Venezuela in talks with jailed opposition leader

Venezuela’s government has confirmed rumours of talks with a jailed opposition leader to end riots that claimed two more lives on Wednesday.

The deaths of 17-year-old militant Neomar “Neon” Lander and Bolivarian National Guard Sergeant William Jose Mendoza in the capital Caracas brought the death toll to 83 — by regional news network Telesur’s count.

Opposition Democratic Unity Roundtable (Mud) coalition claimed Mr Lander was a peaceful protester who was hit by a police teargas canister.

But Public Defender Tarek William Saab said Mr Lander was killed when a homemade bomb he was preparing to throw exploded next to his chest

Cuba’s Prensa Latina reported on Wednesday that Venezuelan Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez confirmed negotiations with Popular Will (VP) party leader Leopoldo Lopez on Tuesday night.

Ms Lopez told a meeting broadcast by Venezolana de Television from the Fort Tiuna military prison in Caracas. “A dialogue with Leopoldo Lopez has begun and we are going to show it on national television.”

That was despite denials by his wife Lilian Tintori, who has lobbied US President Donald Trump, Pope Francis and other world leaders to pressure President Nicolas Maduro’s government to release the far-right leader.

Mr Lopez was sentenced to nearly 14 years jail in 2015 for inciting the last outbreak of “guarimba” regime-change violence in 2014 that left 43 dead. He was moved to Fort Tiuna last March.

Ms Rodriguez visited Mr Lopez at the prison on Sunday with former Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Zapatero, one of three former leaders attempting to mediate between the government and the Mud.

They did not say what they discussed with him.

But Caracas Libertador municipality Mayor Jorge Rodriguez said on Monday he “has the evidence” Mr Lopez is willing to end the two months of putschist bloodshed in demand of early presidential elections in return for being moved to house arrest.

He said Mr Lopez was “was very willing during the meeting to propose, even to sign documents to stop violence,” but that Ms Tintori was obstructing the deal.

Ms Tintori insisted on Monday her husband was not willing to negotiate his release, but admitted the question of house arrest had been discussed.

The mystery of the Guanches

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...

Venezuela condemns MUD silence over terror attack

Venezuela’s foreign minister condemned the opposition and their foreign backers for their silence over Tuesday’s helicopter attack on the capital. At a press conference on Wednesday, Foreign Minister Samuel Moncada said Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD) coalition leader Henry Ramos’ only comment on social media was that the attack was “useless.” “Firstly that does not condemn it,” Mr Moncada said. “Secondly it appears he was condemning it because it didn’t have the desired effect, that is to say, that it would blow up the building.” And he asked why fellow Mud leader Henrique Capriles lacked the “moral courage to... repudiate a terrorist act.” The newly-appointed minster and former ambassador to Britain accused fellow members of the Washington-based Organisation of American States of “feigning ignorance” and so protecting the culprits. And he accused sections of the media of portraying the culprit — Police investigator and one-time action film star Oscar Perez — as a “Rambo ...

Los Gigantes Beach Landslide Tragedy - Three Days of Mourning for Victims

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 ...

Ex-pats hail extinction of ‘mammoth’ development

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...

Venezuelan opposition declares "Zero Hour" for regime change

Venezuela’s opposition declared “Zero Hour” in its putsch against the socialist government on Monday — emboldened by US support. Leaders of the Democratic Unity Roundtable (Mud) coalition gathered for the announcement of their takeover plan a day after their unauthorised referendum seeking a mandate for regime change. National Assembly vice-president and Popular Will (VP) acting leader Freddy Guevara said the Mud-controlled parliament would announce the results of the plebiscite on Tuesday. It asked voters to reject President Nicolas Maduro’s calling of a constitutional reform assembly demand the army support the opposition and back a “national unity government.” But before the announcement of the result Mr Guevara said the national Assembly would form a new government on Tuesday — a move beyond its constitutional powers — along with 1,020 local “Zero Hour committees.” He called a “national general strike” for Thursday while on Friday the assembly would again exceed its powe...

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