Briefs | IPM first place in debating contest

Macao Polytechnic Institute (IPM) was awarded first prize at the 7th  IPM Portuguese Debating Competition for Higher Education Institutions in China and Asia. Held last week at the institute in partnership with Macao’s Tertiary Education Services Office, 11 higher education institutions took part in the event, with participants coming from Macau, mainland China, South Korea and Vietnam. Candidates delivered a speech based on images that were displayed on screen, which demonstrated their skills in impromptu speaking. As cited in the institute’s release, debate topics included the themes “Education and social development” and “Human being vs machine: domination or cooperation.” Hankuk University of Foreign Studies and Macau University of Science and Technology were ranked as second and third place, respectively.

Inflation pressures easing

Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicates that the Composite Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased by 1.33 percent year-on-year to 108.36 in October 2016. This change is in fact a slowdown of 0.26 percentage points from the 1.59 percent year-on-year growth registered in September. The Composite CPI reflects the impact of price changes on average households in Macau and is used as an indicator of inflation. DSEC attributes the increment in Composite CPI to higher charges for eating out, rising rentals for parking spaces, as well as increases in property management fees and motor car prices. For the 12 months ending in October 2016, the average Composite CPI increased by 2.75 percent from the previous corresponding period. The price index for the categories of “Alcoholic Beverages & Tobacco”, “Education” and “Transport” showed an increase of 27.09 percent, 8.67 percent and 6.44 percent year-on-year respectively.

Macao Orchestra performs in art spaces

The Macao Orchestra (OM) has presented three ensemble concerts in a number of art spaces including the Tap Seac Gallery, Mandarin’s House and the Macao Museum of Art over the weekend. The performances aim to integrate art with music, promote artistic ambience in the community and offer audio-visual art experiences to the public, according to a release by the Cultural Affairs Bureau. The concert “Music In Tap Seac Gallery” featured two string quartets by Antonín Dvořák, while the concert “World Heritage Imagery” brought a number of Chinese music pieces to the Mandarin’s House. OM presented “Music in the Macao Museum of Art” on Sunday.