Madeira News Blog

Today’s Photo : Thanks to Jon … Another ancient picture postcard from his collection

Thanks once again to Elaine for keeping the blog going with yesterday’s main news stories :

40% couples live together before getting married. There are more couples experiencing life together before getting married. According to the 2008 Demographic Statistics, 40% of couples who married in 2008 in the region had already lived together. In 2003, the percentage was 19% and this has increased each year to 31.9% in 2007 and 40% in 2008. In Portugal, the trend is from 20.6% in 2003 to 35.4% last year. There has been a decrease in the number of marriages both nationally and regionally and the upward trend of cohabiting couples is a reflection of social instability, according to a Sociologist. The number of divorces is increasing, 27% more in 2007 than 2006. Second marriages are also increasing, up from 15.9% in 2003 to 24.1% last year. The tendency to marry more than once is also up, from 16.3% to 23.4% and more couples, 27.6%, have children from previous marriages. The mean age of first marriage has increased to 28.1 years for women and 29.6 years for men.

Armistice Day ceremony on Saturday. A morning Mass at 9 am in Carmo Church followed by a military ceremony at 10.00 at the Monument To The Dead From All The Wars in the Avenida do Mar. There will be a tribute to soldiers who died in World War I, the War in Africa and also Afghanistan.

Santana Council promote vacation holidays in the area. The Council want both travel agents and the locals to identify the most attractive features of the county for visitors, in the areas of culture, sport, landscape and recreation. They want to be able to offer stays lasting 1, 3 or 7 days during which visitors can travel the county from end to end, spending nights in tourist facilities and dining in the local restaurants. The Mayor wants public-private partnerships. He highlights the following features. Arco de São Jorge has a roseiral (rose garden) and local museum. São Jorge has a bathing zone, church, traditional houses and ethnology museum. Archada do Marques is an excellent area for walking. Attractions in the area are Madeira Theme Park, traditional A frame thatched houses, Pico das Pedras leisure area leading to the Caldeirão Verde (Green Cauldron), Rocha do Navio cable car and Pico Ruivo. The promenade area at Faial is being redeveloped and at São Roque do Faial there are levada walks to Portela, Balcas and Ribeiro Frio. Animation will be better marketed, for example the Festival 24 Hours of Dancing.

SESARAM denies any discontent among Health Professionals. The Health Service counteracts yesterday’s allegations in the Diário. They say there have only been 95 complaints from a total of 547 doctors, there is no career vacuum and recruitment occurs nationally. There will be no changes at the Health Centres as regards doctor’s  lists.

Luxury yacht in port today for refuelling. As well as 3,700 tourists in port from two cruise ships, the MSC Fantasia and the Grand Mistral, the mega-yacht Odessa expected at 13.00. After refuelling, the boat departs around 17.00 for Antigua. The last time this yacht called was on the 25th April on a repositioning cruise from the Caribbean to Europe. The five luxurious cabins can accommodate ten guests.

Marítimo owes 5 million euros to construction firm. Construction of Marítimo Sports Club Complex might end up in court over 5 million euros. During the construction, Marítimo decided to make alterations to the project, which the construction company carried out. These alterations were due to Government amendments and they said they would support the work. This work cost an additional 5 million which is 150% more than the Government promised. The Government now says it will pay €2 million leaving the club to find the other €3 million.The construction firm is threatening court action and the €5 million has accumulated €1 million in interest, also still to be paid. There are complex legal issues about the legality of the amendment to the original contract, and whether the work is unauthorized, and who is responsible for paying. The construction firm originally invested €8 million for the main building.

Airport paid for by RAM. The Regional Government cannot change the airport charges, as did the Azores, because it is paying in full for the construction work. The Government is paying back the loan from the European Investment Bank. "The Portuguese Republic has not put a penny into Madeira airport," stressed The President of the Regional Government. The Regional Government cannot decrease the airport taxes as there is not enough money in the budget.

MEP worried about European funding after 2013. The European Commission is working on guidelines for distribution of cohesion funds which will adversely affect 2/3 of European regions, including Madeira losing funding. Access to funds will be dependent on when the country joined the EU, (old or new countries), and on their competitive advantages. The Commission also want to centralize the management of funds at either a national level or at Brussels, rather than regionally.

Suspicious fire threatens a family. In Piornais, a fire caused by a gas cylinder broke out in a structure built over a house. The man living in this annexe has previously threatened arson and is thought to have started the fire, endangering other members of his family below. The police are investigating the case and had already visited the family that afternoon.

Fire in offices at the top of a building in Funchal. The building was in the street in between the Rua dos Aranhas and Avenida da Arriaga. A large response of firefighters was required due to the built-up area. The cause is unknown, possibly an electrical short-circuit.

Santa Claus is coming to town. Arrives at Forum Madeira on Saturday 14 November at 12.00. There is also a collection area for used and new books and toys, to be distributed to various charities.

There will be money to pay the Regional debt. Reassurances from President Jardim about public properties used as guarantees for debt. He said the process was legal, a normal operation for all sovereign states and is properly supervised by the Court of Auditors. "There is no drama." "The critical stage will be 2009 / 2011, because they will be taken to finalize and pay for large investments in Madeira, which will be practically completed by the end of 2011. From next term, the Region has no major capital expenditures to make and there will be more money available to pay off the debt." "From 2011, public spending will be lower."

Porto Bay hotel chain wins 12 awards. This hotel chain previously won awards from tourists travelling with the TUI group. Three new hotels have won awards from the German operator Thomas Cook / Neckermann; Suite Hotel Eden Mar, The Residence and Porto Bay Falesia. In London at the World Travel Market, the group earned nine gold awards from the tour operators Thomson and First Choice.

Madeira is prepared for predictable epidemic of influenza A. The Regional Secretary for Social Affairs said that Madeira is ready for the foreseeable epidemic and stressed the importance of preventative measures to minimize the effects of the rapid increase in the number of cases, particularly among children. There have been cases of infection in three schools, for the first time in the region, and contingency plans have been activated. The Director General of Health in Portugal has called for the Health Professionals who have refused to be vaccinated to protect themselves, as the epidemic activity will intensify and the risk after the vaccine is virtually nil.

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(more…)

(25th August). Today’s main news story : ‘Euro Support At Risk – Madeira is the second worst region in Portugal for the use of European funds. Below, only the Algarve’. The EU has allocated €21 billion for expenditure in Portugal, to spend in the period 2007 to 2013. Madeira has 398 approved applications from this funding worth €140 million, but only money from 20 of these. It’s just 2% of the available pot, with the north of Portugal bagging 41%, Alentejo 12%, and the Azores 5%. I am sure there must be a financial scandal against the government here somewhere, for the Diário to have made it the main headline. It’s one of those dreaded financial articles full of abbreviations and financial terms that nobody understands, so I will use my time more effectively elsewhere.

The main photo today shows a taxi rank, with the first in the queue out of his cab and looking rather annoyed : ‘Free ‘Eco Line’ Infuriates Taxi Drivers – The taxi drivers on the rank are worried and indignant with Albuquerque and Conceição Estudante : the free transport in ecologically friendly buses threatens to explode the market’. Taxis in "slow death". "In reality, we don’t know what the future will hold for taxi drivers after 1st September". It is with concern that the president of the Taxi Association AITRAM, António Loreto, sees the future of these professionals after Funchal council and the regional secretary for tourism and transport revealed their intentions to make travel free on the ‘Eco Line’ buses. Alongside the illegal competition from some transport companies, Loreto says that this latest news is tormenting his members and "is going to damage yet more  the life of the taxi drivers". He believes that the Eco Line is a experimental initiative, with a duration of six months. "It seems that we just have to pay taxes, whilst others take our business" he adds, referring to the fact that it will be very difficult to attract tourists and residents when there is a free bus every 10 minutes connecting the main points of the city and hotels. There are 450 taxi drivers in Funchal, and over a thousand jobs overall, that depend on the trade. This week AITRAM will hold an emergency meeting with its members to analyse the problem. Not much sympathy from me when it comes to taxi drivers in Funchal, I guess the ones that are that way inclined will be ripping off a few more tourists to try to fill their pockets. Tough on the good ones though, doing my politically correct bit of course. What price a cleaner environment eh? I am hopping mad with jealousy because we (over my way) will continue to have the filthy old polluting buses of Rodoeste, and still have to pay for them. All the good stuff goes to Funchal as usual, sod the poor people out in the country.

‘Only Two Salvage / Rescue Stations Operational – The programme for 6 marine assistance centres is far from the end’. Network of stations in "dry dock". The six centres for costal rescue stations were promised in 2007, but progress is slow. In fact the only one in operation is in Funchal, although the one in Santa Cruz (which will act as the HQ) situated under the airport runway, is used in necessity, but has not yet been inaugurated. Porto Santo should be ready in 2010. With the other three, the situation is uncertain. In Porto Moniz, APRAM awaits authorisation from the civil protection authorities to start work in the port, and in Lugar de Baixo, well we all know the situation there. Porto da Cruz is in no better situation, depending on the decision of the government regarding the harbour location, with nothing expected to happen before 2011. Despite the uncertainties, SANAS went ahead and have already bought the six lifeguards rescue stations. These are now in ‘dry dock’ waiting to be used. There is a story and / or excuse for almost all the delays, and little concrete information on moving forward. The incident at São Vicente a few days ago when a fisherman was swept out to sea, proves the need for a ready nearby response, rather than waiting for aid to come from afar. When installed, each station will have a lifeboat in readiness to be launched when an alert is raised. We already have one tucked away here in Ribeira Brava, which I believe is operated by our firemen, so perhaps the Diário doesn’t have the full picture regarding sea rescue resources.

Yesterday’s search efforts pictured after a 73 / 75 / 76 year old man disappeared on Porto Santo on Sunday. He went out to do some fishing and didn’t return. ‘Missing Fisherman Of Porto Santo Was The Chauffeur Of The Murdered Businessman’. Despite the headline, nothing has been found to suggest that any third party was involved in the disappearance. Involved in the search are the navy patrol  boat ‘Cuanza’, two launches, a Merlin EH-101 helicopter, firemen and 4 forensic divers from Funchal. The search started yesterday continues today.

‘Seven Detained For Driving Under The Effect Of Alcohol – PSP dealt with 21 accidents at the weekend’. Three of the cases were in Ribeira Brava, the other 4 were spread around. One arrest was made for driving without a licence, and another for having a pop at a police officer. The 21 road accidents caused 5 injuries, one serious. Over the previous week on the via rápida hosted 63 broken down vehicles, as well as 8 vehicles stopped without apparent reason. 9 people were caught ‘on foot’, 8 animals rescued, and 35 objects of ‘risky dimensions’ were removed.

In football : "Terrible Atmosphere" Awaiting Nacional – Zenit player praises the promotion in Russia and makes himself available to collaborate in every way’. The Zenit player is Danny, not born here, but considered as a Madeiran. The stadium is likely to be full (21,000+) of baying Russians, giving Nacional a very ‘warm’ noisy welcome on Thursday. He applauds the decision to use the game to promote ‘destination Madeira’, and considers it a good investment of €10,000. He said he has already told footballing colleagues about Madeira, and some have visited, including the owner of his former club Dynamo Moscow.

‘Cavaco Silva vetoes new law on unions ‘de facto’ - The President of the Republic considers "inappropriate" making substantive changes at the end of term’. The President vetoed the new law on unmarried couples, considering it "inappropriate" at the end of a legislative term changing the current law, and pointing out the lack of a "in depth discussion" on the matter. "Without contesting the eventual need to make an improvement of the legal regime of ‘de facto’ unions … it is considered that at this juncture, this change is not only untimely, but it was not subject to discussion with the depth that the importance of this topic necessarily requires", reads a note posted on the website of the Presidency.

‘Rockfall In Albufeira – Prosecutors opened criminal investigation’. The public prosecutor has opened an investigation into the collapse of a cliff on the beach Maria Luísa in Albufeira on Friday, that killed five people and injured several more. The inquiry will be conducted in Portimão and the report referred to the court in Albufeira. The inquiry will "investigate any responsibility for what happened".

UPDATE : 

‘Police Action Results In Complaints – PSP says it was acting in a situation of public disorder in Camacha’. Three men claim to have been the victims of aggression in the area Nogueira, from the Rapid Intervention Brigade (BIR) of the Public Security Police. The situation is worsening the already complicated relationship between the police and residents of the zone. The three young men aged 20, 26 and 27 claim they were the target of a revenge attack, because of personal issues that they had had with an officer of BIR. A police spokesman said the BIR was called in to deal with a situation of public disorder. It all happened at the Festa de São Lourenço at around 12.30 am, and witnesses said that the three men were eating espetada without bothering anyone and doing nothing to annoy the police officers, but when the three moved away to go to the toilet they were followed by the BIR team (made up of 9 officers). The toilet entrance was blocked to stop anyone else entering and the three were given a "drubbing that almost killed us", according to one of the three men, as well as being threatened with death. The police used guns, batons, and pepper spray in the attack he said, and he ended up pretending to pass-out to stop the assault. The police version says the men were found in the public toilet when responding to a call about drunkenness and drugs, and they resisted arrest, but were handcuffed and taken to the police station and later released. The case is now with the public prosecutor in Santa Cruz.

‘Police Charge Bar on Porto Santo For Unlicensed Security’. The popular bar in the docks area was caught using two bouncers, when not licensed to do so. The fine for the offence ranges from €10,000 to €100,000. That should put an end to that bar then!

‘Hotels Are Prepared – Hoteliers commend the meeting to clarify matters about Gripe A’. The hotels are already preparing themselves for a possible outbreak of swine flu cases, with the arrival of cooler September temperatures. They have the materials and disinfectants needed, and also a contingency plan. The Diário contacted the main hotel groups of Pestana, Porto Bay, Savoy and Dorisol, and all assured that they were ready for the expected pandemic, with workers instructed and provided with ‘protective kits’, that include long-sleeved uniforms, ‘duck billed’ protective masks, and gels and disinfectants for cleaning telephones, doorknobs, printers, sanitary facilities etc. They are also trained in being diplomatic as to not upset customers. Can’t deny that being an interesting prospect, some one dressed on like a duck billed Darth Vader approaching a sneezing guest and hosing him down with disinfectant and yet maintaining hotel type diplomacy. I can’t deny being a little intrigued by the ‘kits’ containing materials for cleaning ‘printers’, although everything else makes sense. What make printers a special case I wonder? It’s a while since I went to a hotel I must admit, but in this day and age do they now put printers on dinner tables, or do people sleep with them. What about the computers they are connected to, are they somehow immune to Gripe A, and an even worse risk I would guess is the computer keyboard, as that’s where people have their hands after the previous gripe victim has coughed and sneezed all over it. I would have thought that lift buttons, and indeed coins and notes, would present a higher risk and have a higher priority than printers. I am busy saving up my small change, so when the pandemic hits Rib. Bra. I can always pay for things with the exact money … no risk then with infected change. What worries me is the kissey kissey thing and shaking hands with so many people, as I don’t want to offend anyone by refusal. Perhaps I will paint my face with pink spots, then people will avoid me instead.

Only around 20 articles in today’s Diário news sections (excluding sport and events), so that’s it from there today, but might I drift over to the dark side later to see what’s in the Jornal da Madeira, but no promises.

Just this one : "Mistérios das Ilhas" In The Bookshops Of Madeira’. ”Mysteries of the Islands’, controversies and secrets from the history of Madeira, by the author journalist José Luís Cabrita, is already on sale in all good bookshops. It has a preface by a man called Alberto João Jardim, who also happens be the president of Madeira (and presumably that also means that he is protected from any personal embarrassment). The book questions the discovery of Madeira, and looks at the ‘captains’ of the island, it’s settlement, and its inhabitants. It presents little known information about Madeira, some of it controversial. In the preface, Alberto João Jardim believes that "Mysteries of the Islands" is "a new and different image that brings the history of Madeira to political debate". I want to read it, but at €20 a copy, it might have to wait until Xmas.

(5th July). Today’s main news headline : ‘Region Dwells(?) On Employment – Jardim says that he would reduce unemployment with more autonomy. It would be needed also to reduce bureaucracy, which slows down the start of the new programme of employment support’. The new government job creation programme was intended to commence last Tuesday, but delays in completing the necessary steps may hold it up now until 15th July, and even that has no guarantees. One of the key elements of the new measures is to provide finance to those wishing to start a business, where the money cannot be borrowed from the banks. Initially the programme will be able to provide 60% of the start-up money required, but will also consider assisting with the remaining 40% if absolutely necessary. President Jardim himself believe that more autonomy for Madeira would also help, as he would then be able to reduce the tax burden, control interest rates, and provide more assistance in matters of investment. Funny that, I always considered that bureaucracy created more jobs, and although cutting it might not increase unemployment, it would just leave a lot of people in central and local government with less to do.

The main picture of the day is of a hand ‘thumbs up’ – ‘There Are More People Getting Lifts – The numbers that share their cars with others is growing. The crisis obliges the reduction of costs’. The concept of ‘carpooling’ on Madeira is gradually waking up, despite some resistance, as the average occupancy per vehicle creeps up. It is more a symptom of the crisis, rather a changing environmental attitude says the Diário, who carried out a quick survey along a stretch of the via rápida to conclude that 42% of cars observed had two or more occupants. The same exercise in 2007 revealed that just 31% of cars had more than one occupant.

‘Out Of Fashion – Less marriages on Madeira. Especially through the church that takes on just a third of the marriages’. The number of catholic marriages declines year after year. Last year there were 1,153 weddings in total, 79 less than in 2007. Over 20 years the number has diminished by 40%. This trend is not just in Madeira and Portugal, and stems from a lack of commitment, and on the other side of the equation there are more and more couples living together. Of those that do wed, less are choosing church weddings, with just 37% choosing that option last year (41% in 2007). Now I think about it, it does seem true, as I reckon a few years ago I used to see at least a wedding a week in my local church, and I am now struggling to remember the last one, and this is the peak time of year.

"There is much needed to do in Arco da Calheta" : A cash-point machine, a modern health centre, leisure areas for tourists, and a supermarket are some of the things lacking for those who live there’. This is the Diário featured place of the week. "In recent times there have been no improvements here" says one resident, who believes that the place has been forgotten by the government. She adds that for tourists going there to relax, there is nowhere to sit down. Much of the usual stuff follows, an ageing population, high youth unemployment, a reducing feeling of security.

After Friday nights dreadful accident at Meia Légua (see yesterday) when a man died in a head on car crash, it turns out there were 10 injured people, not 9. Seven of them remain in hospital, but none of them in a life threatening condition.

‘School Kills Hunger – The government confirms that there are children that arrive at school hungry, through negligence or family difficulties’. Meals for youngsters (1st cycle) will continue to be free, and for many children it is the best food and maybe the only food they will see each day. The teachers are aware of the problem, the political parties have criticised the situation, and the Regional Education Department admits that for many kids school meals are the best they will eat. Free meals are also available to 30% of older children at later levels of education. The Director of Planning and Educational Resources is committed to continuing free meals for those in need, but he believes that of the malnourished children coming to school, not all are due to lack of money. "Almost always by neglect and carelessness" he said, and where those situations are identified it is referred to a body to deal with the matter.

Petrol comes down in price by 2 cêntimos a litre on Monday, and diesel drops by 1 cêntimo. The change was decided by the regional government. Remind me when are the elections again?

‘The Possible Marítimo – The Green-Reds presented themselves yesterday without surprises and with reserved prospects’. The positive news was not about strengthening of the squad, more about the redevelopment of the stadium into one of the most modern infrastructures in Portugal, in this the centenary year of the club. On the field, the objective is "to be better than our opponents", said the president with no great ambition to achieve a European placing.

The Diário website managed to revive itself in time, so thank your lucky stars as I was about to start another ‘Der true story’.