage people, which doubled from two to four this year.Scams and document forgery also contributed to the H1 spike in 2021. Both crimes grew by about 50%, while the crime of making false declarations to the authorities rose by 65%.By contrast, crimes that have traditionally been linked to casinos have reduced due to border restrictions related to the Covid-19 pandemic. The crime of kidnapping fell by 41.4%, the unlawful use of ID belonging to a third-person fell by 76.6%, and the distribution of forged currency by 19.4%.Violent crimes committed against individuals, including rape and sexual assault, were highlighted for their statistical increase in H1. The number of reported rapes increased by 23.1% to a total of 16 in the first half of 2021 three more cases than in 2020.In the report, the Secretary for Security, Wong Sio Chak, noted the increase in the number of incidents, but nonetheless expressed satisfaction with the fact that, in general, violent crimes have recorded a slight decrease of 0.8% y-o-y.Wong also noted that, since the numbers of the gaming industry remained low for the first half of this year, the Secretary has not conducted a specific analysis of criminality related to the industry, as was usual in crime reportage before the pandemic.

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Crime increased 26% during the first half of 2021 - Macau Daily Times

LeaveHomeSafe, a digital contact tracing app launched by the Hong Kong Government

A footprint tracing function, endorsed by the Personal Data Protection Office, will likely be introduced to the Health Code system soon, Dr Leong Iek Hou, coordinator of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said at the regular health press conference yesterday.She added that the addition of the function to the platform is now in progress, and she anticipates its forthcoming roll-out.Regarding personal data security concerns, the public health doctor stressed that no data will be uploaded to any shared server owned or operated by the government. She said that the function will operate in such a way that data recorded will only be stored on the mobile device of the user.Similar to the footprint functions used in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Mainland China, users are required to scan a QR code posted at various if not all public venues to develop records of their movements.Leong did not explain how follow-up operations will be conducted. Given precedents set by the aforementioned territories, text messages are likely to be sent to users who have been to the same venues visited by a patient to notify them of any precautionary measures that need to be taken.The function has become increasingly anticipated by certain members of the public, as the four newest patients in the city were not able to clearly recall their movements in the days preceding their diagnosis.On another topic, Leong asked the public to update their addresses on the health code platform. She blamed users with incorrect addresses registered for putting extra workloads onto the Health Bureau during this time of intense epidemic control.Because of a non-updated address, they had their health code turned to red, and they [then] pushed to have the code corrected, which at the end of the day put a heavier burden to our team, Leong recalled.

No mass events allowedLeong referred to epidemiology to justify the current policy that no mass event can be held for the time being, as Macau is still not completely safe from new contagion or even outbreaks.She stressed that Macau can only be considered totally safe when it achieves zero new cases for 28 consecutive days.However, this does not mean that the 28-day target is an immovable threshold. The consideration should take into account the impact on economic performance, she said.A similar scenario took place last year when the government stressed that the risks of outbreaks were still high, but gave green lights to the Food Festival and the Grand Prix.

DSEDJ undecided on school year startWith most schools having set their school year start between September 1 and 6, and as mass gatherings and events are discouraged by the health authorities, there may be an as yet unannounced delay on the commencement of the new academic year.Wong Ka Ki, head of the Education and Youth Development Bureaus Non-Tertiary Education Department, said at the press conference that guidelines regarding the matter have been distributed to schools.Cross-border students will be allowed to begin their new school year several days later than normal, Wong added.

Case of Bells palsy recordedHealth authorities reported another adverse events following immunization (AEFI)yesterday as a 31-year-old man suffered from Bells palsy after being administered with the second dose of Sinopharm vaccine.The man received his second jab on August 12 and reported his case on August 18.In April, three residents also suffered from Bells palsy after being inoculated with Covid-19 jabs.

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Covid-19 | Footprint records on health code soon to become reality - Macau Daily Times

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JM Holdings announced 2021 first half results on August 3. The groups gross gaming revenue for the six months ended 30 June 2021 reached HK$5.51 billion (US$708.5 million), up from HK$4.89 billion (US$628.8 million) in the year-earlier period, marking a 12.5% increase.

Adjusted EBITDA improved by 48.2% to a negative HK$510 million (US$65.6 million) from a negative HK$984 million. The groups Adjusted EBITDA Margin was a negative 9.8% compared with a negative 22.5% for the year-earlier period.

Despite the revenue increase, SJM also reported a widened loss, as it continues to suffer the negative impact of the pandemic. The group recorded a loss attributable to owners of HK$1.47 billion (US$189.0 million), including a loss of HK$1.47 billion (US$188.5 million) in the first half of 2021 versus a loss of HK$1.41 billion (US$181.3 million) in the first half of 2020: 3.8% greater.

Dr. Ambrose So, Vice-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of SJM Holdings Limited, commented: SJMs operating results in the first half of the year reflect the cautious reopening of Macau for tourism.

The company expects gross gaming revenues in Macau, as well as hotel, restaurant and other non-gaming activities that depend on tourism, to continue being impacted by the Covid-19 crisis. It is expected that certain travel restrictions will be lifted given the increasing level of vaccination throughout the region, although SJM does not expect a return to pre-pandemic level of revenue during 2021.

During the first half of the year, mass market gross table gaming revenue of the Group increased by 33.2% and VIP gross gaming revenue showed a decrease of 37.5% compared with the year-earlier period. During the same period, slot machine gross revenue increased by 12.7% compared with the year-earlier period.

We anticipate continued growth in the second half of 2021, and we are very pleased that our Grand Lisboa Palace Resort is now open to welcome the increasing flow of visitors, added the companys CEO.

The groups new integrated resort on Cotai opened its doors to the public on 30 July 2021. Its initial phase opening included the casino space and 300 guest rooms.

Grand Lisboa Palace Resort represented an investment of approximately HKD 39 billion (US$5 billion) and features three hotel towers Grand Lisboa Palace Hotel, Karl Lagerfeld, and Palazzo Versace and casino gaming with 150 table games approved by the Macau Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau.

"We are hoping that within this year, by the end of the year, we will be able to open up the entire property, said Ms. Daisy Ho, Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of SJM.

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Macau's operator SJM sees revenues, earnings up in H1 driven by 'cautious' tourism return - Yogonet International

People wear masks as they walk near Ruins of St. Pauls, following the coronavirus outbreak in Macau, China February 5, 2020. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu

HONG KONG, Aug 4 (Reuters) - The gambling hub of Macau will begin testing its 600,000 people and close some entertainment spots after the Chinese-ruled city confirmed four new coronavirus cases, its government said on Wednesday, pushing casino stocks lower.

The resurgence in cases in a city that has seen very few infections over the past year and a half has raised concerns that casinos, Macau's main economic engine and source of revenues, may have to close in the near-term if the spread is not contained.

They remain open for now.

Wynn Macau (1128.HK) led the plunge in Macau gaming stocks, falling as much as 9.4% to HK$8.80, the lowest since March 2016. SJM Holdings (0880.HK) dropped 7.2% to HK$6.22, the lowest since March 2020. Galaxy Entertainment (0027.HK) fell 6.3% to HK$46.85, the lowest since April 2020.

Macau has set up 41 nucleic acid testing stations across the city which will run non-stop for at least three days, which is the estimated required period, the government said in a statement. Appointments would not be needed, it said.

Separately, the government said cinemas, theatres, indoor playgrounds, bowling alleys, massage parlours, bars, nightclubs, and other such venues would be closed from midnight.

The casinos were forced to suspend operations for two weeks last year due to the coronavirus. Although they have reopened, business remains subdued as travel restrictions discourage affluent gamblers from entering Macau.

Macau has registered only 59 coronavirus cases and recorded no deaths so far, according to Hong Kong government data.

Hong Kong's government said it removed Macau from its list of places from which residents could return to the finance hub without the need for quarantine. That 'Return2HK' list now only contains places from mainland China.

Reporting by Twinnie Siu, Donny Kwok and Marius Zaharia; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Macau begins COVID-19 tests and shuts some entertainment venues, casino stocks fall - Reuters

Pearl Lucky can run a big race for his connection today. His highest rating in MJC reached 75 rating points and now he is at rating point 39. Pearl Lucky is racing in a Class 5 & 6 weak race despite carrying a big weight. But looking at his previous two races in 1800 and 1500 turf he didnt run badly, it looks he was training under racing condition to get his racing fitness back. Pearl Lucky also draw a nice barrier in gate four, this should give his jockey a strategic run in getting a nice galloping position. He should be able to fire at the straight to cross the line in fine style. He is my Nap this week and hopefully the first winner for our readers in August. By Davy Chiu, MDT

Race 5 Horse no. 1 Pearl Lucky Win & Place bets.

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Macau Racing Tips | The Rua Cinco Outubro 1600 Metres Sand 2021-08-06 | Fri | 21:25 - Macau Daily Times