News

Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that a total of 1,928 building units and parking spaces were purchased and sold at MOP 8.45 billion in the first quarter of 2016 as per Stamp Duty record, down by 22.3% and 23.5% respectively quarter-to-quarter. Purchase and sale of residential units totalled 1,215 at MOP 5.55 billion, down by 16.8% and 20.6% quarter-to-quarter. Among them, transaction of existing residential units totalled 1,082 at MOP 4.65 billion, down by 15.4% and 16.0% respectively; pre-sale residential units decreased by 26.9% to 133 with the total value dropping by 38.1% to MOP 0.91 billion. The average price of residential units decreased by 4.2% quarter-to-quarter to MOP 72,955 per square metre of usable area in the first quarter. The average price of pre-sale residential units dropped by 8.9% to MOP 94,165 per square meter, with the average price of those in the Macao Peninsula, Taipa and Coloane falling by 16.1%, 9.4% and 3.8% respectively. Many of the pre-sale residential units purchased and sold were in Coloane (78), Ilha Verde (19) and NAPE & Aterros da Baía da Praia Grande (9), and the average price was MOP 94,495, MOP 84,722 and MOP 101,079 respectively per square metre. The average price of existing residential units decreased by 1.7% quarter-to-quarter to MOP 69,825 per square meter, with the average price of those in the Macao Peninsula and Taipa dropping by 1.6% and 2.3% respectively. Many of the existing residential units purchased and sold were in Baixa da Taipa (154), Novos Aterros da Areia Preta (NATAP) (149) and Areia Preta & Iao Hon (94), and the average price was MOP 77,804, MOP 78,550 and MOP 65,819 respectively per square meter. Analysed by year of completion, there were 679 residential units built more than 20 years ago (87 in Areia Preta & Iao Hon, 76 in Barca), and the average price was MOP 59,832 per square metre, down by 1.1% quarter-to-quarter. For the 256 residential units completed between 11 to 20 years ago (70 in Baixa da Taipa, 50 in NATAP), the average price dropped by 1.9% to MOP 70,912 per square metre. The average price of the 67 residential units completed in 5 years or less (26 in NATAP, 12 in Doca do Lamau) decreased by 4.6%, at MOP 98,005 per square metre. Analysed by usable floor area, there were 590 residential units having a floor area of 50.0 to 99.9 square metres, and the average price fell by 5.2% quarter-to-quarter to MOP 71,606 per square metre. Among the 459 small-sized residential units having a floor area of less than 50 square metres, the average price dropped by 4.7% to MOP 68,211 per square metre. The average price of office units decreased by 4.2% quarter-to-quarter to MOP 97,568 per square metre, while that of industrial units increased by 14.6% to MOP 43,850 per square metre. In the first quarter of 2016, there were 2,595 real estate sale contracts signed, involving 2,599 properties, down by 8.6% quarter-to-quarter; meanwhile, 2,522 mortgage contracts were signed, involving 3,283 properties, down by 14.9%. As regards construction in the private sector, gross floor area of construction of new buildings totalled 464 thousand square metres, providing 2,339 units (2,302 are residential units) and 1,845 parking spaces for cars upon completion. Meanwhile, gross floor area of buildings completed totalled 37 thousand square metres, altogether providing 163 units (127 are residential units) and 133 parking spaces for cars.
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Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) joins hands with Macau Films & Television Productions and Culture Association (MFTPA) to participate in the 69th Cannes Film Festival, which is staged in France from 11 to 22 May, and run a booth at the concurrently-held “Marché du Film”, the leading worldwide film market, whereby to spotlight the International Film Festival & Awards˙Macao, coming at the end of this year, and showcase Macao as a fascinating filming location to various film industry professionals from around the world. MGTO Director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes and the delegation of MFTPA are currently in France for the Cannes Film Festival, riding on this premiere event of the film industry to raise Macao’s profile in the international film industry. The “Marché du Film” is concurrently held during the Cannes Film Festival, gathering over 10,000 film industry professionals including producers and directors from across the globe. MGTO seizes this golden opportunity to converse with elites of the international film industry and run a booth to promote the International Film Festival & Awards˙Macao (IFFAM), to be held this December, and showcase Macao’s unique qualities and cultural ambience as an ideal location for film shooting. Through the visit in Cannes, MGTO aims to promote the inaugural edition of IFFAM, hoping to attract more international film and television production companies to join the event and bring in world-class exchange opportunities. The Office is thus hosting several luncheon meetings during the festival and has invited key responsible people of various international film festivals and film distributors to meet the delegates and share about the current situation and future prospect of the international film industry. Later on, MGTO will also participate in various major film festivals including Shanghai International Film Festival and Busan International Film Festival for learning and promotion opportunities, to gain more experience and foster connections between Macao and international movie industry professionals while promoting cultural tourism and cultural industry development. With the above efforts, the Office is dedicated to bringing long-term benefit for the sustainable development of Macao tourism industry.
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Consumer Council conducted its specific price survey on diapers, over-the-counter drugs, and milk powder on 13 May for the implementation of Section 2b), Article 10, Law 4/95/M of 12 June. Result of the mentioned survey has been uploaded to the Council’s website (www.consumer.gov.mo) and is available in the Council’s ‘Supermarket Price Information Platform’ iPhone and Android apps, and on the Council’s WeChat account page. For inquiry, please call the Council’s hotline: 8988 9315.
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The Cinematheque．Passion, under the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC), hosts a talk entitled “The Wizard of Sound Effects in Films”, conducted by Phyllis Cheng Wing-Yuen, a veteran of acoustic design and sound mixing from Hong Kong, to be held on 28 May, Saturday, at 4pm. Online applications are now accepted. Admission is free. The talk will cover the topics of sound effect in films, sound creativity and work flow of sound production as well as case studies. Phyllis Cheng has a rich experience in post-production of acoustic design and sound mixing. She has participated in sound production of the movies Full Strike, Angel Whispers, To The Fore, Insanity, As The Light Goes Out, The Four II, Out of Inferno, Little Cheung and Durian Durian, etc. In 2012, she was honoured the Best ADR Recordist at the Golden Reel Awards. There are sixty seats available. All interested parties are welcome to enrol through IC’s Activity Registration System (www.icm.gov.mo/eform/event). For enquiries regarding the talks or the Cinematheque, please contact Mr. Leong, staff member of IC, through tel. no. (853) 2892 4040 during office hours. For details, please visit the Cultural Affairs Bureau website (www.icm.gov.mo) or the Macao Cultural and Creative Industries Website (www.macaucci.com).
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In order to expand the career perspectives of IFT students and motivate them towards entrepreneurship and innovation, IFT has invited a wide range of entrepreneurs to share their experiences with all of its bachelor degree programme students during the entrepreneurship course. The Institute for Tourism Studies have integrated entrepreneurship course in its entire bachelor degree programmes, namely Culinary Arts Management, Heritage Management, Hotel Management, Tourism Business Management, Tourism Event Management and Tourism Retail and Marketing Management. This fits the agenda set by Macao SAR Government to stimulate the diversification of Macao’s local economy as well as stimulate innovation via entrepreneurship. The course leader Dr. Fernando Lourenço developed this course and organised hands-on projects co-worked with local companies and invited entrepreneurs to share their experiences during the course. The Institute would like to thank the following companies as guest speakers, namely 2 Legit Barbershop, Animals Club, Carino, Courseday Macau, Green Market, GREENS Kitchen & Juicery, Grow uP eSports, Hey Design, JC Makeup Workshop, Le Bistro Marcellinho, Lemon Lemon Café, LinaLenço Dessert, Love Avenue No.9 Ltd., Macao Economic Services of Macao SAR Government, Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute, MCMedia Asia, Midnight Predatory, Mugs, Passion Beer, Portuguese Bakery, Quarter Square, Red Con, Royal Lemon, The Black Sheep, The Darling Buds of May, Virtualmente, Yummy Macau and心弦 – Felice. Established in 1995, the Institute for Tourism Studies, Macao (IFT) offers the most extensive selection of tourism and hospitality related bachelor degree programmes in Macao, and about twenty thousand participants attend its vocational and professional training courses annually. IFT collaborates with 97 universities and tourism organisations around the world, and builds strong links with 500 leading tourism and hospitality corporations to offer internship opportunities to its students. Being the first institution accredited by the UNWTO.TedQual Certification System for tourism education, IFT has now 7 bachelor degree programmes with the Certification. Currently, the Institute has the most number of bachelor degree programmes certified under the System of any tertiary education establishment worldwide. IFT has received the Medal of Merit in Tourism from the Macao SAR Government, and won twice the Gold Award in ‘Education and Training’ from the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA).
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To facilitate the public and philatelists for ordering new philatelic products, please note the followings: (please fidn the attached file)
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The Third Macao Symposium on Biomedical Sciences, organised by the Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS) of the University of Macau (UM), will be held from 23 May to 24 May at UM. This year’s symposium will focus on cancer biology, stem cell technology, genome editing techniques, and several other topics in biomedical sciences. Prof Mario Capecchi, a co-recipient of the 2007 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine and a recipient of an honorary doctorate from UM, will be one of the keynote speakers at the symposium. Approximately 200 experts and scholars in the field of biomedical sciences will attend the symposium to have an in-depth discussion on the latest breakthroughs and future trends in the field. The event aims to provide a platform for participants to exchange ideas and explore opportunities for research collaboration. During the event, Prof Capecchi will give a Doctor honoris causa Lecture, titled ‘Gene Targeting Into the 21st Century: Mouse Models of Human Diseases from Cancer to Neuropsychiatric Disorders’. The symposium will start on Monday 23 May at 3:00pm in the Banquet Hall, UM Guest House. It will be conducted in English. For more information please visit http://msbs2016.fhs.umac.mo/. For enquiries, please call Ms Cornelia Ho or Ms Miffy Chan at 8822 4228/ 8822 4998, or email to fhs@umac.mo.
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Macao Post will participate the “World Stamp Show - NY 2016”, located in New York, United States, during 28th May to 4th June, 2016. To commemorate this Exhibition, Macao Post issues the commemorative envelopes and provides the commemorative postmark cancellation service on site of the exhibition. For the convenience of the philatelist, the commemorative envelope with stamp priced at MOP5.00 will also be available for sale at the Philatelic Shop of Macao Post Headquarters starting from 28th May. You may send your mail of this cancelled commemorative envelope at the following locations *: Philatelic Shop at Macao Post Headquarters: 28th May, 9:00 – 18:00 Post Offices: 28th May to 4th Jun, Office Hours to Public * No commemorative postmark cancellation service will be provided in Macao.
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10TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL EXHIBITION OF COMMUNICATIONS MUSEUM -THE VOICE, THE EXHIBITION THAT SPEAKS TO YOU Do we really know the theory behind our voice? As its name suggests, the exhibition allows visitors to explore the wonders of human voice from different angles as it is human’s richest and most primitive musical instrument. Voice is the vector of language and it lets us express our emotions. It also allows nations to develop special vocal techniques through speech, recitation and singing, creating a rich and 3-dimensional world with different kinds of drama and singing. “The Voice” special exhibition will be shown from May 17 to November 16. We cordially invite you to join us in the journey to discover the physics, acoustics and cognitive science behind the voice. During this half-year exhibition, Communications Museum will provide guiding service for visiting schools and organizations. This exhibition is suitable for visitors aged 8 and above. Visitors are both the creators and the subjects of experiments in the exhibition. You can explore, test and alter your own voice. You can also record your voice and compare it with others, and discover the mechanisms involved in speech and singing. The exhibition is divided into 3 parts, with various interactive and fun exhibits: • Body and Voice: Chorus of Four Larynxes, Voice Transformation, Transforming Voices, Sonagrame, Vocal Apparatus Puzzle, Phonetogram, Exploring the Vocal Tract. • Expression and Voice: Voice of the World, Voice and Identity, Recognizing Emotions in Speech. • Art and Voice: Sing with a Virtual Choir, Singing Voice Synthesis and Transformation, Quiz of Well-known Voices
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Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that there were 42 institutions offering vocational training courses in 2015, an increase of 11 institutions year-on-year. A total of 1,508 courses were provided, up by 9% year-on-year. Total number of participants rose by 6% year-on-year to 55,841. Participants attending courses in Computing and Health increased by 1,519 and 858 respectively year-on-year, while those in Tourism, gaming & events and Hotels & catering decreased by 612 and 594 respectively. The course completion rate was 87%, down by 1 percentage point year-on-year. Analysed by course type, 34% of the participants (19,058) attended courses in Business & Administration, 13% (7,135) in Language and another 13% (7,018) in Computing. Among the 1,508 vocational training courses, 608 were organized by 15 training institutions on behalf of enterprises or institutions. Number of participants decreased by 6% year-on-year to 24,281, with 45% (11,008) attending courses in Business & Administration, 19% (4,569) in Language and 10% (2,358) in Health. Survey on Vocational Training covers institutions that offered vocational training courses. Information on course types and participants are collected with the aim to understand the provision of and resident participation in vocational training in Macao.
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