News Porto.

The first Harp International Competition that takes place in Portugal begins 24 November in Porto with the participation of 94 applicants from various continents and it includes 3 concerts. Organised by the Portuguese Harp Association, in the context of the Porto Music Conservatory, the competition comprises six categories and runs till Sunday, 26 November.

December is the time to partake the holiday feeling on the streets and squares in Porto. Nearly 30 different events invite you to take part in all kinds of entertainment with family and friends. In addition to the usual programmes, the city also offers initiatives to celebrate this time of year.

Portugal and India have a close historical relation that is crucial to uphold by developing partnerships that are mutually rewarding. In this context, the Palácio da Bolsa played host to the India Business Event, 22 November. This entailed identifying and capitalising business opportunities and encouraging investment between the largest democracy in the world, namely the states of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, and Porto.

The ice skating rinks will open at 6 pm. The rinks are located at D. João I Square and at the Boavista Roundabout, where the Fantasy Square will bring a fairy-tale quality to Porto in this holiday season. The time of year to be merry is just around the corner. If tradition is your thing, ice-skating is a must-do. What could be more fun than gliding like swans on ice?

INFARMED (Portuguese Authority of Medicines and Health Products), will be relocated to Porto as of January 2019. After disappointing news regarding EMA - Amsterdam was the chosen city to host the European Medicines Agency- the "good news" is that the Portuguese Government decided to transfer Infarmed's Head Office to the city of Porto.

The exhibition "Caspar Walter Rauh and the Fantastic Realism", devoted to the German graphic artist, illustrator and painter, shall end Saturday November 22. The display, the first organised in the Iberian Peninsula, is on show at the Palacete dos Viscondes de Balsemão.

Safety is the cornerstone of Porto, "it is embedded in the governance of the city", wherefore it has a "significant impact" on the municipal budget for next year. This information was shared by Mayor Rui Moreira, early this morning, at the time of the presentation of 60 new agents of the Porto Municipal Police (PM) at the Town Hall.

The Planetarium in Porto features a gathering on photography 21 November, under the theme " Astrophotography: exploring the universe". The social gathering starts at 6.50 pm, preceded by the fulldome video projection of the film "Luzes na Escuridão" [Lights in the Dark], narrated in Portuguese.

The Casa da Música, in Porto, shall devote the year 2018 to Austria. This country had already been the theme for 2010. Next year, the venue will programme the symphonies by Anton Bruckner and the Concertos for Violin by Mozart. The residential composer will be Austrian composer Georg Friederich Haas, "one of the finest nowadays", whose work will be subject to a review background, starting January.

The new exhibition organised at the Vertical Gallery Silo Auto is already in place. The show was inaugurated 17 November and extends over the seven floors of the Gallery. The collective show is titled "Rhythm of Distances: Propositions for the Repetition", and comprises works by seven artists.