Cuba

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Cuba Warns over Perils of the Likely Use of Force in Latin Americas 0
BY REDACCION CENTRAL ON 16 APRIL, 2018 INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Lima, Peru.- The Cuban Foreign Minister, Bruno Rodriguez, warned on Saturday at the Summit of the Americas in Lima, Peru, there exists the danger of a return to the use of force in Latin America due to the aggressive policies the US is currently pursuing and the rise of the right in some countries in the region.

Addressing the plenary session of the 8th Summit of the Americas, Rodriguez cautioned over a tendency of indiscriminately imposing coercive unilateral measures, including coup d’état.

He urged not to underestimate what he defined as ‘the seriousness entailed in the arbitrary and unjust statement against Venezuela, cradle of the Latin American independence and second in oil and gas reserves, as an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security of a super power.’

The Cuban Foreign Minister spoke of the hostile actions against Caracas and his own nation, stressing that the profound changes in hemispheric relations Cuba’s President Raul Castro claimed for in the previous regional summit in Panama (2015) have not taken place.

The US authorities -he added- invoked today the Monroe Doctrine (1823) to exert domination and hegemony over Latin American nations.

He cautioned the fight against corruption is being used as a political weapon, prosecutors and judges act as parties, the electorate is deprived of voting for candidates with broad popular support, as it is the case of ‘former president and today political prisoner Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva, whose liberty we demand.’

Rodriguez regretted there’s no ethical limits in electoral campaigning, hatred, division, egoism, slandering, racism, xenophobia and deceit prevails, neofascist trends thrive, walls, border closure and massive deportations including children born in the USA are promised.

Furthermore, the hemisphere is witnessing a rise in massive flagrant violations of human, civil, political, social, cultural and economic rights of millions of people who do not speak at nor attend these summits, he said before questioning: ‘What kind of democracy are we talking about here?’

http://www.radioreloj.cu/en/news/intern ... -americas/

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Cubans reiterate commitment to their Socialist Revolution (+ Photos)
More than 2,000 people gathered at the historic Havana corner of 23rd and 12th Streets for a political and cultural event to mark the 57th anniversary of the declaration of the socialist character of the Cuban Revolution

Author: Sumaily Pérez Carrandi | informacion@granmai.cu

april 17, 2018 09:04:50


Photo: Ariel Cecilio Lemus Alvarez

It was April 16, 1961. Comandante en Jefe Fidel Castro spoke to the people gathered at the well-known corner of 23rd and 12th Streets, in the Havana neighborhood of Vedado. More than a speech, it was a tribute and at the same time a commitment, to the relatives and victims of the cruel aerial bombardment the day before by the U.S. against the air bases of Ciudad Libertad, San Antonio de los Baños and Santiago de Cuba.

Fifty-seven years after that crime, which left seven people dead and more than 50 injured, more than 2,000 people gathered to participate in a political and cultural event presided by the Party Political Bureau member, a vice president of the Council of State and PCC Secretary in Havana, Mercedes López Acea; at the very site where Fidel proclaimed before the world the socialist character of the nascent Cuban Revolution.

According to Mai-Lín Alberti Arozarena, first secretary of the Young Communist League (UJC) in the capital, the bravery of the Cuban people, their determination to overcome the terrorist acts of the CIA and above all their courage to advance a Revolution only 90 miles away from the enemy, were essential to their victory.

On behalf of the Cuban representatives who recently defended the Homeland at the People’s Summit in Lima, Mirthia Brossard Oris, vice president of the Federation of University Students (FEU), reiterated that Cuba will not renounce its sovereignty or its conquests.

Fidel demonstrated his wisdom and absolute certainty when affirming 57 years ago that the United States could not forgive the island for having carried out a Socialist Revolution under its very nose, and that this Socialist Revolution would be defended with rifles and with the courage of the anti-aircraft gunners faced with the enemy’s planes.

The Cuban people mobilized and resisted following the mercenary invasion of Playa Girón (Bay of Pigs), such that in less than 72 hours they had inflicted on U.S. imperialism its first major defeat in Latin America.

This Socialist Revolution will continue to be defended by the Cuban people.






http://en.granma.cu/cuba/2018-04-17/cub ... ion-photos

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Minute to minute: National Assembly Constituent Session
The Republic of Cuba's Council of State agreed to initiate, on April 18, the Constituent Session of the National Assembly of People's Power 9th Legislature, at the Havana International Conference Center. Follow our coverage live on our official Facebook and Twitter accounts

Author: Digital news staff | informacion@granma.cu

april 18, 2018 08:04:10


12:11 p.m. Esteban Lazo explains that deputies have been provided with biographies of candidates for positions on the Council of State. He also noted that before they vote, deputies have an hour to review the documents during which they are not permitted to leave the hall.

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9na LEGISLATURA

12:10 p.m. The National Electoral Commission calls on deputies to exercise their right to vote.

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11: 55 a.m. Nominations for the Council of State of the Republic of Cuba begin.

List of nominees:

- Miguel Mario Díaz Canel Bermúdez, nominated for President of the Council of State

- Salvador Valdés Mesa, nominated for First Vice President

- Ramiro Valdés Menéndez, nominated for Vice president - Roberto Tomás Morales Ojeda, nominated for Vice president

- Gladys María Bejerano Portela, nominated for Vice president

- Inés María Chapman, nominated for Vice president

- Beatriz Jhonson, nominated for Vice president

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11: 47 a.m. Current National Assembly President, Vice president and Secretary reelected:

Para Lazo Hernández as President: 604 votes (100%)

Para Mari Machado, as Vice president: 604 (100%)

Para Brito Sarroca, as Secretary: 603 (99.83%)

11:06 a.m. The hashtag #SomosContinuidad is currently trending at number 22 on Twitter.

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Since yesterday the National Assembly of People’s Power has been calling on people to share information about the electoral process on the island which ends tomorrow, April 19. So far 13.287 messages containing the hashtag #SomosContinuidad have been posted on social media site.
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10:36 a.m. Army General Raúl Castro and First Vice President Miguel Díaz-Canel during the Constituent Session of the National Assembly of People's Power 9th Legislature


Photo: ACN
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10:20 a.m. As voting proceeds, Cuban television continues its interview with two legal experts on the Cuban electoral process and its differences with those in other parts of the world.

Yamila González Ferrer explains that nominees chosen by the Candidates Commission are based on criteria expressed by the 605 deputies. Fabio Fernández adds that “Cuba has opted for a different kind of model, where the diversity of society and variety of ideas aren’t represented by different political parties.”

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10:10 a.m. The Army General was the first to approach the voting booth located at the back of the hall. Raúl casts his vote for the President of the National Assembly of People’s Power.


National Assembly Constituent Session. Photo: Juvenal Balán
10:07 a.m. The 605 deputies prepare to vote.

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10:02 a.m. Gisela Duarte Vázquez, President of the National Candidature Commission, described the work undertaken by this electoral authority to select nominees, taking into account their merits, abilities, track record and service to the people. Duarte Vázquez reads out proposals for President, vice president and secretary of the National Assembly of People’s Power:

For President: Juan Esteban Lazo Hernández, citing his successful efforts as President of the National Assembly for the last five years, and achievements made to date.

For Vice president: Ana María Mari Machado, a trained lawyer and capable individual who served as CEN president in 2010.

For Secretary: Miriam Brito Sarroca, who has served as a deputy since 2008.

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10:00 a.m. The President of the CEN invites deputies to sign the oath.

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9:58 a.m. Deputies remain standing as the oath is read aloud.

The President of the CEN asks if all swear to uphold the oath. Deputies reply in unison, “Yes, I swear!”

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9:52 a.m. Information on the composition of the National Assembly:

47.4 % of deputies have been reelected, while 56% are serving for the first time. The average age of deputies is 49, and over 80% were born after the triumph of the Revolution.

9:20 a.m. Alina Balseiro, President of the National Electoral Commission (CEN) reads out the names of deputies who then stand and present their Election Certificate to be validated by the relevant CEN authority.
Listed below are the 605 deputies to the National Assembly:

[See link for list, it is very long.]
Photo: Granma
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9:17 a.m. Raúl opens the Constituent Session of the National Assembly of People's Power 9th Legislature

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9:10 a.m. Photos from the Conference Center

Photos from the Convention center just before the Constituent Session of the National Assembly of People's Power 9th Legislature beings.



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9:05 a.m. Interview with Yamila González Ferrer, vice president of the National Union of Lawyers of Cuba:

González Ferrer noted that political campaigns do not take place in Cuba, stating that “when it comes to democracy people often focus on the electoral process,” when in reality, “it’s much more than that, just as our democratic process shows,” she explained.

Meanwhile, Granma also spoke to Fabio Fernández, professor at the University of Havana’s Philosophy Faculty, who summed up Cuban elections in one sentence: “The Assembly is a reflection of Cuba.”
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8:57 a.m. Cuban television begins its special broadcast of the Constituent Session of the National Assembly of People's Power 9th Legislature

Deputies recently arrived at the Conference center, while journalists gather in the press room. Granma correspondents continue to provide live coverage of events via social media.
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8:56 a.m. Composition of the Cuban Parliament:

When, in 1993, Fidel reviewed the composition of the National Assembly of People’s Power (ANPP), he noted that the growing number of university graduates, Black, Mixed Race, and female members reflected the “the way in which inequality and discrimination have been disappearing in our country.”

Women make up 53.22% of the 605 deputies elected last March 11, making Cuba the second country in the world with the highest number of female parliamentarians, behind Rwanda with 61.3%.
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8:50 a.m. On Sunday, March 25, Provincial Assemblies of People's Power were constituted, composed of 1,265 delegates elected by the people March 11, who after assuming their seats, elected via a secret ballot vote, the Presidents and Vice Presidents of these bodies.

Recenty elected national deputies were invited to the constitution of Provincial Assemblies in their respective territories, as were representatives of political, social, and grassroots organizations, according to ACN.

8:45 a.m. With the election, this Thursday, April 19, of the President, Vice President, and Secretary of the National Assembly of people's Power, we will be one step closer to concluding the general elections process underway in the country, since it began with their convocation June 17, 2017.
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8:30 a.m. The Republic of Cuba's Council of State, on the basis of authorities with which it is vested, agreed to initiate the Constituent Session of the National Assembly of People's Power 9th Legislature, this Wednesday, April 18, at 9:00am, in the Havana International Conference Center. This decision was made to facilitate taking all steps required of a session of this magnitude.

http://en.granma.cu/cuba/2018-04-18/min ... nt-session

authoritarian, totalitarian, dictatorship, geez, how can they stand it?

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Dedicated to the people
National Assembly deputies agree that everything done, and to be done, must reflect, first and only, the people's interests

Author: Yudy Castro Morales | internet@granma.cu

april 18, 2018 16:04:53


May a sense of justice prevail, and gratitude for what we have, of which we must be the principal defenders. Photo: Vicente Brito

We found him sitting at his sewing machine, on the front porch of his house, one like any other. He conducted his business there, wearing a short sleeved T-shirt, a pair of stripped shorts, and sneakers. On his lap, he held a pair of well-worn women's shoes, on a piece of cloth. He had two needles, a screwdriver, and a half-moon leather knife.

"My brother sews on the machine. I do it by hand," he explains, looking at me without stopping. With my eyes on the needle, I say, "Look, you're getting close to your finger…"

"No worries, girl, I've been doing this for more than 20 years. Although I was a machinist, and a driver, too."

"Then you're Jorge Luis Romero Herrera, the shoemaker deputy…"

"Yes, I'm the shoe repairman. Some people don't like this repairing business... but that's what I do: "mend" shoes. This is my second term as a neighborhood delegate, constituency 24, of the municipality of La Lisa, but it's my first time as a (national) deputy.

"If I were to say I thought about getting there, it would be a lie. I know I'm going to be with very well-educated people, in important debates, in reviews… So I have to learn. There is always talk about the development of delegates, but this is still a bit weak.

"What I have, above all, is lots of desire to contribute, to help, because someone who doesn't like to help, can't be a delegate.

"I start work at 8.00am, but when I need to resolve a problem, I go out early on my bicycle and see the day dawn at whatever agency it may be. When I started this, they gave me a list of phone numbers of all the municipality's administrative offices. But I don't use it. That's not how you take care of things, no one pays attention to you."

According to Jorge Luis, "You have to knock on the bosses' door, talk with the first, the second… and at times, even doing this, they don't pay attention. We have to keep working on this, young lady, paying attention to the delegate, on the administration's relationship with People's Power…

"They insist that I choose a day to attend to the population, but I don't have a day. For the people, that voted for me, it has to be everyday. With order, of course, because I have a job, a family… but you have to understand the commitment you take on.

"I know Blas Roca, the National Assembly's first President, also worked as a shoemaker when he was young. This makes me tremendously proud… And now, girl, excuse me, but there are things that make my eyes water…"

"It's OK," I say, "my father is that way, too…"

"I would really like to change this, imagine the day I need to talk in the Parliament … How many times will I have to apologize?"

NO MORE FORMALITIES

A rookie he is not. Despite his young age, at 31 Isael Alfonso Graña is beginning his third term as a municipal delegate, and on April 18, took his seat in the National Assembly, for the second time.

In Old Havana's constituency 14, in the Plaza Vieja People's Council, it would be hard to tell him a story, as he explains, "To get to everything, or almost everything, we have created a work group, as we say in medicine (because he is an orthopedic doctor, too) with the Party, the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution, the Federation of Cuban Women, all the actors…

"It functions in my constituency, although not everywhere, because the practice of accompanying the delegate, from the community to municipal agencies, must be recovered."

Analyzing what he has done, and what remains to be done in People's Power to strengthen its work, he stops to reflect on the effort of the 8th Legislature to perfect the functioning of these bodies, above all at the municipal level.

"Administrations are still not involved enough in resolving complaints; the response period must be shortened and the quality of these responses raised. The participation of administrative entities in accountability reports must be greater, as well the use of the local government's authorities."

In Graña's opinion, completing staffs at People's Power bodies continues to be a challenge, as well as the involvement of delegates, and the entire government system, in local development, saying, "We must closely follow the use of local development tax revenues. Delegates cannot be left aside, because the population's concerns must be reflected in the priority pool of projects."

In this sense, 26 year old Marie Castillo Fiallo, who is starting out as a deputy and a municipal delegate in Playa's constituency 23, comments that the creation of the position of Administrative Council Vice President should provide more stability to the work of this body, and at the same time, facilitate that of the People's Power Assembly and its standing committees.

For the young nurse at Juan Manuel Márquez Pediatric Hospital, the greatest challenge is ending purely formal practices in reviews conducted by deputies of the implementation of policies, of adherence to the Assembly's agreements… the effectiveness of this accountability effort depends on this, she insisted, since these reviews are, in fact, the people's.

WITH EARS TO THE GROUND

Danhiz Díaz Pereira is 22 years old, but to her tender age she has added the maturity that comes from shouldering many responsibilities. She is in her fourth year studying Industrial Engineering at Havana's José Antonio Echeverría Technological University (CUJAE) and is president of the Federation of University Students there, as well as provincial coordinator of the organization, and was elected as a National Assembly deputy from the municipality of Marianao.

For all, especially those beginning their first term, she says, "This is about understanding, about showing, that we are not the replacements, but rather the continuators of the historic leadership of the Revolution and their work, although this does not prevent us from contributing new ideas, new ways of doing, from the point of view of our generation and using our language."

In her opinion, also resting on the shoulders of the 605 deputies in the 9th Legislature, and those of the millions of Cubans they represent, is the challenge of continuing to perfect socialism and make the economy more efficient, so that we can move toward the prosperity we have proposed.

Also one of the National Assembly's greatest responsibilities, she says, is contributing to the legal ordering of the country, developing legislation for all the changes that lie ahead, from the Constitution to laws that allow for the correct implementation of policies and guidelines.

To young leaders, Díaz says, "Above all, it is our job to involve others, draw them in, to the dialogue between generations, including a diversity of opinions, but with a sense of justice prevailing, and gratitude for what we have, of which we must be the principal defenders."

The people must be held close, she agrees, their problems felt, with ears open. Everything done, and to be done, must reflect, first and only, their interests.

This must be the essence of the daily work of the People's Power system. This is the foundation upon which it is being constructed, since the beginning back in 1976, and must be the guiding principle for the times ahead.

http://en.granma.cu/cuba/2018-04-18/ded ... the-people

Some American Maoists would have it that the Cuban Revolution is backsliding into capitalism. How could they look at the material in this and the previous threads and think that?

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Miguel Díaz-Canel: I assume this responsibility with the conviction that all we revolutionaries will be faithful to Fidel and Raúl
The new President of the Councils of State and Ministers of Cuba addressed the position of continuity of the government that he will lead, especially regarding the relationship with the Cuban people, international relations and the leadership of the Communist Party of Cuba, at the head of which Army General Raúl Castro Ruz continues

Author: Digital news staff | informacion@granma.cu

april 19, 2018 11:04:18

On the morning of April 19, a historic date on which not only is the first defeat of Yankee imperialism in the Americas commemorated, but Cuba also sees the inauguration of a new government that makes evident the continuity of the new generations with the legacy of the historic generation that founded the Cuban Revolution in the highest leadership positions of the country, compañero Miguel Mario Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, offered his first speech as President of the Councils of State and of Ministers of Cuba.

He began by recognizing the leadership of Army General Raúl Castro, the candidate for deputy to have received the most votes in the recent general elections; as well as the Comandantes of the Revolution, “who on being in this room offer us the opportunity to embrace history,” he noted.

He also referred to the “dark attempts to destroy us” of those who have not been able to destroy “our faith.”

With the inauguration of this new legislature, he emphasized, the electoral process comes to its conclusion. The Cuban people, who have massively participated throughout, are conscious of its historic importance. They have elected their representatives based on their capacity to represent their localities, without media campaigns, corruption or demagoguery. Citizens have elected humble, hard-working people as their genuine representatives, who will participate in the approval and implementation of the country’s policies.

In his opinion, “This process has contributed to the consolidation of unity in Cuba.”

On the people’s expectations about this government, he stressed that the new Council of State must continue “acting, creating and working tirelessly, in a permanent bond with its dignified people.”

He also added that if anyone wanted to see Cuba in all its composition, it would be enough to look to its National Assembly, with women occupying decisive positions in the state and the government. However, he warned, it does not matter how much we resemble the country we are, if the commitment the present and the future of Cuba is lacking. The raison d’être of the Councils of State and Ministers is the permanent link with the population.

THE FLAG OF THE REVOLUTION IS PASSED ON TO YOUNGER HANDS

Díaz-Canel pointed out that during the closing of the last Party Congress, Army General Raúl Castro Ruz made it clear that his generation would hand over the flags of the Revolution and Socialism to the younger generations. This emphasizes the importance of the crucial mandate given by the people to this legislature, and as such its work in all areas of the nation’s life must be perfected.

“I assume this responsibility with the conviction that all we revolutionaries, from any trench, will be faithful to Fidel and Raúl, the current leader of the revolutionary process,” the new President of Cuba stated.

He then stressed that the men and women who forged the revolution “give us the keys to a new fraternity that transforms us into compañeros and compañeras,” and highlighted, as another inherited achievement, the unity that has become indestructible within the Cuban Party, that was not born from the fragmentation of others, but from those who intended to build a better country.

For that reason, he said, “Raúl remains at the forefront of the political vanguard. He remains our First Secretary, as the reference that he is for the revolutionary cause, teaching and always ready to confront imperialism, like the first, with his rifle at the ready in the moment of combat.”

Regarding the revolutionary and political work of the Army General, he highlighted his legacy of resistance and in the search for the continued advancement of the nation. “He put his sense of duty ahead of human pain,” he said in reference to the loss of Comandante en Jefe Fidel Castro on November 25, 2016.

Likewise, he highlighted Raúl’s grandeur as a statesman, forming a national consensus, and the manner in which he led the implementation process of the country’s social and economic guidelines. He also highlighted how he had made the return of the Five Cuban Heroes a reality, so longed-for by Fidel.

Raúl has marked Cuba’s international relations with his own spirit: he directed diplomatic relations with the United States; he led the rotating presidency of CELAC; Cuba’s hosting of the Colombian peace talks; and he has been present in all regional and hemispheric summits, always defending Our America. That is the Raúl we know, Díaz-Canel stressed.

The new Cuban President also recalled how the Army General, still very young, participated in the Granma expedition, undertook the struggle in the Sierra Maestra, was promoted to Comandante, and developed government experiences that would be applied in the country after the revolutionary triumph.

REGARDING THE NEW MANDATE

I am aware of the concerns and expectations at a moment like this, but I know the strength and wisdom of the people, the leadership of the Party, the ideas of Fidel, the presence of Raúl and Machado, and knowing the popular sentiment, I state before this Assembly that compañero Raúl will head the decisions for the present and future of the nation, Díaz noted.

I confirm that Cuban foreign policy will remain unchanged. Cuba will not accept conditions. The changes that are necessary will continue to be made by the Cuban people, he added.

He also called for the support of all those who occupy leadership responsibilities at different levels in the nation, but, above all, of the people. “We will have to exercise an increasingly collective leadership. Strengthening the participation of the people,” he summarized.

I do not come to promise anything, as the Revolution never has in all these years. I come to fulfill the program that we have implemented with the guidelines of Socialism and the Revolution, the President underlined.

And as for the enemies of the revolutionary process, he said: Here there is no space for a transition that ignores or destroys the work of the Revolution. We will continue moving forward without fear and without retreat; without renouncing our sovereignty, independence, development programs, and independence.

“To those who through ignorance or bad faith doubt our commitment, we must tell them that the Revolution continues and will continue,” he clarified, adding: “The world has received the wrong message that the Revolution ends with its guerrillas.”

http://en.granma.cu/cuba/2018-04-19/mig ... l-and-raul

bolding added, just sayin'...

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Cuba is willing to send more doctors to Vietnam
Visiting the Vietnam-Cuba Friendship Hospital that was donated by Commander in Chief Fidel Castro, the Cuban Ambassador to the Indochinese nation, Lianys Torres, said that the Island is willing to continue honoring in this and other fields the historic friendship between two nations

Author: International Writing | international@granma.cu

April 25, 2018 22:04:05


More than a quarter of a million Cuban doctors have served abroad in the last five decades and right now some 50,000 are serving missions in more than 60 countries. Photo: Prensa Latina

HANOI - Cuba expressed its willingness to increase cooperation in health with Vietnam, and in particular with a hospital in the central province of Quang Binh, which was donated to this country by Commander in Chief Fidel Castro, PL reported.

Visiting the institution, the Cuban ambassador in the Indochinese nation, Lianys Torres, said that the island is willing to continue honoring in this and other fields the historic friendship between the two nations.

The diplomat also presented three doctors recently arrived in Vietnam to join the staff of that center, which carries the symbolic name of Vietnam-Cuba Friendship.

Píter Martínez (cardiologist), Aracelio Pérez (orthopedic) and Crescencio Aneiro (neurosurgeon), join other 17 who have been working in Hanoi for months.

Under a two-year, renewable contract, Cuban specialists will transfer their knowledge and mastery of modern techniques to their colleagues at that center, located in the provincial capital, Dong Hoi.

The creation of this hospital is due to the will of the Commander in Chief, when in 1973, still in full war, he visited the recently liberated central provinces of Quang Binh and Quang Tri. Its construction and original equipment were financed by Cuba and was completed in September 1981, the PL report added.

Currently it has 900 beds and 39 faculties and is responsible for health care, staff training, prevention and fight against epidemics, as well as research and application of modern technologies.

In the company of its authorities, Torres toured the facility and chatted with patients. Before, he was received by the president of the Popular Committee of the province, Nguyen Huu Hoai, who exposed the potential of the territory, raised on the ruins of the war to become an example of the socioeconomic development achieved by the country.

Hoai recalled the special affection of the historical leader of the Cuban Revolution towards Quang Binh and expressed his hope that, as in those times, the Government of the Greater Antillean Province will support the province in the health sector.

http://www.granma.cu/mundo/2018-04-25/c ... 8-22-04-05

Google Translator

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Honoring working class heroes
Men and women who have devoted their lives for the benefit of society were awarded the honorary title of Heroes and Heroines of Labor of the Republic of Cuba, presented by José Ramón Machado Ventura, second secretary of the Party Central Committee

Author: Jesús Jank Curbelo | internet@granma.cu

april 30, 2018 10:04:12


José Ramón Machado Ventura, second secretary of the Party Central Committee, presented Alexis Guevara Sosa, an agricultural worker at the Manuel Sánchez López UBPC, in Guantánamo, with the honorific title of Hero of Labor of the Republic of Cuba. Photo: Endrys Correa Vaillant
A dozen men and three women were presented this Sunday, April 29, with the honorific title of Heroes and Heroines of Labor of the Republic of Cuba, by José Ramón Machado Ventura, second secretary of the Party Central Committee.

The workers we award today summarize an almost anonymous labor of dedication, integrity and altruism, seeking to exalt the homeland, stated Consuelo Baeza Martín, member of the secretariat of the Cuban Workers’ Federation (CTC), during the ceremony held at the Laguito Protocol Hall, in the capital.

It is our duty to recognize those who have spent their lives producing, serving and creating, she added.

Among those awarded was Sarat Martín Iglesias, who has worked in the selection of tobacco leaves in the 13-18 Basic Unit of Cooperative Production (UBPC), in Pinar del Río, for 45 years. “This title is the fruit of sacrifice,” she noted, “and it has given me more strength to continue working and working for as long as I can.”

“I have dedicated my life to harvesting coffee. 12 or 15 cans a day,” noted Alexis Guevara Sosa, of the Manuel Sánchez López UBPC, in Guantánamo. “And while I am healthy, I will continue working for my country,” he added.

Meanwhile, Ramón León Monteagudo, an agricultural worker from Villa Clara stressed: “This is the biggest thing that has happened to me in the 50 years I’ve been working. And it is the greatest thing that can happen to any worker.”


José Ramón Machado Ventura, second secretary of the Party Central Committee, presented Anselma Betancourt Pulsan, professor at the Guantánamo School of Medical Sciences, with the honorific title of Heroine of Labor of the Republic of Cuba. Photo: Endrys Correa Vaillant
Also receiving the recognition were José Rubiera Torres, senior specialist in Meteorology; Eduardo Lozada León, head specialist of special works of the FAR Military Projects and Investigations Enterprise; Ricardo García Acosta, a driver at the Jagüey Grande School Bus Station; Valerio Hernández Pérez, a mechanic from Villa Clara; Juan López Palacio, professor of the Las Villas Central University; Rolando Jiménez Valdivia, a taxi driver in Sancti Spíritus; Francisco Rafael Martínez, typography inspector in Las Tunas; Salvadora López Riera, of the Sea Industry Basic Enterprise Unit in Granma; and the Guantánamo residents Anselma Betancourt Pulsan, professor at the Faculty of Medical Sciences, and Carlos Veranes Michel, a crane operator.

Ten workers also received the Lázaro Peña Order in the First Degree; a further 18 received the same Order in the Second Degree; and 16 received the Order in the Third Degree. Meanwhile, three workers were awarded the Jesús Menéndez Medal.

Likewise, the workers of the Architecture Projects Enterprise of Matanzas received the Lázaro Peña Order in the Second Degree; and those of the Felipe Herrera Arcia UBPC, the Agribusiness, Forestry and Tobacco Workers Union of Artemisa, the Sergio Soto Valdés Refinery, and the Sancti Spíritus Energy and Mines Union, were presented with the Jesús Menéndez Medal.

The event was attended by members of the Party Political Bureau Salvador Valdés Mesa, first vice president of the Councils of State and Ministers; Ulises Guilarte de Nacimiento, secretary general of the CTC; Roberto Morales Ojeda, a vice president of the State Council and Minister of Public Health; and Teresa Amarelle Boué, secretary general of the Federation of Cuban Women.

http://en.granma.cu/cuba/2018-04-30/hon ... ass-heroes

The philistines will snigger at this, they are soul-less brutes.

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Protection for everyone
“There is harmony within the (Social Security) system, in such a way that it enables the protection of the entire population through its different regulations.”

Author: Yenia Silva Correa | informacion@granma.cu

may 10, 2018 12:05:03


Seguridad1: The Cuban state guarantees its responsibility as established in the Constitution, regarding social security protection for all Cubans, notes Haydée Franco Leal, deputy general director of the National Social Security Institute. Photo: Ismael Batista
Juan never thought that a sudden illness would take his wife and the mother of his children away from him. After nearly 45 years of marriage, widowhood was the hardest blow he ever received, following an accident at the factory where he was employed that left him unable to work.

Sofia, meanwhile, had thought the reality after retirement would be different, but the fact was she couldn’t get used to spending so much time “with nothing to do.” As she had to get some important repairs done to her home, she decided to go back to work.

In the case of José, the only survivor of a tragedy in which his parents were killed, the institutions in charge of looking after orphaned children did everything possible to ensure that he had a happy childhood. Today he is preparing to go to university.

Until nine years ago, those who found themselves in such situations, although not completely abandoned to their fate, couldn’t count on as far-reaching protection as is provided by the Cuban state today.

Law 105 on Social Security, in force since January 2009, recognizes the right of widowers aged over 65 or incapacitated for work, and who were dependent on their spouses, to receive both their own pension and that of their deceased loved one.

The legislation also allows those of pensionable age to return to work and receive both their pension and a salary, provided that they are employed in a different position from that they occupied at the time of retirement.

Similarly, it extends the right to social welfare benefits to orphans over 17 years of age, who continue their studies in full-time higher education and vocational training, until they finish their studies.

Haydee Franco Leal, deputy general director of the National Social Security Institute, spoke to GI in this regard:

“There is harmony within the (Social Security) system, in such a way that it enables the protection of the entire population through its different regulations.

“Through Law 105, alongside all the other laws that complement it, the Cuban state guarantees the responsibility that is established in our Constitution, regarding social security protection for all Cubans.”

FROM A GOOD TO AN EVEN BETTER LAW

Shortly before the end of the first decade of the 21st century, Cuba was forced to modify its Social Security Law. The previous law dated from 1980, and had made notable contributions to guaranteeing protection for the entire population, but it did not account for the complexities of a society that is facing accelerated population aging.

When the bill was presented to the National Assembly of People’s Power (December 2008), the then Minister of Labor and Social Security, Alfredo Morales Cartaya, stated:

“Today, Cuban women who turn 60 live on average 23.4 years longer, and Cuban men, 20.8 years more, placing Cuba among the countries with the highest geriatric life expectancy for both sexes and, consequently, among the countries where retirees enjoy more time from their pensions.”

To this reality, one can add the considerations of the current Deputy Director General of the National Social Security Institute:

“There are fewer people reaching working-age and those who are entering the ranks of retirees in the country are increasing. That necessarily determined the modification of the law.”

In this new scenario, it was necessary to perfect the Social Security system and introduce the following changes: raise the retirement age, extend workers’ social security contributions, and establish new special social security regulations.

The current legislation fixes the retirement age at 60 for women, and 65 for men, but also establishes other benefits such as the right to social welfare for total or partial disability, on providing proof of employment, the possibility of receiving more than one benefit to which one is entitled and, in the case of pensioners who return to work, the right to collect the corresponding benefits if they become ill or are injured.

A FAIR AND SUSTAINABLE SYSTEM

The Cuban Social Security System offers benefits in kind and in the form of free services to people who are unable to work, have no relatives who can help support them, or do not have the means for their sustenance.

Benefits in terms of services include medical and dental care, and physical, mental and occupational rehabilitation. They also include medicines and food while the patient is hospitalized, medications for pregnant women, orthopedic devices and prostheses.

This system also offers monetary benefits: pensions for those of pensionable age and social welfare for those with disabilities (total or partial), benefits for sickness or accidents at work, payments in the case of a worker’s death, and maternity and social welfare benefits.

Like the country’s economic model, the Cuban Social Security System is being perfected.

“All the measures adopted in this regard,” Franco Leal concluded, “will always be aimed at the sustainability of our system. The political will of our state and our government will always prevail to adopt all the necessary measures that are aimed at preserving our social security system.” •

SOCIAL SECURITY SYSTEM IN CUBA

Until 1959



- 52 Social Security institutions (retirement funds)

- Incomplete coverage

- Insufficient benefits

- Inequality between the different regulations

After the triumph of the Revolution

- The state assumes responsibility for Social Security.

- The first comprehensive social security system is created under the following principles:

Solidarity: The contributions and wealth generated by those of working-age is the source of funding for those who retire.

Universality: Social Security coverage includes the protection of all citizens.

Comprehensiveness: Worker protection covers all conditions (sickness or accidents at work, disability, old age, maternity and death).

Completeness: There is a relationship between the pension amount and the workers income when employed.

Background to social security in Cuba

- 1913: Law to regulate the retirement of military personnel. Law designed to regulate retirement from the military.

- 1915: Protection regime for communications employees.

- 1916: Law on accidents at work.

- 1917: Protection regime for judicial branch employees.

- 1919: Protection regime for public administration employees and teachers.

- 1920: Protection regime for the national police.

Social Security laws in the revolutionary period

- Law 100 (May 1963): Covered all salaried workers and more than 250,000 agricultural workers.

- Law 24 on Social Security (January 1980): Brought the provisions regarding the general social security regulations and social welfare into a single legal instrument.

- Law 105 (January 2009): Recognizes the protection of all workers in the state sector (general regime), includes the special social security regulations, and the social welfare system (protects older adults and people unfit for work).

http://en.granma.cu/cuba/2018-05-10/pro ... r-everyone

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“In Cuba, books travel throughout the country”
After concluding his Havana chapter last February, the texts traveled throughout the country, with the Fair finally ending on May 13 in the city of Santiago de Cuba

Author: Madeleine Sautié Rodrígue | informacion@granma.cu

may 15, 2018 12:05:29


Cuba has a wealth of publishing houses. Photo: Ronald Suárez Rivas

The 27th International Book Fair has toured the entire Cuban territory. After concluding his Havana chapter last February, the texts traveled throughout the country, with the Fair finally ending on May 13 in the city of Santiago de Cuba.

To gauge the progress of the most popular of the country’s cultural events, Juan Rodríguez Cabrera, president of the Cuban Book Institute (ICL), was pleased to talk with Granma International, to put forward his impressions and experiences.

“This year, the Hurricane Irma situation made it difficult to think about the Fair. The country has made an extraordinary effort to guarantee a Fair that has been presenting, both in the Cabaña (in Havana), and the provinces, more than 600 new releases.”



So we can speak of a Fair with a good supply of books?

We have managed to ensure that all the books that were in the Cabaña arrived to the rest of the country, which depends on the Fair organizing committee, the efficiency of the province and its institutions. In recent months, we have been able to appreciate a very interesting response in the provinces. I can tell you that, with the new releases that have come out, as well as previous stocks, and a huge price reduction, there has been an important presence of books in each territory.


Juan Rodríguez Cabrera, president of the Cuban Book Institute. Photo: Juvenal Balán

Despite the hurricane, and a year in which we had to conclude the production of books in May, we have not been obliged to regret that there are no books to offer the population, even when we know the population wants more new titles, more variety and quality. And we are already working on the battle to ensure the 2019 Fair is better supplied. We have already approved the corresponding 2018 plan. The country has acquired the necessary paper to support not only the production of what remains pending, but also the productive continuity for the next Fair.



What could characterize the 2019 edition?

We are already fighting to ensure new releases reflect a Fair that will be dedicated to the 60th anniversary of the Revolution, and Havana’s 500th anniversary. Fifteen books in the 500th Anniversary of Havana collection have already been produced, and there will be a special boost to production to complete the more than 35 books dedicated to commemorate this celebration, which is not only for those of us who live and work in the capital.



How is the organization of the provincial chapters of the Fair advancing?

The provinces choose their moment, seeking not to coincide with other events, and there is planning with a view toward the participation of other bodies, since that the Fair surpasses book and cultural institutions.

The level of organization has been achieved through the quality of the programming, in the ability to hold forum-debates on topics that can strengthen book quality, and this year, much importance has been given to recovering those levels of reading that our people always had. We know there are many things that affect it, but we are not at war with the digital book. We are giving it its space. That’s why in this Fair, in the Cuba Digital space, more than 18 of the country’s institutions put all their resources into ensuring that young people and children could download digital products, interacting, so that they can contribute to their culture and learning. This has also reached the provinces. Not to keep them in centers, but to encourage debate and reading, and continue struggling against all that distorts real culture. Despite all the threats that vulgarity and pseudo-culture favor today, we work so that people don’t lose sight of the main objective of preparing themselves as better human beings and preserving the essences of their culture, which are in these works.



The role of the Territorial Publishing System is invaluable…

Cuba has a wealth of publishing. That Cuba can say it has publishing houses in every province, some with more than one, is a real strength. The Territorial Publishing System (22 publishing houses) has allowed 4,500 authors to publish their books, which they would not have been able to do otherwise; and that 4,500,000 copies have been published, which is a great merit.



The Cuban Book Fair is very special…

I recently participated in a virtual forum by the Regional Center for the Promotion of Books and Literature in Ibero-America, made up of 24 countries. It was revealed that the big fairs of the region do not reach the countryside, the small towns. And this offered us the possibility of stating that, although Cuba doesn’t have a perfect formula, here books travel throughout the country, and that beyond the Havana Fair, all provinces have the right to hold their own.

And once the provinces finish, we are already immersed in the Book Festival in the mountains, where the titles, together with the authors, reach the most remote sites. Then follows the Summer Festival, and behind it, the University Book and Reading Festival.

We are already fighting to ensure there are more new releases next year, more books than people expect. We are struggling to have the books in time, bearing in mind that the arrival of paper to the country has stabilized. We are very clear on what needs to be worked on. Delays are not always due to resources, but to failures on the part of those working on them, and not doing what is required, and we are dissatisfied in this regard.



How can better fairs be achieved in the provinces?

By advising the provinces in time, they can have the budgets prepared for their fairs; they can better manage financial resources. While before there was a single distributor that received the books and then became a spokesperson for the entire publishing system, to sell the books in the provinces, today everything has been reorganized such that each publishing house and its editors, authors and promoters, must work across the entire country, until the books reach the hands of readers. When the UH (University of Havana) publishing house sells its books to Guantánamo, it can’t just be satisfied that the Provincial Center has paid for those books, it needs to interest itself in the cultural activities held in Guantánamo to ensure the texts reach their final destination. One of the best forms of doing this is for the author to accompany the book, or for it to be taken to where it is awaited.

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Cuba and China to begin pharmaceutical production
Cuba and China have signed a memorandum of understanding in Beijing for the creation of joint enterprises to produce world renowned Cuban-developed pharmaceuticals

Author: Cubadebate | internet@granma.cu

may 17, 2018 16:05:44

Cuba and China have signed a memorandum of understanding in Beijing for the creation of joint enterprises linked to the healthcare sector, specifically the production of world renowned Cuban-developed pharmaceuticals.

The agreement was signed by Eduardo Martínez, president of the BioCubaFarma group and Huang Lianshen head of Guang Xi Fukang Investment, at the Cuban embassy in Beijing.

According to Martínez - leading a delegation of BioCubaFarma representatives to China, in order to continue strengthening over 15 years of bilateral cooperation in the field of biotechnology - the memorandum is broad and provides for the creation of joint enterprises on the island and in China to produce an important group of new patented Cuban medicines “to resolve important health conditions such as heart attacks and strokes, as well as cancer and neurodegenerative diseases,” he noted.

The Cuban official went on to highlight that the document sets out the bases for strategic cooperation with Guang Xi Fukang Investment over the short, medium, and long term, with the aim of introducing Cuban medicines in to the Chinese market, as well as Latin America and other regions around the world.

The facilities will be based in the Mariel Special Development Zone, located in the island’s western region, and contribute to stimulating direct foreign investment, explained Martínez.

Meanwhile, Huang emphasized the great social and economic benefits of the initiative for both countries, as well as the demand for Cuban-developed medicines in his country. He also stated that such collaboration will help to raise the profile and stimulate Cuba’s pharmaceutical industry.

(With information from ACN)

http://en.granma.cu/cuba/2018-05-17/cub ... production