Monthly Archives: June 2022

Unable to travel to the Far East? Go virtually.

Mini Macau, a new initiative built on The Sandbox Game platform, targets digital tourists unable to visit major resort areas, given COVID restrictions.

Mini Macaus virtual terrain includes many well-known tourist landmarks in the autonomous region in southern China, including the Macau Tower, The Senado Square, Ruins of St. Pauls and the Ah Ma Temple, dating back to 1488.

Macau, one of the earliest European colonies in Asia, is a small narrow peninsula that projects from the mainland coastal province of Guangdong. Chinese and Portuguese are spoken; the official language of the country of nearly 700,000 is Macao. Gambling is a mainstay there and though smaller, Macaus haul is much larger than Las Vegas. The gaming revenue of Macau and Vegas in 2020 was $7.57 billion and $3.61 billion, respectively, according to Luxury Lifestyle magazine.

Initially released on The Sandboxs Game Maker gallery, Mini Macau is Asia Pioneer Entertainment Holdings Ltd.s newest metaverse experience.

Not familiar with the metaverse? Heres a handy definition from Investopia: Its a digital reality that combines aspects of social media, online gaming, augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and cryptocurrencies to allow users to interact virtually. Augmented reality overlays visual elements, sound, and other sensory input onto real-world settings to enhance the user experience. In contrast, virtual reality is entirely virtual and enhances fictional realities.

As the metaverse grows, it will create online spaces where user interactions are more multidimensional than current technology supports. Instead of just viewing digital content, users in the metaverse will be able to immerse themselves in a space where the digital and physical worlds converge.

The introduction of Mini Macau marks APEs maiden venture into the metaverse via Sandbox, said Tony Chan Chi Lun, CFO-executive director of APE Holdings. We are thrilled to welcome Choi Heong Yuen Bakery, Seng Fung Jewelry and O Junco de 9 Jades restaurant as part of our Mini Macau.

Virtual mini-stores have been constructed to demonstrate our partnership with actual Macau retail brands. To engage players/digital tourists, APE created two skill-based games: the Fortune Cookie treasure hunt and Avoid the Tourist activities, said Lun.

Players who complete these challenges are eligible for Macau-redeemable rewards. We intend to increase Mini Macaus advertising and online-to-offline booking/commerce options to other Macanese brands, he said.

Mini Macau also serves as a template for the future development of Resortverse, APEs own metaverse travel and hospitality platform.

APE Holdings intends to incorporate actual resorts and tourism spots into its Resortverse and give a platform with gamification and prizes. (There are 49 casinos and 75 hotels in Macau.) Its travel and hospitality metaverse platform will enable resorts and retailers to interact with digital travelers through online gamification and to offer offline rewards and coupons that will benefit their companies, Lin said.

A rise in virtual travel through an immersive metaverse would increase foot traffic to actual resorts and tourist locations. Lin anticipates launching the Resortverse travel and hospitality platform before the end of this year.

Produced in association with MetaNews.

Continued here:

Big Attraction On A Small Scale: Mini Macau Recreates Destination City In The Metaverse - The Florida Star

Macau will host its first-ever exhibition dedicated to premium quality and luxury goods in September this year. The event was unveiled yesterday at a press conference held at the Venetian Macao.

During the press conference, organizers revealed that the event will also include a series of discussions titled Hengqin Global Bay Areas Forum, which aim to continue to reinforce the partnership between Macau and Hengqin according to the plans outlined by the Central Government of the Peoples Republic of China in the Master Plan of the Development of the Guangdong-Macau In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin.

As drafted, goals have been set for the holding of an international premium-quality consumer goods expo and a world bay area forum, as well as to establish a convention and exhibition platform with influence across the globe.

Another of the goals outlined in the plan aims to support cooperation between Guangdong and Macau to establish a quality imported consumer product trading center and create an industrial ecosystem for trading quality consumer goods.

According to Zhang Jingsong, Director-General of the Department of Commerce of Guangdong Province, these aims highlight a new set of opportunities for Macau to play a role in hosting or co-hosting the type of events that aim to attract clientele from China and other parts of the world.

Addressing the establishment of the first China-Macau High-quality Consumption Exhibition (CHCE) via a recorded video, Zhang said that there is good reason to believe that, with the advantages of Macaus opening up to the world, the huge consumer population and market advantages of Guangdong and [all of] China, as well as giving full play to the synergistic effect brought about by the Greater Bay Area and the China (Guangdong) Pilot Free Trade Zone, the first CHCE will achieve complete success, opening the door to the possibility of international visitors being received from September this year.

Previously, Song Xiaodong, vice president of event organizer Nam Kwong Group, had noted the companys role as a state-owned enterprise in Macau in adhering to its mission of organizing the event for the first time by cooperating with the Trade Development Bureau of the Ministry of Commerce and the Department of Commerce of Guangdong Province.

The event will take place from September 7 to 11 in two parts, with the forum to run on September 7 and 8 and the CHCE to run from September 9 to 11.

While the latter will be hosted at the Venetian Macao Cotai Expo and Shoppes at Four Seasons, the forum will be held in Hengqin, at the Guangdong-Macau In-Depth Cooperation Zone. This forum will focus on a range of topics, including high-quality lifestyle in the Greater Bay Area, consumer trends, cross-border e-commerce, political benefits of the cooperation zone, as well as economic development in the post-pandemic era. Scientific and technological innovation, finance, accommodation, big health, sports and leisure, and the development of cultural tourism and the MICE industry are also part of the extensive program of debates, Q&A sessions, and keynote speeches.

Explaining the three main characteristics or features of the CHCE, Wu Zhengping, Director-General of the Trade Development Bureau of the Ministry of Commerce said in a pre-recorded speech that the CHCE will follow a model that includes an innovative mode (adopting the one exhibition, two places model to combine the advantages of Macaus system, software and hardware facilities, and provision of international services with the advantages of the Guangdong-Macau In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin), high-end positioning (establishing an international expo based in the Greater Bay Area and geared to the world) and being environmentally diverse (connecting upstream and downstream industry chains and creating a business + consumption + industry ecosystem and creating an exhibition and sales platform to promote both the domestic and international consumption cycles).

Also speaking on the topic, Wilfred Wong, president of Sands China Ltd, said that the first CHCE would be different from other large-scale expos by integrating both B2C (business-to-customer) and B2B (business-to-business) marketing models, allowing consumers to conduct transactions directly on site.

Wong also noted that the CHCE will be held on a significant date, celebrating the first anniversary of the establishment of the cooperation zone, and expressed his hopes that it will contribute to help Macau better integrate into the overall national development and lay a solid foundation for its economic recovery after the pandemic.

Its no coincidence that the event also falls in the week of the mid-autumn festival, one of the most important celebrations in the annual Chinese traditional events calendar.

Read more:

Macau to host first-ever luxury goods expo in partnership with Hengqin - Macau Daily Times

KUALA LUMPUR: Ten men have been fined RM1,000 each by an Ampang Magistrates Court for failing to explain why they had a sum of RM3.14mil in their bank accounts. The money originally belonged to a 31-year-old private school teacher.

Magistrate Normaizan Rahim passed the sentence on contractor Mohamad Saifuddin Ismail, 29; lorry driver Mohammad Anas Kamarudin, 31; security guard Muhammad Ariff Ahmad Tajuddin, 29; technician Muhamad Helmi Ahmad, 39; and fisherman Mohd Syukur Maula Muhamad Desa, 32, after they pleaded guilty to the charge.

The others who pleaded guilty were security guard Mohd Hafiz Kamis, 38; trader Muhammad Ikhwan Iswandy Ramli, 38; odd job worker Mohd Nizam Mat Jasat, 51; construction site supervisor Khairul Mizan Mohamad Johari, 31; and contractor S. Vikneswaran, 29.

The court also ordered all of them to serve three months in jail if they failed to pay the fine.

The men charged separately were accused of not being able to give a satisfactory explanation on how they obtained the money.

The offences were committed at two banks in Ampang between Feb 2 and April 4.

The charge under Section 29(1) of the Minor Offences Act carries a maximum fine of RM1,000, imprisonment of up to one year or both, upon conviction.

According to the statement of facts, the complainant received a phone call from a man, who introduced himself as the chief operating officer from the Inland Revenue Board and said the complainant had 15-month tax arrears totalling RM17,600.76 linked to Syarikat Trillion Star Enterprise, a company registered under the complainants name.

When the complainant denied the matter, the call was connected to other men who introduced themselves as Inspector Faisal Amir and Kedah operations police chief Datuk Rizal and claimed that the complainant was involved in money laundering using a Public Bank account belonging to the complainant.

The complainant then followed the suspects instructions and opened a new bank account and gave his banking details to the suspect.

Investigations showed that the complainants money was transferred into bank accounts belonging to the 10 men.

During mitigation, National Legal Aid Foundation lawyer Mohd Faiz Fahmy Abdul Razak, who represented all 10 accused, asked for a minimum fine without jail time for all of his clients as they needed to support their families.

In this case, my clients are also victims and they did not realise their bank accounts were used by a third party.

They did not receive any benefits from the losses suffered by the complainant, the lawyer said.

Read the rest here:

10 fined over RM3mil linked to Macau scam - The Star Online

A machete-wielding gang attacked a rival group in one of Hong Kongs busiest nightlife districts in the early hours of Friday, with the clash leaving one man with a gunshot wound and two othersinjured, police said.

Dramatic dashcam footage, showing men armed with knives jumping out of a car and attacking a nearby vehicle before abruptly turning and fleeing, has been widely circulated.

Senior superintendent Tony Ho said the incident was a case of retaliation between two organised crime groups known as triads over the splitting of profits from criminal activities such as drug trade and illegal gambling.

The incident was instigated by two triad groups, they have been at each others throats for quite some time, Ho told reporters, adding that four men had been arrested.

Threecars belonging to one gang were waiting at a traffic light when they were attacked by at least eight assailants, Ho said, but the ambush was quickly repelled.

At least twoshotswerefiredagainst the instigators, the superintendent added, though no details were given on the shooters identity.

Earlier in the day, a section of the road near the popular Lan Kwai Fong area was cordoned off by armed officers, as they searched a Lexus with its side and front crumpled in for evidence.

A dashcam video, whose location, timestamp and events match police descriptions of the clash, emerged Friday, though AFP was unable to trace the footages exact origin.

The video shows a line of vehicles stopping at a traffic junction, when assailants brandishing machete-like knives spring out of a car that appears to be the Lexus left at the scene on Friday, and start attacking an adjacent white car.

As the men begin the assault, a black van positioned behind the white car rams into the attackers car, hitting at least two of the assailants before speeding away from the scene.

Several other men with knives run into frame, but after pressing on with the attack for a few seconds, most of the perpetrators abruptly turn around and flee the scene.

Police received reports of the clash at 2:40 am local time (1840 GMT) and arrived at the scene to find six men, all belonging to the group that started the attack.

Officers arrestedthreeof them, aged between 23 and 42, for attempted wounding and possession of offensive weapons, and also arrested a 36-year-old after he was taken to hospital with a leg injury.

Of the two remaining men, one 25-year-old was undergoing surgery on Friday afternoon due to a gunshot wound to the abdomen and a 30-year-old was wounded in the head.

One 9mm bullet which may have beenfiredfrom a semi-automatic pistol, one bullet casing and nine knives were found at the scene, according to police.

Superintendent Ho said police were trying to recover the firearm used, but added that the public should not be alarmed over a single, isolated incident, pointing out that gun crimes in Hong Kong remain rare.

A couple of hours after the attack, police found the burnt-out wreckage of a car in the rural area of Pat Heung, which is suspected to have belonged to the gang under attack.

Hong Kongs triads trace their origins to 19th-century Chinese fraternal organisations.

While they have little of the power of their heydays in the 1970-90s, they remain present in the city, especially when it comes to extortion and smuggling rackets.

by Holmes CHAN

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Shots fired, three injured in Hong Kong triad clash - Macau Business

Chinas financial hub Shanghai had built 51,716 5G base stations by the end of April, with 20.8 5G base stations per 10,000 residents, local authorities said on Friday.

In terms of 5G network construction, the average annual growth rate of 5G base stations in the metropolis has exceeded 65 percent in recent years, and as of April, Shanghai had built 8.2 5G base stations per square km, according to the Shanghai Communications Administration.

Since June 2019, telecom enterprises in Shanghai have accelerated their investment in 5G. Fixed-asset investment of telecommunications operators in Shanghai had reached 37.56 billion yuan (about 5.59 billion U.S. dollars) by April, with 5G investment amounting to 12.3 billion yuan, accounting for 32.8 percent of the total, it said.

As of April, the Shanghai branches of China Telecom, China Mobile and China Unicom the three major telecom operators had more than 9.3 million 5G mobile phone users, accounting for 21.3 percent of the total, it added.

Read more here:

Shanghai home to over 51,000 5G base stations - Macau Business

The construction of a project to channel water from Chinas Yangtze River to the Hanjiang River will start by the end of this month, the Ministry of Water Resources said on Friday.

With a total investment of 59.8 billion yuan (about 8.93 billion U.S. dollars), the project is a supplement to the middle route of the countrys South-to-North Water Diversion Project.

The new project is expected to enhance the water allocation capacity of the Hanjiang River Basin to further ensure water supply to the dry north, the ministry said.

The South-to-North Water Diversion Project transfers water from Chinas water-rich south to the arid north through the middle, eastern and western routes. The middle route, the most prominent one due to its role in feeding water to the nations capital, begins at the Danjiangkou Reservoir in the Hanjiang River in central province of Hubei and runs northeastward to Beijing and Tianjin. It began supplying water in December 2014.

China has stepped up water conservancy construction this year, with 10,644 new projects valued at 414.4 billion yuan starting construction in the first five months of the year, Wei Shanzhong, vice minister of water resources, told a Friday press conference.

The investment in the countrys water conservancy construction is expected to exceed 800 billion yuan this year, official data showed.

Read the original:

Major water transfer project to start construction in China - Macau Business

The subvariants BA.12.1, BA.4 and BA.5 of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 are driving the fifth wave of infections in Mexico, Mexican epidemiologist Alfonso Vallejos Paras told Xinhua recently.

The expert, a member of the Department of Public Health of the Faculty of Medicine of the National Autonomous University of Mexico, said in an interview that these subvariants are mainly striking people who are not vaccinated against COVID-19.

This uptick in cases is due to the Omicron subvariants as the virus mutates, he said, explaining that this makes it more contagious while there are still susceptible people.

It is true that there is an increase in cases, but it hasnt reached the levels of previous waves. The number of deaths is expected to be lower due to the vaccination progress, Vallejos Paras added.

The specialist recommended returning to the protective health measures that were in place when the virus first appeared in Mexico in order to contain the new wave.

We have to go back to wearing face masks, washing our hands frequently, social distancing, using ventilated spaces and continuing vaccination to avoid mutations, he said.

The expert also assured that Mexicos health sector is prepared to face the new situation, since hospitals have been equipped with medical supplies and other tools to deal with the disease in the past few years.

He called on people to get vaccinated in order to avoid developing a serious illness and generating a mutation of the virus that could make the entire population more susceptible.

There is always the possibility that the virus could mutate, evade the vaccines protection and make everyone vulnerable, Vallejos Paras warned.

Earlier this week, Mexicos Ministry of Health reported a trend in the increase of COVID-19 infections nationwide.

Against this backdrop, Deputy Health Minister Hugo Lopez-Gatell told reporters that the spike is part of the process of the virus transition from the pandemic to endemic stage.

As of Thursday, the country had accumulated 5,808,696 COVID-19 cases and 325,091 deaths, according to the latest Health Ministry report.

See more here:

Omicron subvariants driving 5th COVID-19 wave in Mexico, expert says - Macau Business