Madeira News Blog

TODAY’S PHOTO : Thanks to Eiryl … Cristo Rei statue at Garajau, or Christ the king if you prefer.

Front Page News : source : Diário de Notícias 30/7/2008

SATA (the Azores airline) has been authorised to reduce the ticket price between Madeira and Porto Santo Island by €10. The reduction is for non-residents in either location. The reduction has been made to strengthen competitiveness against ‘sea travel’, and there is some motivation caused through the ‘low cost’ air travel market also.

In works costing €46 million (plus IVA/VAT), the ‘Arena do Marítimo’ will be ready for use in 20 months time, and ready for inauguration in the football season of 2010 / 2011. The work has already gone out for tender applications in the European Journal. The new ‘green’ stadium will use as much as possible natural resources to cover it’s running needs, and will hold up to 9,000 people, all seated. There will be 500 car parking places. The venue will become a cultural and sporting stadium, built to hold all the kinds of cultural events, such as concerts, musicals and others spectacles of large and small scope. Marítimo intend to play all their games in the stadium throughout the period of reconstruction. The stadium will be taken from government ownership and given to the club at no cost, but it’s is not clear who will have to find the €46 million for the extensive rebuild. I can’t see how Marítimo FC could possibly fund such a big venture unaided, or even pull in enough revenue to cover it’s running costs. The government says that it doesn’t have any spare money, and I am pretty certain the project would not qualify for any European funding. Something fishy going on here …

In a recycled story from a few weeks ago, the Porto Santo Ferry has faced increased fuel prices of 163% over the last 4 months, and as a result of fuel surcharges, ticket prices for travellers have risen 11.4%. I think the newspaper is making the point that the fuel surcharge has not decreased despite the drop in oil prices over the last few weeks. No great surprise, as like the airlines who are quick to add their increasing fuel costs to the ticket price, it seems that downwards fluctuations rarely are implemented quickly, if at all.

Other News :

Update on the escaped convict story (yesterdays blog) on the run, and driving a stolen black Volkswagen Polo. At 9pm on Monday, a robbery was reported in a bar near the cemetery of Santo António, where the owner was threatened and €200 was stolen. The robber was driving a car matching the description of that stolen by the escaped prisoner. Tuesday morning at 8pm, the car was spotted, slightly damaged, in Rua da Infância. The police attended and found the 31 year old man inside, ‘stunned’, and with 4 slashes on his left wrist. He was taken to hospital where he is under observation, but free from danger. And I bet it’s very close observation this time … Oh well a short lived drama is better than no drama at all!.

A man in Calheta has been arrested after police found him in possession a large stash of liamba (cannabis product). The 6 kilos of the drug would have been sufficient for 2,400 individual doses. The information leading to the arrest was obtained after intelligence revealed that small quantities of drugs were being sold around Calheta. The cultivation area for the cannabis plants were also found.

For the second time this week, an arrest was made on Porto Santo for possession of small amounts of the drug hashish. The 18 year old local and resident was detained overnight and was before the court the following morning. The amount involved was very small, and so the youth was conditionally released.

I usually have great admiration for the work and success of the police on Madeira, if you step out of line you are nearly always identified, caught and punished, or sometimes given a bit of ‘local justice’. It seems to work pretty well, as the police seem to know who to keep an eye on, and when something goes wrong they know where to look. Obviously the constraints of a small island, and a small population who all know each others business helps, but I reckon the main factor is that they are not reigned in by red tape, and stupid laws that protect criminals. They can to a great extent use their local knowledge and own initiative and methods … good work lads, we just need more focus on crime deterrents and prevention.

Drivers will be pleased that all our petrol stations (Galp, Repsol and BP) all dropped their prices yesterday by up to 4 centythingies per litre.

www.madeira4u.com

Aside from your valued blog responses (you can reply direct using the form at the bottom of each blog comments page), please send any unreported Madeira news, photos, events information, or snippets for the madeira4u blog to blog@madeira4u.com – anyone can join in! Thank you!