Madeira News Blog

Today’s photo – Many thanks to Pete … Queen Victoria and P & O Oriana lining up for last nights fireworks.

Today’s second photo – Many thanks to Eiryl … Fish drying on a boat at Câmara de Lobos.

A happy and prosperous new year to everyone, and thanks for the messages and emails.

If you are making a new year resolution, how about helping out with material for this blog. At present there is too much work for too few volunteers. It cannot go on, and a decision will be made very soon which will probably mean that unless matters improve this blog will close down.  Daily photos are not lacking, it is written contributions that are needed. I have trialled this approach now for three months, and so this will probably be the last time I ask. So don’t just assume that someone else will step in to fill the gaps please, as it will be too late. Thank you – Der.

"I was out walking in Funchal, had just been to a rather dissapointing visit at the Madeira Wine Insitute, where history seemed more important than showing the quality of the wines. I was walking down a narrow street and there was a door in the wall that I just walked right past. But was n’t there some barrels inside? I walked back. D’Oliveiras it said. I had not even heard of the producer. I was a starting fan of this great wine, I had had some great Barbeitos, some Henriques & Henriques and some Blandy’s". I THINK HE HAD HAD A FEW WHEN HE WROTE THIS ARTICLE

"All of Portugal is on orange alert – one step up the danger level. Authorities there say the rains have destroyed millions of Euros worth of agricultural produce. Harbours are closed and the Madeira archipelago of islands is also under threat, as 110- kilometre-winds whip up six metre high waves". WE EVEN GOT A MENTION ON EURONEWS (weather video)

"The locals are quite friendly and are happy to share their island paradise with you. Madeira is a great vacation destination, and in fact, it redefines the term. If you are interested in golf, then this is definitely the spot for your next leisure trip. The Campo de Golfe de Madeira is outstanding, and both the play and the scenery are perfect. The island’s climate is lovely, and you will be surrounded by striking natural beauty." CRUISE LINES INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION GUIDE

This website was showing the Funchal 2010 fireworks live on the internet last night, but the camera seemed badly positioned, which might be unfair as I gave up after a couple of minutes this morning NEW YEAR 2010 FIREWORKS MADEIRA

Many thanks to Elaine once again for this from yesterday’s Diários :

Distinguished guests, events and controversies that marked the Region in 2009

Conflicting relationship between the Regional and Republic Governments generated moments of tension during the year

The first visit of the Prime Minister, José Sócrates; the visit of the President of the Republic accompanied by the King of Spain; the controversy over the passage of the leader of the PSD through Madeira, were among the milestones of regional policy in 2009.

The conflicting relationship between the Governments of the Republic and Region generated moments of tension throughout the year with the President of the Madeiran Executive, Alberto João Jardim, repeatedly criticizing the incompetence of Socrates and "the pranks and villainy of Lisbon" in relation to Madeira.

Jardim was even considering José Sócrates "a plague that befell the Madeirenese", "the greatest enemy of Madeira since the 25th of April" who "sent Portugal into the pit". At the root of the conflict is the alteration of the Regional Finance Law that, for the island leader, was "a bashing to benefit the Azores".

José Sócrates who never had found space in his schedule to visit Madeira, this year made two trips to the region, one on May 15 to deliver the first Magalhães computers, returning on 23 August for the annual festa of the PS-M in Fonte do Bispo.

Also the President of the Republic, Cavaco Silva, spent several days in the archipelago accompanied by the King of Spain who made his first visit to Madeira.

In 2009, Jardim achieved three more absolute election victories in Madeira. On June 7, Madeira lost the Socialist deputy who was in the European Parliament, to be represented by only one Parliamentarian, Nuno Teixeira who replaced Sergio Marques. In the National Legislative the PSD-M increased its presence in the Assembly of the Republic, winning one more place, exceeding four members while the PS lost two and the CDS failed to return to S. Bento after 33 years. In the Local Elections of 11 October after a troubled campaign due to incidents with the PND-M, Jardim was one more time absolute, keeping power in the eleven municipalities in the region including the three he decided to alter the head of the list. This election has inflicted another defeat on the PS-M and revealed some new features, the election of a councillor of the PND in Funchal, the Movement of Citizens ‘Together For the People’ in Santa Cruz, and even the MPT in Câmara de Lobos.

Controversy is also installed in Madeira because of the ‘rides’ that Jardim gave the national leader of the PSD, Manuela Ferreira Leite, in September but today Jardim says she is "getting more separate from the party at a national level".

Another major event that marked 2009 were the arguments used in the proposed constitutional revision of the PSD-M which displeased the Representative of the Republic, Monteiro Diniz, who even publicly declared himself "injured" by the situation.

The closure of the centennial Hotel Savoy in Funchal which launched dozens of workers unemployed in May; the wave of solidarity to try to save the baby Rodrigo who needed a bone marrow transplant and who passed away; the visit of the pilgrim image of Fatima to Madeira, were other landmarks of the news in 2009.

In sport the focus was on the National coach, Manuel Machado, whose life was at risk and in an induced coma following complications arising after surgery that took place on the Continent, and since the 27 November has been in the Hospital of Funchal.

…and also from Elaine …

Regional Government will assess the damage to pay for work. The storm damage to the water supply network at Rabacal, which supplies Ponta do Sol and part of Ribeira Brava, will be repaired immediately after the weather improves. This decision was made by the Governing Council whilst Jardim was present. According to the resolution, ‘The Government has authorized the various sectoral departments to proceed with the preparation and launch of replacement infrastructure and utilities most affected by the diverse weather conditions of recent weeks, to ensure a smooth operation and especially the safety of persons and goods.’ ‘At the moment, we await for a sustained improvement of weather conditions, to allow a complete and accurate assessment of damages to form and examine a means of financing.’ In the resolution, Technicians and Workers who rushed to repair the serous damage, despite their own sacrifices, were thanked and the Executive renews its expression of solidarity with the population affected, through the commitment of necessary repairs. Through criticism, people take advantage of natural disasters for political campaigns and are hypocrites. This was the first official statement from the Regional Government with the exception of  public statements by Manuel Antonio Correia.

PP wants Lisbon to talk about the bad weather in Madeira. The leader of the CDS-PP, Jose Rodrigues has not heard back from Sócrates, after his letter asking for financial help for regional storm damage. He said he will not give up and "I am still thinking of the best formula to achieve this objective." He does not agree with the PSD member Guilherme Silva, who wants to jointly submit a draft resolution and said, "I do not know where you will search for the money to rebuild." At present, the Government of Sócrates has given money to some areas of the Continent and declared a state of emergency in some agricultural zones. — Judging on past events, I doubt if Portugal could or would pay. Parts of the Continent and the Azores have been devastated and Portugal is in a worse economic position than Madeira.

PND considers the extraction of stone from a stream as theft.  The recent flooding at São Vicente. José Manuel Coelho accuses Rocha da Silva and Coita Pita – " two sharks regime". "These gentlemen constructed a road to serve the serra that they bought" whose debris was "lying on the bed of the stream. Now they want to free the water by the cloak (disguise) of  tattered excuses." He criticized them for wanting to intimidate the leader of the Socialist Party "who told the truth and put his finger in the wound." Coelho accused the workers of Madeira Nova of initially stealing the stones from the river to break stones for the crusher and then deposit the debris into the river, as it an inexpensive method. "They gain millions with poorly made work" and Alberto Jardim "protects all these gentlemen".

€50 million to spend in a month. Regional Government enters the new year with over 50 million Euros. Madeira has until the end of January to spend a 50 million Euros loan authorized by the Government of the Republic for projects co-financed by the EU, in an initiative in the 2009 budget. The formalization of this request for additional debt was authorized by the Representative for Madeira, Monteiro Diniz, and published in yesterday’s Diário da Republica.

Movement in the Port of Funchal for End of Year. A well presented article with good photos of the cruise ships visiting Funchal for the fireworks display, their movements in and out of port, and summary tables about the ships. CRUISE SHIPS FOR NEW YEAR 2010 

Delays and detours of 25 flights will cost 150,000 Euros. The bad weather which affected the operation of Madeira Airport was costly to airlines and passengers. Dozens of passengers had to change reservations and purchase new tickets. The carriers will have to bear the cost of accommodation and meals where rules over flight cancellations and long delays require them to. They also have additional charges associated with rescheduling of flights. The average cost of  ‘passenger protection’ is 60 Euros for the airline companies. More than 8,000 passengers were affected in recent days by the bad weather and had their flight cancelled or diverted to another airport. Over the past week, 22 aircraft could not land at Madeira, carrying more than 3,500 passengers. 31% had to stay at a hotel and others required meal allowances due to long delays. With ongoing clearance, the companies expect the cost for accommodation and meals will reach over 150,000 Euros. A contact working at TAP told Diário that the company will loose half a million Euros, due to changes and delays in routes. Porto Santo Airport cannot always be used as an alternative to Madeira Airport because safety rules, with respect to the fuel carried, require an alternative airport to be at least 40 miles away. The introduction of low-cost flights has penalized passengers affected by bad weather. A change in ticket before the flight costs 50 Euros if there is a vacant seat on the intended flight, of equal value. A change after the flight has taken place will cost 100 Euros. If the passenger wants to pay for a higher cost seat, (especially applicable with Christmas arrangements), they have to pay the difference in cost as well as the 50 Euros fee.

Fireworks displays also in the North and Machico. Santana, Machico and Porto Moniz are also having fireworks displays to mark the New Year. Santana is having fireworks and a mega-gala dinner followed by a musical concert and a disco until dawn. Porto Moniz, as well as fireworks, has stalls selling food and drink. Machico Council have organized 8 minutes of fireworks and musical entertainment, lasting until 2 am. The investment is 25,000 Euros. Santa Cruz is having its celebrations between the 8 – 17 January for the Festas de Santo Amaro, instead of celebrating tonight. In the West, Calheta, Ribeira Brava, Câmara de Lobos and Ponta do Sol have no official arrangements. Rui Marques explained the reason; most people are in travelling distance of Funchal now, so especially in the present economic times, they would just be "burning money". It was true here in Ribeira Brava … they might as well have turned off the electricity last night! Der

More storm damage news. In Paul do Mar, a landslide of stones and earth fell nearby the water treatment plant. The retaining walls have already been battered by the sea and finally, the Regional Government has acted. Nearby in Jardim do Mar, a landslide has blocked an access road. In Ribeira Brava, three truckloads of rocks were emptied near the mouth of the ribeira to strengthen the wall and protect the coast. Also in Ribeira Brava, falling stones damaged a boat and holed the hull and particularly the helm. Ironically, it had been moved there to protect it from the sea.

Today’s news headlines from the front page of the Diário de Notícias :

Casas do Povo also run into debt – The regional government usually pays one year behind for the social centres. The suppliers also sharpen [?]. The 40 ‘Casas do Povo’ have mounting debts stretching back over a year, due to the Madeira government’s cash flow problems, and the matter has the presidents  of the institutions on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Those that employ staff are struggling to find money to pay them, and it is becoming a matter in some cases of turning to banks for loans to pay-off suppliers. The Diário contacted several presidents to discuss the matter, but the majority, despite of confirming the problems, avoided talking about the subject because of the "proximity with the party of government". Sounds like yet another situation of ‘keep yer gob shut or else’ from our Social Democrat rulers, who probably ‘take advantage’ of this deep rooted social and support network as an extension to it’s propaganda machine, in exchange for the possibility of public funding of course.

Armas obliged to use trucks – The regulatory authority says that the ferry company has to obey the law : loading and unloading operations can be done only with trucks. A decision that has been a long time coming. The matter has been in dispute for some months, after other freight shipping companies were prohibited from freight handling at Funchal port, having to do so elsewhere. However, Naviera Armas, that ferries passengers and their cars between Madeira and Portimão in Portugal, and the Canary Islands, was also taking ‘loose’ commercial freight onboard, mostly on trailers or in containers. Now it will have to actually transport ´’tractors’ onboard to move its freight, from tomorrow, to comply with the ruling from the port authorities which simply says that cargo handling is prohibited where trailers are not ‘self propelled’. The measure is aimed to reduce loading and unloading times, and congestion in the port. A decision that sounds a bit like a ‘let off’ for Armas, and I can’t see how it will satisfy the other shippers who complain that Armas has a competitive advantage in using Funchal Port for freight transport.

Today’s main news headline : €22 million in direct settlements – Considerable funds and only in amounts superior to 70 thousand Euros. The Regional Secretaries head the list of entities that dispense with the chore of the public tender process.

Vandalism destroys Ecopontos [recycling disposal points] – The gratuitous savagery of the vandals taking place throughout the city and suburbs does not spare the plastic bins, In two years Funchal Council spent 40 thousand Euros on replacements. "The modern day vandals it seems do not like to see rubbish kept in [recycling] containers", say the Diário. The problem is quickly growing according to one counsellor, saying that in the previous year €15 thousand had to be spent, but this last year the amount had risen to €24,000. "All societies have their outcasts and idiots and I think that Madeira is no exception," says Costa Neves when asked to comment on these acts, which in his view, only "harm society" and are "unjustifiable". Most the vandalism takes place at night, and in areas where there are few people, to lessen the chance of the thugs being identified. In the latest episode in Pico do Barcelos miradouro, the bins that were set alight were dangerously close to a sizeable gas storage area. In most cases the attacks are pure vandalism, but there is also a lesser problem of people throwing still-lighted cigarette butts into the containers. Never had any such problems in my  town at night, but there again there is no one around at night.

In the sport / football headline : Danny says goodbye to a year that prevented him joining Chelsea or Barcelona. A nice portrait photo of the almost Madeiran star footballer toasting in the new year with Mrs. Danny (presumably). Odd that, as there were no pictures from the new year fireworks, so was the Diário photographer up at Danny’s place instead?

The big match for us this weekend is on Sunday, when Nacional visit Benfica in the group stages of the Carlsberg Cup (league cup). It’s on SportTV1 at 6.15 pm. Another to watch straight afterwards is Sporting v Braga, 8.15 pm on SIC (channel 6).

If anyone else can oblige with the translation of any of the ‘blank’ or sparsely filled headlines, or other news stories, here is the link. All contributions much appreciated. 

December saw a big rise in blog visitor numbers, 4,169 different visitors from 105 countries made 10,593 visits during the months. The biggest day was yesterday with 462 visits. Portugal was the most popular origin for visitors, followed closely by the UK, and then some way behind was the USA.  Just one visitor each from Nepal and the Cayman Islands though!

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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. Please don’t send in automatic translations (like Google translator) without checking them through and correcting them first, thanks.

You can email blog@madeira4u.com with any large contributions and photos / videos.

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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 Martin … "Picture of Der’s car on display during the third week of June, prior to the annual running of the ‘Volta a Madeira". I can assure you Martin, that car puts mine to shame (and it probably is drivable).

RONALDO SET TO BE FIRST BILLIONAIRE FOOTIE ACE – Mega-rich Arab oil barons in Uzbekistan, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Qatar are willing to offer up to £3m a game to the Spanish side Real Madrid to play a series of exhibition matches during their winter break. But key to it going ahead is the inclusion of Cristiano Ronaldo in the touring party. Sources claim the £3 m fee would be split 50-50 between the club and Ronaldo, giving him an amazing £16,000 for every minute he’s on the pitch. This is from a trash UK newspaper, but if it is true the numbers will BLOW YOUR MIND I think the answer is to play him for one minute, and then substitute him, still not bad 16 grand for an afternoon’s work.

Reminder. The expressway between Madalena do Mar and Arco da Calheta is closed until November 30th. due to the construction of a tunnel. The ER 101 closure is associated with the link between Ribeira Brava and Fãja da Ovelha.

Yesterday’s new stories … many thanks to Elaine :

Return of the Queen Victoria (shown in photo). For the first time this season, the port was full with three cruisers. The AidAluna (2,250 Germans) and the Oriana and the Queen Victoria (2,000 British on each ship). These tourists are known to utilize the tour buses, taxis and cable cars and visit the Farmer’s Market, wine and embroidery shops. This is the first time these three ships have all arrived on the same day and will all return on the 31st. December. Due to lack of berthing, the ferry from Portimão departed later on Sunday and will arrive at 16.30 rather than 9.30 am on Monday and leave at 19.00 for the Canaries.

Court acquits driver in fatal crash. He was charged with negligent homicide after a 52 year old man died. His car was in collision with a Madeira Beer Company (ECM) van which contained three occupants, one who died and the remaining two were seriously injured. The passenger in the car was not seriously injured. An expert witness said the car was not going fast enough to push the van into the stream. This occurred in 2005 at the intersection of Rua da Ribeira de João Gomes and Rua D. Ernesto Sena de Oliveira, and the truck went over the poorly-maintained barrier into the river bed about fifteen metres below.

To evict tenants, landlord needs to give five years notice. A couple leased a house out in 1982 with a one year renewable lease. The couple moved to England and the husband died. The landlord did not have an agent in the region and the tenants did not know where to pay the deposit, due to the death, so the rent was not paid since 2001. In 2008, the widow filed an eviction order and the tenants paid 50% of the rent due from 2001 to 2008. The court in Funchal dismissed the eviction order and the landlady appealed to the court in Lisbon, but this was also dismissed as the landlord must terminate an indefinite contract by notifying the tenant in advance of not less than five years of the date of intended termination.

Ribeira Brava Council promise to rectify the bad smell in Tabua. Today,  Monday, the council promise the removal of the accumulated sludge at the water treatment plant. This is to end rumours that the smell comes from direct discharge from the sewerage system into the river. The sludge build up was due to the heavy rains earlier this month, causing more water to enter the network. I was down their a week or so ago, and definitely a bit unpleasant … even the dog wanted to turn back. Der

Thousands follow the Virgin. Thousands of people, including a significant number of tourists, filled Sé Cathedral and courtyard for the Mass before the statue went to Fãja do Penado.  About 300 bikers and cars accompanied the journey and people were at vantage points throughout the route, e.g., overhead bridges. The statue was greeted by hundreds at the destination, since it is the only opportunity they will have of seeing the icon. It is particularly significant as in 1919, Fãja do Penado was the first place in the world to erect a chapel to honour the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

Socialist Party leader to be elected on the 8th. and 9th. January. Jacinto  Serrão and Victor Freitas finally confirmed the date after a  heated debate when the Regional Committee was suspended after insults were traded. Victor Freitas wanted an earlier election date and the cancellation of this date, after a close vote, did not please some members of the Regional Committee who claimed Victor Freitas had given in after pressure and manipulation of the voting members by the leader João Gouveia.

SIRAM (Colombo’s Resort developers) has lost the licence to build a hotel and casino on Porto Santo. The group signed the contract in 2005 to build a casino and five star hotel within two years, then tourist apartments and villas. They paid 8.6 million Euros for the land where Colombo’s Resort is and paid €3.3 million to the Government of Madeira to aid in the 27 million investment in the Porto Santo Golf development. The company has €100 million debts and the shares have been sold to the creditors.

In Portugal, the revenue from golf tourism is €1.8 billion per year. There are eighty courses, forty in the Algarve and the players are mainly from the UK, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands and Scandinavia. There are about 300,000 golfers a year, who spend on average more than 260 Euros a day.

Élvio Sousa awarded prize in England. The President of the Centre for the Study of Modern and Contemporary Archaeology (CEAM) has been awarded the prize for his work in Machico and the Autonomous Region of Madeira. It was from the Council for Kentish Archaeology which was formed in 1964 in Bromley and the prize is awarded to outstanding individuals in preventative archaeology. He will give a lecture when receiving the prize in Canterbury on October 24th. The regional Tourism and Cultural  Affairs have also been invited. The Centre for the Study of Modern and Contemporary Archaeology aims to protect and enhance cultural heritage and has carried out work in the Autonomous Region of Madeira and the Azores. Élvio Sousa is responsible for the Research Unit to develop specific research projects in the field of Archaeology, History and Heritage Management.

Mandolin Orchestra in Câmara de Lobos has a waiting list. The Mandolin Orchestra Casa da Cultura de Câmara de Lobos started from scratch in 2008. There are already 22 children, aged between 5 and 15, but there is a waiting list of those wanting to train. They rehearse two or three times a week, more than most groups and the repertoire consists of children’s themes.

Students using all means to overcome economic difficulties to obtain a degree. Every year, due to family economic difficulties and the increase in the number of students, more and more students are applying to the Social Services at the University for support and for student bank loans. These are to pay for tuition fees, accommodation, food, transportation and textbooks. In Portugal, the number of students in Higher Education is approaching the European average, about 35% of the 20 year olds and there are more people who are aged over 23 years starting studying.

Madeira Theme Park creates a ‘resident card’. By the end of the year, there will be a new card available so locals can visit the facility in Santana at a nominal price. With the card, the restaurants, parks and playgrounds will be free but not the themed pavilions, and possibly discounts in other areas (restaurants, musical events, localities of culture and leisure). The present card costs 30 Euros per year. The sale of local handicrafts has been higher than expected, and September was a very popular month for visitors. About 310,000 people have visited since the opening in 2004.

Vandalism to property of the suspected murderer in Nogueira. The family have had to move for their own safety and are trying to find housing in another area. There has been damage to furniture and a water pipe, which Santa Cruz Council have had to repair to prevent flooding. The police have stepped up patrols in the area as a prevention and to try to calm the area.

Portimão hoping to receive 30,000 cruise passengers this year. This will bring a revenue of 1.8 million Euros, in addition to the passengers and vehicles on the ARMAS ferry. The first half of this year, there was a 227% increase in the number of transit passengers. The authorities are investing in the port, dredging to allow larger ships and constructing modern passenger terminals. It is expected to be the busiest port in the Algarve in 2010.

EU to help milk farmers who are in crisis. 280 million Euros in aid to be given, and the Portuguese farmers could get more than €6 million. ——Should be good news for the prices of dairy products.

Amazon launches Kindle in Portugal. The device for reading electronic books will now be sold in Europe, due to the large number of customers who want to read books in English. It will cost about 190 Euros and will be on sale on their internet site.

More about the newborn sharks story. This is the first time this species of shark has given birth in captivity. They are expecting more new arrivals in the next few days as they normally give birth to between 4 and 17 young. The gestation period is 10 to 12 months, so they thought the fertilization must have occurred in the wild (male captured 10 months ago). The young are 30 cm and weigh 250 grams and are being fed by divers. One is weak and might have to be placed in another tank. The species can live for 24 years and grow about 1.5 metres long.

A quick look at some of today’s front page news :

Coverage of the draw in the 2010 World Cup play off game between Portugal and Bosnia gets a corner of the Diário front page, the first leg being played in Lisbon on 14th November, and the away game 4 days later.

The oil spill in Caniçal on Sunday is being played down : Fuel Centre CLCM talks of a spillage of just 150 litres. A source in the company CLCM admits responsibility for the leakage of fuel oil during the transfer by ship in Caniçal. Quercus, the environmental protection organisation, say that there will be environmental damage.

The main news headline today : Madeira has 9 months to ‘invent’ €400 million – The European Commission has already determined : That payments to suppliers, starting from June 2010, have to be made within 30 days. With 80 million contos (old money) to be satisfied, the Madeira government and câmaras are seeing the collapse on the horizon. Just for info a ‘conto’ was 1,000 escudos, and there were 200 escudos to the Euro in 2001. Serious business this in theory, with massive amounts  of ageing debt across Madeira at government and council level, some up to two years old if I recall correctly from an article from a few weeks ago. The reality is that it will probably make little difference to the old debts, but should make some difference with the new ones. What supplier is going to rock the boat and risk future business by creating a rumpus about old debts, which they knew would take ages to pay when the order was placed. Their compensation, in some cases at least, was to overcharge the council or government to start with to compensate for payment delays, and on top of that Portuguese law was changed a couple of years ago to award penalties to suppliers for late payments, and some must be raking it in, or will be as the debts age.

Breaking news :

European Parliament approves reduced rate for rum and liqueurs Madeira – MEPs acknowledge that the measure is "necessary for the survival of local industry". The EU agreed the measure today that extends the reduced rate of excise duty on rum and liqueurs of Madeira, until the end of 2013. The value of the rate to be applied can not be less than 75% of the special rate of excise duty on alcohol consumption. The EU considers that the measure is "necessary for the survival of local industries, taking into account the characteristics and constraints of the outermost and isolated regions. They recognize that the raw materials such as cane sugar, fruit, and honey, among others, are more expensive than in normal production conditions. The measure is an important aid for eight manufacturing companies in this region, employing about 130 workers. The decision will also apply to liqueurs and spirits from the Azores, and rum from the Canary Islands. MORE INFO I am surprised at the number that voted in favour … 580 … with just 13 against.

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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.
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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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(23rd June). ‘Tax Revenues Fall More Than 20% . In the first five months there was a worsening of the deficit’. Portugal collected 20.7% less in the first 5 months of this year in tax revenues, than in the same period in 2008, according to data from the Ministry of Finance, pointing to a provisional deficit of €4.3 billion.

Meanwhile prices in industrial production for Portugal fell 5.1%, comparing May this year with May last year. Part of the reason is the fall in energy prices.

(22nd June). ‘Here It comes The 20th Edition Of The 100 Biggest And Best Companies’. This is the annual ceremony to recognise companies that have performed well or achieved something special in production growth, productivity, investment, or even in the well-being of Madeira in general. It is organised by the Diário de Notícias and Previsão, with the involvement of other organisations and individuals. The Diário understandably gives it a lot of coverage over the coming weeks (if previous years are anything to go by), much of it on the front page as a means of publicity, but I will not give it nearly as much coverage, at least until those to be distinguished have been identified and announced.

(23rd June). ‘BinterCanarias Baptises ATR72 With The Name Madeira – The Spanish airline recognises the importance of the Madeira market’. The new plane will take on the route twice weekly between the two archipelagos starting on Thursday at 1pm, and again on Sundays connecting direct Gran Canaria, with the guarantee of connections to most of the other islands, and also two cities in Morocco. It was built by the European Consortium in France and Italy. This Summer connection has been operating since 2004.

(22nd June). ‘Queen Victoria Comes At The Year End – There will be 7 cruise ships bringing over 10,000 passengers to Madeira’. The night of São Silvestre this year will be able to count on 7 cruise ships, the highlight being the new British owned Queen Victoria. Another new ship to come is the ‘AIDAluna’. Both will arrive on the 30th December and stay over to see in the new year. Others already confirmed are the ‘Oriana’, the ‘Boudicca’, the ‘Princess Danae’, the ‘Saga Ruby’, and the ‘Amadea’. For four of them it will be the first time here to see in the new year. I was surprised to learn that they will only have a total of 10,000 passengers, but the Diário gives the passenger capacity of each ship, and sure enough it is correct. There will be around 3,500 crew on top of that though.