The Original Madeira Island News Blog
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Precautionary measures to return? Sometimes it is interesting to take a different slant on the UK news as opposed to consuming what you are fed by the increasingly woke BBC news channels.
Reuters report today that “British hospitals are on the edge and people should wear masks and come forward ............
This afternoon sees the closing session of the SMILE Project – SMart IsLand Energy – at the Electricity Museum in the centre of Funchal (the Casa da Luz is well worth a visit in its own right by the way).
SMILE – is co-financed by the European Commission, through the Horizonte 2020 programme, ............
Euronews reports that Portugal has officially honoured a diplomat who helped save thousands of people from Nazi persecution during World War II.
Aristides de Sousa Mendes – known as the “Portuguese Schindler” – ............
The Regional Directorate of Health, IASAÚDE, has issued a statement on social media platforms today, confirming that Madeira is currently affected by a wind originating from North African carrying dust particles. This is not the expected gas and dust from the volcano in La Palma.
They advise a number ............
The Portugal News report a Lusa press release revealing that the Portuguese population consumed, on average, twice as many calories as recommended for an adult between 2016 and 2020.
The food product groups with the greatest deviations in 2020, compared to the consumption recommended by the Food ............
The Diario this morning leads with the headline that 30% of the Regions schools have admitted to a shortage of teachers this academic year – a situation that must be causing concern to the authorities, with many teachers coming from the mainland on short-term contracts.
The same newspaper reports ............
The director of Continente owner Sonae MC, Miguel Águas, has said that “it is inevitable” that there will be price increases along the supply chain due to the rise in fuel prices.
Press agency Lusa report as Miguel Águas was speaking to journalists at the inauguration of the new Sonae ............
JM reports that a Funchal court ordered the release of three citizens who had been in compulsory confinement, after refusing to take the PCR test on arrival in Madeira.
As far as JM was concerned, the three citizens arrived in the Region last week, when the state of calamity was still in effect, and ............
The Portugal News reported recently that the time throughout the EU will change as usual on 31 October to winter time, and once again clocks will go back by one hour, despite a proposal since 2018 for the end of this seasonal clock change practice.
European Commission’s spokesperson for Public ............
The Diario reports that this week the Portuguese Weather Institute, IPMA acknowledged that a cloud of sulphur dioxide (SO2) “originating from the eruption of the Cumbre Vieja volcano” had been ............
JM reports that Funchal was one of the locations in Portugal where motorcyclists yesterday demonstrated against the imposition of mandatory inspections on motorcycles from January 2022. Unlike what happened in Lisbon, Porto, Coimbra and Faro, in Funchal and Porto Holy the protest was made on foot.
The ............
JM reports that at 8:00 am tomorrow, Sunday, October 17, at Avenida da República, in Cascais, the starting shot of the 2021 edition of the Lisbon Marathon, sponsored in part by Banana da Madeira, will be fired.
Since 2012, GESBA-Banana Sector Management Company has supported the event, organized by ............
The Diario reports that according to its operator, VINCI Airports, traffic at Funchal Airport is almost back to the 2019 level.
VINCI information, based on data up to September 30, states that in Portugal, “the number of passengers practically doubled this summer compared to last ............
JM reports that “it was a form of liberation”. Funchal’s old town and other parts of the city once again registered crowds at the start of the first weekend without curfew restrictions.
In an issue that highlights other ‘freedoms’ that were once restricted due to the ............
Press agency Lusa report that Madeira has moved into the green, low risk category for COVID-19 on the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) map, which supports travel decisions in the European Union (EU), with mainland Portugal and the Azores in orange.
This ............
The Diario reports that the official bathing season ends today. The four beaches where lifeguards are still operating will see their last day where assistance will be on hand – there will be none from tomorrow.
The Government Council, meeting yesterday ............
Reuters report that fully vaccinated passengers arriving in England from low-risk countries from Oct. 24. Arrivals will no longer have to take expensive COVID-19 tests, the British government said yesterday.
Last month the government simplified the rules for international travel to England in a boost ............
JM handily rounds up the ten changes coming to effect in the Region at midnight tonight after the resolution approved yesterday by the Government Council confirmed the changes to rules already announced Tuesday. In general, the order is to reopen without restrictions, but keeping recommendations ............
JM reports that the changes that will be made in the testing at Madeira airport. As of November 1, the PCR test for travellers who arrive in the Region without being vaccinated will no longer be mandatory. The question of who will pay will be the subject of a resolution tomorrow in the Governing ............
Tur TV have a very good 3-minute video of the Iona departing from the port of Funchal yesterday – below.
Beneath, they have another longer video of the Iona arriving at 5:30 yesterday morning – the initial shots giving a good impression of the size of the cruise ship with very nearly 5,500 ............
A Bola reports that with the three goals scored last night in Luxembourg, Cristiano Ronaldo achieved another extraordinary milestone in his already long career: 801 goals as a professional.
The Madeiran’s career at the highest level began at Sporting, ............
P&O’s flagship “Iona” duly docked in Funchal this morning and became the largest ship to visit the port. The huge cruise ship was detailed ............
The Telegraph online reports that the budget airline Ryanair says customers who used ‘chargeback’ rules to receive a refund cannot fly. They have effectively barred passengers who got Covid refunds for its flights until they pay back the money.
It is believed that close to a thousand ............
The FT reported in detail recently that a former submarine commander has almost single-handedly instilled confidence in a vaccination programme that had a faltering start in Portugal.
Henrique Gouveia e Melo, the former ............