IACM condemns violent assault of inspectors

The Civil and Municipal Affairs Bureau (IACM) has condemned the actions of a restaurant owner last Tuesday, when he wounded two inspectors in response to their decision to press charges against him.
The assault occurred at noon when the pair, on patrol along the Avenida do Doutor Rodrigo Rodrigues, discovered that the restaurant was in breach of the regulation against illegal expansion. The owner allegedly refused to cooperate with the IACM agents who asked him for relevant documents before pressing charges, according to a statement from the Bureau.
The owner reportedly punched one of the IACM staff before violently pushing him out of the restaurant and onto the ground. The other officer called the police and tried containing the man, but was struck across his head with a bowl before the assaulter went on to shatter his cellphone. The first officer was sent to the hospital for medical treatment and was released later that day.

Inflation rises in September

Macau’s composite consumer price index (CPI), the primary measure of inflation, rose by 4.23 percent in September – a slowdown from August’s rate, according to data from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC).
Figures released by DSEC indicate that the growth of CPI in September slowed for the fifth consecutive month, easing by a further 0.41 percent since August.
The most significant upward contribution came from the recent increase in tobacco tax, which drove the price index of Alcoholic Beverages & Tobacco up by 38.42 percent.
The price index of Education rose by 8.93 percent, while Health grew by 6.12 percent, as a result of an increase in tuition fees and charges for outpatient services respectively.
The downward pressures came from a deceleration in the growth in rental fees and eating out, while the price indexes of the Communication and Clothing & Footwear industries decreased by 0.98 percent and 0.65 percent respectively, according to DSEC.
Macau’s average CPI for the first three quarters of 2015 rose by 4.79 percent year-on-year.