By Kao Shih-ching / Staff reporter

Starting next month, StarLux Airlines Co () is to increase its number of flights to Macau and Penang, Malaysia, to meet rising air cargo demand and help its pilots build up flight hours, the airline said yesterday.

From Aug. 1, Starlux is to offer four round-trip flights from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport to Macau International Airport every Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, compared with three per week now, it said in a statement.

It would also operate three round-trip flights per week from Taoyuan to Penang International Airport every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, from two at present, it said.

Photo courtesy of StarLux Airlines

Although air travel is unlikely to rebound quickly in the third quarter as the COVID-19 pandemic shows no signs of slowing, Starlux decided to expand its operations on expectations that the air cargo business would remain rosy, spokesman Nieh Kuo-wei () told the Taipei Times by telephone.

The start-up airline, which was struck by the pandemic after beginning operations on Jan. 23, has been concentrating on cargo services between Taiwan and Macau and Penang to mitigate the effects of a faltering passenger business amid travel restrictions.

Frankly speaking, we would operate the flights even without any passenger, as the cargo revenue would be enough to cover variable costs, Nieh said.

However, StarLux has yet to resume its operations to Da Nang, as Vietnam has not eased its restrictions on air travel and cargo demand is low, he said.

Starlux also wants its pilots to accumulate more flight hours, which would give it an advantage when applying to the Civil Aeronautics Administration to launch new flights, Nieh said.

In related news, EVA Airways Corp () yesterday said it is likely to increase its flights in the third quarter, as many countries ease border controls.

We adjust our flight schedules on a rolling basis depending on the pandemic, official measures and consumer demand, it said.

In the short term, domestic air travel would continue to outperform international travel, as a mandatory 14-day quarantine for returning citizens has dampened desire to travel abroad, it said.

As EVA lends its planes to Uni Air (), which has been increasing its flights to outlying islands due to high demand, it also benefits from the domestic travel boost, it said.

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The European chapter of the World Health Organization on Friday expressed concern over the resurgence of new coronavirus cases on the continent, saying countries should impose tighter restrictions if necessary.

The number of infections in Europe crossed three million on Thursday, a fifth of the worlds more than 15 million cases. It remains the hardest hit in terms of deaths, with 206,633 out of 627,307 worldwide.

With 335 new cases for 100,000 inhabitants in the last two weeks, Kyrgyzstan is the worst affected country in the sprawling zone covered by WHOs European chapter.

Others include Montenegro (207), Luxemburg (196), Bosnia (98), Serbia (71), Romania (52) and Bulgaria (46).

However the numbers of new infections have gone down significantly in Armenia (197 cases per 100,000), Kazakhstan (128), Moldavia (82), and Russia (60).

The recent resurgence in COVID-19 cases in some countries following the easing of physical distancing measures is certainly cause for concern, a spokeswoman told AFP.

Where new clusters of cases appear, these need to be controlled through rapid and targeted interventions including rapid case detection and isolation and diligent contact tracing and quarantining, she said.

If the situation demands, reintroduction of stricter, targeted measures with the full engagement of communities may be needed.

However, the number of new cases across Europe has remained stable at around 20,000 daily since May 20 more than two times lower than peak numbers at the start of April.

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WHO concerned over rising virus cases in Europe - Macau Business

Residents can start to top up their consumption smartcards for the second phase of the governments subsidy scheme to boost locals spending from Monday at various service points across the city, the government announced on Thursday.

The top-up amounts to MOP 5,000.

Residents can top up their smartcards at the service points, including public administration premises, community association venues and bank branches, without the need to present their ID cards. They merely need to hold their smartcards over a reader.

Residents will have to spend the MOP 5,000 between 1 August and 31 December. As in the current first phase (MOP 3,000), they can only spend up to MOP 300 per day during the second phase.

Both permanent and non-permanent residents are entitled to the consumption subsidy scheme. Macaos around 190,000 non-resident workers are excluded from the scheme.

Those who did not pick up their smartcards for spending during the current first phase can, however, obtain the second-phase subsidy of MOP 5,000, in which case they can pick up their cards at one of several card collection points by presenting their ID cards.

The government announced details of the second phase of its consumption subsidy scheme during a press conference at Government Headquarters on Thursday.

1st phase ends next Friday

The first phase of the consumption subsidy scheme, a 3,000-pataca smartcard, started on 1 May and ends next Friday. The government has said that the second phase is needed to continue boosting local consumption and stabilising the job market amid the ongoing adverse impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Macaos economy.

Before the first phase started in May, residents needed to register online to pick up their 3,000-pataca consumption smartcards known in Cantonese as siu fai kat.

Those who never registered for a consumption smartcard or failed to pick up their card in the first phase can collect their smartcard for the second phase without having to register in advance, but they have to show their ID card.

If a resident does not spend all the MOP 3,000 in the first phase of the scheme, the remainder will not be carried forward into the second phase but will revert to the public coffers.

During Thursdays press conference, Economic Services Bureau (DSE) Director Tai Kin Ip said that residents can obtain the second-phase subsidy of MOP 5,000 between Monday and 14 December for both topping up their existing card (those who had previously picked it up) and collecting a new card (those who did not pick it up previously).

According to Tai, only those who have already spent the MOP 3,000 in their smartcards can start to top it up from Monday. Those who still have money left in their cards before 1 August can only top it up from 1 August when the money remaining from the first phase will revert to the government.

Tai underlined that those who top up their smartcard or collect a new card before 1 August can only start to use the new MOP 5,000 from 1 August. Tai said the measure allowing residents to have the 5,000-pataca subsidy credited to their consumption smartcards between Monday and next Friday aimed to divert the flow of people so that not all residents start to top-up the cards from 1 August.

As in the first phase, the smartcards cannot be used for paying public utility bills such as water and electricity or telecom services, and they cannot be used to buy ferry or air tickets. Neither can residents use the card to pay for outbound tourism services or health services. In addition, the card cannot be used for spending in casinos, pawnshops, banks, insurance companies or other financial institutions.

The smartcards are operated by MacauPass. Residents can spend the subsidy credited to their contactless stored-value card by placing it over MacauPass terminals installed at local shops or other businesses for goods and services.

Transferable but not for cash

The consumption subsidy cannot be converted into cash, and it can only be used to buy goods and services. The cards are transferable.

Tai said that those who already have a consumption smartcard can hold it over a reader to top it up at 190 top-up points across the city, comprising 29 venues on government premises, 31 community association venues, 127 bank branches and three MacauPass service points. They will not have to register or make an appointment in advance and will not have to present their ID cards at the top-up points.

Tai said that those who did not pick up their 3,000-pataca consumption smartcard previously or have lost their 3,000-pataca smartcard can pick up a new 5,000-pataca smartcard at one of six card collection points where they will only have to present their ID cards without the need to register or make an appointment in advance.

According to Tai, those who have lost their 3,000-pataca smartcard will have to report the loss to the police first before they can pick up the new 5,000-pataca smartcard.

For the consumption subsidy schemes first phase, a minors smartcard needed to be picked up by one of their parents or legal guardian. Tai said that for the second phase, the 5,000-pataca smartcard of a minor can also be picked up by his or her grandparents, adult brother or sister, uncle or aunt, in addition to his or her parents or legal guardians.

As in the first phase, residents may also download an authorisation from the Economic Services Bureau website to designate another person to pick up the smartcard for them. That person needs to present the smartcard holders ID card and his or her own ID card together with the authorisation form signed by the smartcard holder when collecting the consumption smartcard.

According to Tai, the government will penalise businesses that engage in price gouging or provide misleading price information to consumers for the schemes second phase. Tai said that depending on the severity of the offence, the government may disallow all or some outlets of the business concerned to benefit from the scheme for a certain period of time.

According to Tai, 624,000 residents picked up their first-phase 3,000-pataca smartcards before the 17 July deadline, or 95 per cent of the 658,000 who had registered. Some 732,000 residents were eligible for the subsidy in the first phase. So far some MOP 1.82 billion have been spent by holders of the consumption smartcards in the first phase, Tai said.

Tai said that based on the governments population growth estimate during the next few months, 737,000 Macao residents are expected to be eligible for the second-phase 5,000-pataca smartcard. Tai said that therefore the government expected to spend up to MOP 3.68 billion on the schemes second phase.

Tai also said that as the governments ongoing Macao tour scheme is not an outbound tourism service, residents can pay for the local tours with their consumption smartcards.

(The Macau Post Daily/Macau News)PHOTO Daryl Chapman Photography

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Consumption smartcard top-up to start on Monday - Macau News

China launched a rover to Mars on Thursday, another milestone for its space programme after putting humans into orbit and landing a probe on the Moon.

It is among a trio of nations, along with the United Arab Emirates and the United States, launching missions to the Red Planet this month, taking advantage of a period when Mars and Earth are favourably aligned.

Beijings space programme has made huge strides in recent years as it tries to catch up with the United States and Russia.

Here are five things to know about the programme:

Chinas Mars probe lifted off on July 23 from the southern island of Hainan.

The mission was dubbed Tianwen-1 (Questions to Heaven) in a nod to a classical Chinese poem that has verses about the cosmos.

The probe aims to go into Martian orbit, land on the planet and release a small rover to conduct research on its surface.

The craft will travel at least 55 million kilometres (34 million miles) to reach its destination. It will arrive seven months after launch, in February, according to an official.

It is not Chinas first attempt to go to Mars.

A previous mission with Russia in 2011 failed because the Russian launcher was unable to get the craft into a transfer orbit to slingshot towards the Red Planet.

The hardware partially disintegrated as it later crashed back to Earth.

Following that failure, Beijing decided to try again on its own.

Its purposes are not different from those of other countries: develop the capability, explore the universe and finally, create political influence and national prestige, said Chen Lan, an independent analyst at GoTaikonauts.com, which specialises in news about Chinas space programme.

The rover, weighing 240 kilogrammes (530 pounds), has six wheels and four solar panels, Chinese state media reported.

The rover will roam Mars for three months, according to Sun Zezhou, chief engineer of the probe.

The machine is supposed to analyse the planets soil and atmosphere, take photos, chart maps and look for signs of past life.

China sent two rovers to the Moon, Jade Rabbit One and Two (Yutu in Chinese), in 2013 and 2019.

The second rover made a historic soft landing on the far side of the Moon, making China the first country to do so.

The lunar Yutu rovers are good practice in many ways for a Martian rover. The terrain is broadly similar, Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, told AFP.

But the distance from Earth means communication will be slower, McDowell said, adding that the risk of problems increases with such a long trip.

China has poured billions of dollars into its space programme to catch up with the US, Russia and Europe.

In 2003, it became the third nation after the US and Russia to send a human into space.

It has launched a slew of satellites into orbit, completing a constellation in June to set up its own navigation system, Beidou, to rival the US GPS system.

The Asian powerhouse plans to assemble a space station by 2022 in Earth orbit.

And China is aiming even higher, hoping to become only the second nation to send humans to the Moon a decade from now.

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From the Moon to Mars: China's long march in space - Macau Business

The UN warned Friday against using excessive force against demonstrators and media in the United States, and said the deployment of unidentified officers increased the risk of human rights violations.

Responding to questions about violent clashes in the US city of Portland between federal forces and demonstrators protesting against racism and police brutality, a UN spokeswoman stressed that the right to peacefully assemble and protest must be protected.

Peaceful demonstrations that have been taking place in cities in the US, such as Portland, really must be able to continue, UN rights office spokeswoman Elizabeth Throssel told reporters in Geneva.

People must be able to demonstrate, and journalists must be able to cover such protests, without risking arbitrary arrest or detention, being subject to unnecessary disproportionate or discriminatory use of force or suffering other violations of their rights, she said.

Protests raged in the US after the killing of George Floyd, an African American man who died at the hands of police in Minneapolis on May 25.

Those protests began losing steam earlier this month, before reports emerged of federal officers snatching Portland protestors and taking them away in unmarked vehicles, spurring a fresh wave of demonstrations.

The US Justice Departments independent watchdog announced Thursday it was launching probes into the use of force by federal agents in Portland.

Throssel said that the reports of unidentified officers making arrests were a particular cause for concern.

She noted that such practices could give rise to arbitrary detention and other human rights violations.

We would stress that the authorities should ensure that the federal and local security forces deployed are properly and clearly identified and use force only when necessary, proportionate, and in accordance with international standards, she said.

Globally, she added, authorities must ensure that people deployed for law enforcement do not threaten the use of force to deter peaceful protesters.

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UN calls on US to ensure right to peaceful protests - Macau Business

Russia said on Friday it will resume some international flights on August 1 after a four-month pause to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

Russia closed its borders and halted international air travel in March, though some cross-border flights have been allowed to repatriate Russians stranded abroad.

We have made a decision to relaunch international air travel, said Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin at the start of a cabinet meeting.

Flights will initially resume from Moscow, Saint Petersburg and the southern city of Rostov.

Deputy Prime Minister Tatiana Golikova said that for the moment Russia would only resume flights with Britain, Tanzania and Turkey.

Flights to London and Turkish cities Ankara and Istanbul will resume on August 1, with air travel to three Turkish resorts popular among Russians beginning again on August 10, she said.

Russians will only be allowed to travel to the island of Zanzibar in Tanzania, which Golikova said was an exotic route that is popular among a certain category of our citizens.

She said foreigners arriving in Russia will have to show a negative coronavirus test completed within 72 hours before departure.

Transport Minister Yevgeny Ditrikh said Russia was in negotiations with 30 more countries to restart flights.

Russia has the fourth hightest number of coronavirus infections in the world, with 800,849 cases and 13,046 deaths, according to an official tally on Friday.

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Russia to resume some international flights in August - Macau Business

Russia on Friday dismissed accusations from the United States and Britain that it had tested an anti-satellite weapon in space as propaganda.

Moscow responded after the United States Space Command on Thursday accused Russia of test-firing an anti-satellite weapon in space and warned the threat against US systems was real, serious and increasing.

The head of Britains Space Directorate, Air Vice-Marshal Harvey Smyth, also reacted, tweeting that actions of this kind threaten the peaceful use of space.

The Russian foreign ministry insisted on Moscows commitment to obligations on the non-discriminatory use and study of space with peaceful aims.

We call on our US and British colleagues to show professionalism and instead of some propagandistic information attacks, sit down for talks, the ministry said in a statement.

The US said that Russia conducted a non-destructive test of a space-based anti-satellite weapon.

Clearly this is unacceptable, tweeted US nuclear disarmament negotiator Marshall Billingslea, adding that it would be a major issue discussed next week in Vienna, where he is in talks on a successor to the New START treaty.

The treaty caps the nuclear warheads of the US and Russia the two Cold War-era superpowers.

The Russian foreign ministry said tests carried out by the countrys defence ministry on July 15 did not create a threat for other space equipment and most importantly, did not breach any norms or principles of international law.

It in turn accused the US and Britain of moves to develop anti-satellite weaponry.

The US and Britain naturally keep silent about their own efforts, it said, claiming the countries had programmes on the possible use of inspector satellites and repair satellites as counter-satellite weapons.

Commenting earlier Friday on the accusations, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia supports full demilitarisation of space and not basing any type of weapons in space.

The US Space Command said the test consisted of Russias satellite called Cosmos 2543 injecting an object into orbit.

Russian state media reported in December that a satellite called Cosmos-2542, which was launched in November 2019 by the Russian military, ejected another smaller satellite once in space.

The Russian defence ministry said the inspector-satellite was meant to monitor the condition of Russian satellites, but state daily Rossiiskaya Gazeta said it could also get information from somebody elses satellites.

The system is the same one that Space Command raised concerns about earlier this year, when it manoeuvred near a US government satellite, said General Jay Raymond, head of US Space Command.

This is further evidence of Russias continuing efforts to develop and test space-based systems, and consistent with the Kremlins published military doctrine to employ weapons that hold US and allied space assets at risk, Raymond said in a statement.

It is the latest example of Russian satellites behaving in a manner inconsistent with their stated mission, the Space Command statement added.

This event highlights Russias hypocritical advocacy of outer space arms control, said Christopher Ford, a US assistant secretary of state for arms control.

The statement also came as China launched a rover to Mars on Thursday, a journey coinciding with a similar US mission as the powers take their rivalry into deep space.

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Russia rejects space weapon claim as 'propaganda' - Macau Business

The United Nations University Institute in Macau (UNU Macau) and Caritas Macau announced on Wednesday a five-year strategic partnership to strengthen cooperation on projects that promote policy as well as practice-relevant research and capacity building activities in the fields of sustainable community development, social innovation, and civil society cyber resilience.

In order to achieve these shared objectives, both parties signed on Tuesday a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to coordinate their work and synergise efforts on the implementation of projects and other activities of mutual interest through joint research, workshops, conferences, and other modalities.

We are glad to be signing our first MOU with UNU Macau after our continued collaboration with them on various projects and engagements in the past few years. Through this partnership, we hope to enhance evidence-based practice and scientific support to improve social services and capacity building initiatives in Macao. This also aligns with our objectives of strengthening collaboration with international organisations to establish a platform for networking, information exchange on global issues and ultimately to achieve greater human goals, the statement quoted Paul Pun Chi Meng, secretary-general of Caritas Macau, as saying.

Caritas Macau has been a long-term friend of the institute. We have many shared interests, such as sustainable community development and social innovation in Macao. We have collaborated on research projects in the past, thanks to Dr Mamello Thinyanes initiatives. Currently, Caritas is working with us on the Smart City-zen Cyber Resilience project funded by the Science and Technology Development Fund (FDCT) where we aim to explore the role of civil society toward cyber resilience and enhance the cyber resilience preparedness in Macao. We are excited about this partnership with Caritas Macau. As the only United Nations presence in Macao, our Institute is working with local partners to connect Macao with the rest of the world through research and innovation, and helping transform the region into a hub of global technology innovation, the statement quoted UNU Macau Director Dr Huang Jingbo as saying.

According to the UNU Macau website, Dr Thinyane, a principal research fellow, works within the UNU Macaus Small Data Lab investigating the role of locally-relevant, citizen-generated data to empower individuals and community-level actors towards the Sustainable Development Goals targets, as well as the role of this data within the larger social indicators data ecosystem.

Dr Thinyane is the chairman of the board of the African Footprints of Hope Organisation, an NGO that facilitates strategic multistakeholder engagements towards socio-economic development of communities in Southern Africa. He is also a visiting researcher at the Australian Centre of Cyber-Security at the University of New South Wales in Canberra.

One of the key initiatives that both organisations will be working on is the Smart City-zen Cyber Resilience project which aims to enhance the cyber resilience of smart city-zens in Macao and around the world involving civil society actors in local preparations against cybersecurity threats. This project was designed to help accelerate the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and Macaos development plans.

According to the UNU Macau website, the Smart City-zen Cyber Resilience project aims to enhance the cyber resilience of civil society in Macao and globally through the development of a civil society-centric cyber resilience management model, as well as the operationalisation of the model through tools and applications in partnership with civil society and governmental stakeholders.

(The Macau Post Daily/Macau News)PHOTO The Macau Post Daily

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UNU Macau and Caritas Macau partner to advance research & capacity building initiatives - Macau News

The National Basketball Association has severed ties to a training centre in Chinas western Xinjiang region, where Beijing faces growing international condemnation over its treatment of minorities.

In a letter published online by Senator Marsha Blackburn, the US league also said it had lost hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue after Chinese broadcasters dropped its games last year amid a bitter row triggered when a Houston Rockets executive expressed support for Hong Kong pro-democracy protests.

The NBA statements were contained in the letter dated July 21 to Blackburn that was posted on the Tennessee politicians official Senate webpage on Wednesday.

Signed by NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum, it was sent in response to questions raised by Blackburn about NBA involvement in Xinjiang, described by the senator as one of the worlds worst humanitarian zones.

China is in the midst of a bitter falling out with the United States on a range of fronts, including human rights, trade and Hong Kong.

The NBA has had no involvement with the Xinjiang basketball academy for more than a year, and the relationship has been terminated, Tatum wrote in the letter, which was confirmed as genuine by an NBA official.

More than one million ethnic Uighurs and other minorities, mostly Muslim Turkic peoples, have been herded into Xinjiang internment camps where they undergo political indoctrination, according to human rights groups and experts.

The existence of the camps had been revealed in recent years and appear aimed at taming long-time opposition by many Uighurs marked a spate of violent incidents over political and religious repression by Beijing.

The NBAs lucrative broadcast and merchandise interests in China the leagues most valuable market outside of the United States went into a tailspin after Rockets general manager Daryl Moreys tweet regarding Hong Kong protesters last October.

The comments infuriated the Chinese government and basketball fans and caused state broadcaster CCTV to stop showing matches.

The financial impact of NBA games not airing on television in China has been significant, Tatum wrote.

We estimate the loss of revenue to be in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

China is under mounting pressure from the United States and other trading partners over issues including Xinjiang and a new security law that Beijing imposed in Hong Kong, sparking fears that civil liberties in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory will be crushed.

The NBA has been in shutdown since March, when the coronavirus pandemic erupted across North America.

The league is relaunching its season with teams based in Orlando for the remainder of the regular season and the playoffs.

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NBA pulls out of Xinjiang project - Macau Business

Almost half a century on from when cricket legends Ian Botham and Viv Richards made their county debut for Somerset their bond is as strong as ever, they explained in media interviews on Friday.

England all-rounder Botham, 64, earned the respect and eternal friendship of 68-year-old West Indies batsman Richards for never turning his back on him even when the Englishman received hate mail during the halcyon days at the county.

Their bond has been recognised with the announcement that future Test series between England and the West Indies will be called the Richards-Botham Trophy.

Between them they made a combined 223 Test appearances, totalled 13,740 runs and 415 wickets.

The third and final Test of the present series which is tied 1-1 gets underway later on Friday at Old Trafford.

What I can say to Ian? I can thank him so much for being in my corner, Richards told Sky Sports.

We just represented what I think people should be representing: that were all human beings, and thats the most important thing.

Botham and Richards in their prime were targeted by South Africa to persuade them to go on rebel tours during the time when sporting links were cut due to the apartheid regime.

Both declined but other England stars like Mike Gatting, John Emburey and Graham Gooch did go whilst the West Indies also toured there.

The thing that finally finished me with all that was when they turned round to Viv and said: Well make you an honorary white man. I said: Hang on, wheres this going?' Botham told the Daily Mail in a joint interview.

Hes black and hes proud and magnificent and a great guy.

He doesnt want to be an honorary white man any more than I want to be an honorary black man.

Richards agreed with Botham over his statement that all lives matter.

The pair stressed that it was not a rejection of the Black Lives Matter movement which was born out of the death of unarmed African-American man George Floyd in Minneapolis at the hands of police officers in May.

I most certainly agree with Ian when he says all lives matter, said Richards.

Its been highlighted now because of the events weve seen played out in America this hate towards our colour.

If we have respect for one another, these things wouldnt come into the equation.

Look at Covid. We are not in control. This warfare is hitting everyone not just black or white, but every race and every country on earth. We should all just sit back and reflect on where wed like to be.

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'All lives matter' say brothers-in-arms Richards and Botham - Macau Business

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden

Joe Biden said yesterday [Macau time] that President Donald Trump was the countrys first racist president.The presumptive Democratic presidential nominees comments came during a virtual town hall organized by the Service Employees International Union. When a questioner complained of racism surrounding the coronavirus outbreak and mentioned the president referring to it as the China virus, Biden responded by blasting Trump and his spread of racism.The way he deals with people based on the color of their skin, their national origin, where theyre from, is absolutely sickening, the former vice president said. No sitting president has ever done this. Never, never, never. No Republican president has done this. No Democratic president. Weve had racists, and theyve existed. Theyve tried to get elected president. Hes the first one that has.Biden also suggested that Trump is using race as a wedge to distract from his mishandling of the pandemic.Many presidents including the nations first, George Washington owned slaves.President Woodrow Wilson, the countrys 28th president, is having his name removed from Princeton Universitys public policy school after recent protests against institutional racism and police brutality. Wilson, who served in the early 20th century, supported segregation and imposed it on several federal agencies.At a White House briefing later, Trump responded to a question about Bidens comments by pointing to his administrations efforts passing criminal justice reform legislation and expanding opportunity zones, as well as the low unemployment numbers for minority groups before the coronavirus outbreak.Ive done more for Black Americans than anybody with the possible of exception of Abraham Lincoln, the president said. Nobody has even been close.Katrina Pierson, a senior adviser for Trumps reelection campaign, said in a statement that no one should take lectures on racial justice from Joe Biden.Biden has vowed that, if elected, he will begin addressing institutional racism within his first 100 days of taking office. This was not the first time hes suggested Trumps actions were racist.Biden has built his campaign around the election being a battle for the soul of the nation and says he felt compelled to run for president after he saw Trump respond to a deadly 2017 white supremacist attack on counterprotesters in Charlottesville, Virginia, by saying there were some very fine people on both sides.When Trump said last year that four Democratic congresswomen of color should go back to their countries, Biden called it a flat, racist attack. WILL WEISSERT, WASHINGTON, AP

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On the road to the White House | Joe Biden calls Trump the countrys first racist president - Macau Daily Times

The Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) is prioritizing promotions targeting mainland China, particularly Guangdong Province, which it has dubbed the citys bread and butter.In a talk yesterday hosted by the Australian Chamber of Commerce in Macau, MGTO director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes said that initially the target market for tourism was Hong Kong. However, due to the third wave of Covid-19 outbreak in the neighboring region, it has shifted its priorities to attracting tourist arrivals from Guangdong Province.Our eyes are first on mainland China Guangdong Province because we have to look at the bread and butter market first, the official told the audience.In the beginning of the talk, the official admitted that it was a significant challenge for the office to combat the effect of Covid-19 on the tourism sector, given that entry and travel restrictions on the citys border, as well as neighboring regions borders, remain in force.It was only recently that the SAR government opened its borders to visitors from mainland China, as well residents from Taiwan and Hong Kong who have spent the last 14 days in mainland China.These residents will not have to undergo a 14-day quarantine, but they will have to provide a negative test result of the Covid-19 nucleic acid test.Were finally restarting tourism and were now finally starting to work on what we normally do as a tourism office, Fernandes said.The office conducted a survey on the Macao Ready Go! Local Tours program to subsidize the business of local tour operators. Some 85% of the 5,000 respondents were satisfied with the tours, and 90% of the participants were highly satisfied with the local tour bus drivers, according to the tourism board.While MGTO is looking at launching warm up promotional programs, there is still no timetable for these plans.We have [developed] some promotions already. We are almost launching the promotion in Hong Kong but its a different ball game for now, said the tourism chief.Weve also planned a lot for the mainland. If visitors come in we plan to offer free half day tours if they stay at a [partnered] hotel. Were also looking at different international markets, so were looking at any airline transportation partners or ferry companies [] and will use their routes when theyre open and offer special fares upon using their airlines, she explained.However, all these plans will have to wait until the MGTO is in the position to launch them.According to Fernandes, the MGTO is working closely with the health authorities, adding that her office would work further with the Health Bureau while it prepares for the relaunch of the citys tourism.Further, the tourism chief gave an update regarding the rescheduling of its events this year.The Macao Light Festival will be held from September 26 to late October, while the Global Tourism Economy Forum will again be rescheduled to December this year.Were still very optimistic that well be able to run it partially online, as some speakers might only be available to talk online. Were adapting to the different situation as it goes along, she said.

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MGTO focuses promotion on citys bread and butter - Macau Daily Times

Beijing accused the United States of slander on Wednesday after two Chinese nationals were indicted for seeking to steal coronavirus vaccine research and hacking hundreds of companies.

The Chinese government is a staunch defender of cyber security, and has always opposed and cracked down on cyber attacks and cyber crime in all forms, said foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin.

The US must immediately stop its slander and smearing of China on cyber security issues, he told a regular press briefing in Beijing.

Li Xiaoyu, 34, and Dong Jiazhi, 33, targeted biotech companies but did not appear to have actually compromised any COVID-19 research, the US Justice Department said Tuesday.

Both are believed to be in China.

At a press conference, Assistant Attorney General John Demers said China had now taken its place in that shameful club of nations that provide a safe haven for cyber criminals.

But Beijing rejected the claims and said cyber space should not become a new battleground.

Those countries that seek cyber space hegemony will only hurt themselves, Wang said.

The indictment comes amid rising tensions between the global superpowers on a number of fronts, from trade to Beijings handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

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China accuses US of 'slander' over coronavirus research hacking claims - Macau Business

Englands Jofra Archer says he was racially abused after his breach of coronavirus protocols and is struggling to get into the right frame of mind to play in the decisive third Test against the West Indies.

The 25-year-old fast bowler was omitted from the England team that won the second Test at Old Trafford on Monday due to an unauthorised trip home after the West Indies victory in the first Test in Southampton.

He is free to play after two negative coronavirus tests.

Archer said in his Daily Mail column published on Wednesday that he had not committed a crime.

He said some of the social media criticism he had received had been racist and felt uncertain about taking the field on Friday for the final Test, also at Old Trafford.

I need to be 100 percent mentally right so that I can throw myself into my cricket this week, Archer wrote.

If I play and dont bowl 90 miles an hour its going to be news. If I dont bowl 90 miles per hour for long enough its going to be news, he added.

Archer said England had enough bowling resources if he was not ready to return.

Second Test standout performer Stuart Broad, Chris Woakes, Sam Curran, veteran James Anderson and Mark Wood are all available.

I give 100 percent every time I go out there and I dont want to go out on the field unless I can guarantee doing that, Archer said.

The paceman, who was fined and issued with a written warning for his breach of the rules, thanked England star Ben Stokes for helping him deal with being in the spotlight of international sport.

Barbados-born Archer, subjected to racist abuse by a spectator during a tour of New Zealand last year, said he would no longer tolerate such comments online.

Some of the abuse I have taken over the past few days on Instagram has been racist and I have decided that enough is enough so I have forwarded my complaints to the ECB (England and Wales Cricket Board).

Archer, who burst onto the international scene last year when he bowled the decisive Super Over in Englands World Cup final win over New Zealand, said he wanted to look ahead.

I know what I did was an error of judgement and I have suffered the consequences of that, he said. I havent committed a crime and I want to start feeling myself again.

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Archer could miss third Test after revealing racist abuse - Macau Business

The fast-growing video-sharing app TikTok said Tuesday it plans to add some 10,000 US jobs over the next three years, as it battles complaints over its ties to China.

A spokesman said the new jobs would be in various regions of the US in engineering, marketing and other sectors.

The news comes as TikTok especially popular with young smartphone users and estimated to have some one billion users worldwide has faced allegations of ties to Chinese intelligence, which the company denies.

TikTok currently has around 1,400 employees in the US, according to a spokesman.

A unit of China-based holding ByteDance, TikTok has been banned in India and US officials have said they were looking at possible actions on the app.

A bill passed by the US House of Representatives would bar federal employees from using the app on government-issued devices, amid concerns that it could be used for spying.

A top White House aide said last week he expected TikTok to break away from its parent firm and operate as independent company.

A TikTok statement said the structure of the company is under review.

As we consider the best path forward, ByteDance is evaluatingchanges to the corporate structureof its TikTok business, the statement said.

We remain fully committed to protecting our users privacy and security as we build a platform that inspires creativity and brings joy for hundreds of millions of people around the world.

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TikTok to add 10000 US jobs over 3 years - Macau Business

The Liaison Office of the Central Peoples Government in the Macau SAR has recognized the efforts of concessionaires Melco Resorts & Entertainment and MGM China in preventing the spread of COVID-19, the companies announced on Monday.

According to respective press releases, each company was presented with a certificate commending their epidemic prevention efforts in both mainland China and Macau by Yao Jian, Deputy Director of the Liaison Office of the Central Peoples Government in the Macau SAR.

Melcos certificate was received by representatives including Chief Advisor Dr Kent Wong, Senior Vice President, Property General Manager, Altira and Mocha Clubs, Raymond Lo, and Manager, Community Relations and Corporate Social Responsibility, Diana Yao at a ceremony held at Morpheus at City of Dream.

We are grateful for the leadership of Liaison Office of the Central Peoples Government in the Macau SAR and the local Macau SAR Government for their continued, proactive and decisive responses in helping contain the spread of the coronavirus, said Dr Wong.

We strive to continue embracing Melcos philosophy of giving back to the community not only through donations such as that to Wuhan and Hubei in late January this year, but also in helping the community in need through our Simple Acts of Kindness volunteering activities.

MGM received its certificate in a ceremony at MGM Cotai attended by MGM President, Chief Strategic & Financial Officer Kenneth Feng, President & Chief Operating Officer Hubert Wang and Executive Vice President of Human Resources Wendy Yu.

MGMs initiatives included a MP$20 million donation to Hubei, 500,000 face masks to the Macau SAR government and the launch of the MGM SME Anti-epidemic Support program to increase the cash flow of SMEs during the pandemic.

We are grateful to the Central Peoples Government and the SAR government for their unceasing effort and exceptional leadership since the outbreak of coronavirus disease, said Feng.

This, together with the cohesion among Macau citizens, has brought us to the road to recovery. Our hearts are always with our fellow countrymen and every community, and we should be able to create a better tomorrow if we continue to work in unison.

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Melco, MGM recognized for COVID-19 prevention efforts by Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Macau SAR - Inside Asian Gaming

The new EU recovery plan will help the bloc bounce back faster from economic devastation triggered by the coronavirus pandemic, and grow in 2021, German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier said Tuesday.

After a marathon four days of talks, European Union leaders agreed on an unprecedented 750-billion-euro ($858-billion) stimulus package to help the bloc weather a historic downturn, including 390 billion in grants for the hardest-hit member states.

Speaking at a press conference in Berlin, Altmaier called the deal good news for millions of people in Germany and across Europe.

It will ensure that it will be easier for many people survive the crisis and that the recovery will happen faster than would have been the case otherwise, he said.

Altmaier added that the breakthrough in Brussels had greatly increased the chance that Germany, Europes top economy and an export powerhouse, will experience a cautious, slow recovery from the end of October.

He said the situation would be similar in several EU member states, while others in the 27-nation club would only feel the full economic impact of the pandemic in the second half of the year.

But I expect that in 2021 all member states of the EU will again enter a phase of growth and recovery, he forecast.

The German government expects Europes biggest economy to contract by a record six percent this year, but then grow by more than five percent in 2021.

The European Commission expects the EU economy to contract by 8.3 percent in 2020 before rebounding and expanding by 5.8 percent in 2021.

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EU recovery deal will see growth return in 2021: Altmaier - Macau Business

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday pushed back the deadline for ambitious social and economic targets he set himself on re-election to the Kremlin, including halving poverty numbers, from 2024 to 2030.

In 2018 after winning another six-year term, Putin set targets including halving the poverty rate from the 2017 figure, increasing pensions and boosting the average life expectancy to 78 by 2024.

The latest goals published Tuesday give a new deadline of 2030.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists that goals on raising life expectancy and cutting poverty had been pushed back due to the unfavourable world economic conditions that will slow the development of all countries without exception.

Official statistics for 2019 say that more than 18 million Russians live below the poverty line, or 12.3 percent of the population. This is defined as having monthly income of less than 10,890 rubles ($154).

Life expectancy has grown in recent years from extremely low levels in the early post-Soviet years, especially among men. In 2019, it was 67 for men and 77 for women.

When he issued a decree with the original goals, Putin did not have the right to extend his rule beyond 2024. He has now changed the constitution to allow himself to serve two further consecutive terms until 2036.

During his latest term, Putin has introduced unpopular measures to increase the state pension age from the Soviet-era level and to raise VAT, which put a dent in his approval rating.

This year Russia has seen its economy, dependent on exports of hydrocarbons, hit by a collapse in oil prices as well as the coronavirus pandemic.

Peskov acknowledged that Russia had entirely dropped a goal to become one of the worlds top five economies, which Putin included in his 2018 decree on national aims and strategic tasks.

The international economic conditions are highly, highly unfavourable, Peskov said.

Undoubtedly a certain readjustment is needed.

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Putin pushes back goal to halve poverty to 2030 - Macau Business

According to data from the Macao Labour Affairs Bureau (DSAL), at the end of May, the number of non-resident workers stood at 189,274, of whom 115,941 were mainlanders or 61.3 per cent of the total.

In order to avoid the 14-day quarantine required by the Macao government, a large number of non-resident workers who live in Zhuhai moved to Macao to live here temporarily shortly before the implementation of the measure on 20 February, according to local media reports. Before the 20 February quarantine measure, tens of thousands of mainland non-resident workers employed in Macao lived in Zhuhai.

Among those who benefit from Sundays quarantine lifting are mainland non-resident workers employed in Macao and living in places even further away than Zhuhai such as Zhongshan, which lies some 40 kilometres north of Macao.

The Guangdong government-imposed 14-day quarantine on arrivals from foreign countries as well as Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan on 27 March. The Guangdong government lifted its 14-day quarantine requirement for all arrivals from Macao from Wednesday last week. Guangdongs quarantine measure for arrivals from elsewhere remains in force.

The lifting of quarantine on Sunday for mainland non-resident workers means that the Guangdong governments quarantine lifting for arrivals from Macao on Wednesday last week is now applicable to Macao residents holding Home Return Permits and all mainlanders mainland visitors and mainland non-resident workers. The measure does not include foreigners who live in Macao.

(The Macau Post Daily/Macau News)PHOTO Government Information Bureau (GCS)

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Nearly 2/3 of non-resident workers are mainlanders - Macau News

The great survivor of Bulgarian politics, veteran Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, is facing down one of the toughest crises of his premiership as a wave of anti-corruption protests exposes the depth of citizens frustrations.

Dealing with the demonstrations is yet another high-wire act for Borisov after more than a decade spent placating different forces at the top of Bulgarian politics.

On Tuesday Borisov survived a no-confidence motion in parliament brought by the opposition Socialists as his conservative GERB party and its allies rallied to his defence.

But the protests against perceived favouritism towards the countrys powerful oligarchs have laid bare a deep anger and thirst for change, particularly among young Bulgarians, and have forced him to promise changes in the government line-up.

A former firefighter and bodyguard with a black belt in karate and a carefully cultivated man of the people persona, 61-year-old Borisov has sat out crises before.

First elected in 2009, his first term ended early after a previous wave of street protests but despite brief spells in opposition, he has continued to dominate Bulgarian politics.

Borisov has an enormous talent for maintaining political balance, according to Parvan Simeonov, Bulgaria director at Gallup International.

And his plain-speaking is appreciated by many Bulgarians, he adds.

Borisov has even gone so far as to declare to the electorate: Im simple, youre simple, thats why we get along so well.

However, recently there are signs the pressure of the job may be weighing on him.

In one of the recent videos he is fond of recording in his SUV, he hit out angrily at images of him leaked online purporting to show bundles of 500 euro notes crammed into his bedside table.

On the contrary, the sparsely furnished room proved I live like an ascetic alone like a dog, Borisov lamented.

The divorced Borisovs home on the outskirts of Sofia is indeed a contrast to the lavish villas of Bulgarias elite.

The son of a police officer and a primary school teacher, Borisov worked as a firefighter before setting up his own security company shortly after the fall of communism in 1989.

He became the bodyguard of ex-communist dictator Todor Zhivkov after his ousting in 1989 and then of former king Simeon Saxe Coburg, who returned to Bulgaria after 50 years in exile in 1996.

After Saxe Coburg won a landslide election in 2001 Borisov began a decade of rising through the ranks of public life, first as chief of staff in the interior ministry, then as mayor of Sofia and finally as premier.

While his initial style as prime minister was viewed as combative, analysts say his later terms have been marked by attempts at conciliation.

His latest coalition with a trio of nationalist parties since 2017 has forced him to manoeuvre between his own pro-European stance and the more independent-minded positions of his partners.

Borisov has had to try to swerve controversy and maintain good relations with both Brussels and traditional ally Russia, not to mention the United States and neighbouring Turkey.

Domestically, Borisov made big infrastructure projects built with the help of EU aid funds the highlight of his third term in office.

Over the past year, Bulgarians have been sharing this passion through daily live social media broadcasts from Borisovs SUV as he drives to various construction sites, chatting to ministers or foreign visitors in the back seat.

But his search to appease different factions has meant a failure to push through reforms in key sectors such as the judiciary, health and education, as well as bowing to pressure to end Bulgarias coronavirus lockdown earlier than some other EU states.

As infection rates spiked in early July, allegations of favouritism towards oligarchs came to light which fuelled popular anger and prompted the current crisis.

Previously Borisov had shown agility in reacting to scandal, for example parting ways with his right-hand man and GERB deputy chairman Tsvetan Tsvetanov after he was embroiled in a corruption scandal.

But Borisov seemed to be caught off guard by the current crisis.

Previously he has said he was minded to stand down when his third term ends next year but there is no obvious successor in sight.

by Vessela SERGUEVA

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Bulgaria's 'man of the people' Borisov walks tightrope - Macau Business