HAVANA, Cuba, April 9 (acn) A Chinese Contemporary Film Festival will be held in this capital at the Riviera Movie Theatre, from April 9 to 15.
The Director General of the Cinema Bureau of China’s State Radio, Cinema and Television Administration, Tong Gang, told the press on Wednesday that, during his visit, he will exchange ideas with his Cuban colleagues and will find new ways of cooperation between the film industries of the two countries.
Accompanying Gang are Jiang Ping, vice-president of the China Film Group; Liu Cheng, director of the Cinema Bureau’s International Division for Cooperation; Liu Zhige, cameraman from CCTV-6 television channel, movie director Huo Jiangi and actresses Yihong Jiang and Yan Danchen.
The film Li Shuangliang, by Hou Jiangi, opens the Festival. The movie tells the story of a retired worker who cleaned up the residues of a foundry accumulated over 40 years and turned the place into a beautiful garden.
Also scheduled to be screened are Guerreros de cielo y tierra, Copla de amor, Canción del Tibet, Juntos, Silenciosas piedras sagradas and Mi mamá juez.
China’s cinematographic industry produces some 400 films a year, as well as 20 animated films and over 100 television series.
Children and adolescence, the life of farmers and social development are among the main themes of Chinese movies.
(Comienza mañana Semana de Cine Chino en La Habana Octavio Borges Pérez)
jueves, 9 de abril de 2009
Richmond California Support the Cuban Five
HAVANA, Cuba, April 9 (acn) The Council of the Californian city of Richmond, in the United States, unanimously approved a resolution in support of the five Cuban antiterrorism fighters unjustly incarcerated in that country and the right of their relatives to visit them.
According to information provided by the International Free the Five Committee, the resolution was adopted on Tuesday during a meeting held by the council of that city, located north of San Francisco Bay.
The initiative, which obtained seven votes in favor and none against, was presented by Mayor Gayle McLaughlin and Councilwoman Maria Viramontes.
The text points out that in this case there has been a violation of international agreements and of the due process of law for the performance of a fair trial.
Likewise, the immediate granting of entry visas for Olga Salanueva and Adriana Pérez to visit their respective husbands, René González y Gerardo Hernández, two of the Cuban Five, is also requested.
Gerardo, René, Ramón Labañino, Fernando González and Antonio Guerrero have already served 10 years of their harsh sentences, which range from 15 years to life imprisonment, after being condemned by a Miami court.
Their crime was that of monitoring the activities of anti-Cuban terrorist groups in Florida.
In spite of the lack of diplomatic links between Washington and Havana, residents o0f Richmond (with population of over 100,000, most of them African-Americans and Latinos) have a long history of fraternal relations with Cuba, by way of a project for the twining of Richmond and
the Havana municipality of Regla.
In 2007, Mayor McLaughlin, along with another 12 mayors from California, sent a letter to Alberto Gonzales, US Attorney General at the time, which demanded the immediate granting of humanitarian visas to the relatives of the Cuban Five.
The Resolution of Richmond joined the group of 10 Nobel Prize winners, religious and trade union leaders, legal and human rights organizations, artists and parliamentarians who support the petition made by the defence lawyers of the Cuban Five for the US Supreme Court to approve the re- examination of their case.
(Apoyo a Los Cinco en Consejo de ciudad de Richmond, EE.UU.)
According to information provided by the International Free the Five Committee, the resolution was adopted on Tuesday during a meeting held by the council of that city, located north of San Francisco Bay.
The initiative, which obtained seven votes in favor and none against, was presented by Mayor Gayle McLaughlin and Councilwoman Maria Viramontes.
The text points out that in this case there has been a violation of international agreements and of the due process of law for the performance of a fair trial.
Likewise, the immediate granting of entry visas for Olga Salanueva and Adriana Pérez to visit their respective husbands, René González y Gerardo Hernández, two of the Cuban Five, is also requested.
Gerardo, René, Ramón Labañino, Fernando González and Antonio Guerrero have already served 10 years of their harsh sentences, which range from 15 years to life imprisonment, after being condemned by a Miami court.
Their crime was that of monitoring the activities of anti-Cuban terrorist groups in Florida.
In spite of the lack of diplomatic links between Washington and Havana, residents o0f Richmond (with population of over 100,000, most of them African-Americans and Latinos) have a long history of fraternal relations with Cuba, by way of a project for the twining of Richmond and
the Havana municipality of Regla.
In 2007, Mayor McLaughlin, along with another 12 mayors from California, sent a letter to Alberto Gonzales, US Attorney General at the time, which demanded the immediate granting of humanitarian visas to the relatives of the Cuban Five.
The Resolution of Richmond joined the group of 10 Nobel Prize winners, religious and trade union leaders, legal and human rights organizations, artists and parliamentarians who support the petition made by the defence lawyers of the Cuban Five for the US Supreme Court to approve the re- examination of their case.
(Apoyo a Los Cinco en Consejo de ciudad de Richmond, EE.UU.)
Pakistan Thanks Cuba for Scholarships
Pakistan’s Higher Education Minister Shehnaz Wazir Ali thanked Cuba for its support for the training of human resources, by way of the granting of 1,000 places for Pakistanis to study medicine free of charge on the archipelago.
During the ceremony to give these scholarships, which will be used by youngsters from remote areas of that nation to study in Cuba, Wazir Ali, who is also a Special Advisor to the Prime Minister for the Social Sector, highlighted the great importance of this gesture, which she
described as one of fraternity on the part of Cuba toward her country.
Likewise, she expressed her gratitude for the presence of representatives of the Cuban embassy in the ceremony, which was also attended by the ambassadors of Korea and Austria, as well as by the vice- president of Pakistan’s National Assembly, Faisal Karim Kundi, and top
officials from the provincial government of FATA and Balochistan.
(Agradece Pakistán becas ofrecidas por Cuba)
During the ceremony to give these scholarships, which will be used by youngsters from remote areas of that nation to study in Cuba, Wazir Ali, who is also a Special Advisor to the Prime Minister for the Social Sector, highlighted the great importance of this gesture, which she
described as one of fraternity on the part of Cuba toward her country.
Likewise, she expressed her gratitude for the presence of representatives of the Cuban embassy in the ceremony, which was also attended by the ambassadors of Korea and Austria, as well as by the vice- president of Pakistan’s National Assembly, Faisal Karim Kundi, and top
officials from the provincial government of FATA and Balochistan.
(Agradece Pakistán becas ofrecidas por Cuba)
Bolivia to Demand End of US Blockade of Cuba
HAVANA, Cuba, April 9 (acn) Bolivia will recommend the adoption of a resolution demanding the end of the almost 50-year-old US economic, financial and trade blockade of Cuba during the upcoming Summit of the Americas scheduled for later this month in Trinidad and Tobago.
According to Geanma news daily, Bolivian President Evo Morales told foreign reporters in La Paz that the text of the document recommended asks “the current US Government to immediately end its economic blockade of Cuba.”
The Bolivian leader explained that ending Washington’s blockade of the Caribbean archipelago would be the only way to “bring back respect for the nations’ sovereignty and recognition for international law and, particularly, international humanitarian law in the Americas.”
Morales added that, first, his country will take the recommendation to a Summit of the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas (ALBA) that will take place in Venezuela on April 16th to find regional consensus on the proposal.
(Bolivia por el fin de bloqueo a Cuba en Cumbre de América)
According to Geanma news daily, Bolivian President Evo Morales told foreign reporters in La Paz that the text of the document recommended asks “the current US Government to immediately end its economic blockade of Cuba.”
The Bolivian leader explained that ending Washington’s blockade of the Caribbean archipelago would be the only way to “bring back respect for the nations’ sovereignty and recognition for international law and, particularly, international humanitarian law in the Americas.”
Morales added that, first, his country will take the recommendation to a Summit of the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas (ALBA) that will take place in Venezuela on April 16th to find regional consensus on the proposal.
(Bolivia por el fin de bloqueo a Cuba en Cumbre de América)
Cuban Films in Qatar's Documentary Festival
Cuba will present one short and three medium- feature films at the 5th International Documentary Festival of Al Jazeera, which will take place in Doha, Qatar next week.
Short-feature movie Historias entre Ciclones (Histories between Cyclones) by young filmmakers Ariel Prieto-Solis and Esteban Rios Rivera, will compete on its corresponding category in the event that will run from April 13 to 16, reported Granma on its website.
Omar Olazábal, Cuban artist and member of the Festival's jury, said that the other two films will be screened out of the competition. These are El Mérito es estar Vivo (The merit of being alive), by Otto Miguel Guzman, and Destinos (Destinies), by Guillermo Centeno.
Produced by Estudios Mundo Latino, El Merito... deals with the murder attempts against Cuban Revolution leader Fidel Castro.
Likewise, "Destinos", produced by the Cuban Institute of Art and Film Industry (ICAIC), talks about the life of international students graduated in Cuba after they return to their respective countries.
Olazábal said Historias entre Ciclones is an exceptional testimony of people's experiences on hurricanes Ike and Gustav, which hit the island last year.
Cuba will compete for the Al Jazeera Golden Prize in the medium-feature films category with "Volveré y seremos millones" (I will come back and we'll be millions), "Una Isla entre dos Imperios" (An island between two empires), "Camino al Desastre" (Road to disaster), and "Asediados por huracanes" (Besieged by hurricanes).
(Participará Cuba en festival de Cine Documental en Qatar)
Short-feature movie Historias entre Ciclones (Histories between Cyclones) by young filmmakers Ariel Prieto-Solis and Esteban Rios Rivera, will compete on its corresponding category in the event that will run from April 13 to 16, reported Granma on its website.
Omar Olazábal, Cuban artist and member of the Festival's jury, said that the other two films will be screened out of the competition. These are El Mérito es estar Vivo (The merit of being alive), by Otto Miguel Guzman, and Destinos (Destinies), by Guillermo Centeno.
Produced by Estudios Mundo Latino, El Merito... deals with the murder attempts against Cuban Revolution leader Fidel Castro.
Likewise, "Destinos", produced by the Cuban Institute of Art and Film Industry (ICAIC), talks about the life of international students graduated in Cuba after they return to their respective countries.
Olazábal said Historias entre Ciclones is an exceptional testimony of people's experiences on hurricanes Ike and Gustav, which hit the island last year.
Cuba will compete for the Al Jazeera Golden Prize in the medium-feature films category with "Volveré y seremos millones" (I will come back and we'll be millions), "Una Isla entre dos Imperios" (An island between two empires), "Camino al Desastre" (Road to disaster), and "Asediados por huracanes" (Besieged by hurricanes).
(Participará Cuba en festival de Cine Documental en Qatar)
Cuba Develops New Software for Education
A dozen computer programs for the Cuban national education system are under development with the use of a tool named Sadhea-Web, created by experts from the Jose de la Luz y Caballero pedagogical institute of this eastern province.
The tool was designed at the institution's Studies Center of Software and Teaching Applications (CESOFTAD), and it was given an award at the 13th 2009 International Convention and Fair on Information Sciences, recently held in Cuba.
CESOFTAD director, Orestes Coloma, told ACN that the solution is perfect
for lecturers who are interested in creating their own teaching aids, because it does not require any special skills from users and can be systematically updated.
The system responds to the current need to transfer Cuban teaching software to computer multiple platforms, which is part of the effort to achieve technological independence.
With the tool, more than 200 major learning environments have been created for the national educational system, of them 23 are for secondary and pre-university schools and nearly 160 for medical studies.
Coloma explained that Sadhea-Web is used in all higher pedagogical institutes, medical science schools and in some centers of the Higher Education Ministry across the island. It is also implemented at the Havana-based University of Information Sciences and other institutions.
The local development of software programs avoids the purchase of similar products in the international market, bringing important savings of foreign currency to the country.
(Beneficia a la educación cubana eficaz recurso computacional)
The tool was designed at the institution's Studies Center of Software and Teaching Applications (CESOFTAD), and it was given an award at the 13th 2009 International Convention and Fair on Information Sciences, recently held in Cuba.
CESOFTAD director, Orestes Coloma, told ACN that the solution is perfect
for lecturers who are interested in creating their own teaching aids, because it does not require any special skills from users and can be systematically updated.
The system responds to the current need to transfer Cuban teaching software to computer multiple platforms, which is part of the effort to achieve technological independence.
With the tool, more than 200 major learning environments have been created for the national educational system, of them 23 are for secondary and pre-university schools and nearly 160 for medical studies.
Coloma explained that Sadhea-Web is used in all higher pedagogical institutes, medical science schools and in some centers of the Higher Education Ministry across the island. It is also implemented at the Havana-based University of Information Sciences and other institutions.
The local development of software programs avoids the purchase of similar products in the international market, bringing important savings of foreign currency to the country.
(Beneficia a la educación cubana eficaz recurso computacional)
Cuba to Present New Variety of Rice
Cuba will launch the first bio-fortified rice variety mid year after concluding a 6-year process of extension and evaluation in the island.
In 2003, a rice variety named IACuba-30 was developed from a crossing and genetic selection process at the Cuban Institute of Rice Research in the provinces of Camagüey and Havana. The new crop has high iron and zinc levels, which make it useful for people suffering anaemia.
The crop will be presented on June 19 in the central province of Camagüey, where the largest cultivated lands of rice are located.
Jesus Limia, director of the experimental station in Camaguey’s municipality of Vertientes affiliated to the scientific center, told ACN that IACuba-30 can be grown by non-specialized farmers, because it requires less consumables such as water and fertilizers.
Annually from 200 to 300 hectares of the new rice variety are planted in Camagüey with a yield of 5 to 7 tons per hectare, a rate that is considered good by experts.
Limia mentioned as another advantage of this type of rice is its resistance to pests and diseases that attack the crop. He also noted that it can be adapted to saline soils, with promising results expected in cultivations in the coastal municipalities of Nuevitas (north coast
of Camaguey) and Santa Cruz del Sur (south coast of Camaguey).
From the industrial point of view, Limia said that 65% of the processed rice is entire, which means that the grain doesn’t break easily. It can be cooked easily and tastes good, he added.
This rice variety responds to the Agrosalud international program implemented in Latin American and the Caribbean since 2006 financed by Canada, which seeks to encourage the growing of new varieties of rice, corn, sweet potato and beans that have components that are important for health.
According to Limia, another three bio-fortified varieties are being evaluated by at the station.
(Presentará Cuba nueva variedad de arroz biofortifica)
In 2003, a rice variety named IACuba-30 was developed from a crossing and genetic selection process at the Cuban Institute of Rice Research in the provinces of Camagüey and Havana. The new crop has high iron and zinc levels, which make it useful for people suffering anaemia.
The crop will be presented on June 19 in the central province of Camagüey, where the largest cultivated lands of rice are located.
Jesus Limia, director of the experimental station in Camaguey’s municipality of Vertientes affiliated to the scientific center, told ACN that IACuba-30 can be grown by non-specialized farmers, because it requires less consumables such as water and fertilizers.
Annually from 200 to 300 hectares of the new rice variety are planted in Camagüey with a yield of 5 to 7 tons per hectare, a rate that is considered good by experts.
Limia mentioned as another advantage of this type of rice is its resistance to pests and diseases that attack the crop. He also noted that it can be adapted to saline soils, with promising results expected in cultivations in the coastal municipalities of Nuevitas (north coast
of Camaguey) and Santa Cruz del Sur (south coast of Camaguey).
From the industrial point of view, Limia said that 65% of the processed rice is entire, which means that the grain doesn’t break easily. It can be cooked easily and tastes good, he added.
This rice variety responds to the Agrosalud international program implemented in Latin American and the Caribbean since 2006 financed by Canada, which seeks to encourage the growing of new varieties of rice, corn, sweet potato and beans that have components that are important for health.
According to Limia, another three bio-fortified varieties are being evaluated by at the station.
(Presentará Cuba nueva variedad de arroz biofortifica)
Hurricane Gustav's Gust a World Record
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) considered Hurricane Gustav's 211mph gust, registered during its passage through the Cuban western province of Pinar del Rio, to be a record.
Jose Rubiera, head of the Forecast Center of the Cuban Meteorological Institute, said a WMO commission registered the record marked by the Paso Real weather station, located in Pinar del Rio, reported Granma newspaper.
Dr. Rubiera said the meters of the Paso Real station were broken by the gusts of the category-four hurricane. He explained that the strongest winds registered so far was by a winter storm in New Hampshire(U.S) in 1934, which had gusts of 229 mph.
However, in the case of hurricanes the record was of 178 mph marked by a storm that hit Mexico in 1953.
In Cuba, the most powerful gust that had been registered before was of 163 mph reported during the passing of hurricane San Lucas through Havana in 1944.
Hurricane Gustav swept Pinar del Rio and Isla de la Juventud (an small island off southern coast of Cuba) late August, 2008, and a few days later another powerful category-4 hurricane, Ike, hit the region causing considerable material damage.
(Impuso huracán Gustav en Cuba récord de ráfaga de viento)
Jose Rubiera, head of the Forecast Center of the Cuban Meteorological Institute, said a WMO commission registered the record marked by the Paso Real weather station, located in Pinar del Rio, reported Granma newspaper.
Dr. Rubiera said the meters of the Paso Real station were broken by the gusts of the category-four hurricane. He explained that the strongest winds registered so far was by a winter storm in New Hampshire(U.S) in 1934, which had gusts of 229 mph.
However, in the case of hurricanes the record was of 178 mph marked by a storm that hit Mexico in 1953.
In Cuba, the most powerful gust that had been registered before was of 163 mph reported during the passing of hurricane San Lucas through Havana in 1944.
Hurricane Gustav swept Pinar del Rio and Isla de la Juventud (an small island off southern coast of Cuba) late August, 2008, and a few days later another powerful category-4 hurricane, Ike, hit the region causing considerable material damage.
(Impuso huracán Gustav en Cuba récord de ráfaga de viento)
Cuba will Participate with Four Teams at ALBA Softball
Cuba will present four teams in softball tournament of the 3rd Bolivarian Alternative for our America (ALBA) games, at the Santiago de Cuba and Ciego de Avila venues.
The Cuban softball players will be divided in four teams: two of each sex, including in their rosters the best national players, reported the official ALBA website for these games, to run from April 15th to the 26th in the 14 Cuban provinces and the Isla de la Juventud municipality.
According to the softball tournament’s sources the participants will play a round robin by the page system.
In the women’s event, to be played in Santiago de Cuba province, are expected the Venezuelan and Argentinean teams, while in the men’s the other participants are Venezuela and another Cuban squad, this time from the Ministry of Interior.
This event will be a good training for the women squad which will participate in the qualifiers in Venezuela for the 2010 Centro American and the Caribbean games in Puerto Rico and the Guadalajara 2011 Pan American games.
(Cuba con cuatro equipos en softbol de III Juegos del ALBA)
The Cuban softball players will be divided in four teams: two of each sex, including in their rosters the best national players, reported the official ALBA website for these games, to run from April 15th to the 26th in the 14 Cuban provinces and the Isla de la Juventud municipality.
According to the softball tournament’s sources the participants will play a round robin by the page system.
In the women’s event, to be played in Santiago de Cuba province, are expected the Venezuelan and Argentinean teams, while in the men’s the other participants are Venezuela and another Cuban squad, this time from the Ministry of Interior.
This event will be a good training for the women squad which will participate in the qualifiers in Venezuela for the 2010 Centro American and the Caribbean games in Puerto Rico and the Guadalajara 2011 Pan American games.
(Cuba con cuatro equipos en softbol de III Juegos del ALBA)
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