News

As a university of Macao, the University of Macau (UM) is committed to attracting and nurturing outstanding local students. UM has completed the admission process for the 2017/2018 academic year. This year, 1,535 local students have been admitted by the university. 394 of them were admitted through the Principals’ Recommended Admission Scheme, with 59 being ranked No 1 in their classes. All students admitted through the scheme will receive scholarships. Nearly 1,200 students who have participated in the joint admission test in Macao have confirmed their acceptance of the offers from UM, and among them 52 will receive the University of Macau Golden Lotus Scholarship.
…

The opening ceremony of the University of Macau’s (UM) Portuguese Language Summer Course, organised by the Department of Portuguese under UM’s Faculty of Arts and Humanities (FAH), was held today (17 July) in UM’s University Hall (N2). FAH Dean Prof Hong Gang Jin said that this year’s course has invited 23 instructors from different parts of the world, who are all proficient speakers of the Portuguese language, in order to expose the more than 450 students from ten countries and regions to different cultures, as well as to help them develop four critical skills, namely communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and creative thinking, so they can become competent global citizens.
…

The 35^th Macao Young Musicians Competition, organised by the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC), will kick off on Saturday, 22 July, with contests in different categories to be held from 22 to 30 July at the Macao Science Centre and the Institute for Tourism Studies (main campus) concurrently. The “Competition for Special Prizes” takes place on Thursday, 3 August, at the Institute for Tourism Studies.
…

The Macao Orchestra (OM, from the Portuguese acronym), under the auspices of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, will start its 2017-18 Concert Season, themed “Along with the musical joy”, in September. In addition to a number of internationally renowned musicians, OM also will also visit many local art nooks, leading the integration of several art sectors and developing diversified creative thinking. Tickets for the concerts will be on sale from 18 July at the Macau Ticketing Network, and an early bird 40% discount will be available, subject to certain criteria, between 18 July and 31 August.
…

Organised by the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC), the “Nam Van Lake Craft Market” is held on Saturdays and Sundays, from 1 January to 31 December 2017, from 2pm to 9pm, at the Anim’Arte NAM VAN, featuring a rich variety of handicraft workshops. Online registration for handicraft workshops in August is available at the Activity Registration System on IC’s website from today. The fee for each handicraft workshop is MOP50.
…

The “3^rd Training Course for Talents of Macao´s Convention and Exhibition Industry”, jointly organised by Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM) and the Department of Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao Affairs of the Ministry of Commerce of the People´s Republic of China, was satisfactory held in Hangzhou, from 12 to 15 July. The said course, which combined theory with practice, will help to enhance the professional level of Macao´s MICE industry and strengthen exchanges and co-operation between professionals of Macao´s convention and exhibition industry and their counterparts in Mainland China.
…

Consumer Council conducted its third ‘Supermarket price survey’ in July on 14 July for the implementation of Section 2b), Article 10, Law 4/95/M of 12 June. Surveyed locations included 14 supermarkets in Toi San, Ilha Verde and Fai Chi Kei areas in N. Sra. de Fátima Parish.
…

The Monetary Authority of Macao announced today that the preliminary estimate of Macao SAR’s foreign exchange reserves amounted to MOP159.2 billion (USD19.80 billion) at the end of June 2017. The reserves increased by 4.3% from the revised value of MOP152.7 billion (USD19.02 billion) for the previous month. Macao SAR’s foreign exchange reserves at end-June 2017 represented 11 times the currency in circulation or 91.8% of pataca M2 at end-May 2017.
…

Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that the Tourist Price Index (TPI) for the second quarter of 2017 went up by 0.92% year-on-year to 126.35, marking the first year-on-year increase since the second quarter of 2015. The year-on-year increase in the second quarter of 2017 was mainly attributable to rising charges for hotel accommodation and restaurant services, as well as dearer prices of local food products. Among the various sections of goods and services, price indices of Accommodation, Restaurant Services and Food, Alcoholic Beverages & Tobacco rose by 9.21%, 5.99% and 3.49% respectively. On the other hand, price indices of Clothing & Footwear and Transport & Communications decreased by 10.43% and 7.96% respectively year-on-year, on account of reduced prices of handbags, men’s clothing and airfares.
…

Jointly organised by the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute and Department of Commerce of Guangdong Province, Guangdong and Macao Branded Product Fair 2017 (GMBPF 2017) is scheduled to take place at the Convention and Exhibition Centre Hall B, The Venetian- Resort- Macao, from 28^th to 30^th July. Embracing trade, cultural exchanges, shopping, leisure and entertainment, GMBPF 2017 is an important annual exhibition for both Guangdong and Macao and has gained wide acceptance and popularity from various sectors, playing an important role in strengthening trade and economic co-operation between Guangdong and Macao and promoting Macao’s economic diversification.
…