Western Sahara independence and human rights campaigner Aminatou Haidar returned to her Moroccan-occupied homeland on Thursday night after 32 days on hunger strike at Lanzarote airport. by James Tweedie Ms Haidar was flown home to her two children in a small private aircraft  late on Thursday night. She had been admitted to hospital in the small hours of that morning after suffering stomach pains and vomiting blood. A previous attempt by the Spanish government to return the activist to her homeland failed after the Moroccan government refused to give permission for the flight to land. Ms Haidar began her hunger strike at Lanzarote's Guacimeta airport on November 16 after she was denied entry to the country of her birth. She was detained at Laayoune airport in Western Sahara on November 13 on her return from receiving a human-rights award in the US, where she has the support of both Democratic and Republican party politicians. Officials confiscated her Moroccan passport and deporte...

Lanazarote, Thursday December 17 2009 WESTERN Sahara independence campaigner Aminatou Haidar was set to return to her home country on Thursday night after being hospitalised early that morning. by James Tweedie A specially-chartered aircraft was waiting to fly Ms Haidar from Lanzarote's Guacimeta airport, where she had been on hunger strike since November 15, to her home town of Laayoune in the Moroccan-occupied Western Sahara. She had been taken to hospital by ambulance shortly after midnight after suffering severe nausea and abdominal pains. Hospital sources said that Ms Haidar had vomited blood and was severely dehydrated after more than a month without food and only sugared water to drink. For more information see:  http://ositorojo.blogspot.com/2009/12/exiled-western-sahara-campaigner-enters.html

Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Thursday December 17 2009 HEALTH service staff across the Canaries will strike on Friday December 18 over budget cuts. by James Tweedie Some 16,000 Doctors, nurses and other staff at hospitals and local clinics will walk out. They are angry at regional government plans to cut the health budget by 2.5 per cent, and the ongoing delays to construction of the long-promised hospital in southern Tenerife. In Tenerife staff have organised pickets at Candelaria hospital in the regional capital Santa Cruz and the nearby Hospital Universitario in La Laguna municipality. The trade unions and professional association involved in the industrial action stressed that emergency services would not be affected.

Tenerife, Thursday December 17 TENERIFE'S government was working with with the tourism and aviation industries on Thursday after Wednesday's collapse of Scottish budget airline Globespan. by James Tweedie Cabildo tourist board Toursimo de Tenerife was liaising with Tenerife hoteliers association Ashotel, Spanish aviation authority AENA and the Provincial Association of Estate Agents (APAV) to ensure that affected passengers could complete their holidays before returning to the UK. One Globespan flight from Tenerife's southern Reina Sofia airport was scheduled for Thurday December 17 and three more on Saturday December 19 to Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Aberdeen. The tourist board was in urgent talks the island's hotels to ensure that passengers on those flights would be offered accommodation at special “contingency rates”, regardless of any agreements they may reach with Globespan. Toursimo de Tenerife chief José Manuel Bermúdez said that other no-frills ai...

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Wednesday December 16 2009 SOCIALIST Party regional MP Blas Trujillo called for transport subsidies for Canarian bananas on Wednesday after the EU agreed to reduce import tariffs for Latin American nations. by James Tweedie His comments came after European Union struck a deal with Latin American nations on Tuesday December 15 to lower the tariff on imported bananas. The tariff will fall from the current €176 per tonne to €148 early next year, with further gradual reductions towards €117 per tonne in 2017. But regional parliament member for Gran Canaria Mr Trujillo said that the “unexpected tariff cut created the conditions for available EU subsidies for the transport of agricultural goods to be applied immediately. He said: “This is the way out and the solution before the lower tariff on extra-community bananas.” In addition to EU tariffs, Canarian bananeros or banana-growers are already protected by special regional measures, which a...

Santa Cruz councillor for town planning Luz Reverón González at the press conference on Wednesday. Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Wednesday December 16 2009 SANTA Cruz councillor for town planning Luz Reverón González attempted to dispel concerns about the city's General Organisation Plan (PGO) on Wednesday. by James Tweedie Coalición Canaria councillor Ms Reverón denied that the plan to cap the height of buildings and the density of development in the regional capital would lead to surcharges on landlords, expropriations or restrictions on their property rights, or that it was intended to restrict development. But the councillor insisted that the city could not stand any further increase in density, with the attendant increase in road traffic and congestion. She claimed that without the PGO, Santa Cruz could neither diversify its economy nor complete existing plans such as the extension of the Tranvia tram system to Las Teresitas beach. Ms Reverón said that negotia...

Thomas Cook UK Chief Executive Officer Manny Fontenla (third from left). Playa de Las Americas, Tuesday December 15 2009 THOMAS Cook Chief Executive Manny Fontenla predicted on Tuesday that Tenerife's crisis-hit tourist economy would begin to recover next year. by James Tweedie Speaking at the travel giant's annual convention at the Magma Arte y Congresos centre in the resort town of Playa de Las Americas, Mr Fontenla said that the tourism slump had “bottomed out” and the island was “on the way back to growth.” He said: “Things have been tough in Spain because of the crisis,” pointing out that the weakness of the pound against the Euro had made non-Eurozone destinations like Turkey more attractive. But he stressed that Spain remained the favourite holiday destination for Britons, Germans and Scandinavians and that it took “barriers” to discourage them. Mr Fontenla said that British tourists were leaving it much later to book their summer holidays, a trend ...

December 6 2009 Western Sahara human rights campaigner Aminatou Haidar entered the fourth week of her hunger strike at Lanzarote's Guacimeta airport today. by James Tweedie in Tenerife Doctors and supporters feared for her health after 21 days on nothing but sugared water.  Lanzarote Hospital director Domingo de Guzmán Pérez Hernández said that her blood pressure is fluctuating dangerously. 42-year old Ms Haidar is said to suffer long-term health problems from her 'disapearance' and alleged torture at the hands of the Moroccan agents between 1987 and 1991.  Hopes for Ms Haidar's return to to her homeland and two children were dashed on Friday after the Moroccan government apparently withdrew permission for a special flight organised by the Spanish government. A Spanish foreign ministry spokeswoman said that the Moroccan government authorised the flight on Friday only to withdraw it just before take-off. But the Moroccan government said that it ha...

Santa Cruz de Tenerife, December 4 2009 Passengers faced more delays on the third day of a strike at provincial state bus service TITSA. by James Tweedie Metropolitan and long distance routes were operating a minimal service, although provincial Santa Cruz's Tranvia tram service was operating normally. City residents had to wait up to an hour for buses, which were often too packed to allow more passengers on. Many resorted to taxis to get to work. There were long queues for cross-country routes at the central Intercambiador bus station in the capital. The bus strike follows a strike by taxi drivers last week.

5:30 pm - The long-winded, over-the-top group and self-serving draw ceremony for the 2010 football World Cup in South Africa is showing now on Spanish TV, live by satellite from Cape Town. Actress Charlize Theron just came on stage and said "I'm one proud South African" in her Hollywood accent. Please Charlize! 6:00pm - Charlize is back on now for the actual draw, drawling away. The whole qualification process and the draw itself appear to be heavily fixed to minimise the chance that top-seeded and European teams don't end up taking an early bath in the group stage. Put it this way - there are more nations in Africa than in Europe, but Europe gets twice as many places in this, the first African world cup.  Oh Christ, they just wheeled David Beckham out. He looks like he had an accident at the barbers. 6:20pm - As hosts, South Africa qualified automatically, but have drawn Mexico, Uruguay nad France in their group. They'll have a tough time getting t...

CLUB Deportivo Tenerife crashed out of the Copa del Rey at their home stadium in Santa Cruz on November 10. by James Tweedie The Canaries’ only first-division side – known as El Tete to their friends and Los Chicharreros to their enemies – were paired with second-division A strugglers Celta de Vigo in the fourth round of the Spanish equivalent of the FA cup. But they failed to get past the Galicians, losing 2-1 in the first leg on October 28 and 0-1 at home on November 10. Danilo scored the only goal of the night to seal the Canarian’s fate. Celta now go through to the last 16 on January 6.

GERMAN international and former Tenerife goalkeeper Robert Enke committed suicide at the age of 32 on Tuesday November 10. by James Tweedie The Hannover captain had suffered from depression since 2003, His wife Teresa revealed at a press conference the next day. Mr Enke was hit by a train near Neustadt-Eilvese in Germany. His car was parked a few yards from the track and his wallet was inside. Police confirmed that he had left a suicide note. Mrs Enke said that her husband feared that their adopted daughter Leila would be taken into care if his illness became public. Their biological daughter Lara died of a rare heart condition in 2006 at the age of two. "Robert cared for Leila with love - until the end,” said Mrs Enke. "After Lara's death everything drew us closer together ... I tried to tell him that there is always a solution. I drove to training with him. I wanted to help him to get through it. But he didn't want to accept help any more." His fa...

Santa Cruz de Tenerife, November 9 2009 SANTA Cruz de Tenerife councillor for women Angela Mena called for a “single voice against gender violence” ahead of the November 25 International Day Against Gender Violence. by James Tweedie Ms Mena’s comments on Monday November 9 were a response to a spate of violent deaths of women in the Canaries this year. The most tragic month of 2009 was May, when three women were murdered: Carmen Rosa Dorta in Guía de Isora on May 12, Emilia Esperanza Fernández Rodríguez in Tacoronte on May 20 and Santa Cruz resident Elizabeth Canino Rivero, whose body was discovered in La Laguna on May 28. Maximina Rosario Rodriguez Denis was murdered in Gran Canaria on June 15 and on September 12 María Fernanda López de Furia was killed in Los Abrigos, Granadilla. Ms Mena said that all five were victims of the kind of senseless violence which she had vowed to fight as part of the duties of her office. Just two days later, local police in Santa Cruz announc...

Santiago del Teide, November 10 2009 LOCAL politicians and businesspeople announced a “common front” for the protection of Los Guíos beach in Los Gigantes – site of the recent fatal landslide – on November 10. by James Tweedie Santiago del Teide business and commercial association ASEMTEIDE, representatives of the hotel industry and spokesmen for the Canarian Coalition (CC), People’s Party (PP) Socialist Party (PSC-PSOE) and the smaller nationalist Centro Canario party met with the council on Tuesday November 9. The meeting dicussed responses to the landslide which killed 57-year old British tourist Marion O'Hara and 34-year old Canarian hotel worker Maria Vanesa Arias Romera on Los Guíos beach on Sunday November 1. The meeting approved urgent work to secure the cliffs above the tiny beach and the short street leading to it as quickly as possible to normalise the town´s “business environment.” Los Gigantes marina, a hotel and several shops and restaurants are located be...

Santa Cruz de Tenerife, November 9 2009 POLICE in Santa Cruz de Tenerife were surprised when a suitcase left in the back of a taxi was found to contain over nine kilos of suspected hard drugs. by James Tweedie The taxi was hired at about 9pm on the night of Sunday November 8 in Plaza de España by a woman who the driver described as "foreign" and about 20 years of age. She paid the driver to deliver a suitcase to an address in Santa Cruz, but did not accompany him. The driver did as he was asked, but when no-one appeared to collect the bag after one hour he handed it to the local police headquarters in Avenida Tres de Mayo. When an officer examined it to try to determine the owner's identity, he found four balls of a powdery substance which appeared to be narcotics. Despite being almost empty the bag was suspiciously heavy, prompting a closer examination which revealed a double bottom containing a plastic bag packed with 9.2 kilos of a greyish powder. The c...

[Leader comment from the first edition of The Canaries Free Trader, November 12 2009] Dear Reader, Welcome to the first edition of the all-new Canaries Free Trader. We hope that you will find the news stories, features and arts reviews inside both stimulating and challenging. We are launching our new title as the Canary Islands face particular hardship in the global economic crisis. The archipelago has never enjoyed the same level of development and prosperity as the Spanish mainland, and relies upon the one-dimensional economy of tourism. The effects of ‘La Crisis’ here are plain to see: unemployment at 26 per cent, firms closing, offices and shop-fronts empty, building sites abandoned. The islands are not just geographically closer to Africa, but economically too. In this climate we offer the English-speaking population a bright new ‘virtual marketplace’ in print, where private individuals can buy and sell for free and where businesses can speak directly to their clien...

SHATTERED IDYLL: Los Guios beach in Los Gigantes in happier times. SANTIAGO del Teide council declared three days of official mourning after two women were killed in a landslide on Los Gigantes beach on November 1. by James Tweedie The local authority announced the period of mourning following an emergency council meeting on Monday November 2, called in response to the tragic deaths of 57-year old British holidaymaker Marion O’Hara and 34-year old Canarian hotel worker Maria Vanesa Arias Romera. Flags at Santiago del Teide town hall were flown at half mast for the period of mourning, and all official functions observed a minute’s silence in memory of the victims. The two women were killed when 130-foot wide stretch of the cliffs above the tiny Los Guios beach collapsed from a height of about 200 feet, burying them beneath rubble up to 15 feet deep, according to a spokesman for the Guardia Civil which was conducting the investigation into the accident. The landslide occurred about 3pm ...

Socialists and conservatives unite to defeat CC plan for Las Teresitas beach Protesters outside the town hall SAN ANDREAS residents are celebrating victory after Santa Cruz council voted to deny permission for a controversial development on Las Teresitas beach. by James Tweedie The Association of Friends of Anaga, Las Teresitas and its Coast (Asociacion de Amigos de la Playa de las Teresitas, Anaga y su Litoral), which includes a number of ex-patriots, mounted a demonstration outside Santa Cruz town hall on Friday September 18 to urge opposition councillors to “keep their word” and support a Socialist Party of the Canaries (PSC) motion against the mammoth development. Some wore long paper ‘noses’ and chanted “concejal Pinocho” – councillor Pinocchio – to express their distrust of local politicians. A coalition of small businesses in Anaga, the Friends of the Port group and environmentalists Ben Magec – Ecologistas en Accion also supported the campaign against the scheme...

DRUG-dependency workers protested in the regional capital Santa Cruz on Tuesday October 27 against government plans to close a quarter of the archipelago’s specialist clinics. by James Tweedie More than 100 members of the UGT trade union federation rallied opposite the regional health ministry in Rambla General Franco, waving flags and banners and chanting “health does not know the crisis.” The Canarian government is planning to cut the 2010 budget for the service by 25 per cent, leading to the closure of a quarter of clinics. UGT organiser Juan Luis Perez said that there were a staggering 7,000-10,000 drug addicts in Tenerife alone. The protest was echoed by the opposition Socialist Party of the Canaries (PSC-PSOE), which is closely linked to the UGT. PSC-PSOE regional parliamentary group health spokeswoman Lola Padrón condemned conservative People’s Party (PP) Health Minister Mercedes Roldós, saying: “This serious reduction in the resources in the network for the attentio...

Castro attends funeral of mother of jailed anti-terrorism agent in Havana THE Canarian-born mother of imprisoned Cuban anti-terrorism agent Gerardo Hernández has been honoured following her death in Havana on November 2 Cuban President Raul Castro attended Ms Nordelo’s funeral in Havana on November 3 by James Tweedie Cuban President Raúl Castro attended the funeral of Carmen Nordelo Tejera, mother of Gerardo Hernández Nordelo at Havana’s Colon Cemetery on Tuesday November 3. Wreaths were laid on Ms Nordelo´s coffin by and on behalf of President Castro, his older brother and revolutionary leader Fidel, Mrs Nordelo’s son Gerardo and his wife Adriana Pérez and the Cuban people. Fidel Castro devoted his latest ‘reflections’ essay the same day to Ms Nordelo and her son. Mrs Nordelo was born in the Canary Islands on February 15 1934. She emigrated to Cuba with her family at the age of sixteen for economic reasons. Her husband was a revolutionary and she participated in th...

HEIGHT OF FOLLY? The much-disputed Mount Tebeto on Fuerteventura. A MAJOR political row has been raging for months in the Canarian regional parliament over the €100 million Mount Tebeto quarry case in Fuerteventura. by James Tweedie The Socialist Party of the Canaries (PSC-PSOE), regional affiliate of the current ruling party, has repeatedly attacked the joint Coalicón Canaria (CC) and Peoples’ Party (PP) regional executive over the decision to pay €101 million of taxpayers money in compensation to family-owned quarrying firm Canteras Cabo Verde S.A. But critics point out Cabo Verde had never quarried stone at the site, and are asking why the regional government has not yet taken its appeal to the Supreme court. PSC-PSOE regional MPs have accused CC regional President Paulino Rivero, PP vice-president José Manuel Soria and Justice and Security Minister Jose Miguel Ruano of collusion with Cabo Verde owner Rafael Bittini. The Tribunal Superior de Justicia de Canarias (TSJC) a...

International Clownbaret Festival 2009 Santa Cruz de Tenerife SANTA Cruz de Tenerife played host to a riot of tomfoolery in October for the 4th International Clownbaret Festival. by James Tweedie Children and adults alike enjoyed the free performances by a variety of acts in the capital´s squares. Highlights included Belgian Adrian Schvarzstein´s ‘Green Man’ act, ‘Funeeestuff’ by American Rob Torres, Argentinian Chachovachi’s show ‘Caution! A naughty clown could ruin your life’ and British trio The Chipolatas with ‘3-style’. Torres’ ingenious slapstick trickery is very reminiscent of Rowan Atkinson’s character Mr Bean. He communicates effortlessly without language and proved a great favourite of the children of Santa Cruz. FUNEESTUFF: The USA´s Rob Torres Like foul-mouthed Scottish comedy magician Jerry Sadowitz, Chachovachi deconstructs his genre in an anarchic and hyperactive fashion. He talks incessantly in his distinctive Argentine accent, mixing politics with phys...

HOME-GROWN: Tenerife’s Meridian Zero Tenerife Metal Fest Teatro Cine Los Realejos Saturday October 24 HEAVY Metal is not a genre that one might readily associate with Tenerife. The stereotype is of house clubs heaving with Essex ravers ‘avin’ it LARGE. by James Tweedie Nevertheless, several hundred metalheads from as far away as La Gomera and Fuerteventura descended on sleepy Los Realejos for this mini-festival featuring two homegrown acts and two more from the mainland. Local openers Meridian Zero get the crowd going with their confident Power Metal and energetic covers of Led Zeppelin’s Rock and Roll and Sepultura’s Refuse/Resist – the latter backed by an phalanx of auxiliary drummers. Hybris are Tenerife’s answer to Iron Maiden, full of old-school un-selfconcious energy and joie-de-vivre. They seem to have a strong following here. The more polished sound and image of ex-Saratoga frontman Leo Jimenez’ new act Leo: 037 lacked the spark of the first two bands, but sti...

K enyan director Wanjiru Kinyanjui MiradasDoc Film Festival  Guia de Isora Sunday November 1 – Saturday November 7 THE fourth international documentary film festival in Guia de Isora on Tenerife’s west coast in November concentrated on the continents of Africa, Asia and Latin America. by James Tweedie Particular focus was given to India, Egypt and Brazil. Asian First Film Festival director Sanjoy K. Roy picked his country’s contributions: Autumn in the Himalayas and Eco-Dharma by Malgorzata Skiba, Bullets & Butterflies by Sushmit Ghosh, The Killing Field by Manoj Kumar, Shakti by Praveen Choudhary, Super-30 by Christopher Mitchell, and his own Shahjahanabad – The Twilight Years 1850-1947. Spanish-resident Egyptian filmmaker Basel Ramsis chose The Sandwich and  Un Caballo de Barro (A Clay Horse) by Ateyyat Elabnoudy, The Place I Call Home by Tamer Ezzat, Nobody Returned From There by Nader Helal, You, Waguih by Namir Abdel Messeeh, Viva Guevara by Maha ...

Miss La Palma to represent Santa Cruz de Tenerife in 2010 SAN CRISTOBAL de La Laguna hosted the Miss and Mister Tenerife 2009 pageant over the Dia De Hispanidad holiday weekend. by James Tweedie Over 5,000 people celebrated the holiday in the Plaza del Cristo in the former capital’s old town with free concerts by a variety of Spanish pop groups. The Mister Tenerife gala was held on Saturday October 10 and Miss Tenerife pageant the next day. Contestants represented 28 different businesses, towns and islands. ‘Mister Joy’ Roberto Baez won both the titles of Mister Tenerife and Mister Elegance on the Saturday. The Mister Charming prize went to Mister El Pinar, but the winner of the crowd favourite award and runner up for the crown of Mister Tenerife was Mr Dreams. On sunday Miss La Palma Amanda Perdomo was crowned both Miss Tenerife 2009 and Miss Elegant, and will represent the western Santa Cruz province of thew Canaries in the Miss Spain pageant next year. The 1st and ...

The origins and language of the indigenous people of the Canary Islands remain a mystery, writes Dr Sabina Goralski Filonov Translation by James Tweedie The guanches, the aboriginals of the Canary Islands whose origin, lost in the mists of time, still arouses intense and passionate debate and great controversy about their origins and the how the seven Canary Islands were populated – which according to some studies occurred between 10,000 and 8,000 years BC. Literally, the word ‘Guan’ means man or person and ‘Chenech’ or ‘Chinet’ is applied to the island of Tenerife, thus meaning a man or inhabitant of Tenerife – although according to Núñez de la Peña, the Spanish named them the Guanchos during the conquest of the islands. But with the passage of time, experts in the subject are questioning whether the word Guanche was used to designate the primitive inhabitants of all the islands in the pre-Hispanic period.  The term ‘Guanche’ has also ceased to be applied to the di...