Madeira News Blog

A quick look at today’s front page news headlines:

Machico continues in commotion – Whilst the chamber of commerce ACIM mobilises the ‘troops’ against the Chinese megastore, Jorge Sá, who invested €15 million for just 1,500 square meters  in the Hiper Sã supermarket, warns : "They are going to explode the trade of Machico". The president of the council says : It is the law that decides. The first boxes are already being unloaded as the picture shows. The ACIM says that there are two Chinese ‘Grande Bazares’ being opened in Machico, and the president of ACIM is preparing three initiatives that will develop over the next few days. A difficult situation, but Jorge Sã for one should keep his hypocritical views to himself, as how many businesses did he close when he opened his supermarket in Machico (and the rest of the island for that matter). Only one way to beat these things, and that is to compete, but these traders and local businessmen seem to think that they can cherry pick and enjoy the parts of European legislation that suit them, and ditch the rest. Would there be the same rumpus if it was a Madeiran entrepreneur importing and selling these good in a superstore? Anyway, I feel the fears will be unfounded, as they won’t be as cheap as people expect, the quality will often be dubious, and the people of Machico will ultimately decide who lives and who dies.

Illegal landfill born in Campanário – The site is close to houses and has no authorisation. The council of Ribeira Brava says that is is for agricultural purposes; The Forestry authorities talk of a car park.

Warnings of ‘Danger of Death’ surround park dos Lamaceiros – It is a leisure zone with a well discovered and a transmission antennae nearby. Until today nothing bad has happened, but those responsible admit to expanding the precautions. Refreshing change in this world for something to be done before someone gets hurt or killed … wonder what brought that on?

Many thanks to Elaine for these news stories from yesterday :

Renovations and surveys for the two rescue boats ‘Arun’ cost almost 200,000 Euros. These two boats were acquired from England in 2003 and for the past six years have been in dry dock. This has cost SANAS 198,600 Euros, more than double the purchase price of 82,300 Euros. The law forced the name of the boat which is now operational to be changed to ‘Saviour of the Sea’. The boats had to be remodelled, bilge pumps and more batteries fitted, the communications systems changed from English to Portuguese, video surveillance systems installed and all documents had to be translated into Portuguese.

25% of child abuse victims are less than one year old. 6% have not lived for a month. Abuse can be physical, emotional (neglect) or sexual. Both genders are equally affected and 25% are in single parent families. In 65% of the cases, the father is the abuser, 45% are alcoholics, 13% are drug addicts, 10%  have a mental disability and 10% have committed previous crimes.

The baby who was removed from a drug addict mother at birth and kept in hospital under a Child Protection Order, received unexplained injuries whilst in the ward (broken arm and bruising to the head). This occurred on 15th August and the family were prevented from visiting and the case is still subject to a lawsuit. The baby, now five months old, is being temporarily cared for by her uncle whilst the mother attempts to gain permanent custody.

A 59 year old man from Ribeira Brava is held at the Casa de Saúde São João de Deus (psychiatric hospital) after being charged with sexual abuse of a 10 year old boy, on more than one occasion.

Repeated vandalism. Vandalism at the dock at Ribeira Brava. Sacks of rubbish  were again dumped in the sea and not all of the contents could be recovered by the Council due to the tides. There is a lack of vigilance at night.

More dog poisoning, the third episode in two years. At least five dogs were poisoned in Eiras, Santa Cruz and died at dawn in the backyards and streets just outside where they lived.

Bridge at the Ribeira do Porto Novo closed for another five months. The bridge was closed in 2005 for safety reasons and the work has now been started to strengthen and widen it, replace the flooring and install new safety equipment.

MEPs to visit Madeira. Seven MEPs of the Committee on Regional Development of the European Parliament will visit between 26 – 28 October in view to increase funding. They will visit Government ministers and companies and learn how funding has been used at Caniçal, Câmara de Lobos, Machico and Funchal.

Publifunchal bring mobile advertising to Madeira. Four ‘Vespas’, bikes with advertising placards on trailers, were in evidence in Funchal yesterday. There will also be people walking around with advertising placards on their backs. Also expect advertising cards placed in car windscreens. This has arisen to help businesses in the time of economic crisis. It is due to a partnership between the firms Publifunchal and WON.

Regional Band Meeting in Ribeira Brava ‘unfair competition’. The President of the Association of Madeira Bands wants the Regional Meeting of Bands to be held before summer and to rotate around the counties rather than in Ribeira Brava each year. The cost is split between the Regional Directorate of Cultural Affairs and the Municipality of Ribeira Brava, and altering the venue would depend if other councils would invest the same amount into the meeting.

Jose Saramago’s latest book angering the churches. The Nobel Prize laureate has written a book entitled ‘Caim’ (Cain) which is causing a stir as it labels the Bible as a catalogue of cruelty and the worst of human nature. An MEP has asked him to renounce his Portuguese citizenship due to his ‘embarrassing’ statements under the guise of freedom of expression.

1,256 unemployed people have had social security benefits stopped. The Employment Institute has notified the Social Security Department that in the past six months, these claimants have not complied with conditions for receiving benefit. They have been missing sessions at the Job Centre or refusing vocational training or a job. Resumption of payment depends on their ability and willingness to work. Some have gone onto disability or old-age pensions.

Cunard tries to charm Madeirans. There was a meeting on board the Queen Victoria yesterday for travel agents. The Queen Victoria returns in May and December and the Queen Elizabeth in December and both allow boarding and disembarking at any port (a policy of Cunard).

Penultimate visit of the Costa Europa. The visit on Tuesday was its 89th, with 1,500 tourists. The last time it will visit will be on November 3rd. From April next year, it will operate for Thomson Cruises for 10 years.

Jardim spent several days working in Budapest and Strasbourg. No one knows how many days as it has not been disclosed. Sounds like another of Uncle Bertie’s disappearing acts that he was criticised for last year. He is supposed to inform the Madeira assembly of his movements, but never does, and then disappears with telling anyone where or for how long. Whilst away he will stay in the top hotels and maybe have a chauffeur driven car, and it will all be with the excuse of one barely relevant meeting, for which he has representatives, and doesn’t need to attend himself. President César in the Azores never attends such meetings, leaving the appropriate job holder or representative to attend. Der

TODAY’S PHOTO : Thanks to Vic … "This owl was under the airport but why in the middle of the afternoon who knows. You can see where it has last fed from the blood on its feathers".

"In a few minutes we will leave our berth in the marina, when we have filled our diesel tanks we are off to Ilhas Selvagens, about 160 nm south. The wind is very weak, therefore it will probably take about two days to get there. Then we are staying at the islands for 48 hours, that’s as long as our permit is valid. The islands are a nature reserve and bird sanctuary that’s way you have to obtain a permit here in Funchal". CAPTAIN CANTARE B LOG

"Madeira is all about water. The heights are usually clothed in clouds, so that even if it doesn’t rain there is plenty of moisture to feed the streams and rivers that have carved out the deep gorges and valleys. This moist climate contributes to making it a Botanists dream …". Quite a good read from a visitor here. MADEIRA HIKER 

Many thanks to Elaine in Garajau for yesterday’s news translations :

Retailers threaten Chinese trade in Machico. More detail about this story. The retailers are concerned and in consternation about two large Chinese bazaars opening at the end of November. They will sell almost everything (clothing, school supplies, hardware, computer equipment etc.). The smaller store of about 500 square metres will be in the Edificio da Torre, where Maxmat is. The megastore of 3000 square metres will cover the entire first floor of ‘Machim Centrum’ in the centre of the city.  The latter building was designed as a shopping centre of excellence. Manuel Severino, a hardware shopkeeper said that he is not against the shop itself, just its size. "It will  be a stagnation of trade because the Chinese stores have prices much more competitive than ours. People know that it is best to buy the traditional products, but the decline of purchasing power makes them go to Chinese stores because it’s cheaper." The economy in Machico is already fragile and the traders want just traditional trade in the heart of the city. They think at least a dozen shops will be at risk and that the Chinese shops do not come to invest, just to make a profit. The President of ACIM said, "It will certainly be a funeral and a disaster for the city’s business, which consists mostly of small and medium enterprises, all of a  traditional nature." He does not believe these stores will be granted a licence and if so, they will proceed with an injunction. The mayor says he is sympathetic but if everything is legal, they cannot refuse a licence just because the store is Chinese. Licensing is the responsibility of the Regional Department of Commerce, Industry and Energy (DRCIE) but they state they have not received an application for either of the stores. The caption to the photo states that work to adapt the centre has already begun.

Poverty in the street. The shopkeepers in Rua do Carmo are upset about the homeless eating their dinners by their shop fronts and leaving food scraps and bottles. As today is International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, Social Security are are about to launch the Regional Plan for the Homeless 2009 – 2011 to bring together all the institutions to help the homeless. The volunteers presently distribute food in the Largo de Phelps but they want the homeless to be directed to the Association for the Protection of the Poor night shelter, and canteen in the Rua do Frigorifico. In 2007, the survey showed 80 homeless men with either alcohol or mental health problems. At present, the shelter has only 15 beds and there will be a new night shelter next year to double the number of beds.

Neighbours of Santagro can’t breathe. "If it wasn’t for the smell, this would be paradise," says Fátima Baptista, who lives near the tourist complex Inatel in Santo de Serra. She came for holidays to Madeira twice a year and has now emigrated from England to here. The smell is from a pig farm and is worsening, especially during the summer. The Inatel hotel also complains, saying they have lost hundreds of customers. There have been complaints sent to the City of Santa Cruz, the County Medical Officer and to the Regional Directorate of the Environment. The manager of Santagro says that Inatel knew of their existence before they built the complex. To modernize, in an attempt to reduce 95% of the smell, they have applied for EU funding. The complaints have been passed from department to department and the present law does not take odours into account. The Directorate of the Environment said that the company will have to adapt and they will ensure this happens.

Regional drinks at reduced rate. The European Parliament is expected to approve on Tuesday, the continued  application of a reduced rate of excise duty on rum, liqueurs and other spirits of Madeira and the Azores. This should be until the end of 2013 and is considered necessary for the survival of the local industry. There are eight producers of rum/liqueurs on Madeira. In the Azores, nine companies produce liqueurs and thirty-eight produce brandy. Virtually all products are sold regionally. There are 130 associated employees in Madeira and 90 in the Azores. In Madeira, cane sugar cultivation and processing and fruit farming provides employment for about 1000 family-run agricultural businesses.

Madeira in the scene in Lisbon. A newly-launched show, ‘Grab what is honest’ in Lisbon ends with an invitation to the audience to visit Madeira during the Flower Festival. This social and political satire ends with dancers in a colourful display of Madeiran flowers and the traditional instruments like the brinquinho. It was an idea of the producer after seeing tourist pictures of Madeira and is supported by Madeira Islands Tourism. It will run for six months.

Madeira maintains the lead in national tourism. In national tourism, Madeira had the highest average nights stay in August, although it dropped from 5.7 nights last year to 5.5 nights this year. The national average was 3.2 nights. In all regions, apart from Alentejo, which has a short average night stay (mainly weekends), all areas have decreased. Madeira’s occupancy fell from 77.3% last year to 68.4%. Average was 62.6%. The drop in overnight stays in Madeira means that the increase in the domestic market has not made up for the decrease in English and German tourists.

Funchal is the top cruise port in the nation. 211,143 passengers in the first seven months of this year. Lisbon is the second port with 194,634 passengers. In Portugal, the number increased by 5.4% over last year. The cruise industry handles 10 million Americans and 5 million Europeans. In 2020, the estimate is that there will be 10 million European passengers. Presently, 3% of Americans and 1.3 – 1.5% of  Europeans go on a cruise. Estimated that by the end of this year, 49% more Portuguese will go on a cruise than last year.

Centre for Arbitration in Consumer Complaints have intervened in more cases this year. The highest number of complaints have been about properties, followed by cars, appliances, laundries, clothing and footwear, then Timesharing. This organization was set up by the Madeiran Government and can only handle complaints related to purchases in the region and if the value does not exceed 30,000 Euros. It is voluntary arbitration between the customer and the business, in an attempt to prevent a court case.

22 farmers from Normandy visit the Centre for Sheep Farming. Farmers with sheep, cattle, wine and agriculture in Normandy, France, are interested in practices used here including the utilization of by-products of the agro-industry to feed sheep and the use of cane sugar by-products for bedding. They were surprised by the lack of brucellosis. The Centre (COM)  in the Santana municipality has a breeding herd of about 180 sheep of the breed Bergshaf. ——-Translation toolbar mis-translation ‘Centre visited by 22 sheep’.

Forum Madeira has 10 bicycles for clients. If you have purchased more than 10 Euros from Forum Madeira, you can apply at the Information Desk (Floor 0) to hire a  bike to cycle along the Estrada Monumental between the Forum and the roundabout ASSICOM Piornais. From 16 October.

Crewman of the National Geographic Explorer had to go to HCF. The ship had set sail for the Desertas yesterday when a 44 year old crewman had heart problems, and the ship had to return to Funchal, so he could attend the hospital. The ship has now gone to the Canaries. ——It does not say if they still had their 1 hour stay at the bay of the nature reserve.

Electricity will increase by 2.8% next January. It will increase 2.9% on the Continent and 2.7% in the Azores. For the average 40 euro monthly bill, this will increase by just over 1 Euro.

A quick peek at today’s headlines :

Nacional suffer but continue in the cup – The Madeirans were losing 1 – 0 but they made a comeback in the second half. That could have been embarrassing, and even worse if Varzim had scored their first half penalty. There are a couple of videos from the game on footytube.

Marítimo play their home cup fixture today at 4 pm against Santa Clara.

The main headline today in the Diário : Illegal immigration has accomplices in the region : There is assistance for the contracting of illegal foreign labour, people that place staff in restaurants and women in prostitution. Yesterday two women citizens from Latin America were detained, caught ‘red handed’. This year already 21 legal actions have already been opened. The regional director for border controls says the situation here is not as rife as in other parts of Portugal, but nether-the-less there are 10 cases here under investigation. The contacts and the contracts are initiated by restaurant owners and ‘pimps’ on Madeira. The majority of the cases relate to restaurant staff, with Brazilians coming and staying here illegally, on the back of an agreement between the two countries that allows entrance to Madeira for a period of three months without authorisation documents. Those responsible risk fines of between €2,000 and €15,000, but are not deterred. The Diário does make the point that none of the cases known about involve anyone been taken (kidnapped) or working against their will. Hard to believe that there is profit for anyone to be made in employing or supplying illegal immigrant labour, with such high unemployment here and our low wages. With the reluctance of local businesses to take on foreign labour as well, I can only imagine that the restaurants involved are not normally those serving traditional Madeiran cuisine.

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(26th September). Today’s main news headline, and also the main photo, shows a beautiful landscape blighted by ugly yellow storage tanks and a black barrier : ‘Temporary’ For Six Years – The site in Meia Légua occupies more than half a kilometre extended. Quercus alerts : The safety of the town of Ribeira Brava is in danger’. The facility, towards the narrow end of Ribeira Brava valley and alongside the access road to Serra de Água, was started in 2003 and completed and inaugurated in 2004. It is in effect, a builders yard, belonging to the construction giant AFA. But it has now grown to over half a kilometre long. The excuse of the government for the site being there for so long, is that it is intended to build a walkway on the left hand side between Ponte Vermelha and the via rápida junction, with the delay blamed on the compulsory purchase of land not being completed. The AFA site is not only a blot on the landscape, but it occupies a strategically important site, that allows central access to all parts of Madeira. The assurance is given is that as soon as work is complete on the via expresso road, the site permit will be withdrawn. That could be a long way off with the stretch between Meia Légua and Serra de Água still outstanding. The president of Ribeira Brava council showed some discontent with the situation, but refuses to get involved in what is a matter of regional government. The environmental agency Quercus says that the site poses a danger to Ribeira Brava town, as long heavy rain could flood the river and site, taking materials downstream into the town.

‘MAC Exposes Illiteracy In Youngsters That Went To School’. The Apostolate Movement for Children (MAC) has exposed the cases of youngsters, now 18, 19, or 20 years old, who went to school but forgot everything they learned. Some cannot understand a simple SMS text message, or even sign their name. One teacher is now voluntarily giving weekend lessons to help these people, in what the teachers union describes as a “dramatic situation”. A spokesperson for MAC says that they had access to school, but because they were rebellious or had behavioural problems, stayed away, or just forgot. Not knowing how to read or write at 18, 19 or 20 years is a worrying development, stresses the coordinator of the Teachers Union of Madeira. Strangely, there are no numbers given, but MAC say it doesn’t have sufficient volunteer teaching resources available to adequately manage the situation. 

‘Pestana Group Awaits For The Court In Order To Enter Lugar de Baixo [marina] – Works will move forward one year after the decision of the Constitutional Court’. The administrator of the the Madeiran Pestana group says that there is no doubt: “The project of the Marina of Lugar de Baixo interests the Pestana Group, provided that it adopts to the philosophy that we stand for”. A year has passed since the announcement of an agreement in principle between Pestana and The Development Society of Ponta Oeste, to form a company that will progress the concept through to the construction of a tourist hotel on the marina site. “We’ve already done the outline of a project and have presented a mock-up to the regional government. We will build it on stilts and redimension [the marina?], because we want a hotel of only 80 to 100 guest rooms”. The option to use stilts reflects the continued concern about the invasion of the sea in times of bad weather, and the project will downsize the marina to little over one hundred berths. The group is waiting for the court to decide on some litigation issues before it can proceed, particularly on the change of use of the marina zone and the rights for private development, and will then need around a year to prepare the plans. The intention is to develop the project in phases, that could extend the total development time for up to ten years. The marina at Lugar de Baixo is the biggest political embarrassment for the Madeira Government, because the investment of €32 million is of no use because the designer did not consider the actual conditions for sea waves in that area, resulting in the sea at times engulfing and destroying the infrastructure. To use it as a marina, it will need millions of Euros spent on improving the protection zone.

Today’s sport / football headline : ‘Naval Battle’ Decisive For Carvalhal – The Marítimo Coach complains about a lack of efficiency in his attack but, in today’s game he is only going to change the defence’.

If anyone is interested, the league game between Benfica and Leixões is on RTP 1 at 9.15 pm tonight. Should be good for a few goals, or famous last words?

In entertainment : ‘Madeiran Theatre Sets Upon The Câmara – The amount paid for ‘Calcinhas Amarelas’ stirs controversy’. The comedy play ‘The Yellow Panties”, by José Vilhena, with the participation of Tozé Martin (from TEZEEME Productions), currently playing, is causing some upset amongst other producers in the region. At issue is the value of the contract between Funchal Council and TEZEEME Productions, of € 87.500. The council say that it is only €62,500, taking into account the receipts from ticket sales. Nether the less, it has rankled in theatrical quarters the fact that an outside production has attracted extensive funding, when there are theatrical and cultural groups much closer to home that can’t get the financial assistance they need.

‘Machico In Festival Starting On The 28th – Astronomy, music, exhibitions and sport highlight the Festas do Concelho’. The celebration lasts from Monday until 13th October, to mark the day of Machico district. FESTA PROGRAMME

A 39 year old man died yesterday after being taken to hospital, after he was run over on the via rápida near the school Horácio Bento Gouveia in Funchal. Having been hit by one car, he was then hit by a second surprised driver. After the rescue, firemen had to go out and clean up the area. That’s the 14th road death so far this year. In another incident last night near the Savoy Hotel in Funchal, two women aged 74 and 79 were caught in a ‘hit and run’ case and taken to hospital with grazing, but police have information about the vehicle responsible.

A power cut affected the whole of Madeira early yesterday morning, at around 3 am, for around 40 minutes for some, longer for many. A cable fault was responsible, causing a system overload. The Diário curiously has a picture of Madeira at night, either without a power cut, or teaming with fire flies.

‘Avenida do Amparo Eases Traffic In The West – Road inaugurated yesterday cost €10.5 million and connects Nazaré to the [estrada] monumental’. Government officials were out in force for the opening (can’t imagine why that would be?). Access to the via rápida for those in the west will now be much easier. The new road has two lanes in each direction and extends to 1.2 km.

The pope is to visit Portugal in May next year, but no there is no indication that he will visit Madeira. It will be the first time that Papa Bento XVI has visited Portugal.

The 1.5 km connection between the roundabout at Funchal Port and Pilar will be inaugurated next Friday. It includes the tunnel of ‘Pontinha’ which is nearly 700 metres long, and a new rebuilt bridge .

‘The First Vaccines Against Gripe A Arrive In Portugal Starting On 12th October – Deliveries are going to be phased weekly in proportion to the delivery made’. The pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline is to share it’s production releases of Pandremrix amongst countries that have ordered, proportioned according to the amount ordered in total. Portugal ordered 6 million vaccines, in theory enough to immunize at least 3 million people, at a cost of €45 million. It may be that one vaccine dose per person will suffice, but that is still to be determined. Pregnant women and children over 6 months old will be the first to benefit, with children receiving half the adult dosage.