The original Madeira island news blog
Reuters and others reported last week on the agreement reached by the Portuguese government after talks with the unions who threatened a crippling strike over Christmas, forcing it to invoke special labour requisition powers to prevent the stoppage. The key point is that future buyer ............
The 50th anniversary of the death and memorable funeral of the legendary two-time prime minister this week reminded me of his association with the island. According to most historians, Churchill contacted Bryce Nairn, the British Consul in Madeira, in 1950 to enquire about the ............
The Diario last week ran a feature on the palm trees that adorn the seafront in Santa Cruz being hopelessly condemned. The plague of red beetles was first detected in 2009 and already some have had to be cut down, whilst those that are still standing are doomed to follow the same ............
The long running saga of the attempts to stop operators using the streets of Funchal to pester tourists to pose (and pay) for photos with various birds of prey (see previous blogs) seems to have drawn to a close. The subject has drawn a lot of attention in the local press and ............
A short blog this one, just to report/celebrate that Madeira’s favourite son has tonight (Monday) been voted the best player in the world for the third time. Quite remarkable.
The FIFA website reports:
For the second time in a row and third time overall, Portugal and Real Madrid’s ............
The Diario today reports today that the decision to rename parts of the Dr Nelio Mendonca hospital – the main medical facility on the island – has been reversed. Just as the original name change caught workers and visitors by surprise, the latest episode came out of the blue ............
What is described as a “mega” Bolo Rei is being prepared in Câmara de Lobos in anticipation of the tradition of the Epiphany. The event, promoted by the local authority, is open to the public. Last year the completed “Kings ............