Madeira News Blog

Contributions from Paul :

10,000 metre Portuguese champion. AFP reports:
“Britain’s Somali-born Mo Farah and Portugal’s Ines Monteiro took the honours in Saturday’s 10,000m European Cup race in Marseille.

Farah timed 27min 28.86sec in seeing off France’s Abdellatif Meftah, second in 28.12.83, and Jose Manuel Martinez of Spain, who clocked 28:13.82.

1st image caption : Mo Farah during EC Cross 2008

Farah added the title to last week’s success over the same distance in London.

2nd image caption : Ines Monteiro during Rotterdam Marathon 2008

Monteiro took the women’s race in 31:13.58 ahead of Germany’s Sabrina Mockenhaput (31:23.86) with another Portuguese, Sara Moreira, third in 31:26.55.” Link to full article:

Cure for rheumatoid arthritis a step nearer. Daily Mail reports:

“Researchers from the University of Lisbon in Portugal say the discovery is an improvement on existing treatments which do not target the source of pain, but merely mask its symptoms. A cure for rheumatoid arthritis is a step nearer after scientists found an antibody which treats the cause of the pain rather than just the symptoms.

Image taken from HERE 

Image caption : In a finding which offers hope to millions in severe pain, tests have shown that anti-CD4 antibodies attack the white blood cells that cause the debilitating disease without affecting other cells.” HERE

“Daniel Fernandes’s journey from the soccer fields of east and south Vancouver to a goaltending job with Portugal’s World Cup team was not easy…”. The Province reports:

“In ’98, he (Daniel Fernandes) skipped school to watch World Cup on TV. Now Portugal goalie is part of it…..

Daniel Fernandes’s journey from the soccer fields of east and south Vancouver to a goaltending job with Portugal’s World Cup team was not easy. There have been plenty of potholes.” Read                  Read more:

Daniel Márcio Fernandes (born September 25, 1983 in Edmonton, Alberta) is a Portuguese-Canadian footballer. He currently plays for Iraklis Thessaloniki F.C. on loan from VfL Bochum. Wikipage:

Portugal’s first same-sex marriage ceremony. Associated Press reports:

“A lesbian couple wed Monday in Portugal’s first same-sex ceremony since the predominantly Catholic country introduced a law allowing gay marriage last month. Teresa Pires and Helena Paixao, divorced Portuguese mothers in their 30s who have been together since 2003, married in a 15-minute ceremony at a Lisbon registry office. "This is a great victory, a dream come true," Pires said as the couple kissed and hugged.

"Now we’re a family, that’s the important thing," Pires said, adding they would continue to fight for equal rights for homosexuals, including adoption. The ceremony came less than a month after Portugal’s conservative president ratified a gay marriage law passed by Parliament in January. His approval made Portugal the sixth in Europe to let same-sex couples wed.” HERE

IRON BABY. VISAO magazine reports: "uma curta paródia à saga Iron Man…." HERE

The BBC have produced a 5 minute ‘biographical’ video of the Portugal football team ready for next weeks first game  HERE Everyone got their Vuvezelas now? Even more important, has anyone mastered the art yet. Plenty of tips on the Portuguese TV. Der

Everything else from Elaine :

Casa Das Mudas.  Contemporary landscape architecture photos of the Arts Centre in Calheta. HERE

Enigmatic, Remote Laurelforest. These are the shots taken of the endemic forest Laurissilva in remote parts of Madeira island by Jorge Góis. HERE

A regular visitor until October and the first to use the new port station. Celebrity Cruises’ Eclipse: ship review. Celebrity Cruises is taking on the UK’s established cruise lines by basing its classy new ship Celebrity Eclipse in Southampton and tweaking its American style to appeal to the British, who are expected to make up 80 per cent of passengers on each sailing. There are kettles in cabins, Yorkshire pud and mushy peas on the menu and one lounge will offer pub quizzes and games.

Story of Gibraltar evacuees sent to Wandsworth during World War Two to be documented.  While 1,500 evacuees were taken to Jamaica and 2,000 to Madeira, thousands of evacuees arrived in London as the Battle of Britain was becoming intense, Joe said. HERE

Italy Finance Police Uncover 30 Million-Euro-Tax-Evasion Ring.  June 4 (Bloomberg) — Italian finance police said they uncovered a global tax-evasion ring that avoided paying more than 30 million euros ($36 million) after a routine roadside check on two “luxury SUVs” from Monaco and San Marino. Nine people including four Rome-based accountants were arrested in the investigation, which began after a background check on the drivers showed they had no registered assets, according to an e-mailed statement today from finance police in Frosinone, a city about 90 kilometers (56 miles) south of Rome. The network used a series of front companies based in tax- havens including Panama, Portugal’s Madeira island and San Marino, a landlocked republic within Italy, police said. The group evaded paying more than 30 million euros in taxes over the last three years alone, according to the statement. Italy loses about 120 billion euros a year in unpaid taxes and a government plan to overhaul the fiscal system will crack down on evasion, Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said on May 26. Finance police the same day raided branches of 16 banks and two fiduciaries across six regions amid a probe into potential tax evasion involving accounts in San Marino, which the Finance Ministry has said will remain on an Italian blacklist until it adopts international standards on taxes and money laundering. HERE

—–Saturday’s Diário has more details. This is not the first time the Italian authority has found undeclared money held by companies registered off-shore in Madeira. Last March, the Starfin group had 44% of their capital held by three off-shore companies – ‘Mariscal -Consultadoria’, ‘Kurasi Investment’ and ‘Kiwexim Investment’. The labyrinth of companies involved a fourth in Madeira (Glencove Corporation) and others established in Panama, Luxembourg, Cyprus, UK and even Afghanistan.

News from Diário de Notícias and Jornal da Madeira

SATURDAY 5th JUNE

FRONT PAGE NEWS

A ‘monster’ in Pico do Areeiro. Interview with Rocha da Silva, the Director of Regional Forestry, for the World Environment Day. He agrees with Raimundo Quintal that the Pico do Areeiro is the ‘Beauty’ and the radar being installed there is the ‘Beast’. The other controversial work, the teleférico do Rabaçal, has been suspended because the Regional Government has decided to prioritize the reconstruction after February’s storm and proceed only with works already on the ground. There are more than 800 visitors to Rabaçal every day and the site needs changes to generate more employment.

Companies appeared at the ‘right time’. The Vice-President responded to yesterday’s report that the Socialist Party has 400 questions about Development Companies. He said that the Socialist Carlos Pereira has a simplistic view limited to only economic and financial analysis. The Development Societies have been based on social, environmental, cultural and sporting activities. They have invested in a significant recovery of degraded areas of historical relevance and the promotion and preservation of nature and landscape in public areas. Without these, Madeira would not have achieved the economic growth and employment levels that have occurred at a time when there was a large fall in EU funding and a lack of solidarity from the State.

Cristiano Ronaldo partners failed to deliver project. Prestige Plaza has not delivered a plan for their proposed resort in Porto Santo to the local council. Construction on the sea front between Campo de Baixo and Ponta da Calheta would require changes to the new urbanization plan. The limit for tourism beds is 4,000 and currently there are: 2,300 already licensed, 1,282 in the unfinished Colombo’s Resort, the Pestana Group has 600 new beds and there are 200 in other small enterprises. If the council approved the 800 bedded Prestige Plaza tourist complex, the limit would be exceeded. There is also the Plan of Urban Golf covering 400 hectares with the possibility of building a tourist village with 1,500 beds. The occupancy of tourist beds has fallen from 48% in 2007 to 37.5% in 2009 with a subsequent fall in prices and revenue.

MADEIRA

Praia da Ribeira Brava still in poor condition. The bathing complex of Ribeira Brava is still unappealing to bathers. The dredger in the basin where the beach is situated causes a disturbance and the sea is coloured with earth. There is a lot of debris amongst the pebbles from the winter floods and the wooden footbridges hardly exist. Consequently, the beach, recreational area, pool and ‘chapinheiro’ (paddling pool) are deserted.

Manuel António announces new forest park. The formal announcement that the government will invest 3.8 million euros for the reforestation of 500 hectares of serras in Santo António, São Roque and Câmara de Lobos. This land has recently come into public ownership by expropriation to create a green cap. The investment will be reimbursed from European Union funds and will provide 400,000 trees, viewpoints and 10 kilometres of paths. The areas will be made more accessible to increase public awareness of their importance and the stone paths will assist access by firefighters. Several endemic species will be introduced to areas less exposed to the wind -  loureiros (laurels), cedros da Madeira (cedars) and teixos (yews). In more exposed areas, the solution is to plant pinheiros (pines) and abetos (firs). Natural forest in Madeira now covers 17,000 hectares whereas in 1972, it covered 12,000 hectares.

Skipper dies in the Selvagens. The skipper of the yacht ‘Symbol of Hope’ died aboard the boat yesterday, whilst en route to the Canary Islands. The patrol vessel Cuanza immediately went to the scene after the Captaincy of the Port of Funchal received the information. There were four other crew members on board, all Portuguese nationals, and a replacement skipper was provided by the Natural Park of Madeira to safely navigate the boat back to Funchal. The patrol vessel transported the body to Funchal for an autopsy as the cause of death must be established. It is not known if the death occurred when the boat was in the largo das Selvegens or harboured in that archipelago.

Jet skis are new. SANAS has this year the novelty of three jet skis for rescue at sea. They will be positioned on the most popular beaches in the region. There is the need for a rescue station at Porto Moniz as there are often maritime accidents in this area. There will be a meeting between Porto Moniz Council and SANAS this week to discuss the creation of the station before the end of the year.

ECONOMY

Portosantense emigrant caught a Blue Marlin weighing 300 kilograms. A 55 year old Portosantense who emigrated to Venezuela 33 years ago, captured a Blue Marlin weighing 300 kilograms off the coast of Porto Santo. Whilst on vacation there, he was invited aboard the ‘São Pedro’ fishing boat. The catch occurred near the Ilhéu de Baixo and it took two hours to land the fish. He took the Blue Marlin to the auction of Porto Santo but no buyer emerged. He decided to send it to Funchal in a cold box in the Lobo Marinho ferry but did not indicate the final destination.

250 kg Blue Marlin caught in Calheta. Caught about three miles from the parish of Jardim do Mar. The owner of the boat ‘Jenita’ said he was unhappy that they could not free the fish that had become entangled in the lines, to release it back to the sea. Part of the fish will be delivered to institutions and the other half is for residents of Jardim do Mar.

SUNDAY 6th JUNE

FRONT PAGE NEWS

Persecution of Jardim goes to the Representative. The parliamentary leader of the Socialist Party in Madeira has asked the Representative of the Republic in Lisbon to intervene to restore the law after the actions of the President of the Regional Government. André Escórcio wrote to Monteiro Diniz, questioning the actions of Alberto Jardim on the rights and freedoms of citizens and his attempts to impose fear. The first example was last week when the Regional Secretary for Social Affairs chose for the new Director of Oral Health, a girlfriend of one of his sons who had less than two years professional experience. When the dentist Doris Marques accused him of favouritism, her contract was terminated that afternoon by the direct order of Alberto Jardim. The letter also refers to the situation of the media in Madeira. According to an editorial in the Diário, the resignation of the former director of the newspaper was in response to persecution by the President, unfair competition and direct pressure on the newspaper and journalists.The Regional Government simply ignores the parliament. Escórcio recognizes that the powers of the Representative of the Republic are very limited but hopes that dialogue by Diniz could have positive results and avoid major conflicts.

MADEIRA

Research on underwater Selvagens. The largest ever Portuguese scientific expedition aims to investigate the mar das Ilhas Selvagens. A multidisciplinary team of 73 specialists will use the Vera Cruz (replica of a 16th century caravel – sailing ship), two ships of the Portuguese Navy and a remotely operated vehicle for sampling at depths. The team will thoroughly investigate the aquatic and coastal part of the Selvagens Islands to make an inventory of the flora and fauna and marine habitats. The scientific operation is a partnership between the Institute for Nature Conservation and Biodiversity and the Task Group for the Extension of the Continental Shelf (EMEPC). The co-ordination by EMEPC is possible as the United Nations now acknowledges Portuguese sovereignty of 2 million square kilometres of continental shelf.

ECONOMY

Works and harassment annoy tourists. Taxi drivers trying to sell journeys and timeshare sellers need regulating at the Port of Funchal. Some comply with the law and are cordial to tourists but others are more insistent and aggressive and are hated by tourists. The construction of a car park on the Cais Norte do Porto restricts the footpath on Avenida Sá Carneiro and caution is needed, especially when heavy lorries and buses pass by. The Regional Secretary for Tourism said neither they or the police had received any complaints when they surveyed visitors to the new port. She did acknowledge they had recently met such operators to inform them of the law and ask them not to damage the image of Madeira as a quality tourist destination. HERE

MULTIMEDIA

‘Emotions of Colour and Light’ in the bay of Funchal. Video of last night’s fireworks show for the opening of the Atlantic Festival. The first of four performances, one every Saturday in June. VIDEO

Expedition from North Africa desembark in Machico. Video of the arrival and parade of the expedition from North Africa in Saturday’s ‘Mercado Quinhentista’ (16th century market) celebrations in Machico. VIDEO

MONDAY 7th JUNE

FRONT PAGE NEWS

DJ’s party ends in shooting. Shots were fired from the hillside above the premises where the licensed private party was held in Calhau de São Jorge in Santana. The party was going well at 5 am in the morning when it ended abruptly after a 16 year old was shot in the hand and three individuals were detained by the police in the midst of the confusion. The person responsible for the incident has not been identified and it is suspected that it was someone who was barred from entry for being drunk and was taking revenge. The party organizer, Duarte Nunes, hired five private security guards to bar entry to anyone who was intoxicated or under the influence of drugs. Witnesses spotted two lanterns on the hillside and shortly afterwards, shots were fired. One pellet struck a 16 year old boy in his hand and the five policemen who were posted outside the room went up the slope but could not locate those responsible in the darkness. In the confusion and due to excessive drinking at the party, three people had to be detained for trying to vandalise a police car. Forensic officers arrived later that morning to try to find the cartridge to enable them to identify the weapon and owner.

MADEIRA

Southwest beaches stained brown. From Câmara de Lobos to Calheta, there are few beaches not affected by the post-storm intervention of streams at Ribeira Brava and Ponta do Sol. The artificial beach at Calheta fares better whereas the beaches most affected are in Ribeira Brava and two in Ponta do Sol – in front of Vila and Madalena do Mar. The beach of Vigário in Câmara de Lobos is polluted by works upstream and the alternative Complexo das Salinas on the other side of the bay has cleaner water and a swimming pool.

ECONOMY

TAP admits to making "great efforts" to rehabilitate the market in Madeira. Tourism to Madeira was greatly affected by the storms of February 20th, although the Vice-President of TAP airlines explained that most of the decrease in passengers is due to source markets grappling with economic difficulties. The outbound market of England still lives in great economic difficulty, people are flying less and the value of the pound is lower, and this introduces a lot of pressure because it is a very strong market for Madeira. Help does not come from mainland Portugal where the economic crisis has also cut travel. Therefore, TAP is seeking new markets for Madeira, including Russia and Spain, from where in summer there will be a new direct flight Barcelona-Funchal. TAP is looking for new markets for Madeira that have potential for growth. Catalonia is one of the most prosperous regions of Spain and its capital, Barcelona, is the second most important and richest cities in the country. It is also an opportunity for Madeirans to explore the countless attractions there and hundreds of cruise ships call at the crowded port of Barcelona. Until now, anyone who wanted to take a cruise from Barcelona had to bear the cost of a connecting flight to Lisbon. Losses in revenue caused by the ash cloud which stopped flights for almost a week at the end of April will not be reflected in ticket prices. Due to a huge supply, there is an international and European price war in a very competitive market. TAP estimates over 12 million euros in losses due to the ash cloud crisis. Since flights have resumed, some companies have increased prices between Europe and the United States by 20% but this will not happen with TAP flights.

Many thanks to Paul and Elaine for sending in a contribution(s) for this blog.

—————————————————————————————————————————————–
If you can, please contribute something Madeira related. A funny story or good or bad experience, a news item, or a story from a Madeira newspaper, a teaser, news of a bargain flight or item in a supermarket. Please help keep this blog going … without user contributions it won’t survive. Please only send in ‘exceptional’ or very topical photos by email attachment, as they take quite some time to process. Links to photos that are already online take much less time. Anything submitted for inclusion will be ‘cut and pasted’  to the blog very likely unchecked and unaltered, so please check anything through before sending it in, especially ‘automatic translations’, to avoid any ‘afterthoughts’. Blogs will be published when there is sufficient material to make one worthwhile. I can’t always respond to emails, so please accept my thanks in advance, and the attribution on the blog itself. Der.

You can email dermadeira-blog@yahoo.co.uk with any articles etc., but to save time and delays, please use the comments for minor contributions and to ask any questions. Please don’t send in copyrighted / restricted material.

Madeira News Blog / madeira4u © 2007 – 2010 All Rights Reserved