Cuba

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Minute by minute: General elections in Cuba (II)
Follow our live coverage of Cuba’s general elections through Granma and Granma International’s Facebook, Twitter and YouTube accounts.

Author: Digital news staff | informacion@granma.cu

march 11, 2018 07:03:01

3:15 p.m. Adrián will also vote one day


Photo: Freddy Pérez Cabrera

SANTA CLARA. —At just 18 days old, little Adrián Alejandro Medina Falcón, in his mother Wendy’s arms as she voted, of course has no idea of the importance of today.

Casting her ballot at polling station No.1, constiruncy 44, in the Vigía Sandino People’s Council, Wendy was proud to be accompanied by her little one, and said the family had decided she should take him to vote, in order to be able to tell him about it when he is older.

“Right now, in his innocence, he doesn’t know what is going on, but one day he will come here to exercise this vote too, like thousands of young people who are voting for the first time today,” noted Adrián’s father, aware that this is part of a process to guarantee that his son will receive health, education and so many other achievements of the Cuban Revolution, that so many other children around the world are lacking.

(Granma correspondent: Freddy Pérez Cabrera)

Wendy, Adrián Alejandro’s mother, was proud to take her little one with her to vote this Sunday.

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2:56 p.m. The right of all to vote


Photo: Freddy Pérez Cabrera

SANTA CLARA, Villa Clara. —Thanks to special polling stations, every Cuban eligible to vote can do so wherever they are in the national territory this Sunday. Dozens of passengers of the Havana-Morón train did so, at polling station No.1, constituency 19, located in the Viet Nam Heroico semi-boarding school, very close to the city’s train station.

According to teacher María de los Ángeles Arboláez Quevedo, chairperson of this polling station, voting has occurred without any setbacks and it is also expected that a large number of passengers of the Havana-Bayamo-Manzanillo train service will vote here.

Adonis Portuondo Montero, from Baragúa municipality; Luis Leiva Marín, from Camagüey; and Yunier Martínez Guillot, from Santiago de Cuba, are among those who have taken advantage of this special polling station to exercise their right to vote. They expressed their gratitude for the initiative.

The province of Villa Clara also has special polling stations located in the Arnaldo Milián Castro and Mariana Grajales hospitals, in Santa Clara and the Mártires del 9 de Abril Hospital in Sagua la Grande, to allow staff and patients to vote; and in Cayo Santa María, for those working in the construction of tourist facilities and services.

A total of 1,548 polling stations opened their doors in the province, according to Julio Ramiro Lima Corzo, first Party secretary in Villa Clara, and candidate for deputy to the National Assembly, who voted at polling station no.44 in Isabela de Sagua.

(Granma correspondent: Freddy Pérez Cabrera)

Photo: Julio Martínez Molina

Cañellas worked for more than three decades as Professor of Philosophy at the Cienfuegos Party Provincial School, and is well-respected in his community. He is father to one the chief intellectuals of the territory: writer Miguel Cañellas Sueiras.

The 80-year-old noted that a vote for Cuba is a vote for its history, for its founding fathers, for the historic ideal of sovereignty and Independence; it is voting for the continuity of the Revolution and for this great people, whose bravery and resistance have been proved.

Cañellas is a member of the Committee for the Defense of the Revolution (CDR) no. 3 in Zone 89, Cienfuegos municipality, and is registered to vote at the La Gloria polling station, located in the Frank País High School. A further 8 people voted in their own homes from his CDR, and thousands of others throughout Cienfuegos.


(Granma correspondent: Julio Martínez Molina)

Miguel Cañellas Pomares, aged 80 and with a recently operated fractured hip, voted in the comfort of his own home.

http://en.granma.cu/cuba/2018-03-11/min ... in-cuba-ii

much more at link. Imagine living in a country that was a real democracy.....

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Cuban women: A revolution within the revolution

Posted Mar 12, 2018 by Eds.
Topics: Feminism , RevolutionsPlaces: Cuba
Originally published: Granma by Danae González Del Toro and Nuria Barbosa León (March 9, 2018)

It is almost impossible to talk about future projects in Cuba or the work done over all these years to construct a socialist society, without mentioning the role of women in decision making and their contribution in key spaces since the triumph of the Revolution on January 1, 1959.

Cuban women make up 48% of the state sector workforce, with a similar percent occupying management positions. Excellent employment, participation and leadership opportunities are open to women, for example, eight out of every ten attorneys in the country are female, as Teresa Amarelle Boué, Secretary General of the Federation of Cuban Women (FMC) and a member of the Communist Party of Cuba Political Bureau reported.

Meanwhile, women constitute 48.86% of deputies in the National Assembly of People’s Power (Cuban Parliament), a figure that demonstrates the important contribution made by Cuban women to drafting policy and perfecting the island’s socialist system.

Likewise, 78.5% of healthcare professionals are women, as well as almost half of all of those conducting scientific research. Women also constitute 66% of the country’s highly trained technicians and professionals, receiving the same salary as their male counterparts for the same work.

Cuban women also have access to free and universal education and healthcare, and represent 60% of all university graduates.

THE FMC
A revolution within the Revolution, is how Fidel Castro Ruz described women’s participation in the construction of a new society, This was the same spirit that led to the founding of the Federation of Cuban Women (FMC), on August 23, 1960, with Vilma Espín as president, who stood out as an example of commitment to the revolutionary struggle and the defense of women’s rights.

“There are many things our country can feel fortunate about, among them, above all, the magnificent people it possesses. Here it is not only men that fight; here just like men, women also fight,” stated the Comandante en Jefe.

Since then, the FMC has continued to grow and today has over four million members, 90.6% of Cuban women over the age of 14 years, the minimum age requirement to become a member.

The FMC has created institutions centered on helping Cuban families, such as the Community Women and Family Guidance Centers, which undertake educational and prevention work, and ensure that women, men, children and seniors receive individualized care when it comes to conflict resolution, whether it be a case of domestic violence, legal advice or other matters.

The organization also visits communities and local maternity facilities where it offers support and advice to families, especially information regarding safe sex and the risks associated with teen pregnancy.

What is more, the Federation gives special attention to a sensitive but important issue: prostitution. Based on the Cuban government’s zero tolerance policy as regards procuring, corruption of minors and other forms of sexual abuse, the FMC supports victims and those at risk, undertaking work at a community level, where it carries out prevention efforts and offers guidance.

HEALTHCARE GUARANTEED
The political will of the Cuban government to guarantee comprehensive healthcare for women should be noted, with the implementation of various universal healthcare programs designed around the family.

These include the maternal-infant health program; cervical, uterine and breast cancer screening; as well as a parenthood guidance plan; support for older adults with specific initiatives designed for elderly women; and finally a program to prevent sexually transmitted infections (STIs), HIV and AIDS.

The maternal-infant health program is a priority for the Ministry of Public Health in its efforts to reduce the country’s infant mortality rate – which stood at 4 per 1,000 live births in 2017 – and maternal deaths every year.

It also includes measures to reduce the mortality rate among school age children, and deaths caused by birth defects, as well as providing the population with different forms of contraceptive, including legal, free abortions performed in public hospitals.

Likewise, the program ensures the strict monitoring of pregnant women, with over 12 check-ups throughout their pregnancy, clinical and diagnostic tests, the admittance of at risk women to the appropriate facilities, and conducting all possible deliveries in a hospital.

During their first few months, infants receive check-ups every seven to 15 days, home visits and medical examinations, as well as scheduled vaccinations within the first year of life.

Meanwhile, care of the elderly in Cuba is promoted from within the family, with a state program which prioritizes initiatives for those of retirement age, above all women (60 years of age) with university courses for Older Adults, educational workshops and programs for seniors; direct medical attention from the local doctor; senior’s circles which promote physical exercise and recreational activities; retirement homes providing full time care, and day care centers which offer part-time assistance for families unable to look after elderly members during the day.

In this same vein, the cervical, uterine and breast cancer screening program includes regular Pap tests conducted at the local family doctors’ office. Women are also encouraged to conduct breast self-exams and visit their doctor if they suspect anything. Meanwhile, women diagnosed with cancer are provided with medical care, medicines, surgery and specialized treatments.

Regarding parenthood, in 2003 the Decree-Law 234 relating to Maternity Leave was issued with Complementary Resolution number 22/2003, granting both men and women maternity/paternity leave during the first year of life, with the intention of redefining traditional parental roles by placing shared responsibility at the center of child-parent relations.

Meanwhile, the STI prevention program includes, first and foremost, talks and events on how to tackle these infections, with condoms available in local pharmacies. If a person has an STI they are provided with free medical treatment and the appropriate medications, no matter the cost.

What is more, Cuba was the first country in the world to receive validation from the World Health Organization of having eliminated mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis.

Illnesses which exclusively affect women, and biological processes such as pregnancy, maternity and menopause, are all prioritized within each of these programs, which form part of Cuba’s free and universal healthcare system, offering broad coverage and quality of treatment to patients, with efforts centered on health promotion and disease prevention.

Today, however, these programs must also include aspects specifically linked to gender in the context of women’s daily lives, such as stress and exhaustion stemming from their double workload of holding down a job and managing a home.

In this regard, there is a marked interest in promoting the active participation of men in child care, and issue which is hindered by the continued existence of social prejudices and stereotypes. Statistics reveal that only 90 men took advantage of the new paternity law after it was approved, above all following the death of the mother or other specific situations.

It is worth noting that Cuban law includes a series of regulations affording special rights to women during both the pre and post natal period, starting from 34 weeks through to when the child can walk; while working mothers can breast feed for as long as they like.

A great deal has been achieved over the years, although much remains to be done, as seen in spaces calling for an end to violence against women and girls, in debates on gender equality, reproductive rights and sex education, as well as work to dismantle stereotypes inherited from a misogynist and patriarchal society: all of which form part of efforts to continue building a more just and equal society, where women continue to lead a revolution within the Revolution.

https://mronline.org/2018/03/12/cuban-w ... evolution/

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China delivers aid funds to Cuba worth 36 mln USD for development
Source: Xinhua| 2018-03-17 15:13:12|Editor: Zhou Xin

HAVANA, March 16 (Xinhua) -- China officially handed over aid funds equivalent to 36 million U.S. dollars to Cuba on Friday, to support Cuban development in sectors such as agriculture, water resources, renewable energy and technology.

Six cooperation projects that have already been executed were made official at the ceremony chaired by Chinese Ambassador in Havana Chen Xi and Cuban First Deputy Minister of Foreign Trade Investment Antonio Carricarte.

According to signed documents, China provides equipment worth 6.9 million dollars to help with Cuba's livestock recovery program.

China also provides equipment worth around 7.2 million dollars to modernize Cuban ports and airports, as well as delivers equipment and machineries to strengthen the island's water systems and to support the development of sanitary solutions, among others.

"These six projects total about 36 million dollars and some of them have already been executed. Most of the equipment and machinery has already been delivered and in other cases Chinese and Cuban experts are installing them," Chen told Xinhua.

Among the most important projects is the supply of raw materials for the production of photovoltaic solar panels worth 3 million dollars as this Caribbean nation is aiming to rapidly develop its renewable energy program.

In addition, both sides signed a document on China's donation of 7.7 million dollars of rice to Cuba.

"This demonstrates once again the friendship between China and Cuba. The two countries have good relations not only in the political and diplomatic areas but also in economic and trade cooperation," said the Chinese ambassador.

Carricarte told Xinhua that China is an important source of donations, resources and credits for Cuba.

"Economic and commercial relations with China are present in almost all sectors of the Cuban economy and social life, there are growing links and other projects are being negotiated to increase the participation of Chinese companies in foreign investment," he said.

China became the island's first trading partner in 2016 while the Caribbean nation has maintained in recent years a growing trend in its exports to China.

According to official data, during the first eight months of 2017, the volume of bilateral trade totaled 1.13 billion dollars, of which China exported 830 million dollars of goods to Cuba while the island nation exported 300 million dollars of goods to Beijing.

http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-0 ... 045532.htm

So then, imperialist exploitation or socialist solidarity? Hmm.....

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Cuba's cancer treatments
BY NINA NOTMAN16 MARCH 2018



Nina Notman learns how biotechnology could potentially overtake cigars as Cuba’s most famous export

Cuba lies approximately 90 miles off the southern tip of Florida, US. Yet life on the island couldn’t be more different from that of its rich neighbour. The approximately 11 million people who live in this socialist country have limited internet access, and are regularly frustrated by shortages of basic groceries such as milk. But on the flip side, healthcare and education at every level is free for all.

Socialist Cuba is the brainchild of Fidel Castro, who in 1959 overthrew the country’s US-supported regime and aligned Cuba with the Soviet Union. As Cuba’s relationship with the US continued to sour, US president John F Kennedy placed an official embargo on all trade between the US and Cuba in 1962. The embargo remains in place today, and also affects Cuba’s trade with most other countries.

Cubans are possibly the world’s best sugar chemists

GRAHAM RICHARDS, UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD

While the implications of this embargo for Cubans are widespread, in some endeavours the country has managed to achieve great things with very little money and other resources. ‘[Cuba’s] medical services are quite fantastic,’ explains Graham Richards, a chemistry professor at the University of Oxford, UK. Richards collaborates with researchers at the University of Havana and has visited Cuba a number of times.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Cuba’s health indicators are comparable with those of highly developed countries. Its free education system has produced nearly three times the density of doctors – 7.5 per 1000 population – than in the US and UK. And the majority of the medical equipment and medicines used in Cuba have been developed and produced within the country.

State-run R&D
After the revolution, in 1960 all pharmaceutical companies in Cuba, foreign and domestic, were nationalised as the government expropriated property, land and assets owned by companies and rich individuals. The resulting state pharma setup has undergone a number of transformations since, the most recent in 2012 saw BioCubaFarma established as the umbrella agency overseeing the 31 state-run pharmaceutical and biotechnology R&D and production facilities. In 2013, according to the WHO, BioCubaFarma had more than 21,000 employees including 6158 university graduates (270 with a PhD and over 1000 with a master’s degree).


ClimaVax-EGF has been developed to treat non-small-cell lung carcinoma
Source: Image courtesy of Roswell Park

In the early 1980s, following the discovery that interferon proteins held potential as a treatment for cancers and other diseases, ‘Cuba’s government chose to invest heavily in biotechnology, which has since paid off in terms of innovative drugs and vaccines,’ explains Nassim Assefi, former executive director of Medicc, an NGO working to promote US–Cuba health collaborations. ‘Today, of the 857 medicines on Cuba’s list of medicines approved for use in the national health system, 569 are produced domestically. It imports the remaining medicines from Latin America, Europe and Asia.’

Cuba also exports medicines. As of 2015, Cuban biotech products were exported to 49 countries and there were half a dozen products in 30 clinical trials in 18 countries. ‘The drugs that Cuba produces are provided first to meet national needs, and then registered and marketed internationally ,’ Assefi explains.

The jewels in the crown of BioCubaFarma are a cluster of biotechnology institutes focused on developing vaccines and antibodies. ‘These institutes are really very, very good,’ explains Richards. And it’s no accident that vaccines are something that Cuba excels at. ‘Vaccines tend to be proteins with sugars on the outside and something Cuba has in abundance is sugar,’ explains Richards. ‘The Cubans have become incredibly good at synthesising these rather complicated sugars and are now possibly the world’s best sugar chemists.’

Unlike other countries where the commercial imperative is a factor in which diseases are targeted, in Cuba products are developed solely in accordance with the health needs of the nation . The country’s biotechnology sector had its first taste of success in 1981, with the successful isolation of large quantities of human leukocyte interferon alpha now used to treat various cancers and viral infections. Other early achievements include the world’s first meningitis B vaccine, a hepatitis B vaccine and, another global first, a Haemophilus influenzae type B vaccine created from synthetic antigens. It was the success of this early work that first made Cuba’s name as a world-class vaccine producer, but many more – exportable – innovative biotech products have followed.

Lung cancer vaccine
The most recent vaccine to make headlines outside Cuba is CimaVax-EGF, a vaccine for treating cancer – specifically, non-small-cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC). CimaVax-EGF was developed by the Center of Molecular Immunology (CIM) – one of the BioCubaFarma institutes.

Cuba has a vast tobacco industry – cigars are the country’s most well-known export – and its population has high incidences of lung cancer, a disease with low survival rates. Identifying a treatment for NSCLC was prioritised in Cuba around 30 years ago. ‘CimaVax-EGF’s active ingredient and its action mechanism were discovered in the early 1990s,’ explains the CimaVax-EGF product manager Gustavo Gonzalez Ruiz. Following 25 years of trials , it was approved in Cuba in 2008. And although vaccines are typically a preventative measure, CimaVax-EGF was developed as a treatment for patients that already have lung cancer, by controlling the growth of the cancer cells.

CimaVax-EGF is a hybrid protein comprised of the human protein epidermal growth factor (EGF) and pieces of protein from the meningitis bacteria, to boost the immune system. In our bodies, EGF attaches to a receptor protein on the surface of cells and signals them to grow and divide. Some types of cancer cause the body to produce more EGF than normal, this in turn causes cells to grow and divide more rapidly than they should. CimaVax-EGF has been shown to stimulate the body to produce more natural antibodies to EGF. These antibodies then bind to the extra EGF produced due to the cancer cells, preventing it from triggering further cancer cell growth.



A scientist at the Center of Molecular Immunology, where Cuba’s vaccine-based cancer treatment was developed
Source: © Center of Molecular Immunology

The Phase III clinical trial of CimaVax-EGF was published in 2016. Nearly 250 patients with advanced NSCLC who received the vaccine survived on average more than a year after vaccination, compared to just over nine months for the control group.

As well as now being widely used in Cuba, CimaVax-EGF is also approved in a handful of South American countries. To widen its reach, the CIM has two ongoing international collaborations through which the vaccine is being trialled in a number of other countries including Europe and – perhaps surprisingly – the US.

The first of these collaborations is with the Malaysian company Bioven. In 2002, Castro made an official visit to Malaysia and met with its prime minister to discuss using Cuba’s biotechnology innovations in Asia, explains Bioven’s chief scientific officer Erik D’Hondt. Bioven was subsequently founded and given the rights for the South East Asia territory. These rights have now been expanded to include other regions.

Bioven is currently trialling CimaVax-EGF in 12 countries in Europe and Asia. Thanks to the Cuban trial data, it hasn’t been necessary to start Bioven’s CimaVax-EGF trials again from scratch. ‘After seeing the interim analysis of the Phase III trial that CIM ran in Cuba we decided to start with a Phase III trial,’ says D’Hondt.

[Collaborations are] very vulnerable, because President Trump hasn’t clarified his policy toward Cuba

NASSAM ASSEFI

Interestingly, however, Bioven are looking to use CimaVax-EGF in a different stage in the treatment process to the Cuban doctors. ‘In Cuba, CimaVax-EGF is used as second-line therapy after first-line platinum-based chemotherapy ,’ explains CIM’s Gonzalez Ruiz. Around a month after first-line chemotherapy is completed, patients are given another low dose of the chemotherapeutic agent followed by a CimaVax-EGF vaccine. The vaccine is then boosted every two weeks for four doses, and then switched to monthly.

In Bioven’s trials, CimaVax-EGF is being explored as a first-line treatment with two immunisations occurring prior to chemotherapy. D’Hondt believes that giving the vaccine first will solicit a larger immune response from the vaccine. ‘Prior to chemotherapy the immune cells are competent and active, whereas after chemotherapy most of the immune cells have been destroyed or damaged severely,’ he explains. Following chemotherapy, maintenance vaccinations are then given every two months until clinical relapse or patient death. An interim analysis of these trials is planned for early 2019.

Making it into the US
Bioven is also exploring the potential of using CimaVax-EGF as a combination treatment for other diseases. And it’s also working towards expanding their current CimaVax-EGF clinical trials in to the US. ‘We have FDA [Food and Drug Administration] approval for adding centres in the US but the likelihood to obtain the Office of Foreign Assets Control licence required for importing the product in US is low under the current administration,’ D’Hondt says.

The company obtained its FDA approval under the Obama administration. In 2014, then US president Barack Obama together with the current Cuban president (and Fidel’s brother) Raúl Castro announced an intention to thaw US–Cuban relations, and in 2016 Obama became the first US president to visit Cuba in nearly 100 years. Since the November US election, concern has been rife among those with an interest in improved Cuban-US relations that the US will retreat from cooperation. ‘[Collaborations are] very vulnerable at this point in time, because President Trump hasn’t clarified his policy toward Cuba and may reverse the opening,’ explains Medicc’s Assefi. It is widely suspected that Donald Trump’s administration will be less pro-Cuba than its predecessor.

But while Bioven hasn’t yet obtained the required permissions, some trials are still going ahead. Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, New York, has been running the Phase I part of a Phase I/II clinical trial of CimaVax-EGF since January 2017. Here it is being used as a second-line treatment against NSCLC in combination with the drug Opdivo (nivolumab).

‘In 2011, the CIM scientists approached some immunologists and scientists from Roswell to talk about developing a collaboration to study their cancer vaccine,’ explains Grace Dy, principal investigator of the Roswell-led clinical trial. ‘As part of the procedure to be able to get the agent over here for study, we needed to obtain a special licence from the Office of Foreign Assets Control, and that was accomplished around 2013 as a prelude to designing a clinical trial.’ This license gives Roswell permission to import the vaccines for their trials from Cuba.


Grace Dy (right) and Kelvin Lee at the Roswell-led clinical trial

‘We have chosen to test CimaVax-EGF with Opdivo because of the potential synergistic interaction between these two agents,’ explains Dy. Cancer is able to confuse the body’s T cells, switching the natural immune response to foreign cells such as cancerous ones. Checkpoint inhibitors or modulators, such as Opdivo, have been shown to be able to remove the brakes put on T cells by cancer and allow them to once again hunt down and destroy cancerous cells. So, checkpoint inhibitors could potentially work together with CimaVax-EGF to give a larger boost the body’s immune system and cancerbusting capabilities.

Roswell also has plans to explore the use of CimaVax-EGF for other cancers. ‘The initial path was in lung cancer, as this cancer accounts for the highest cancer-related mortality in the US (more than prostate, breast, colon cancer combined), and it has the proof of concept. The next steps will be to test the vaccine in other cancers.’ Other cancers that utilise the EGF pathway include head-neck cancers and colorectal cancer.

Roswell is also exploring other products developed by Cuba’s CIM. ‘The Cubans have a very innovative and interesting pipeline of vaccines and antibodies that we are looking at for future testing,’ explains Dy.

Healing wounds
Another highly exportable Cuban biotechnology innovation is Heberprot-P, an injection that supplies EGF to support wound healing. Its primary use is for treating diabetic foot ulcers, which affect around 10% of diabetes patients in their lifetime. People with diabetes have lower than normal concentrations of EGF in their tissues, which impairs wound healing and means that ulcers can become infected, eventually leading to foot amputation. In the US, over 70,000 such amputations are performed annually. Trials in Cuba have shown that the EGF in Heberprot-P accelerates the healing of foot ulcers in 70% of patients.

Heberprot-P was developed by a different BioCubaFarma institute to CimaVax-EGF; the Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (GIGB). It was licensed in Cuba in 2006 and has since been licensed in more than a dozen other countries primarily in South and Central America. According to the GIGB, 250,000 diabetic patients have now been treated with this drug.

Mercurio Biotec, a startup company allied with the University of Arizona, is now looking to bring Heberprot-P to the US. In May 2016, the Department of Treasury granted Mercurio Biotec a license to import Heberprot-P to the US for clinical trial purposes as a therapeutic for diabetic foot ulcers, explains Medicc’s Assefi. The company hopes to apply to start US trials at Phase III, due to the huge amount of human data that has already been amassed elsewhere.

But before it can file for FDA approval to start trials, Mercurio needs to secure the rights to use the technology from the Cuban government. Since President Trump was elected all progress with this paperwork has ground to a halt. The Cuban government is waiting to see how the change of administration might affect newly thawed US–Cuban relations before proceeding, explains medic and Mercurio Biotec’s chairman Marvin Slepian. ‘The issue is that if we start to embark on a commercial venture, and then the door gets slammed shut, it’s not going be a good thing for anybody.’ We are at currently at holding gates but are still all very optimistic that we will be able to bring this drug to the US, he adds.

Assefi is hopeful that one day soon the US and Cuba populations will both benefit from improved relations and increased collaborations. ‘People in both countries will fare better working together—to meet the challenges of emerging infectious disease threats, climate change, aging and the accompanying chronic diseases affecting the baby boom generation, as well as natural disasters and other health emergencies,’ she says.

Nina Notman is a science writer based near Baltimore, US

https://www.chemistryworld.com/feature/ ... 85.article

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They confirm the effectiveness of Cuban floating barriers protecting the environment
The Life Task gives priority to the reservoirs, channels and hydro-regulatory fringes of the basins

Author: Ortelio González Martínez | internet@granma.cu

March 21, 2018 20:03:42


The sections of the floating barriers are subjected to a rigorous inspection process before leaving the factory. Photo: Ortelio González Martínez

CIEGO DE ÁVILA.-The first floating barriers collecting solid waste, designed and built in Cuba, confirm its effectiveness after the initial evaluations carried out by the specialists in each of the places where these protective defenses of the environment are located.

Made of pipes HDPE in avileña company CIEGOPLAST, the experience was applied in the Almendares River and the Dren (drainage system) Bay of Havana, where the waters of three rivers (Luyanó Martin Perez arrive and Tadeo) with a high degree of contamination due to the dumping of waste from large industries, the indiscipline of the population and the impact of other polluting sources.

Engineer Jorge Eduardo Brey Herrera, deputy director of the Enterprise Basic Sanitation Havana, belonging to Grupo Empresarial Water and Sewerage, he explained to Granma that this year will come into operation another four: two in the Luyanó river, in the ditch Capitán Núñez, in the busy municipality of San Miguel del Padrón, and another in the Martín Pérez River. Later it is planned to place another one in the Cojímar river, east of the capital.

All this is also part of the so-called Life Task, which among its actions plans to give priority to reservoirs, channels and hydro-regulatory fringes of the tributary basins of the main bays and the coasts of the Cuban insular platform.

Brey Herrera noted that among the most important sanitation work undertaken by his entity is that of the Quibú River, from which some 10,000 cubic meters of waste were extracted; a few years earlier they had undertaken another similar work in Luyanó, from where they extracted more than 25,000 cubic meters of garbage, work that is still insufficient if one takes into account that the Cuban capital has more than 500 kilometers of watercourses.

In this regard, he stressed the importance of raising awareness among the population about caring for the environment in order to avoid damage to human health and nature, and to improve environmental education work.

The engineer Hiorvanys Espinosa Pérez, director of Ciegoplast, confirmed that the factory completed the articulated collector barriers that will be used in the Luyanó and Capitán Núñez ditches, and only needs to be moved.

http://www.granma.cu/cuba/2018-03-21/co ... 8-20-03-42


Google Translator

Communists meet human need not the bottom line.

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Can the Monroe Doctrine triumph in the 21st century?
Although many of us would like to answer this question with a resounding "No!" and insist that our region is well prepared to defend itself against the 1823 pretensions of President James Monroe, with his "America for Americans" -which must be understood as "America for the United States"- it would be a serious mistake to underestimate the risks

Author: Sergio Alejandro Gómez | internet@granma.cu

march 20, 2018 12:03:47



Can the United States achieve its current goals to dominate Latin America and the Caribbean with a doctrine based on principles from the 19th century?

Although many of us would like to answer this question with a resounding "No!" and insist that our region is well prepared to defend itself against the 1823 pretensions of President James Monroe, with his "America for Americans" -which must be understood as "America for the United States"- it would be a serious mistake to underestimate the risks.

There are at least two conditions that must be met, if the U.S. is to advance its objectives.

The first is keeping Latin American and Caribbean countries divided, aggravating their differences, and convincing them that individual progress inevitably means the weakening of neighboring nations.

This was how the U.S. strengthened regional oligarchies and helped frustrate Bolivarian plans to create a great union of nations. Almost two centuries later, the techniques used are not much different in U.S. efforts to dismantle integrationist mechanisms like the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA), the Union of South American Nations (Unasur), Mercosur (the Common Market of the South), and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC).

The second condition is imposing a theory based on fear, so Washington appears to be the only state capable of guaranteeing security and tranquility in the region.

If in Monroe's era the enemies were the old European colonial powers, now talk focuses on terrorism, Russian interference, and China's economic competition. In all cases, U.S. hegemony and intervention in the domestic affairs of other countries are sold as "lesser evils," given threats from elsewhere.

This was how the occupations of Cuba and Puerto Rico, and constant U.S. interventions in Central America in the beginning of the 20th century, were justified. Later, containing Communism was the excuse used for attacks on the Cuban Revolution, support of military dictatorships, and counterinsurgency plans that left tens of thousands of people dead or disappeared.

The disintegration of the socialist camp and the Soviet Union did not prevent Washington from targeting progressive governments that emerged in the final decades of the past century, which in a short period of time changed the face of Latin America and the Caribbean.

Advances were made in the nationalization of natural resources, the reduction of poverty, and the search for ways to develop complementarity among national economies. Created were ALBA, UNASUR, and finally, most ambitiously, CELAC.

"Unity within diversity," was recognized as one of CELAC's basic principles: Everyone need not share the same social project, to benefit from integration.

During these years, in a parallel process, China became one of Latin America's most important socio-economic partners, purchasing a large portion of its raw materials from the region and investing billions of dollars in the development of new industries to manufacture products with greater added value.

The brief period when unquestioned U.S. predominance reigned, after the fall of the Soviet Union, gave way to the emergence of important actors in the region, including BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa). In Latin America and the Caribbean, consciousness grew that no country, not even the largest, could face, the political, economic, and environmental challenges of the 21st century, on their own.

Likewise, regional pressure was one of the reasons President Barack Obama recognized the failure of his country's policy toward Cuba, and moved toward normalization of relations between Washington and Havana.

Although this administration never, for even a second, abandoned its strategic objectives of domination, Obama was obliged to change methods and address not only Cuban leaders more respectfully, but all those across the continent.

In a speech to the Organization of American States (OAS), in November of 2013, then Secretary of State John Kerry stated that the era of the Monroe Doctrine was "over," and that his country aspired to a relationship of "equals" in the region. His words were not a moral epiphany, but rather a simple recognition that the political environment had changed.

In any event, his comments contrast sharply with those of his Republican successor, Rex Tillerson, who proclaimed the full relevance of the Monroe Doctrine, prior to a recent tour of several Latin American and Caribbean countries, during which he redoubled attacks on the Bolivarian Revolution in Venezuela.

Beyond the differences in methods, strengthening U.S. hegemony in Latin America and the Caribbean is a national security objective of the United States that transcends any party differences, or scandals surrounding the White House.

Tillerson's words came not only from the Trump administration - which conducted an election campaign based on an anti-immigrant discourse and disrespect for several countries south of U.S. borders - but also reflected a change in the way the United States perceives the relationship of forces in an area it still considers its "backyard."

Republicans have reaped the rewards of the silent war Obama waged against progressive governments in Argentina and Brazil. They have likewise redoubled the attacks on Venezuela, which the previous President had already declared an "unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States."

Methods can change, but the objective remains the same: eliminate an example of resistance. This is the Bolivarian Revolution's original sin, as is was for Cuba, which 60 years later is still being punished with the blockade.

The 8th Summit of the Americas, in Lima, Peru, is on the horizon, where the U.S. strategy will once again consist of promoting division, by trying to prevent the participation of Venezuela.

"Some appear to have forgotten the lessons of the past," warned Army General

Raúl Castro in his speech at the 15th Ordinary Summit of ALBA, after noting that Washington is again "underestimating our peoples."

What is at risk is that the wishes of James Monroe could come true, and the independence and unity of Latin America and the Caribbean postponed another 200 years.



THE MONROE DOCTRINE IN ACTION


1846: Mexico loses half of its territory as the result of a U.S. invasion.

1898: The United States intervenes in the Spanish-Cuban War, and annexes Puerto Rico, Guam, the Philippines, and Hawaii. Later, in 1901, Cuba is forced to include the Platt Amendment in its Constitution, guaranteeing the United States' right to intervene in the country's internal affairs whenever it sees fit.

1903: Washington promotes the independence of Panama from Colombia, to negotiate an agreement on the construction of the inter-ocean canal on better terms. Panamanians were obliged to wait almost another century to recover sovereignty over this part of their territory.

1910: The first occupation of Nicaragua, repeated several times in subsequent years, facing the heroic resistance of the barefoot army of Augusto César Sandino.

1954: The CIA orchestrates the overthrow of the democratically elected Jacobo Árbenz government in Guatemala.

1959: A dirty war begins to defeat the Cuban Revolution, one which continues to date.

1973: The U.S. supports and aidsthe organization of a coup against Salvador Allende in Chile. An era of military dictatorships takes hold across the region, backed and advised by Washington.

http://en.granma.cu/mundo/2018-03-20/ca ... st-century

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Vietnam and Cuba: Examples of what socialism can achieve
Cuba and Vietnam, separated by thousands of kilometers and with different historical and cultural realities, are examples of the successes of socialism, when it is defended and built with the support of the majority of the people.

Author: Iramsy Peraza Forte | informacion@granma.cu

march 29, 2018 11:03:47


General Secretary of the Vietnamese Communist Party, Nguyen Phu Trong, visited Cuba to strengthen the close ties of friendship shared by the two nations. Photo: VNA

Cuba and Vietnam, separated by thousands of kilometers and with different historical and cultural realities, are examples of the successes of socialism, when it is defended and built with the support of the majority of the people.

Led by Ho Chi Minh, Vietnamese patriots drove out the European colonizers and then defeated the United States Army, the most powerful in history.

Later they reunified the nation and raised one of the most powerful economies of Southeast Asia from the ashes left by the U.S. Air Force.

Vietnam, like Cuba on the sands of Playa Girón (Bay of Pigs), showed that it was possible to defeat imperialism.

Since the time of José Martí, the resistance of its inhabitants was admired. “They fought, and they will fight again, the poor Annamites, those who live on fish and rice, and dress in silk, far away, in Asia, by the seashore, below China,” the Cuban Apostle wrote in The Golden Age children’s magazine.

Today, Vietnam faces other challenges to its development with equal determination, such as the accelerated industrialization of the country to guarantee its economic growth, and addressing certain social inequalities.

Cuba, on the other hand, is a symbol of resistance after more than half a century of attacks and blockade by the United States.

In the midst of this adverse context, exacerbated by the unilateral decisions of the current Republican administration, the island’s achievements are widely recognized in terms of guaranteeing its citizens basic rights, such as health and education, which remain a privilege in many other countries of the region.

Also, in the midst of economic difficulties, sectors linked to the knowledge society were promoted, such as biotechnology, which constitute important sources of income due to their high added value, and even attract the attention of developed nations.

Cuba is undergoing a process of updating its economy, without abandoning the essence of justice of the Revolution, but with the firm purpose of guaranteeing a prosperous and sustainable socialism for present and future generations.

Today, a turbulent period, in which the world faces serious challenges for peace, the ties of friendship between Vietnam and Cuba are examples for international relations.

In order to put economic relations on a level with the excellent state of political ties, the two states are working together to promote greater economic cooperation, favorable to Vietnam’s “Renovation” process, and the updating of the Cuban economic and social model.

Thanks to these joint efforts, this desire is gradually materializing. In the 35th Session of the Cuba-Vietnam Intergovernmental Commission, Cuban Minister of Foreign Trade and Investment, Rodrigo Malmierca, noted that Vietnam was the country's second most important trading partner in Asia and Oceania, and the tenth worldwide.

The minister welcomed the growing number of Vietnamese companies doing business with the island, already more than a hundred; and the progress of Vietnamese investments in various branches of the Cuban economy, such as construction, renewable energy, industry, tourism, and infrastructure.

But beyond the political and economic, the most important aspect for Cuba and Vietnam is their friendship, sealed almost half a century ago, when the Comandante en Jefe of the Revolution, Fidel Castro, stated: “For Vietnam we are ready to give even our own blood.” Although the current context is different, the affection of the Cuban people toward the Vietnamese remains the same.

http://en.granma.cu/cuba/2018-03-29/vie ... an-achieve

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New accords strengthen strategic relations between Cuba and Vietnam
With the March 29 signing of a series of agreements, Cuba and Vietnam strengthened their ties and opened the way for future projects

Author: Iramsy Peraza Forte | informacion@granma.cu

Author: Yisel Martínez | informacion@granma.cu

april 4, 2018 16:04:48


An agreement was reached to forgive Cuba's debt to Vietnam. Photo: Ricardo López Hevia

With the March 29 signing of a series of agreements that range from the enterprise sector to cooperation between the two governments, Cuba and Vietnam strengthened their strategic relationship and opened the way for future projects.

With the presence of Army General Raúl Castro, President of Cuba's Councils of State and Ministers, and Nguyen Phu Trong, general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV), the countries' representatives signed nine new accords.

A few hours earlier, during the Cuba-Vietnam Enterprise Forum, held in the Hotel Nacional, the emergence of a new Vietnamese concessionaire to operate in the Mariel Special Development Zone was formalized.

The general director of the company Viglacera S.A, Nguyen Anh Tuan, and the Zone's general director, Ana Teresa Igarza, signed an agreement recognizing ViMariel S.A under Cuban law, with 100% foreign capital.

Igarza explained to the press that the new concessionaire plans to develop an industrial park of some 156 hectares.

The new concession, with a term of 50 years, allows for the development of a timeline of capital investment, over a five year period starting in 2019, to build roads, and establish communications, electrical, and water networks. The company is also authorized to build standard plants that would be available for lease.

Also signed on the occasion were two other agreements. An administration and sales contract for the New York Hotel, with representatives from the Cuban state enterprise Gran Caribe S.A and the Vietnamese Chao-Viglacera Association; and a memorandum of understanding between the hotel chain Cubanacan S.A and Vietnam's HANEL Co, to design, construct, operate, and commercialize a five star hotel in Havana.

Cuban Minister of Foreign Trade and Investment, Rodrigo Malmierca Díaz, additionally announced the approval of two important projects with the Vietnamese company Tin Thanh, one for the construction of a 50 megawatt bioelectrical plant, and another for agricultural development combined with the use of renewable energy to generate electricity, both in the province of Camagüey.

For his part, Vietnam's Minister of Industry and Commerce, Tran Tuan Anh, recalled that his country is now Cuba's second most important trade partner in Asia and Oceania, but that interest exists in further strengthening and increasing economic relations.

He emphasized plans to expand trade, which currently stands at close to 200 million dollars annually, raising it to 500 million in the short term.

A number of memoranda of cooperation were also signed during the afternoon, addressing the areas of communications and justice.

PRINCIPAL LEGAL INSTRUMENTS SIGNED

1- Accord on interchange and cooperation between the Communist Party of Cuba and that of Vietnam

2- Agreement to forgive the Cuban government's debt to that of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam

3- Treaty on mutual legal assistance in the area of penal issues, between the Republic of Cuba and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam

4- Memorandum of understanding on scientific and technological cooperation between the Vietnamese Ministry of Science and Technology and the Cuban Ministry of Science, Technology, and Environment (Citma)

5- Memorandum of cooperation on environmental protection and responding to climate change, between Citma and Vietnam's Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment

6- Accord between Cuba's Ministry of Foreign Trade and Investment (Mincex) and the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Commerce, on the conclusion of negotiations to establish a trade agreement between the two countries' governments

7- A framework agreement on Vietnam-Cuba cooperation in the development of rice production, for the period 2018-2022

8- Memorandum of understanding on cooperation in the field of construction between the two countries' ministries of Construction

9- Cooperation agreement between the Vietnamese News Agency (VNA) and the Cuban press agency Prensa Latina.

http://en.granma.cu/mundo/2018-04-04/ne ... nd-vietnam

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People’s Summit kicks off in Lima
The People’s Summit, an alternative to the Summit of the Americas, kicked off today April 10, in Lima, Peru

Author: Sergio Alejandro Gómez | internet@granma.cu

april 10, 2018 09:04:30



Lima.– With the inauguration of the People’s Summit, an alternative to the Summit of the Americas, today, April 10, Lima became the capital of Latin American and Caribbean social movements, progressive parties and youth organizations committed to unity, anti-imperialism and the principles of justice and equality throughout the region.
The event, which will run through April 14, will be a “great act of continental solidarity,” stated Secretary General of the Peru’s General Confederation of Workers (CGTP) and one of the Summit organizers, Gerónimo López, speaking to reporters.
In this sense, López highlighted support for the Cuban Revolution and reaffirmed the commitment to progressive and left governments of Latin America and the Caribbean currently being “sabotaged by imperialism.”
According to the organizer, a mass anti-imperialist rally with the maxim “Trump out of Peru,” will be held on April 12, shortly before the U.S. President arrives in the country on his first trip to Latin America.
Meanwhile, Cuban reporter Carlos Rombambil, from Radio Cielo, speaking to Granma, noted that the Cuban people will be there to express the feelings of the people of Latin America toward Trump.
“On April 12 we have the duty to unite all our forces to show, with this anti-imperialist march, our opposition to the presence of Donald Trump and support for the Cuban Revolution, Bolivarian Revolution and progressive movements,” he added.
Also kicking off today will be the Civil Society Forum, a space dominated and exploited by the Organization of American States to persecute countries which do not respond to Washington’s interests.
The Cuban delegation, attending for the second time, criticized attempts by mercenaries and groups with links to terrorists to pass for supposed representatives of Cuban civil society, a strategy which was also used during the 2015 Summit in Panama.
The legitimate representatives of Cuban society arrived in Lima, April 8, and in a statement reaffirmed that they will participate in the forums being held parallel to the People’s Summit with “a great sense of responsibility and constructive spirit,” but will not tolerate provocations.

http://en.granma.cu/mundo/2018-04-10/pe ... ff-in-lima

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Exclude young Cubans from dialogue with high-level government representatives
By: Dianet Doimeadios Guerrero

April 10, 2018 | 10 |


Centro Empresarial San Isidro, where the accreditation process for the V Youth Forum took place. Photo: Granma

The young Cubans were excluded from the dialogue between the social actors and the high level representatives of the governments, scheduled for Thursday April 12 at the Sheraton Hotel in Lima , prior to the inauguration of the VIII Summit of the Americas in Peru.

"When we went to the San Isidro Business Center, where the accreditation process for the event took place, we were interested in our participation in the dialogue with the representatives of the States and they told us that we had not been selected. This is a malicious exclusion , because the meeting is expected to involve 50 young people, of the 150 that the organizers admitted to the V Youth Forum, and 'coincidentally' did not choose any Cuban, "said Ronald Hidalgo Rivera at the end of the Late today.

In the V Youth Forum - event parallel to the Summit of the Americas - 150 young people from all nations of the hemisphere will participate, of which 50 were called to dialogue with the representatives of the States.

"Suspiciously, no Cuban was included," said the second secretary of the Union of Young Communists, an organization that groups more than 500,000 militants in Cuba.

Hidalgo denounced the manner in which everything had been decided and selected by the Young Americas Business Trust (YABT) and the Organization of American States (OAS) . "The forum has not yet started and they are already trying to ignore the participation and voice of Cuba," he stressed.

The youth delegation of the island present in Peru is composed of ten representatives from different sectors of Cuban society and their participation in the Youth Forum was approved by the Organizing Committee of the event.

"We also make public denunciation of the intrusion of three elements of the Cuban counterrevolution as representatives of Cuban youth in the Youth Forum.

"They do not represent any legitimate Cuban organization, the ten young people who were accredited until today are the ones who have participated in all the events prior to this Forum that will take place in Lima," Hidalgo Rivera revealed.

Prior to the start of the V Youth Forum on Wednesday, Ronald questioned: " What participatory democracy is going to speak here . When we do not take into account the criteria of all those who are participating in the meeting, when we do not have the legitimate representatives of Cuban youth. We have already made the call to the organizers, so that these hoaxes are not silenced. "

Ronald does not trust the Organizing Committee to give them a convincing answer. "They already did it in Panama and now they want to do it in Peru. Until tonight only justifications, without arguments . They say they are going to do a review process, but until this minute we have no answer. "

The young person assures that the youthful delegation will not allow "that the Forum with these three personajillos in the room sesione, because we are not arranged to dialogue with elements financed by counterrevolutionary and terrorist organizations".

In video, Ronald's statements

[youtube]http://www.cubadebate.cu/noticias/2018/ ... s4ONi7waM8[/youtube]

http://www.cubadebate.cu/noticias/2018/ ... s4ONi7waM8

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