by the El Reportero’s wire services
Henrique CaprilesOn Feb. 20 – amidst a sixth fatality and continued violence in the capital Caracas and the heavily militarised Western cities of San Cristobal and Mérida – President Nicolás Maduro announced the creation of ‘popular anti-coup commands’ under supervision of the ‘national anti-coup command’ led by the hard-line national assembly president Diosdado Cabello. (LatinNews Daily Report)
Venezuelan military extends equivocal support to Maduro
The most headline-grabbing development in Venezuela that week was the decision by opposition leader Leopoldo López on 18 February to hand himself over to the national guard to face charges of fomenting the unrest which led to three deaths six days earlier. Given the opposition’s limited capacity to influence events in Venezuela, however, the most significant development this week was the announcement by the Bolivarian armed forces (FANB) that it would “never accept a government which does not emerge through constitutional means”.
Opposing a coup is not the same as emphatic support for President Nicolás Maduro though and this pointedly leaves open the possibility of the FANB being prepared to accept an internal move to force him out. There are signs that Maduro’s authority is being challenged. He was compelled to dismiss the head of the Bolivarian national intelligence agency (Sebin) this week after his orders were disobeyed. (LatinNews Daily Report)
Experts discover building from 2,200 B.C. in Ecuador
Archaeologists discovered a building from around 2,200 B.C. in an archaeological and ecological park in the Ecuadorian capital at the foot of Pichincha Volcano, sources at the excavations told Efe.
“It is the most ancient archaeological find in Rumbipapa Park and in the city of Quito,” park supervisor Bernarda Icaza told Efe, adding that no identification or description has been made of the culture that lived in the area during the Formative Period when the building was constructed. Icaza noted that the find has “enormous” historical importance, because “it opens doors to further archaeological, historical and heritage research.”
The excavation was started two years ago by archaeologist Angelo Constantine. After digging down three meters, the flooring of a small dwelling was found. Park guide Danny Villacis, who worked on the dig, told Efe that carbon dating was used to determine the age of the site, where traces of human feces and urine were found.
Also found were scraps of human and animal bones from another period, presumably from a time after Pichincha Volcano erupted. Specifically, next to the building were also found traces of volcanic lava. “What destroyed this village was the eruption of Guagua Pichincha, and later the eruptions of Pululahua finished it off for good,” Villacis said. He said the discovery is singularly important because it shows “we are practically in our infancy” when it comes to studying historical subjects, and there is “still a lot of research to be done,” since many people refer to the Incas as their ancestors despite the fact that “thousands of years ago” there were already other people living here.
Bolivia Preparing to Take First Steps Toward Nuke Plant
Bolivia is preparing to take the first steps this year to develop an atomic program and become a producer of electricity using nuclear power, a Bolivian Nuclear Science and Technology Institute, or IBTEN, official said.
“Bolivia has very long-term plans to build a nuclear plant to generate electricity,” IBTEN adviser Hernan Vera told Efe at the International Atomic Energy Agency, or IAEA, headquarters in Austria’s capital.
The financial challenges posed by the development of a nuclear industry for Bolivia, one of the poorest countries in South America, will be “very great,” Vera said.
Bolivia’s nuclear efforts have the full support of the government, the IBTEN official said.
President Evo Morales said on Jan. 22 that the development of a nuclear energy industry was a “strategic priority” for Bolivia.
