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Center for Democracy in the Americas | PO Box 53106 NW | Washington | DC | 20009 |
Vignette StoryServer 5.0 Fri Nov 28 01:06:26 2008
Lo saque de babalublog
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Tomado de Penultimos Dias:
El Canal 41 emitió el documental “Desde Adentro” que describe claramente la situación cubana, hoy. Pueden verlo en Youtube por cortesía de Baracutey cubano
Primera parte
Segunda parte
Cuban Weekly News Digest - "A compilation of news articles about Cuba, distributed since 1992 in order to encourage a balanced understanding of the Cuban situation and to promote investments in the Republic of Cuba"
Havana – DTC - The Cuban company ECOTUR will offer social and cultural trips to the Caribbean Island in late December. The program, experts said, is aimed at combining the trips with the celebrations on the 50th anniversary of the Cuban Revolution. Vacationers will depart from several Latin American cities from December 23-27 and will be in Santiago de Cuba, where the main event to celebrate the anniversary of the Revolution will be held on January 1, 2009. For two weeks, tourists will visit Cuban beaches and will enjoy social programs, among other options of interest. ECOTUR promotes social tourism programs and runs 48 protected zones and 73 farms, covering a total area of 1.6 million hectares.
Pinar del Rio, Cuba - (Prensa Latina) - Although it is too soon for predictions, expert tobacco growers augur a happy ending of the tobacco crop, despite the damage caused by recent hurricanes. Popular tobacco growers, such as Alejandro Robaina, asserted that there would be quality tobacco in the Island, despite the damage caused by hurricanes Gustav and Ike to that sector's infrastructure. The current weather conditions are ideal to that crop, asserted the grower, the only Cuban alive that gave his name to a cigar brand.
"Everything indicates that we will have a good winter this year and that is perfect for the sown tobacco, he said while watching the willowy spikes at the Cuchillas de Barbacoa farm, in San Luis municipality, Pinar del Rio province. Around 7,000 places, some of them for natural curing of tobacco leaf, were destroyed by the hurricanes that crossed this area in August and September. Aware that they are carrying out an unusual task, due to the results of the natural disasters, the producers of that territory, together with farmers of the rest of the country, are speeding up the reconstruction works.
Over 1,500 houses have been totally restored so far, and the rest should be ready in January, Director of the Provincial Group for Tobacco Enrique Cruz stated. The tobacco fields of this demarcation, 87 miles west from Havana, are recovering their traditional appearance, with the beginning of mass sowing of the coveted plant, a work that will require support by around 43,000 locals. The highly productive brigades will join the work at the tobacco plantations in Pinar del Rio, with the purpose of achieving a better crop than that of the previous harvest. "It is too soon for predictions, but the weather has been favorable so far to the plantations, and the good mood of the tobacco growers is a guarantee," said Cruz.
Havana – DTC - Information on tourist options is essential in the eastern province of Santiago de Cuba. Experts from the National Tourist Information Office (INFOTUR) in that city brief vacationers on the region's offers. INFOTUR has offices at the Antonio Maceo International Airport and across from Parque Céspedes, in downtown Santiago de Cuba. Vacationers receive brochures and guides on cultural, historic and tourist attractions in the city. Experts also provide that kind of information, and recommend hotels, beaches, nightclubs, restaurants and other services. INFOTUR will soon sell tourist guides, road maps, CDs, postcards, books, phone cards and city excursions.
HAVANA - (AP) - Heavy rains caused a river in eastern Cuba to overflow its banks, flooding highways and more than 2,000 homes, and leading authorities to evacuate nearly 20,000 people, state media said. The flooding was especially pronounced in Cuba's eastern province of Holguin, where heavy rains caused the Rio Grande river to overflow. The economically important nickel and cobalt mining operations in the Holguin region of Moa were not been affected, authorities said. Eastern Cuba was already saturated in recent months by three major hurricanes: Gustav, Ike and Paloma. Rainfall of more than six inches over five days caused floods and landslides that wiped out at least one roadway on the island of Grenada, said John St. Louis of the Ministry of Works. The island's water supply system was also damaged, leaving some customers without service.
AFP – HAVANA - Chinese President Hu Jintao left Cuba after visiting a frail-looking Fidel Castro and promising at least $78 million in donations, credit and hurricane relief to China's communist ally. A picture of Hu clasping hands with the 82-year-old former Cuban president topped the front page of the Communist Party newspaper Granma, above a picture of a grinning Hu shaking hands with Raul Castro, who replaced his elder brother in February. China agreed to donate $8 million to Cuba and extend the second, $70 million phase of $350 million in previously agreed-upon credit to renovate Cuban hospitals. China also agreed to a five-year postponement of payments on $7 million in credit to Cuba from 1998, and delay until 2018 repayment of loans of undisclosed value from 1994 and 1995.
It is unclear if Beijing ever expects to be paid back. China also agreed to buy Cuban nickel and sugar and provide food and roofing and housing materials to help Cuba recover from Hurricanes Gustav, Ike and Paloma. Hu also brought 4.5 million tons in humanitarian aid, and China committed to a plan to help renovate Cuban infrastructure, including crumbling ports and an earthquake detection system. Suffering from an undisclosed illness in a secret location, Fidel Castro has not been seen in public since undergoing emergency intestinal surgery in July 2006. In the picture, he is wearing a red and blue track suit, and his thin gray hair and wispy beard are combed back. "I see in person that you have recovered and have been energetic, so I feel very pleased," Hu told Castro, according to Granma. "We are old friends. I am happy to see that you are as energetic as when I met you last time," Castro responded. Hu then left for the Asia-Pacific Cooperation summit in Peru. "It was a good trip with good results," declared Raul Castro after seeing Hu off at the airport.
Havana - (Prensa Latina) - The economic and social potential of nanotechnologies is impressive and covers such different fields as electronics, computers, medicine, space exploration, meteorology and agriculture, an expert said here. Fernando Palacio, a professor at the Higher Council of Scientific Research (CSIC) and the University of Zaragoza, told Prensa Latina that controlling materials at a nanometrical scale paves the way for unprecedented miniaturization. In order to achieve that goal, a very precise technology to manipulate atoms and molecules must be developed, said the expert, who is attending the Second International Seminar on Nanosciences and Nanotechnologies in this capital.
Palacio explained that although the process is quite new, there are some applications, including a project in Tokyo, Japan, where some buildings are covered with a layer of nanoparticles of titanium oxide to create a hydrophilic texture. He also mentioned the design of drugs consisting of magnetic nanoparticles covered by the biologically-active product that could be guided through the blood stream to the organ where the medication is supposed to act. Some 30 experts from Germany, China, France, Japan, Spain, Great Britain and Russia participated in a seminar on nanotechnologies, which was held at Havana's Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology Center.
Nuevo Herald - Swamped by illegal shipment of packages, the economic crisis and competition by the U.S. Postal Service, private Cuba shipping firms are witnessing an unprecedented collapse of their business, according to industry representatives in South Florida. For the first time in a long time, industry executives are seeing major decreases of up to 50 percent in their operations. Low sales have forced cutbacks in personnel, curbs on the frequency of package shipments and deep service discounts. ''The market has been falling and now everyone suffers,'' said María Brieva, owner of Machi Community Services, one of the delivery agencies with 24 years in the market.
In Brieva's analysis, restrictions imposed by Washington in 2004 -- which prohibit the shipment of clothes to Cuba, limited remittances and curbed frequency of family travel to once every three years -- sparked the appearance of an informal shipping industry which is making inroads into the regular businesses, causing them to lose money and implement large layoffs. Recently, Brieva reduced her office personnel from seven to two full-time employees. At the same time, she said the entry into the market of the postal service further compounded the industry's woes.
''All of this has eroded our operations between 30 and 40 percent. Besides, I understand that the postal service does not check packages as they should, and many people are taking advantage of the situation and are sending clothes and even cell phones,'' said Brieva, who charges $10 per pound. The U.S. Postal Service, which charges $7 with a maximum of four pounds, denied the allegations and said that everything it does is in compliance with existing regulations. The shipment of family packages to Cuba through the postal service in South Florida has registered a 327 per cent increase since December 2006, the largest increase in Cuba deliveries since the 2004 restrictions were imposed.
Rules imposed by President George W. Bush four years ago also prohibited the shipment of personal hygiene products, fishing equipment, veterinarian articles and ingredients for soap-making. The value limit of each shipment cannot exceed $400. Except for the shipment of food -- which can be sent more frequently -- each person has the right to send one family package per month to a close relative on the island. At the same time, the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control conducts audits and inspections on the operations of agencies dedicated to the family package shipments to Cuba. About 50 private companies operate in the Miami area and more than one has drawn public attention because of high fees or loss of packages.
Nevertheless, owners of agencies said that those responsible for problems are the illegal shippers and people labeled as ''mules,'' who illegally carry merchandise to Cuba through alternate means that evade U.S. controls. ''On every corner there's a pirate company,'' said Santiago Castro, founder of the agency Mambí. ``It's complex work, because they take advantage of desperation and lack of knowledge on the part of the public.'' The business executive said that in the last year, the volume of commercial operations at his outlet had dropped by half due to the parallel shippers where customers pay as much as $18 per pound, with a minimum of five pounds per shipment, plus other fees. ''If we shipped 200 pounds per week before, we now do not exceed 100. It's a really critical situation,'' said Castro, who charges a reduced fee of $12 per pound.
Meanwhile, the uncertain course of the economy and the decline in consumer spending have added other financial complications to the weakened industry. ''We have been in the business since 1981 and I can really say that the sense of uncertainty is widespread,'' said Jesús Rodríguez, owner of the agency Paradise. ``The forecast is not encouraging.''
Havana – DTC - Cuban authorities have taken actions to benefit from the country's hydro-energetic potential to generate electricity and save oil. Local experts pointed out that they are weighing the construction of 200 hydroelectric plants in Cuban dams to product up to 814 megawatts. The hydroelectric plants would be connected to the National Power Network. The new facilities will join another 180 hydroelectric plants that produce 60 megawatts. In addition, 12 small hydroelectric plants will be built throughout the country in collaboration with China. The strategy is part of a power efficiency program that Cuban authorities have implemented over the past few years.
Camaguey, Cuba - (Prensa Latina) - The Industrial Fishing Enterprise of the South (EPISUR) continues recovering in the municipality of Santa Cruz del Sur, the territory hardest hit by Paloma Hurricane in Camaguey eastern province. Cleanup is being currently carried out in the complex, while workers continue recovering five fishing boats. The fleet sank when the heavy winds destroyed the shelters, with some shrimpers still missing. Osmany Barreiro Consuegra, director of the entity, informed that only the lobster fishing fleet survived the heavy winds, and added over 60 tons of fish were protected before hand. He affirmed the fish-processing industry is expected to restart its production within a month, but not at full capacity. According to preliminary estimates, losses amount to nearly 2 million dollars.
Havana – DTC - Agricultural authorities in the eastern Cuban province of Ciego de Avila have expanded pineapple crops in the region. According to experts, pineapple crops are the largest in the province in the past 16 years to meet the growing demand for that fruit. Farmers are using modern techniques in more than 240 hectares of land to increase pineapple production. In addition, new varieties that are bigger and taste better will be planted in Ciego de Avila. During the remaining part of the year, 20 hectares will be planted with pineapple, whose presence on the domestic market has decreased over the past few years due to a lack of fertilizers and chemicals.
Havana - (Prensa Latina) - Cuba, as first country of the world to elaborate cosmetics from organic Spirulina algae, a microscopic blue-green algae that exists as a single celled organism turning sunlight into life energy, has increased those lines with new products of high quality. Basic treatment outfit destined for oily and dry skin are among those most effective. Others are those that stimulate the synthesis of collagen and muscular proteins, all commercialized under Shaman Line of Cosmetics, whose essential base is a whole algae source, that is why they are eco-friendly.
Skin cleansing and makeup remover creams, astringent masks, skin-whitening cream, regenerators, protective creams, masks and body milk lotions are also among the Spirulin-made line. Other cosmetics of great effectiveness are feet and hand moisturizers, a Celupharma treatment, an anti-cellulite cream that contributes to control fat storage in human tissues, and Herbagel, a massage gel for the same purposes. They have all been created by national experts and these are products that replace imports and contribute to the Island currency income, AIN National News Agency reported. Spirulin algae is cultivated in the country in the plant of San Jose de las Lajas, Havana province.
Havana – DTC - Las Minas Shipyards, in the central Cuban province of Cienfuegos, will be remodeled to increase its production capacity. According to experts, the shipyards will build 50 14-meter-long boats to replace the ferro cement boats of Cuba's fishing fleet. The remodeling works will be financed with a Venezuelan loan channeled through a joint venture to build 180 boats. The boats will be made of fiberglass-reinforced plastic to make them more durable and lighter, and to reduce fuel consumption.
CARACAS - (Reuters) - Cuban President Raul Castro will soon visit Venezuela, the communist-run island's main trade partner, on his first oversees trip since assuming power from his brother Fidel Castro. Socialist Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who supplies Cuba with cheap oil and calls Fidel Castro his mentor, said Raul Castro would visit the OPEC nation in the next few days, symbolizing the nation's close ties. "I am pleased to say that Raul Castro, who has not left Cuba as president of Cuba, has told us in the last few days that he has been invited to visit Brazil, China, Russia and other countries but that he is not going to visit any other country before coming to Caracas," Chavez said at a speech to supporters.
It was not clear when Raul Castro would visit. Chavez has tentatively organized for Nov. 26 a summit of Latin American leftist presidents in an alliance he leads to promote trade and economic cooperation between like-minded nations, including Cuba. Such a trip would be a day before Russian President Dimitry Medvedev visits Chavez to oversee joint navy warship exercises in a visit that evokes memories of the Cold War. Chavez, whose political allies face tough elections on Sunday for regional posts in Venezuela, will use the presidential visits to burnish his anti-U.S. credentials. Raul Castro took over power when his older brother fell ill in 2006. He officially became president in February.
Chavez has a much warmer personal relationship with Fidel Castro and he frequently visited his bedside after Castro underwent emergency intestinal surgery. But Chavez and Raul, who call the United States their enemy and each other revolutionary brothers, have maintained close bilateral ties, forging economic cooperation with such projects as the revamping of an oil refinery.
Africanews.com - Malawi is slowly gaining ground in the business of exports as it will soon start exporting beans to Cuba. The Southern African country is said to have secured an outright order of 15,000 metric tons of red beans to Cuba. Malawi is one of the countries that grow the best beans which have won the heart of many. The country’s minister of Industry and Trade Henry Mussa said the deal had come about after Cuba experienced hurricanes which destroyed its crops. “We have been given an outright deal to export to Cuba about 15,000 metric tons of red beans, which is translated to nearly US$12million (K1.9bn),” said the minister on his arrival from Cuba’s 26th International Trade Fair.
Mussa was quoted in a local newspaper, Daily Times, that apart from the beans export the two countries had also made an agreement on Cuba assisting with expertise and knowledge to process fruits. According to reports from the country’s ministry of trade officials, experts from Cuba are expected in Malawi to select a variety of their choice. Malawi is said to have showcased several agricultural commodities which included groundnuts, tea, and coffee at the fair. Statistics from the country indicate that it produces about 34,000 metric tonnes of beans annually. Early this year the country also announced that it was to export some of its products to China. China and Malawi tied its friendship last year.
Havana – DTC - The Guatemalan company SERPRO has gained ground on the Cuban market, where it sells uniforms and shoes for different economic sectors, including the tourism industry. According to experts, new deals have been signed to guarantee SERPRO products in 2009. The Guatemalan company will open a store to sell its products in consignment and speed up delivery. The Guatemalan factory has a staff of highly-skilled workers who have guarantee the high quality of SERPRO products since the company was founded in 1989.
HAVANA – AP - Russian oil companies could soon begin searching for oil in deep Gulf of Mexico waters off Cuba, a top diplomat said just days before Russian President Dmitry Medvedev visits the island. Russian oil companies have "concrete projects" for drilling in Cuba's part of the gulf, said Mijail Kamynin, Russia's ambassador to Cuba, to the state-run business magazine Opciones. Kamynin also said Russian companies would like to help build storage tanks for crude oil and to modernize Cuban pipelines, as well as play a role in Venezuelan efforts to refurbish a Soviet-era refinery in the port city of Cienfuegos, according the article published this weekend. Medvedev comes to former Cold War ally Cuba on Thursday, part of a tour of Latin America to strengthen his country's economic and political ties in the region. Kamynin said trade between Russia and the island would top $400 million this year.
Washington's nearly 50-year-old trade embargo prohibits U.S. companies from investing on the island. But Cuba's state-run oil concern has signed joint operating agreements with companies from several countries to explore waters that Cuban scientists claim could contain reserves of up to 20 billion barrels of oil. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva visited Cuba in October for the signing of agreements allowing state-run Petroleo Brasileiro SA to invest $8 million initially for a seven-year, deep-water exploration project north of the famed beach resort of Varadero. If reserves are confirmed, Brazil would produce oil and natural gas recovered there over the next 25 years. Opciones did not give details on what the Russian proposals would entail. The Soviet Union was communist Cuba's chief economic benefactor until it disbanded, throwing the island's economy into disarray. Cuba-Russia relations soured after that, but warmed when President Vladimir Putin visited in 2000.
MOSCOW - (RIA Novosti) - Kamaz is considering setting up an assembly line to produce 500 trucks annually in Cuba, Russia's largest truck maker said Friday. "To further develop the automobile business in Cuba and strengthen Kamaz's place on the country's market, we and the Cuban side are considering the possibility of establishing a trade and service company to sell, service and repair Kamaz trucks, as well as an assembly facility with a production capacity of 500 trucks a year," Kamaz said in a press release. Over 200 Kamaz trucks have been delivered to Cuba in 2008 as part of a Russian loan to the country. Kamaz, based in the Volga Republic of Tatarstan, produces more than 30 models of trucks, as well as trailers, buses, tractors and spare parts. It also manufactures engines, power units, and components. The company has assembly facilities in Poland, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Ethiopia, Vietnam and Ukraine.
Havana – DTC - Cuba will host the 30th International Film Festival of Havana in December. According to organizers, 114 motion pictures will compete in different category this year, including 22 feature-length fiction films, 22 operas prima, nine short films, 24 cartoons and 28 scripts. In addition, films from Europe and other regions of the world will be exhibited during the festival, including African and Nordic motion pictures, and horror and fantasy films made by Latin American moviemaker. As part of the festival, an Honorary Coral Award will be granted to outstanding moviemakers, including Miguel Littín (Chile), Nelson Pereira Dos Santos (Brazil), Paul Leduc (Mexico) and Jorge Sanjinés (Bolivia).
Province – Vancouver, BC - I was on my second frosty Crystal beer, gazing out at a dance floor awash with budding salsa goers all trying to copy the magical steps of the professional dance couple leading them. I'd stayed out of the melee, opting to sip my beer and watch the study in contrasts vibrating across the dance floor. It had been a hot day in Varadero, Cuba's most popular beachside resort. What with swimming, sunbathing, three chapters of my throwaway detective novel and the hour spent watching the dolphin show, dancing was out of the question.
My day on the beach was a welcome change after the Cuban history tour I'd just completed. The tour included travelling to Havana, about a 90-minute coach ride from Varadero. There I'd taken in Ernest Hemingway's favourite watering holes, looked over the Museum of the Revolution and checked out the carefully preserved boat that had carried Fidel Castro, Che Guevara and the rest of the young fighters from their Mexican base to Cuba back in 1956. From the capital we travelled four hours southeast to the Bay of Pigs, where the CIA-sponsored invasion came ashore in 1961 and was defeated in less than 72 hours by Castro's forces.
Travelling back to Varadero, I had stopped off to tour the impressive Che Museum and Memorial in Santa Clara, the town where the charismatic leader had claimed one of his greatest revolutionary victories over government forces. The memorial had been built in the 1980s to honour Che, who was killed in 1967 during a guerrilla foray into Bolivia. His body is interred at the site, along with the remains of his fellow combatants. My brief history tour had been capped with a full day of rest and recuperation on Varadero's beaches. I felt content as the sun went down on another of my Cuban vacation days and ready for some well-earned beauty sleep. That was before my companions argued the case for an entertainment nightcap.
Against my better judgment, I agreed to take in the entertainment scene at the Club Mambo, a vibrating "1950s" nightclub a short cab ride from my hotel. The heady atmosphere of sounds and dance was mesmerizing and I was hooked. I'm not the only one. Last year, more than 600,000 Canadians visited Cuba, many selecting Varadero for at least part of their stay. Set on a 19-kilometre sand-fringed peninsula, Varadero is the premier resort community on Cuba's northern coast. Fancy, all-inclusive resorts and hotels cater to a tourism invasion that's been fuelled over recent years by the rapidly growing package-holiday trade. The area's appeal pre-dated the Revolution, at least for the well-heeled. In the 1920s, wealthy American industrialist Irénée DuPont built a holiday home here and called it Xanadu. The name might have been a touch pretentious, but there was no arguing with the timing of his purchase. He picked up the bulk of his prime real estate winter playground for just a few dollars an acre.
Sadly for the DuPont family, the mansion was nationalized by Fidel Castro after the 1959 Cuban Revolution; today it serves as the Varadero Golf Clubhouse. It remains one of the most luxurious properties on the peninsula, with six guest rooms and a lovely second-floor ocean-facing bar. Whether augmenting vitamin D levels on the beach, or killing the memories of a frigid homeland with a frosted pitcher of Cuba Libres, visitors will tell you the resort community is the closest you'll get to heaven without being fitted for wings. While Varadero and other resort communities edging the country's 400 natural beaches along its 5,000-km coastline are targeted by heat-seeking Canucks, Cuba has many other attractions.
With a recorded history that predates the arrival of Columbus in 1492 and stretches through the Castro revolution, Cuba's cultural appeal extends beyond sea, sand and sunshine. Initially, Canadian tourists were only looking for just beach holidays; now they are more adventurous and want to explore the country. Canadians love Cuba and Cubans. It's a place they feel very safe and come back year after year for the sunshine and the beaches. Now they also want to discover Cuba's history and culture.
For true Cuba enthusiasts, there are two-week itineraries which combine city tours of Havana, Trinidad, Camaguay and Santiago de Cuba, with a visit to the mausoleum of Che Guevara in Santa Clara. The fully escorted tours also schedule visits to eco-sensitive sites along with lots of beach time. Havana is a must-see for its colourful past and its vibrant street life. The city is not picture perfect. Many of its beautiful Spanish colonial structures have deteriorated and are in urgent need of repair, but ongoing renovations are bringing Havana back to its glory days. Tourism is a big foreign-exchange earner, and there's a keen realization that the city's squares, fortresses, palaces and parks -- while echoing the past -- provide stepping stones to a more promising future.
Funded by an expanding tourism industry, the urban landscape is slowly improving as decrepit mansions and palaces are refurbished and turned into apartments, art galleries, museums and hotels. Back in the Mambo Club my friends were still happy blurs on the dance floor. I was wondering whether I'd risk another Crystal, or try to figure out a way back to my hotel. I was having fun, but it was getting late. In the end, I struck a compromise. I ordered a tall glass of rum and cola with lots of ice and headed to the dance floor.
Where to stay
Tour companies offer a wide range of accommodation options.
In Varadero, the Hotel Iberostar Playa Alameda has excellent service, comfortable rooms, great swimming pools, convenient beach access along with grand buffets and individual restaurants on property. In Havana, a stay at the beautifully refurbished Saratoga Hotel offers a tranquil getaway in the busy city. Its rooftop restaurant offers a superb vantage point to check out the city and is a perfect spot for a candlelight dinner
Money matters
The currency is the Cuban Convertible Peso (abbreviated as CUC). You can exchange Canadian cash for CUCs at the airport on arrival and also at hotels (service charges vary minimally). Do not bother to bring U.S. dollars as Canadian is more easily exchangeable. Also, credit cards (except American Express) are accepted in larger establishments. ATMs are not widely available.
Note: A departure tax of 25 CUC (cash CUC only acceptable) has to be paid at the airport when you leave.
Havana – DTC - The 2008 National Plastic Arts Award was granted to Cuban sculptor José Villa Soberón, who has created world-renowned sculptures. The jury chose Villa Soberón, as an acknowledgement of the national and international projection of his excellent work. The jury, which was headed by René de la Nuez, was made up of 18 prominent artists such as painters Arturo Montoto, Lesbia Vent Dumois and Sandra Ramos. Villa Soberón's works include the sculptures of Caballero de París, a typical Havana personage from the 20th century, John Lennon and US author Ernest Hemingway. His most popular works include Homage to Wifredo Lam, in Venice, Italy, and The Key to the Tower, in the National Museum of Fine Arts. The list of candidates for the award included painters Zayda del Río, Alexis Leyva Machado (Kcho) and Nelson Domínguez, cartoonist Manuel Hernández and photographer Liborio Noval.
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In 1999, OFAC (The Office of Foreign Assets Control of the United States Department of the Treasury in Washington, D.C.) confirmed that it had previously issued an opinion in 1994 which stated that a U.S. company or individual could make a secondary market investment in a "third-country company" that had commercial dealings with the Republic of Cuba as long as that investment in the "third-country company" was not a controlling interest. (Therefore, under that criteria, U.S. citizens and companies can invest in a private or public Canadian company doing business with Cuba)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~part2.03050805.03060800@cubaninvestments.com" width=30> James
Cuban Weekly News Digest http://www.cubaninvestments.com
Discovering Latin America is glad to announce that the 7th edition of its unique Film Festival will run from Thursday 27th November to 7th December in London at the following venues: the Institute of Contemporary Arts, Odeon Covent Garden, Odeon Panton Street, the Ritzy Cinema and Tate Modern.
For our seventh edition we are bringing a selection of the best of new feature films, documentaries and short films from across Latin America; with over thirty feature length films and many of them multiple award winners and new to London audiences. We are also very excited and honoured to be bringing some very special guests to present and discuss their films and work.
This year, thanks to the support of Film London, we are also taking the festival into new areas and to new audiences. For the first time, we have a programme of screenings for younger audiences. We have also expanded our Cultural events and activities: while master classes, lectures, and Q&As with invited directors and special guests feature prominently, we will also be offering an insight into the Cuban music video industry and an appreciation of still images.
A new section, entitled Local Talent, opens the door for Latin Americans residing in the UK to exhibit their work in the festival.
A special and integral part of our festival is its support each year of an organisation which is working for change in Latin America; this year we are proud to be supporting the work of Progressio in helping women affected by HIV and AIDS in the Dominican Republic.
We warmly invite you to join us and to explore and celebrate some of the best of contemporary Latin American cinema, and to experience the varied cultural events and activities, during the eleven days of the festival. You will find the full programme details available here on the website
http://www.discoveringlatinamerica.com/dlaff/
The Cuban Music Video Lecture + Party 1 Dec 2008
http://www.ica.org.uk/The%20Cuban%20Music%20Video%20Lecture%20%2B%20Party+18600.twl
Cuba incrementa 2% tarifas de servicios aéreos internacionales
http://usa.invertia.com/noticias/noticia.aspx?idNoticia=200811211828_AFP_182800-TX-AUO58&idtel=
Fuente: AFP
Cuba-Transporte-Servicios
Cuba incrementa 2% tarifas de servicios aéreos internacionales
Cuba incrementó 2% las tarifas de servicios aeronáuticos que se presten a las aeronaves que sobrevuelen el espacio bajo su control o sobre el territorio nacional, debido a la modernización tecnológica que realizó, dijo una resolución publicada este viernes.
Se trata de una afectación a vuelos "dentro de la Región de Información de Vuelos (FIR) o sobre el territorio nacional de la República de Cuba", señaló la resolución del Instituto Aeronáutica Civil, publicada en esta fecha en la versión digital de la Gaceta Oficial.
Justificó el alza debido a un incremento consierable de las inversiones realizadas este año, dirigidas "al mejoramiento de las instalaciones y preparación del personal que garantizan la seguridad de la navegación aérea, y como muestra de ello, se cita la instalación y puesta en marcha recientemente de un simulador aéreo con tecnología de punta".
En junio de 2007, la isla había decretado una rebaja de 20% de las tarifas de aterrizaje y estacionamiento de aviones, con el fin de estimular el turismo internacional, que en 2006 enfrentó dificultades.
cb/rd/ja
£520.00 including taxes - on CUBANA
Travel out 15Jan to 11Feb and 19Feb to 4Mar.
Valid 45days.
Must be booked and paid for by 12dec
Pls contact Marguerite below, pass it on
