Madeira News Blog

It wouldn’t take a genius to have predicted today’s headlines … royal visit and Madeira Wine Rally of course. I will do the headline for the rally, but as it is covered in English on Eurosport and with plenty of reports on the internet, I will just do the headline.

(31st July). Today’s main news headline : ‘Maximum Security On The Royal Visit – Not even at the arrival were there the traditional statements to the press. Juan Carlos, Sofia, and Cavaco Silva are already on Madeira, but what one saw most was the presence of the police’. The front page picture shows the king with the president of Portugal just arrived at the airport, surrounded by military police or army troops on inspection. All the cars parked in the VIP zone at the airport were searched regardless who drove them, with everything being opened, and scanned with an explosives detector. The visit that lasts until tomorrow started on a low note for the Diário, seemingly a little upset that the royal arrival was swamped by the police presence, and with the visitors not even making a statement to the waiting press. The article is a blow by blow account of every little detail form landing to dinner to bedtime at Reid’s and the Royal Savoy. The second headline ‘The entourage goes today to the chamber of The Wine Institute, to Monte, and to Cabo Girão’, I didn’t look into.

Madeira Wine Rally : The main picture shows a British Peugeot steaming through Funchal : ‘Meeke Confirms Status -  Leader of IRC wins in Avenida do Mar. Bruno Magalhães was the best Portuguese. Alexandre Camacho the quickest amongst the Madeirans. Today the contestants undertaken 12 special tests’. Many thanks to Tobi for the photos. MORE

‘Specialists Propose Mosquito Vigilance – A team of entomologists working on Madeira say that the possibility of dengue is strong and it is being studied’. The experts from the Medical Entomology Unit of the Institute of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (IHMT), have been here for two weeks doing their research on the mosquito Aedes Aegypti, and return home tomorrow. One of the team members said "It is extremely necessary to have a monitoring system, preferably linked to health, with trained specialist teams". 15 people were involved in the study, much of which was fieldwork. Some of the study was focused on the insecticides used to control the mosquito, and that process will have to continue with care, as it is possible the mosquito may develop a resistance after continuous applications. Lots of detail, but this probably says it all "… This is a job that has to be sustained and continued for years, decades or even centuries".

‘DRAC Publish Lost Book – The 16th Century Work Was Discovered By Aurelio Vargas’. The regional directorate of cultural affairs wants to publish this year a lost and rediscovered book ‘Argonáutica Cavalaria’ by a Madeiran author, Tristão Gomes de Castro. The book was rediscovered in Torre do Tombo in Lisbon. The issue is of particular significance and interest, at a national and even international level, as it is an old romance of chivalry of the ‘King Arthur and grail legends’ type. Aurelio Vargas is now back on Madeira, and a thanks to a grant from DRAC, for over a month has been "searching and doing some research on the biography of Tristão Gomes de Castro, who was a major character on the island of Madeira". He was born around 1539 – 1544, and died in 1611.

‘CMF Could Resolve The Problem Of The Minas Gerais Building Through Administrative Possession – The câmara wants the problem resolved by the end of 2009′. Building work was stopped some months ago near the Rotunda do Infante, because the developer built more floors than he had a permit for. But now Funchal council may consider taking ownership, still hoping that such an intervention will not be necessary. "I think the situation will be resolved with the project developer able to restart work, with the project properly licensed and the alterations duly authorized" said a spokesperson at CMF. 

‘Firefighters control fire in the Serrado das Ameixoeiras – Fire consumed barns and threatened some homes’. Santa Cruz fire brigade, with the aid of their colleagues in Machico, managed to control a fire that started about 1pm yesterday, on a steep inclination littered with ‘combustible material’ in Santa da Serra. The houses were protected by the firefighters, but it burned down two barns and an empty annex. Altogether 20 firemen fought the blaze with 7 vehicles involved. A later report at 9.30 last night said that the fire was still active.

Two more villains nabbed for drug trafficking, and 4,010 fixes seized in the process. The traffickers were just 18 and 20 years old. A good week for Madeira’s drug squad!

The Jornal da Madeira yesterday did a feature, prompted by the visit of the King and Queen of Spain, on royal and celebrity visitors, noting that these days the ‘famous’ are not such frequent visitors. In the 19th century there were more famous visitors, because it was believed that the air here had therapeutic value, especially for tuberculosis victims. Here is a quick rundown of the top names : Empress Leopoldina of Austria (1817), Empress Elizabeth, better known as Sissi, of the Austro-Hungarian Empire (1860′s), Queen Adelaide of England (1847), a few Mexicans and more Austrians, The last emperor of Austria, Carlos (1922), D. Carlos and Queen Dona Maria Amelia in 1901, D. Carlos and Queen Dona Maria Amelia in 1901, British prime minister Winston Churchill (1950′s), Mrs Franco (the Spanish dictators wife) 1958, Charles Gustav XVI and Queen Silvia of Sweden (1986), prince of Saudi Arabia (1980′s), Pope John Paul II on 12 May 1991, all the presidents of Portugal, opera singer Kiri Te Kanawa in 2000, ex PM of Britain Margaret Thatcher 2001, Queen Silvia of Sweden 2002, Der the blogger 2003, and author / writer John le Carré 2009. Reid’s Hotel claims to have a list of 78 famous guests that have stayed there.

(21st July). Today’s main news headline and photo. The picture shows a chain across a rough road leading to seemingly nowhere. ‘Plan Was Foreseeing More Kidnaps – A small group of individuals will have been motivated with by a plan to kidnap several people, including a Madeiran engineer and contractors. An attempted murder at Cabo Girão in May would have been punishment for the quitting of one of the group members. The first kidnapping, that put an end to Guilherme Alves, hastened events. Interpol already have the responsibility to trace a suspect’. A group of four men began, between March and May, planning the kidnappings of businessmen in Madeira with the aim of demanding ransoms. It seems that the justice police were alerted to the gang, when they tried to kill one of their own members in Cabo Girão with gunshots to the head, but the man miraculously survived, but suffered memory loss. The police could do nothing further without proof, but they did tie kidnapping to the case, but couldn’t act in time to save the businessman from Porto Santo. 

‘Police Issues Arrest Warrant For The Murder of Guilherme Alves – Business man of 45 years will have fled to Brazil’. Interpol has received the request from the Portuguese police to locate and detain the man accused of the kidnapping and murder of the businessman from Porto Santo. The man on the run, from the construction sector, is said to be called José Martins.

‘Only 15% Of The Houses On Madeira Are Rented – Madeira has a high rate of ownership’. The market has started to move again due to changes in the access to credit through the banks. The repayments to the bank can be expensive, but for now, the Madeirans prefer a mortgage to paying rent to a landlord. Data on the housing sector here reveals that just 15.6% of residential buildings are occupied by tenants, and ownership at 84% is higher than the national average of 74%. The figure are revealed by IHM, a housing investment company here, and show that the rental sector is currently weak. In 2007 the tax declarations to IRS said that 3,298 families were paying rent, yet according to the last census (2001) there were 72,000 families on Madeira. The article also mentions a sort of ‘black market’, where premises are rented out without the correct licences. Tax avoidance is also a motive, as there are also plenty of properties to rent ‘on word of mouth’, where no rental agreements exist.

The reopening ceremony of the landmark church at Campanário is set for Friday, also the day of the parish, with the Bishop of Funchal attending the ceremony. The ceremony is set for 7pm, followed later by musical entertainment, and with fireworks to close.

‘Enjoy The Sun In The Shade For Protection – The nationwide campaign will also be run on Madeira’. The initiative is promoted by the Portuguese Association For Skin Cancer (APCC) in collaboration with the Directorate General of Health (DGS), and aims to increase the awareness of the general population to take precautions with sun exposure in the country, on the beach or in the pool, whether in leisure or through working outdoors. Besides posters, several information leaflets on avoiding sunburn and skin cancer and diagnosis are also available.

This is the new image to be used for a campaign of awareness and education for the population of Madeira in respect of the mosquito ‘Aedes Aegypti’. The campaign will have several fronts, and is the responsibility of the regional health service IASAÚDE. "We are vigilant and we fight for this cause" said a spokesman, pointing out that the whole community, without exception, must come together for this purpose. The female of the species is the one that bites us humans, hence the catchphrase "She’s Out There Somewhere". All hope of eradicating the species that arrived on Madeira 4 years ago have now disappeared, and now the task is to control it, particularly as it is a potential carrier of dengue disease.

This hole appeared on a public footpath in Estreito de Câmara de Lobos over a year ago, and it has been reported to the council several times. A person who was partially blind has now fallen in it and suffered several injuries. It seems if it doesn’t grab the headlines, for the council, and / or for the PSD, then it’s not worth bothering with. Well it’s got headlines now.

In politics : ‘Left Block Denounce Pressure On Candidates In The Council Elections – Cases in Porto Santo, Machico, and Santana’. The Left Block (BE) party coordinator says that he will start criminal proceedings against those who overstep the mark. Firstly it was the socialists (PS-M) to complain, and now the BE. The BE coordinator says the problem is mainly for candidates in the local elections, who are subjected to "threats and pressures", just for taking on the candidacy. The accusations are levelled against the social democrats. Typically the problems do not come from the presidents of the councils, more the second line troops or local chiefs, who hide their actions but leave a clear message, often with the aim of dissuading candidates from standing for the BE. No surprises there I suppose, but as the BE is a ‘no hoper’ party, I don’t really understand why the PSD-M would bother to make the effort, but there again I don’t really understand what would make someone want to be be a candidate for a ‘no hoper’ in the first place.

‘Protest In The Assembly Against TAP & SATA’. The social democrats, PSD-M, delivered a proposal for a vote of protest yesterday in the Legislative Assembly of Madeira. At issue is the reintroduction of fuel surcharges on flights between Madeira and Portugal, due to recent price rises in the purchase of aviation fuel. The charge has been reintroduced at €4 per journey. The PSD-M consider it "inappropriate given an island reality", and is a barrier to the people here when it is necessary to increase the mobility of citizens.

(11th July). ‘Police Stoned In Nogueira – Another violent night in a black week: Residents jeer and throw stones and rocks at the PSP officers that were trying to put an end to another quarrel’. Also this story linked to today’s main front page photo, ‘spooked up’ by the Diário for special effect. Not even gunshots fired into the air had any effect as police officers involved themselves in yet another night of brawling. The trouble started on Thursday night through to Friday morning, as locals started quarrelling aggressively again and making threats, but unlike earlier in the week, this time the police anti-crime unit were brought in, and their vehicle was bombarded with stones and bottles. Details are vague, but the crowd was made up of 20 – 30 men and women. Some residents have complained that the police overreacted to the situation. Nogueira is famous for being a trouble hotspot of Madeira, with all the associated problems of drugs, alcohol, and poverty.

‘Contingency Plan For Schools – The regional secretary has already informed the schools, at least in the first cycle, about the meeting on Tuesday’. The department for education has convened the meeting and invited heads and delegates in the 1st cycle schools, to discuss preventative measures for Gripe A influenza, and procedures to follow in the event of an outbreak.

’70 Madeiran youngsters compete in a tournament in Italy where 5 Cypriot athletes have already been hospitalised through Gripe A (Swine Flu)’. The handball tournament was about to be cancelled, after the 5 cases of Gripe A (H1N1) were confirmed, and no cases of the Madeiran children showing symptoms have been identified yet, and they are due to return to Madeira on Monday. 72 hours have passed since the Cypriots went to hospital, and with the period of risk of contagion being 24 hours it may be that the Madeiran squad is in the clear.

As at yesterday evening, there were 79 cases of Gripe A Swine Flu in Portugal, but nothing yet has hit Madeira, though the story above might still put an end to that. Luckily we do have a few empty islands we could use as quarantine zones if needed though.

In sport it seems that the Madeira Wine Rally is the flavour of the month : ‘Skoda Participation Confirmed’, and football is warming up too : ‘Teams of the 1st Division will know the 2009 / 2010 fixture list today’.

‘Almost Five Thousand Exams In The Second Phase’. The second phase of national exams, which runs from Monday to Thursday, will involve 4,887 exams being taken by students that missed the first phase in June, and those whose results were inadequate. In physics and chemistry there are more exams being taken in phase two than there were in the first phase. 

‘Experts come in October to discuss ‘Aedes aegypti’ – Yesterday, in UMa there was a presentation on technology for the genetic control of mosquito breeding’. The directorate of the Administrative Office of Health and Social Affairs (IASAÚDE) is considering bringing in international experts on mosquito control, in the continuing fight against the ‘Aedes aegypti’, that first arrived here several years ago. The president of IASAÚDE watched the presentation on the genetic controls methods in UMa (University of Madeira), but was not convinced that the method will provide the solution to the problem, and wants further expert advice to analyse the options.

(10th July). ‘Madeiran Agriculture Grew 50% In 5 Years – Data from the National Institute of Statistics reveals that the same indicator fell 8% at a national level’. In the years 2001 to 2006 the gross value grew from €44 million to €66 million. The gross value is the roughly the difference between the value of the goods produced, and the cost of the raw materials plus production costs. It sound like good news, but as always with the data released being so old, it’s impossible to make any assessment on the current situation.

‘SPEA-M Promotes Field Trip To The Ilhas Desertas – The initiative aims to offer contact to the Madeirans with the sea birds’. The Portuguese Society For The Study of Birds is making the trip on the weekend 25th-26th July with the objective of observing the birds that use the islands for nesting, and the trip will be run with the support of ‘Horizonte Atlântico’, who will provide the boat. "The desertas are still little known to much of the population of Madeira, and this is another opportunity for anyone to come to know these beautiful islands, where we can find small PASSERIFORMES(?), seabirds, and even the impressive Lobo-marinho (sea lion)", says the director of SPEA-M, Ana Isabel Fagundes. That’s followed by a list of birds that nest there, but I don’t have a clue what they are in English, except for the Cory’s Shearwater. Those interested should contact the organization by the 17th July on 967 232195 or by email at madeira@spea.pt.

‘Germany Has Already Taken 800 Dogs For Adoption – The animals fly to Germany … destination Rostock’. Since her first visit to Madeira 12 years ago Barbara Linkis has handled nearly 1,000 dogs to be adopted there. She admits to be fascinated by Madeira, but unfortunately has seen many animals suffering. She started off by being a helper at SPAD (Society for the Protection of Domestic Animals), spending her holidays caring for and feeding animals, and motivated to try and improve the situation. In her letter to the Diário she appeals to the Madeirans not to adopt a dog if they cannot properly care for it, and that the animals need to be sterilised. A true heroine!

Continuing the theme of SPAD in today’s Diário : ’1,400 Animals Abandoned – Already this year around 900 animals have been put-down, three times as many as there are adopted’. In recent times in SPAD, every month is a bad month, but July is traditionally worse. In the first 6 months this year just 365 animals have been adopted. The article states that those animals put to sleep were unsuitable for adoption, through injuries, old age, infectious diseases, or a general bad state, and in many cases they were abandoned litters unable to survive alone.

‘Lift Repairs Leave Old Lady Hostage’. The 92 year old women in Funchal has been unable to leave her home for a week because of successive lift breakdowns, and being unable to manage the 119 stairs. Luckily her neighbours have been able to do her shopping for her.