Madeira News Blog

TODAY’S PHOTO : Thanks to Vic … Navigator of the Seas passing Caniço / Reis Magos, with a rather familiar looking foreground.

This weekends football : Both our teams are in action on Sunday, and both unusually on TV (SportTV1). Nacional host Setúbal at 6 pm, and Marítimo visit Sporting, kick off at 8.15 pm. The big game of the weekend is today between Braga and Benfica, the two top sides in the Liga Sagres.

Deputies (MPs) in the regional assembly are not interested in being vaccinated – The vaccination plan against Gripe A is underway, and the MPs are included in the priority groups. The move started yesterday on Madeira, but our politicians showed little interest. Some through fear, others because they did not see why that MPs should be in a priority vaccination group, and of course they are under no obligation. The article showed that in almost all the parties, that there was no intention to be vaccinated, except a PSD social democrat who said she was going to consult her doctor first. Well of course if you are a PSD member, you have to consult someone, as decision making skills are not one of the key requirements  to represent your party and the electorate, as Uncle Bertie decides everything. Blog writers it seems do not come within the priority groups, but do I care … I still have 1.5 litres of © Toranja Poncha © chilling in the fridge, and that should keep the swine flu away for at least two nights. 

Madeira studies new areas for fishing for the black espada fish – The regional secretary for the environment and natural resources presented the project ‘MARPROF’. Due to the reduction in the catch of the fish new fishing zones are being sought. The project MARPROF (I won’t bore you with what it stands for) has the objective of investigating marine biodiversity, and coming up with ways to develop the fishing sector of the archipelagos of Madeira, the Azores, and the Canary Islands. Shrimps and deep water crabs are other species sought that that have economic potential for Madeira. So that’s the environmental solution for overfishing is it, go and overfish elsewhere. I think I could manage without espada for a couple of years to let the stocks recuperate.

PSD-M presents proposal for a law that creates a pension supplement worth €65 – Supplement is compensation for the costs of insularity. The social democrats of Madeira will present the proposal, that will give Madeira’s pensioners the extra 65 Eurobucks monthly, in the Assembly of the Republic of Portugal. If approved it will benefit 30,000 pensioners through old age, disability, or social reasons. Hmmmmmmm, I smell a rat here. Should the AR approve the proposal, and I can’t really see that being on an island affects pensioners more than anyone else working or living here, then there would be a uproar that everyone else deserves the same, here, on the Azores, and maybe on the mainland too. No this is a political dagger, knowing that the idea will be rejected, giving more ammo for the PSD-M against the PS socialist government.

Petrol prices take a bit of a hike on Monday with a 2.c rise per litre. Diesel will rise by 1.c.

Have a great weekend !

Many thanks to Elaine for her contribution from yesterday’s news :

26th Chestnut Festival at Nun’s Valley this weekend. Begins Saturday afternoon at 18.00 with traditional games, a fashion show at 20.00 and animation between 21.00 and 23.00 with Enio Fernandes. The main event is Sunday. The exhibition opens at 09.00 and mass in the Parish Church at 11.30. At 12.00 there is the official opening with the parade at 12.30. Tradition folklore groups start performing at 14.00 and a ‘Miss Chestnut 2009′ competition from 19.30 to 22.00 then entertainment continuing throughout the night. —- No ‘Mr Chestnut 2009′! Perhaps they should have a Miss Chest and a Mr. Nuts Elaine? Der

Madeira exports hospital waste. The Region is sole shareholder of Valor Ambiente which refuses to allow hospital waste to be incinerated at Meia Serra. Refusal is on the grounds that the consortium who built the incinerator and equipped it did not meet the requirements specified. The hospital waste was incinerated there for a year but caused environmental concerns. It is now incinerated in Spain at a cost of €1.2 million a year. The cost of exportation and incineration is being charged to the consortium who built Meia Serra, who are challenging this in court. The Region still owes €18 million for the construction of Meia Serra and €5 million operating costs. At Meia Serra, it costs 1.15 Euros / kg and transportation costs of  €0.08. Exportation to Spain, the cost is estimated by the Diário to be 1.23 Euros / kg.

Diário also complaining that animal waste is not being incinerated but entering landfill instead. At present, the amount is 40 tons a month, which is not an environmental hazard but could be in future due to soil contamination. The amount of clinical and animal by-products increased 74% last year, and the courts are normally slow to settle disputes.

First seal cub to be born in 2009. Population of seals (Monachus monachus) in the region is now 39. On the 25th October, the rangers at the Desertas Islands observed the first cub of the year. The colony has at least seven breeding females and the majority of births occur in October and November, so they are hoping for more. The conservation project was begun in 1988, with three main guidelines: monitoring, protection and education. Monitoring is increased at this time of year to identify the mothers, observe the behaviour of the animals during the breeding season and be attentive to the emergence of new individuals. The local seal population is increasing, whereas worldwide the number of seals is decreasing and its range too. The world population is 500.

Madeiran immigrants in England struggling. Some have been going through financial difficulties, to the point of being obliged to seek help of the Portuguese Sports Centre and Cultural Club in London to eat. The situation has worsened with unemployment associated with the economic crisis. The problem was felt most strongly at the beginning of this year but the situation is gradually improving due to economic recovery in England and increased employment. People usually only temporarily ask for help until they can get a new job.  There are also social problems like alcoholism, drug addiction and mental health problems. There is one person who is unemployed and homeless who goes to the club everyday to eat. They have paid three times for him to return to Madeira but he keeps returning, over the past two years. Even with the crisis, it is always easier to get work in London than Portugal. The main requirement for employment is a good command of English, which has improved during the past few years. The club helps the immigrants to integrate, especially new arrivals.

Landslide in Colmeal blocks road in Nun’s Valley. Firemen form Câmara de Lobos had to unblock the road to allow the bus to pass yesterday afternoon, an operation which took an hour. Landslides are common in this region and difficult to prevent due to a nearby high escarpment which is difficult to reinforce.

Second false distress alarm. Maritime Police and SANAS yesterday morning responded to a distress flare in the bay of Funchal. This flare was fired during training carried out by the Regional Directorate of Fisheries. The Port of Funchal had authorized the training but the location was not as expected, hence the Port Captain decided to launch a rescue.

SANAS has acquired a Mobicall system that will allow a fast and reliable communication to avoid wasting valuable time in responding to a rescue alert. The investment was 10,000 Euros.

Trial between Jardim and Carlos Pereira in 2010. Reported yesterday that Pereira is suing Jardim for 35,000 Euros. At today’s hearing, it was decided that there is a case to answer and due to the Court’s agenda, it will be in mid-2010.

Still  lack of fuel on Porto Santo. Lack of petrol and diesel causing problems especially for public transport, tourism and rent-a-car sectors. It is worse at the weekends resulting in queues of cars and motorbikes at the city centre filling station. GALP is the only supplier and they say they are unaware of the problems and it is the petrol station managers who are liable.

Madeira is studying new fishing areas for Black Scabbard fish. Due to the reduced fishing haul, the Secretariat for the Environment and Natural Resources is looking for new fishing areas. Want to innovate and develop the fishing industry of the Azores, Madeira and the Canary Islands. Shrimp and crab are other species with economic potential in Madeira. Whoops a bit of duplication there, sorry Elaine, but your piece has a photo. Der

PSD introduce a draft bill to increase benefits by 65 Euros a month. If approved by Parliament, to be included in the State Budget 2011. Will help 30,000 people receiving benefits for old age, incapacity or social benefit. Whoops again!

Man died after fall from the fifth floor.  Occurred on Friday afternoon. He was 53 years old and fell from the fifth floor of a building located in the Praça da ACIF, at the rear of the Loja da Cidadão. He was a civil engineer and married with three children. The PSP and Judicial Police are investigating the circumstances.

Prison guards denounce ‘malaise’ in the Prison of Funchal. Malaise, poor management of human resources, lack of dialogue and respect of their status experienced by prison guards. The blame is aimed at the Director of the Prison, Fernando Santos, by the President of the Prison Guards Union. —– There have been strikes recently.

Moviflor opens new store in Funchal. Will open to the public on Saturday at 10.00 until 22.00 with opening offers this weekend. 2,600 square metres of furnishings and decorations. Located at the Caminho de Santa Quiteria next to Madeira Shopping and the previous shop in Funchal is closed for renovations.

Regional Plan for the Homeless 2009 – 2011. It is the adoption of a document entered into the objective of ‘Promotion of Social Inclusion and Prevention of Social Exclusion’. The plan intends to identify people living on the street, the issues why they are there and then integrate them into society with dignity. The plan is being implemented by the Regional Secretariat for Social Affairs, private institutions, parishes and municipalities. 35 people are already identified as homeless, scattered around the Farmer’s Market, Rua Dr. Fernao Ornelas and the Building 2000. They are to be reintegrated back into their family or if none, into institutions.

Fuel prices increase from Monday (midnight 2 November). Unleaded petrol up from 1.187 to 1.202  Euros and diesel 0.950 Euros a litre.

A quick look at today’s front page of the Diário :

Christmas anticipated to sell despite of the debt situation – The requests for help grow from families struggling with their commitments. Of 531 cases that went to the Consumer Defence entity, 160 are are about financial overcommitment. But still the race for Christmas shopping is underway.

In football : Draw of FC Porto livens the game (tonight) between the league leaders – Belenenses stall the champions. Poor first half by Porto, but dominated most of the second half, and were unlucky to end up with a 1 – 1 draw. Braga and Benfica play today for first place. 9.15 pm on SportTV1. Chelsea come to see Rúben Micael. Whilst I hope Nacional can hang on to Micael for as long as possible this season, for sure he will  be sold fairly soon, and what better buyers could there be than Chelsea, famous for paying stupid prices for average players.

There come the witches with a weekend of partying for Madeira. A creepy Halloween for all tastes. No evidence of witches and monsters yet in my town, and Halloween here it is still a hit and miss event, and sometimes passes by totally unnoticed. I saw a full page advert in yesterday’s Diário for Hiper Sã in São Martinho (I think), and it was all for Halloween products at incredible prices, and I reckon to get fully kitted up for a scary appearance you wouldn’t have gotten much change from €50. The Chinese perhaps haven’t got wind of this yet, but when the new megastore opens in Machico, they should be able to slash the price of future Halloweens, as after all most of the junk that people buy probably originates in China anyway.

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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 photo or video, 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. 

You can email blog@madeira4u.com with any large contributions or comments and photos / videos, or if you can contribute regularly, I can give you a special account that allows you to create your own blog postings.
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Please use the comments here for general chit-chat, or feel free to ask any questions … someone usually has an answer.

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TODAY’S PHOTO : Thanks to Tobi … Nativity scene (presépio) in Camacha shopping. Tobi sent it in over a week ago, so Christmas is getting earlier each year. We had a great discussion about these a couple of Xmas’ ago, with lots of photos being sent in, and stories attached.

The ‘How well do you know Madeira?’ weekly teaser took a strange turn yesterday, with two new entries received, with a slightly revised theme. Best described as ‘How can we stop Vela winning how well do you know Madeira?’. Coming soon!

Madeira aquaculture in sharp growth. The Regional Secretariat of the Environment and Natural Resources anticipates that the volume of Madeira aquaculture exports will increase around 80 per cent this year, going from 283,104 exported tonnes in 2008 to nearly 500,000 tonnes. AQUACULTURE – AKA AS FARM FISH?

Madeira: hole in one. Property values in the Ponta do Pargo region are expected to boom over the next few years, on the back of the decision to give the golf scheme the go-ahead, and shrewd property investors have already started to take note. BS OR GOOD INVESTMENT? Anyone thinking about investing in such a venture should seek independent financial advice.

Pilgrim image of Our Lady of Fatima arrived yesterday on Madeira – It is here until May 13, 2010 the image will go 96 parishes. The pilgrim image of Our Lady of Fátima arrived yesterday afternoon on Madeira. It will stay seven months in which the image will go through the 96 parishes on Madeira. The Bishop of Funchal received the pilgrim image in the Chapel of the Apparitions in Fátima. Once at the airport on Madeira the image went to Funchal by ‘Popemobile’, the same vehicle that carried Pope John Paul II during his visit to Madeira. It was taken in the evening to Sé Cathedral, the first of the parishes to host the image. It will stay there until the 18th October, and then start it’s Madeira tour. Memories of the first visit to Madeira. Big spread in the Diário yesterday, with black-and-white photos, of the first visit in 1948 of the icon Our Lady of Fátima.

This was taken at the Largo do Colégio last night. It looked packed out on the TV coverage.

Cavaco Silva, president of the republic, invited José Sócrates yesterday to form his new government. The new assembly should convene on Thursday. Thank the lord for that, as Uncle Bertie has had nothing to rant about for a couple of days. We don’t want all that aggression getting pented up now do we (before the word police pay a visit, I do actually realise that I have used a word that doesn’t really exist).

Belenenses 0 Nacional 1. Good win, but a bit of luck needed. Nacional are now in equal 4th place in the league along with Sporting. Great recovery after a poor start to the season.

Some news stories from Elaine, … with our thanks :

From late Sunday, delegate of the National Elections Council received about 60 phone calls requesting information or complaints. Complaints about transport, constraining or conditioning voting intention. Transportation complaints in Calheta, Caniço, Caniçal, Nun’s Valley, Ponta da Pargo and Agua de Pena.

Jornal da Madeira headline ‘Totalista’. "Today begins a period of great internal debate," said Jardim. An internal reflection on the next leader who will be chosen by the party members. Jardim did not like the fact that the first question asked was about Santa Cruz. A member of the Mayor of Funchal’s entourage said, "Let no-one try to detract from another great victory for the PSD," and "we increased the number of votes, increased council members and I think it is the public acknowledgement by the population, but also gives us more responsibility for the next four years." "Another major defeat for the Socialist Party and the rest, and a lack of performance by the socialists." —–The entire regional news in the J. Madeira was about the elections.

‘Caso Marote’ trial now March 2010. Embezzlement, abuse of power and economic participation in business of the ex-vice-mayor Rui Marote. 4 defendants on trial too, all close to Funchal Council, mainly the Environment Department. Last court session about this case was July 2008 after an investigation in 2002. Marote and the Chief of Supply are accused of damaging the council’s interests for the benefit of the football club and the company Placar Vertical. Others were involved in favouring suppliers of cleaning materials.

90% of the police have trained to use the new ‘Glock’ pistols but the holsters require adapting. The rest of the police force will have completed training to use the 800 new 9mm guns by the end of the year. Initially, only officers with duties concerned with private security, criminal investigation or the inactivation of explosives will use the guns, then the other police when the holsters have been adapted to prevent unauthorised people grabbing the guns. The new guns are lightweight, versatile and safe and are only used proportionally in non-lethal ways, to immobilize fleeing criminals who are a threat to the security services.

Madeira has not yet made any plans for next year’s commemoration of the first century of the Republic. The Azores has a set agenda but not Madeira despite meetings by those responsible with Jardim. The Museum of Photography, Museu das Cruzes and the university are expected to participate. The program will run between 31 January and 5 October 2010. I suspect this is actually to mark the 1910 revolution and the end of the monarchy, or would one actually celebrate a non democratic republic? Der

New white Madeiran table wine ‘Primeira Paixão 2008′.  By the two winning  winemakers; Rui Reguinga, Winemaker of the Year 2008 from the Journal of Wine, and Francisco Albuquerque. It is made from Verdelho grapes and 1,800 bottles will be marketed from next week. They will be sold in Lisbon, half a dozen Madeiran restaurants and in the ‘Primeira Paixao’ shop. The wine has 12.5% alcohol content with citrus and floral aromas. The Verdelho grape is probably the best grape on Madeira for white wines and is grown at Vargem, Estreito de Câmara de Lobos and bottled by Adega de São Vicente. The wine has been well received by the critics and given the best score for Madeiran table wines by Joao Paulo Martins, author of the guide ‘Wines of Portugal’. Francisco Albuquerque hopes to produce a red table wine next year depending on the harvest.

Luxury liner ‘Seadream II’ in port today for 12 hours. 60 passengers on board although she is capable of holding 110 in 54 outside cabins which vary in size from 18 to 42 square metres. She is a different type of cruise ship from the large ones and has good sporting facilities, especially for nautical sports. She was built in 1984, first named ‘Sea Goddess II’, then ‘Seaborne Goddess II’ and has previously visited Funchal three times.

Aigle Azur first flight today from Paris. Weekly flights from 24 October at a promotional price of 220 Euros, round trip, including taxes. I am sure the Diário already reported it’s maiden voyage a week ago, but who cares? Der

Live ammunition training at Ponta do Pargo on Thursday October 15th. Training in anti-aircraft fire, so do not touch any ammunition/artefacts – warning by the Military Commander!

Islands with more quality of life. According to the journal ‘Sol’, the Azores and Madeira are a better place to live than mainland Portugal. More satisfactory in terms of identity, culture and leisure, tourism, diversity and tolerance, happiness, health, economy and employment, education and training, urban and housing and environment. The Algarve is ahead in tourism, but education here is almost equal to Lisbon.

Santana Theme Park birthday celebration. About 1,000 people attended the celebration of the fifth anniversary of the park on Saturday evening.

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If you can, please contribute something Madeira related. A funny story or experience, a news item, or a story from a Madeira newspaper, a photo or video, 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. 

You can email blog@madeira4u.com with any large contributions or comments and photos / videos, or if you can contribute regularly, I can give you a special account that allows you to create your own blog postings.
—————————————————————————————————————————————–

Please use the comments here for general chit-chat, or feel free to ask any questions … someone usually has an answer.

(more…)

(4th September). The main headline and big picture today is from Xmas, and shows that modern conical Christmas tree in Funchal, illuminated at night : ‘Illuminations Contested – Indutora competes for the business that is worth €6 million, won during the last 20 years by SIRAM’. The monopoly of the illuminations is challenged by the company Indutora. The two competing companies threaten the interests of the ‘Lusoesfera’. The lights for Xmas and New Year cost €6 million, for a two year contract. SIRAM have had the contract unopposed for twenty years (I think as the main partner in a consortium that includes light and sound). The contract is not just for Xmas and new year, as it also includes Carnival and the Flower Festival. As well as as the lighting and decoration for the principal roads, there is also work throughout the various districts of Funchal. With more than two decades of experience, Lusoesfera has the advantage of already owning much of the necessary equipment needed. The new competitor Indutora is a specialist in matters ‘electrical’, and 90% of it’s 150 staff are trained professionals, with another 70 collaborating staff from ‘Som ao Vivio’, who are specialists in sound and stage, and are well known for their involvement in festivals and musical events on Madeira. After opening the tenders, the result is announced within 30 days, allowing the successful bidder to start preparations in October. That includes the ‘artistic proposals’ for the first events. As price will not be the decisive factor, the detailed proposals and creativity will be under scrutiny at this stage. In the ‘downtown’ zone alone, 200,000 lights will be used, with another 200,000 in the other 9 districts of Funchal. Over 100 kilometres of cabling and connections(?) will also be used. 

‘Pepper Gas Shortage – The self defence spray is only enough for 20% of the actual policing. A gap that marks the 131st anniversary of the PSP’. The trade union, the Association of Police Professionals (ASPP), is seeking more resources for the self defence of its members, especially in a month rich in festivals and celebrations. "The pepper spray is the most effective weapon because it is not lethal, and has been a real asset to the police service" said a spokesman. The main concerns are in some areas where the PSP have to face higher risks, and in places that organized riots or sporadic disorders are more likely to occur, potentially resulting in injuries to security forces. Anti-flak jackets are also in short supply, especially with street police officers.

‘The Goodbye – João Mateus, the teacher that revolutionised sports training and a notable researcher, passed away yesterday’. "A man who lived before his time". A revolutionary in sports training and science researcher. He wrote highly critical letters in the Diário about the organization of Sport and Physical education in schools and the system of regional sports, and was also a notable commentator on a RTP sports programme. He led the volleyball team of CD Nacional to the Portuguese 1st division, winning championship titles at various levels. "We lost a remarkable man!" says the Diário.

‘Madeira In The ‘Festroia’ – The director of the Cinema Festival of Funchal, Henrique Teixeira, puts together the panel of judges for the prestigious contest’. This headline is principally about the renowned film festival in Portugal (Sétubal). I will cover this another time when the programme for Funchal is available, as I am pushed with technical problems today.

What no Sports! No football on the front page for the first time in weeks. The sports journalists must have been struck with Gripe A.

‘Merlin Helicopter Rescues Fisherman Injured Working On Board – The fishing boat was 21 miles south west of Porto Santo’. The air force helicopter rescued the man yesterday morning, and took him to hospital on Madeira, suffering with a serious wound to his chin and tongue.

(3rd September). In a bit of an odd story, the Diário reports that there have been 10 deaths so far during the ‘Portuguese beach season (the last 2 months), as well as 348 rescues. Half the deaths occurred on beaches without life guards. The article then has a sub-headline : ‘Madeira’s Beaches Are Safer’. Pointing out that nobody has died here or on Porto Santo this season, and then interviews two separate sources in order to confirm that fact. I suppose it does no harm to identify the positives!

UPDATES :

‘Plague of beetles have killed 20 Palm trees in Funchal’. The president of Funchal Council, Miguel Albuquerque, yesterday morning visited the last phase of the refurbishments of the Avenida do Mar. The project costing €708 thousand will be completed in late October. As they are replanting Palm trees in the area, the president stated that the câmara has the plague of beetles more or less controlled. He also asked anyone who has palm trees at home to contact the Department of Environment of the council, as due to the pest Funchal has lost 20 trees.

‘Municipal Road Inaugurated In Prazeres’. The Caminho Municipal of the Travessa da Figueira to the Lombo da Rocha, Igreja e Estacada, in the parish of Prazeres is inaugurated today by President Jardim. It is the responsibility of the council of Calheta, is 1.8 km in length, and cost €540,000. I think that’s the longest road name I have ever come across, I am certainly glad I won’t have to type that out too often.

For anyone interested in astronomy, there is a free event at the Botanical gardens tonight at 9 pm. It’s free to attend the star gazing, but whether one pays to enter the gardens or not I don’t know, but they are open at 8 pm.

‘Parish Of Santa Maria Maior In Festival’. Starting on Sunday and lasting throughout the month, the festivities mark the 576th anniversary of the parish in the historic zone in Funchal.

‘Majority ‘acquitted’ Quinta do Lorde’. All normal, within the law and no criticism. Such are the likely conclusions of the parliamentary inquiry into the licensing of the project of the resort ‘Quinta do Lorde’ in Caniçal, to be approved next Monday in the Legislative Assembly of Madeira. The ALM interrupts the Summer recess to discuss and vote on the report from the inquiry committee. The result of the report, written by Vasco Vieira (PSD), will not be a surprise, and will follow what has always been the social democrat position on the project, and the case will be ‘archived’ once again. The parliamentary inquiry was forced by the joint request of the Socialist Party, together with the Communist Party, the Left Block and the New Democracy party, who just about managed to muster the 10 signatories necessary. The decision to close the case on the licensing of the resort Quinta do Lorde is well received by the developer of the project, the Sousa Group, confirming that the whole process was transparent, since its inception in February 1999. The project, which was licensed by the council and the Regional Government, will be shown to have observed the details of the municipal plan (PDM), and adapted the project to fit in the the area of natural park. Quercus, the environmental organisation, still insist the project violates the PDM of Machico. You just can’t win can you. A inquiry into extensive planning irregularities committed by a social democrat council and government, investigated by the same party.

‘Nursing Home To Be Opened Seven Days Before The Election – The home in Porto Moniz has been ready for months, but is still closed’. Apparently there is much evidence that the home for the elderly in Lamaceiros in the district of Porto Moniz has been completed, and is ready to take in 10 Alzheimer patients, with another 20 beds. But It’s all just a matter of illusion in the eyes of the people, says the Secretary for Social Affairs, through the social security services of Madeira, the entity that is responsible for managing the building. The inauguration, curiously happens seven days before the elections: October 4th (Sunday) at 12 midday. It is a hot topic in the vicinity with the locals. The painting was finished two months ago, and people have seen beds, linen, and cooking equipment delivered, and there are no signs of any further work being done. The grass is laid, flower beds are planted, and enquiries reveal that there has been no known problems with equipping the new building.

Not long after the recent tragic accident at the beach Praia Maria Luísa, in the Algarve, when a cliff face collapsed killing 5 people, a warning was issued about a similar danger on the beach Praia do Toco in Funchal, with an unstable cliff. Funchal Council advised against the use of the beach, but it is still frequented by a ‘significant number of beach goers’. A politician from the BE party (Left Block) went there yesterday protesting that there are no warnings present, and accused the council of not taking measures to guarantee the safety of the zone, and of "great irresponsibility".