viernes, 13 de febrero de 2009

Chinese Company Proud to Be Part of Cuban Energy Revolution

HAVANA, Cuba, Feb 13 (acn) Fang Chun Song, vice-president of the Chinese Group Haier, said this Thursday that he was proud that his group is part of a project as important as the Cuban Energy Revolution.

This company's products were designed to be used exclusively in the Caribbean nation, with technological adaptations made according Cuban consumer habits, said the official whose company is one of the 150 foreign companies attending the Informatica 2009 International
Convention and Trade Fair.

"We have been working here at the Electronic Industrial Enterprise for several years because we are interested into having Cuba as Haier's Latin American headquarters", he stated.

The vice-president said that his company expects that its output can satisfy the domestic demand and in the future could export to other countries.

Haier is currently collaborating with Cuba's Ministry of Informatics and Communications on manufacturing projects for digital televisions, and its immediate goal is to build these factories in Cuba.

Haier is mainly known in Cuba for its TV sets and refrigerators, but at this Fair, ending tomorrow, it has also shown computers and DVD players,
among other appliances.

(Satisfecha empresa china por Revolución Energética en Cuba)

Guatemalan President Sees Off Students to Cuba

HAVANA, Cuba, Feb 13. Alvaro Colom, President of Guatemala, saw off 80 low-resource youngsters going to Cuba on scholarships to study at the Latin American Medicine School (ELAM), in Havana.

Colom highlighted that Cuba is sharing with Guatemala the results of its sacrifices, of a revolution for the people and with people.

"These comrades can go to ELAM because of a people that fought for their freedom" said the head of state and added his admiration and respect for the Cuban Revolution, for its people and its leaders.

The ceremony took place at the National Culture Palace, and was attended by the chosen youngsters, their relatives and members of the Cuban diplomatic Mission in Guatemala. This scholarship program for Latin American and other countries was started by Cuba 10 years ago.

Celso Cerezo, Guatemala's Health Minister urged the youngsters to come back to work in the always forgotten interior of Guatemala. He also praised the outstanding work performed by the Cuban doctors in that Central American nation.

The 80 youngsters will join 538 Guatemalan students of medicine and 71 studying other specialities in Cuba.

Eliseo Zamora, business attaché at the Cuban Embassy highlighted that Guatemalans have already graduated as doctors and another 38 as sports and physical education majors.

(Presidente guatemalteco despide a 80 jóvenes estudiantes)

Cuba Reports Lower Presence of Drugs

HAVANA, Cuba, Feb 12 (acn) Cuba had the second lowest level of drug confiscation of the past 14 years as a result of improved comprehensive strategies to prevent and confront the issue in the country.

Granma daily reported on Thursday that a little more than 1,801kg of narcotics, most of that in connection with 260 packages washed ashore, had been seized.

The newspaper adds that coastguard units with the help of the local population had managed to recover 1,746.3 kg, less than the amount found in 2007 (3,074.6 Kg) mostly from 172 packages that hit the Cuban coasts.

The largest amount of narcotics confiscated last year came from a failed drug trafficking operation frustrated by the U.S Coastguard Service thanks to information provided by Cuba, which reported the sighting of the boat carrying the shipment.

Even though drug trafficking operations continue with speedboats and aircrafts in routes close to Cuba, only 44 boats and 4 planes possibly involved in such actions were seen in 2008.

Since 2004, no case of droppings of drug packages in the sea have been reported, neither similar operations.

On the other hand, 13 operations of international drug trafficking were frustrated in Cuban airports by Costumes and the Interior Ministry, while 121 foreign tourists were detected carrying small quantities of drugs for their consumption on their way through the island's air frontier.

Cuba has strengthened its relations with international institutions and other multilateral mechanisms that fight drug trafficking, to which it contributes experiences and leads joint investigations.


(Decrece presencia de drogas en Cuba)

Cuba Plans Production of Bee Propolis Pills

HAVANA, Cuba, Feb 12. Cuba is planning to produce bee propolis for oral and vaginal use, reported Radio Rebelde on Thursday. The announcement was made by Carlos Hernandez, president of the Mountain Agriculture Business Group.

The Cuban national radio station said that the design is ready for both the pills and a propolis-based ointment.

Propolis is a resinous substance obtained by bees from the bark of some trees and leaf buds. Bees use it to cover up and protect hives. It is rich in essential oils, vitamins and amino acids.

Due to its bactericide, fungicide and anti-inflammatory properties, and its quality to aid the formation of scar tissue, propolis is very effective in the treatment of vaginal parasitism associated with acute cervicitis.



( Fabricará Cuba tabletas de propóleo)

Fidel Castro Enjoys Good Health, says Chilean President

HAVANA, Cuba, Feb 12."Fidel Castro is enjoying good health; he is very active, as usual, and willing to learn about everything; that is something that impresses you," said in Havana Chile's President Michelle Bachelet, after she met with the historic leader of the Cuban Revolution for over an hour today.

In statements to the local and foreign press, President Bachelet, who is paying an official visit to Cuba, said that she spoke with Fidel for quite a long time. "He was very interested in Chile-related issues," she said and added that Fidel is looking at lots of information and statistics. "He was very interested in learning about the performance of the sectors in which we
have been successful."

Bachelet said that in her exchange with Fidel, he addressed the wine production and other Chilean economic sectors and he also spoke of ways to expand commercial relations between both countries.

"It was a very important dialog, particularly about the challenges facing the region and about what Latin American nations are currently experiencing amidst the international crisis," said Bachelet and noted that the meeting was very pleasant and significant since she believes that it has been positive for bilateral exchange; " a moment to show the way we are doing
things in Chile and to listen to his reflections and views."


(Fidel está muy bien de salud, afirma Presidenta de Chile)

A Meeting with Michelle Bachelet, the President of Chile

REFLECTIONS BY COMRADE FIDEL

It doesn’t matter what I say about the friendly meeting, some news agencies and papers will take the information and will print that the old man, convalescing after a serious illness or some other descriptor directed towards reducing the modest value of whatever I expressed to my prestigious interlocutor.

Michelle has the merit of having been elected president of Chile by the majority vote which was bestowed upon the Socialist Party that nominated her. For the first time in recent years in Latin America, a leftist organization had won such a victory, without the backing of money,
weapons and the Yankee publicity apparatus.

And especially since this honour had to do with the Socialist Party of Salvador Allende, who died under the wily direct air attack on La Moneda where he was occupying his position as the constitutional president of Chile. He neither asked for nor granted any truce. He was determined to die at his post, just as he had promised.

There were no precedents for the sinister treason committed by the head of the Chilean army who pretended and duped everyone right up to the end.

Even the house, at Tomas Moro, where his family resided, was also attacked and destroyed.

During very difficult moments in that period, after thousands of people had been tortured, murdered and disappeared, a very young woman named Gladys Marin was leading the Communist Party of Chile, built up throughout decades of effort and sacrifice by the Chilean working class that had taken her to that responsibility.

Gladys Marin and her party made no mistake; they gave all their support to Michelle Bachelet, thus determining the end of the influence of Augusto Pinochet. It was inadmissible that the tyrant who had been designed and led to power by the empire would once again rule the
destiny of Chile.

World opinion loathed his conduct.

In spite of that, it has not been nor is it still, easy to undo the legal intricacies that the vengeful and fascist oligarchy, with Yankee help, bound up the Chilean nation, deserving of a better fate.

More than one hundred years ago, in a war begun in 1879, that same oligarchy robbed Bolivia of the maritime coastline that gave it ample access to the Pacific Ocean.

Bolivia suffered an extraordinary historical humiliation in that struggle. Not only was its maritime coastline and access to the ocean stolen away from them, but extensive territories were taken away from that country, authentically American in origin, especially the Aymara
and Quechua peoples; territories rich in copper that constituted the greatest reserves in the world, which had been exploited for 130 years and today, its production is up to 5,364 million tons per year, bringing approximately 18,452 million dollars per year to the Chilean economy.
One cannot conceive of modern society without the copper metal whose prices have a tendency to rise.

Other extremely valuable minerals and natural products, some of them already exhausted and other new ones commanding very high prices, have appeared. One doesn’t know which of them were Chilean and which were Bolivian.

The president of Bolivia today, Evo Morales, holds no grudge because of that; on the contrary, he offered his territory for a wide, modern highway over which the products of the efficient Chilean industries, at the top of their form in their growth and with their laborious and
productive workers, could be sent to many world markets.

Chile is also particularly efficient in the production of nutritional food and high quality woods, in its agricultural lands, its mountains and its exceptional climate.

There is no other country that surpasses it in the efficiency of its ocean produce and high-demand products like salmon and the other cultivated and natural species that abound in its rich maritime and inland waters.

Today we are very close to February 15th, the day for the referendum on the constitutional amendment in our sister Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.

José Martí was Cuba’s most profound revolutionary thinker and our national hero. Before the granite effigy of that thinker, Michelle Bachelet laid a floral tribute on behalf of her people, and we are very grateful.

He said about Bolivar, 115 years ago: “What he hasn’t accomplished, is still unaccomplished today; because Bolivar still has things to do in America.”

“Bolivar awakens every one hundred years”, proclaimed the great Chilean poet Pablo Neruda.

At the point of celebrating the second century of his rebellion against the Spanish metropolis Bolivar awakens once again in Chavez’ revolutionary action. If the new leader who is leading his combative people will not attain his goal, it is difficult to imagine that any other leader would be able to achieve it. The media resources of the oligarchy and the empire would not be able to be surpassed.

What should we do then so that this planet does not become like Dante’s inferno, where the sign at its entranceway exhorts us to abandon all hope?

Nevertheless, I harbour the certainty that the Revolution will be victorious in Venezuela, and that in Chile the ideal of socialism for which Salvador Allende struggled and gave his life will finally triumph.

I spoke about those matters with Michelle Bachelet who did me the honour of listening to me with interest, chatting warmly and extensively expressing her ideas.

I shall always be satisfied with her friendly visit.


Fidel Castro Ruz

February 12, 2009

5 : 12 p.m.

Namibian President Visits Cuba

HAVANA, Cuba, Feb 13. Hifikeunye Lucas Pohamba, President of Namibia and of the Southwestern African People’s Organization (SWAPO) arrived in Havana at the invitation of Cuban President Raul Castro Ruz.

Lucas Pohamba and his delegation were welcomed by Foreign Investment and Economic Cooperation Minister Rodrigo Malmierca at the Jose Marti International Airport. The visitors will stay in Cuba until next Sunday.

The Namibian President will hold official talks with Raul Castro and he will also meet with other Communist Party and government leaders. Lucas Pohamba will tour different places of economic, scientific, social and historic interest.

This is the fourth occasion that the African leader comes to Cuba, since he traveled here in 2002 as SWAPO General Secretary. His latest visit took place in 2006, as he headed a delegation to the 14th Non-Aligned Summit.

Cuba and Namibia established diplomatic relations on March 21, 1990. Both nations enjoy increasing bilateral cooperation links in different fields. At present, 154 Cuban workers are offering their services in Namibia, 116 of them are boosting the Comprehensive Health System, which saved the life of some 71, 000 Namibians who were submitted to surgery,
vaccination and other treatments.

Up to date some 1, 281 Namibian youths have graduated from Cuban education centers, most of them as medical technicians and other professions, while another 121 students are still taking different courses.

Namibia has always supported the Cuban Resolution against the US economic blockade of Cuba, at the United Nations.

During the 4th Congress of the SWAPO, held in 2007, the historic leader of Namibia Sam Nujoma and Lucas Pohamba acknowledged the contribution made by Cuban internationalist forces to Namibia´s independence and to the end of the racist Apartheid system.

Namibia was the first country to have expressed its solidarity with the Cuban people after the passage on the island of hurricanes Gustav, Ike and Paloma last year; that country donated one million dollars for the recovery process.

(De visita en Cuba presidente de Namibia)