Cuban Weekly News Digest

 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 - (acn)- Cuba has purchased 100 locomotives from China, and 550 freight cars and 200 modern passenger coaches from Iran, informed Cuban Transport Minister Jorge Luis Sierra Cruz. When operating, the new equipment will greatly improve transportation between Havana and the eastern part of the island. This and the modernization underway of the National Railway System will reduce the public's current dissatisfaction, said the minister. "We are convinced that the image people have of the trains being late and other inadequacies is going to change," said Sierra during a ceremony for railroad worker's day held in the western Cuban city of Pinar del Rio.

The Transportation minister said the investment involved in renovating the railroads is more than US $500 million, and incldes improving trains, tracks, sign-posting and communication systems. Sierra noted that the transformation of the nation's railways will take time due to the accumulated deterioration that occurred during the difficult years of the Special Period following the disappearance of the Soviet Union, and won't be totally implemented in 2008. He said a good part of the engines and cars —currently being assembled— will be delivered to Cuba in 2009 and 2010. The railway workers must be trained to be ready to operate the new technology. Not all of the problems today have to do with financing, concluded the minister.

Havana – DTC - The central Cuban province of Villa Clara completed the construction of a seed storehouse to promote the reproduction of marine sponges. According to experts, that effort resulted from the need to build a farm to reproduce marine sponges in the province. The introduction of this technology in Cuba will guarantee the sustainable exploitation of that species, reduce costs, create jobs and increase exports. Construction of the one-hectare farm will begin in February to plant the seeds to development sponge reproduction. Marine sponges are highly demanded on the international market for personal hygiene, decoration and in the pharmaceutical industry. The project also includes courses on environmental education for local inhabitants.

HAVANA - (Reuters) - A Cuban student who criticized state restrictions on travel and access to the Internet reappeared in a government video saying foreign media had distorted his words. Eliecer Avila denied he had been arrested, as claimed by opponents of Fidel Castro's government in Miami. He made the denial in an interview posted on the Web site of the Communist Party newspaper Granma. Avila, 21, and other computer science students criticized low wages and lack of government accountability at a town-hall style meeting on January 19 with the speaker of Cuba's National Assembly, Ricardo Alarcon. Videos of the meeting, in which Avila demanded to know, among other things, why Cubans had to work 2-3 days to buy a toothbrush, circulated like wildfire in Havana.

The student criticism came as more Cubans begin to speak out about the shortcomings of the Caribbean island's socialist system, a debate encouraged by acting President Raul Castro since he took over from his ailing brother Fidel in 2006.

The comments were covered widely by foreign news media in Havana, including CNN, as a reflection of growing criticism of the government. The headline in Spain's El Pais newspaper was "University students openly challenge Cuban regime." But in the video on the Granma site, Avila said his criticism was internal to the socialist society born of Castro's 1959 revolution. "If some students dealt with certain controversial matters there ... the intention is to improve socialism, not to destroy it ... so that things that have to be fixed, changed or revised can be done so within the Revolution," Avila said. Avila said he had gone home to have two wisdom teeth extracted in Puerto Padre, in the eastern province of Las Tunas, when he was informed about a "media campaign" against Cuba using his criticisms.

He said he was fetched by Cesar Lage, student leader at the University of Computing Science and son of Vice President Carlos Lage, to return to Havana to make a denial. "It was never an arrest. My family is completely at ease. There is no problem," Avila said in the video interview with four other students, including Cesar Lage. Cuban-American congressman Lincoln Diaz-Balart, a Republican from Florida, condemned Avila's arrest by "Cuban regime thugs" and said the Castro government was trying to perpetuate itself by stopping young Cubans from speaking out. One anti-Castro group even set up a "Free Eliecer" blog.

The meeting with Alarcon was a rare public challenge to the authorities coming from some of the best-informed university students in Cuba. "Why can't the people of Cuba go to hotels or travel to other parts of the world?" Avila had asked. He also demanded to know why the government bans the use of Web sites Yahoo! and Google for e-mail and messenger services. Only foreigners are allowed to stay at hotels at Cuba's beach resorts. To leave the island, Cubans need a permit from the government, which particularly restricts travel by young people. Internet service is controlled by the government, which blocks access to critical Web sites. Many Cubans with Internet access can use e-mail but not surf the Web, only an intranet of Cuban Web sites.

Fidel Castro's "Life" - La Lucha Continua - Fidel Castro is one of the great men of the past fifty years. Even his bitterest enemies acknowledge this by their continuing attempts to destroy the man and the revolution he is identified with. In 2003, journalist Ignacio Ramonet, editor of Le monde diplomatique, began a series of lengthy conversations with Fidel that were recently published in English. This collection of interviews taking place over two years, titled Fidel Castro: My Life, is a history and autobiography of a man who is not only a revolutionary, but the leader of a country that has maintained its national integrity and independence in the face of one of history's longest economic blockades and has stared down the biggest empire in the history of humankind while doing so.

My Life is not necessarily a balanced account of Fidel or the Cuban revolution, but then again it is an autobiography. That means the subject is telling his version of events. At the same time it is not an egocentric adventure in braggadocio. The picture that comes across in these (almost) 700 pages of interviews is of a man who strives to maintain his humility, refuses to take credit for events and programs that he rightly credits to the Cuban people and their government, and still retains a sense of humor about his history and his legacy. This isn't to say there are not flashes of arrogance or elements of egoism, yet the picture that emerges is of a man quite aware of the potential for someone of his stature to allow human frailties such as these to overcome his better self. Indeed, the struggle against those frailties appears on these pages, too.

Despite the never ending attempts by the Cubans that left Cuba after the victory of the Revolution in 1959 and their co-conspirators in the US government to destroy both Fidel and the government he is identified with, Fidel exudes optimism. His answers to Ramonet's questions refer constantly to the power of the Cuban people, their general belief in the principles of the revolution, their educational system, their culture and their fortitude in what they call the Battle of Ideas. Where many northern progressives see nothing but despair and hopelessness, Fidel sees cause for hope in the struggle against capitalist globalization. His intimate involvement in the Cuban struggle for independence and socialism since the early 1950s has provided him with a comprehension of history that very few other humans have-especially those still involved in the struggle for social and economic justice.

This understanding and experience alone makes the lessons and thoughts in this book worthwhile. Ramonet asks Fidel tough questions regarding Cuba's treatment of some of its dissidents and its use of the death penalty. Fidel answers these questions in a direct manner that explains Havana's reasoning for its actions. He discusses the role the CIA and the right-wing Miami Cubans play in financing and organizing many of the so-called dissidents and he discusses mistakes the Cuban government has made in its attempts to respond to the legitimate criticisms of these people and other Cubans that disagree with various policies of their government. At the same time, he stands steadfast in his support for the revolution and against those who would destroy what the revolution has accomplished. He decries Washington's meddling in Cuba's economy and politics and sets the record straight regarding various accusations made by Washington regarding Cuba's intentions and agreements with other nations.

Some of the most historically interesting sections of the book include his reminiscences of Che and the early days of the revolution. His account of the failed attempt on the Moncado barracks in 1953 and the time the rebels spent in the Sierra Maestro after Fidel's release from prison in 1956 are revealing in that they show how a revolutionary must learn from their mistakes. This segment is, among other things, an intelligent multilayered defense of the Cuban revolution and Fidel's commitment to that revolution. Details of episodes in Cuban and Latin American history are provided that are important not only for their source and the new facts they involve, but also because of Fidel's way of placing them in a historical context many readers may not have known or considered. His recollections of various world leaders he has locked horns with or met and worked with are objective and respectful. His commentary on the current situation of the world reveals a man whose mind is sharp and whose thinking is framed by an understanding of economics and history and is driven by a desire for economic and social justice.

Fidel exhibits a sense of history rarely found among US political leaders. Even on those rare occasions that a mainstream political figure appears in the United States that does know their history, it is usually a history without graciousness and with plenty of imperial arrogance. Fidel's understanding, on the other hand, is both gracious and intellectually thorough. It is not the historical understanding of a culture that has traded in any sense of history for the bluster of the bomb and the dollar, but the understanding of a culture that knows that history is more than destruction and conquest.

People on the left should read this book. Even if they (rightly or wrongly) disagree with Fidel, they will find his ideas and belief in humanity inspiring. People in the middle of the political spectrum should read it too. They will walk away with a new understanding of the Cuban revolution and, more importantly, a different way of perceiving their world. People on the right should also read it. They will walk away with a new respect for a man and country that is their most stalwart foe.

Havana - (acn) - Cuban First Vice President Raul Castro attended the official opening of the 17th International Book Fair at its usual venue, the Morro-Cabana Fortress in Havana. In statements to the press, Raul Castro commented on the originality of the pavilion from Galicia (Spain), which is the guest of honor at the fair. Angela Bugallo, Culture and Sports Counselor of Galicia, said Cuba's invitation to the literary fest is seen as recognition to the artistic wealth of the Spanish territory. She added that the fair provided the Spanish autonomous region with an opportunity to show the world its literary and artistic values, and the vitality of its culture.

Also present at the fair's opening ceremony was Cuba's Book Institute President Iroel Sanchez, who told the press that the fair was characterized by its massive and popular nature. He explained that the event not only consists of selling books, but also carries out a wide range of activities and presentations. Exchanges with national and foreign authors, colloquiums, literary forums, musical and dance performances and film screenings are some of the activities organized as part of the annual celebration. Sanchez emphasized that the book fest will be hosted by other 41 Cuban cities outside Havana over the next several weeks. Other personalities attending the opening were Cuban Culture Minister Abel Prieto, and his Venezuelan counterpart Francisco Sesto, as well as National Literature Prize winners and other government officials.

Der Speigel - The European Union and Cuba are strengthening their diplomatic ties. Now a German-led delegation in Cuba is exploring the dictatorship's willingness to make concessions to the EU, in the form of allowing a non-government organization to open its doors in Havana. The fifth floor of the Revolutionary Palace in Havana is an unobtrusive sort of place, where the only sounds are those of muffled voices, the rare ringing of a telephone and the occasional rattling of a tea cart. It's the ideal place for a delicate mission.

Martin Schulz, the German head of the center-left Social Democrat faction in the European Parliament, has come to Havana in an effort to improve relations between Europe and Cuba. To that end, he is sitting in front of Carlos Lage, a balding, deeply tanned man. Lage, 56, is the executive secretary of the Council of Ministers and one of the key members of the Cuban government. Photos of Fidel Castro, and revolutionary leader Ernesto Che Guevara hang in the reception area outside his office. Che is long dead and Fidel is seriously ill. Those who follow the country closely believe that Lage will soon be a more important man than he already is.

Schulz, 52, is here to explore whether the European Union can set aside its protracted diplomatic conflict with the Caribbean dictatorship. The meeting with Lage is the high point of his four-day visit, but it starts off on a sour note. Despite the fact that the European Union's sanctions against Cuba are currently suspended, Lage complains that the fact they exist in the first place is an outrage. He tells Schulz that Cuba is not prepared to offer anything in exchange for the permanent removal of the sanctions. The Europeans, he says, are nothing but America's lackeys. It takes Schulz a few minutes to recover from the attack, but then he shoots back: "Let me tell you how your country is viewed in Europe. You impose the death penalty. You torture and lock up political prisoners. Cuba is a dictatorship." The meeting doesn't appear to be heading in the direction of mutual understanding.

The two men spend the next hour and a half arguing. "It was a killer meeting," Schulz says on the steps of the palace after emerging from Lage's office. "We gave each other a run for our money." Nevertheless, the verbal sparring could mark a milestone. Schulz proposed to the Cuban government that if the communists offered a sign of their willingness to open up, the EU would slacken its rigid position. It is an attempt that goes beyond Cuba. At issue is the question of whether a policy of mutual understanding can convince dictatorships to make concessions. Views on this question vary widely within Germany's grand coalition government of left-leaning Social Democrats and conservative Christian Democrats, between the Chancellery and the Foreign Ministry.

The debate over how Germany should deal with authoritarian countries began when Chancellor Angela Merkel, a Christian Democrat, received the Dalai Lama last September -- a move that deeply outraged China's communist leaders. Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, a Social Democrat, called Merkel's move "shop-window politics." Berlin's approach to other authoritarian countries, like Syria and Iran, is also controversial. In 2003, the EU imposed a series of symbolic sanctions on the Castro regime. They included a freeze on high-level diplomatic contacts between Brussels and Cuba, although the restrictions have since been eased to allow some lower-level contacts. To the great annoyance of the Cuban "Maximo Lider," members of the opposition movement -- a thorn in Castro's side -- were even invited to embassy receptions.

Schulz, a Social Democrat, is trying to reach a mutual understanding with Cuba by offering the regime a concrete deal. He has told the Cubans that he will attempt to convince a majority in the European Parliament to vote in favor of lifting the sanctions, and that, if he succeeds, the resulting pressure will likely persuade the 27 EU member governments on the European Council to come around on the issue. What Schulz expects in return is no small matter. He wants the Cubans to allow the Friedrich Ebert Foundation (FEF), which is aligned with Germany's Social Democratic Party (SPD), to open an independent office in Havana -- with unfettered access to the population, an unmonitored foreign currency account, its own car and freedom of movement for its employees. Schulz has told the Cubans that an FEF office in Havana would be seen in Europe as a "signal of openness." But it is also clear to him that the rulers in Havana would view an FEF office as an assault on their sovereignty. Even a small foundation would be nothing short of revolutionary for the island.

Cuba is a police state not unlike the former East Germany. Members of the EU delegation are constantly accompanied by watchful officials. Insiders report that the intelligence service systematically infiltrates the country's few opposition groups. In addition, reformers and hardliners are currently waging a behind-the-scenes battle over Castro's legacy. The country's top leadership is expected to decide who will eventually succeed Castro as the head of government by Feb. 24. Given all this uncertainty, reformers like Lage are being careful not to make any mistakes. In his conversation with Schulz, he claims that the Spanish Cultural Center, which Castro ordered closed in 2003, was "funded by the CIA."

The Ebert Foundation is not just any organization, Schulz argues. It is associated with the name of former German Chancellor Willy Brandt, who campaigned for a policy of détente worldwide. "The Ebert Foundation even has an office in Beijing, just not in Havana," Schulz says. But Lage doesn't give in. "I cannot make this decision here and now," he says, at first. But then he accompanies Schulz to the elevator, past the photos of Che and Fidel. He waits until the two men are out of earshot of the Cuban delegation, and then he takes his guest aside and quietly tells him that he is interested, after all. He hands Schulz his telephone number. Has the experiment succeeded? "If a woman gives you her phone number, it means that she wants things to move forward," says a member of Schulz's team. "The answer was encoded," says Schulz, "but the man was clearly open to the idea."

St. Petersburg Times - Latin America Correspondent - MIAMI - Cuba is buzzing these days with talk of economic reform as the nation's National Assembly prepares to choose a new president on Feb. 24. For the first time in almost 50 years, Fidel Castro's name may not be the one selected. So it might seem odd that an increasing number of Cubans are trying to leave the island in dangerous smuggling ventures, costing up to $10,000 a person. Human smuggling from Cuba is up about 20 percent over last year at this time. It is ironic that the smuggling boats leave from Cuba's attractive north coast, one of the country's most prosperous regions thanks to a boom in tourist resorts.

Despite the new jobs in the tourism sector, Cubans still earn state salaries worth $15 to $20 a month. Many Cubans complain that they cannot make ends meet on these salaries. They turn instead to the black market. This economic quandary - that Cubans' lack of purchasing power pushes them to participate in the illegal economy - is at the heart of a growing internal debate in Cuba. To be sure, there is nothing new about Cubans coming to Florida. What has changed is the way in which both Cuba and the United States seek to avoid turning it into a crisis. Neither wants a repeat of the immigration crises of 1980 and 1994 when tens of thousands of Cubans poured across the Straits of Florida.

The Bush administration is hoping to dent the smuggling flow by speeding up the visa application process for Cubans seeking to be reunited with relatives in the United States. The U.S. and Cuban coast guards also collaborate closely on stopping the smugglers. Cuba does not attempt boarding the usually dangerously overloaded vessels to avoid loss of life. Instead, its coast guard transmits coordinates of the boat, the estimated number of passengers and its direction, to the U.S. Coast Guard station in Miami. Nearly half the boats are intercepted by U.S. Coast Guard ships. U.S. officials have tried to crack down on the smugglers with fines and stiff jail sentences. But prosecution isn't easy. The details of each voyage are closely guarded secrets. Cubans who enter the country on the speedboats are reluctant to rat on the boat captains. "We can't say how we did it," said Sixto Sanchez, who arrived on a smuggling boat on Jan. 1. "We can't harm the people who tried to help us."

The Cuban government protests that the main problem lies in a U.S. law that rewards Cubans who are smuggled into the United States. Under the Cuban Adjustment Act of 1966, Cubans who enter the country illegally enjoy the right to stay. Cubans in Miami are increasingly ambivalent about the law. Passed at the height of the Cold War, it was originally intended to assist political refugees fleeing communism - not smugglers earning up to $200,000 for each boatload of economic migrants. In an era of heightened border security, encouraging human smuggling sends the wrong message, critics say. "It's time the law was repealed," said Silvia Wilhelm, with the Cuban American Commission for Family Rights. "It's become a big business and a very dangerous business." But discussion of the law is almost taboo in Miami. "It's so difficult for someone to take the banner and say we don't want any more Cubans to enter this way," said Wilhelm. "But we should."

NEW YORK - (AP) - Spirits company Bacardi USA Inc. spent $560,000 in 2007 to lobby on issues including trade with Cuba and trade name protections, among others. The company spent $280,000 in the second half of 2007 to lobby the federal government, according to a disclosure form posted online by the Senate's public records office. Bacardi also spent $280,000 in the first part of the year to lobby on largely the same issues. Bacardi USA Inc. introduced a Puerto Rico-made "Havana Club" rum in August 2006. It has since been in a trademark battle with rival Pernod Ricard SA, which claims Bacardi does not have the right to use the Havana Club trademark in the U.S.

Pernod has co-produced "Havana Club" rum with the Cuban government since 1993, but the beverage is not sold in the U.S., which has a trade embargo with Cuba. The company also lobbied throughout the year for legislation to help reduce underage drinking and decrease taxes on alcohol to their pre-1985 level. Besides Congress, Bacardi lobbied U.S. Trade Representatives, the Department of State and the Department of Commerce. Lobbyists are required to disclose activities that could influence members of the executive and legislative branches, under a federal law enacted in 1995.

El Nuevo Herald - After two years of shrinkage, U.S. sales to Cuba of agricultural goods during 2007 bounced back to $437.7 million, the highest annual total since such sales were authorized in 2000. The 2007 total represented a strong increase over the $340.4 million recorded in 2006 and the $350.2 million recorded in 2005, according to figures compiled by the U.S.-Cuba Trade and Economic Council, a New York group that monitors bilateral trade. The $437.7 million made Cuba the United States' 37th largest trading partner for the year, according to the council, which obtains its data from the U.S. government.

Since Washington first authorized such sales to Cuba as a humanitarian exemption to the U.S. trade embargo, Havana has bought nearly $2 billion in those goods from U.S. companies. The Cuban government reported last month that it had bought $600 million in goods from U.S. companies in 2007. Cuba claims its figures include transportation, banking and other charges associated with the purchases, but the council's report notes that Havana's figures are ``suspect.'' Cuba has tried to use its U.S. purchases as a way of pushing U.S. providers to lobby Washington to ease trade sanctions on the island.

HAVANA - Their costumes are typically Spanish -- refined dresses complemented with hand-held fans, painted faces and sculpted hair styles. But these dancers are clearly Caribbean, and while the music conjures up images of the Iberian peninsula, their moves have an undeniably Cuban sensuality, with the drumming of an island rumba driving the beat. This is "Vida," or "Life," a Cuban-Canadian production by the Lizt Alfonso Dance Company that mixes the furious but refined rhythmic heel tapping of Spanish flamenco with the edgy, rustic and sexy traditions of Cuba's African roots.

Classical flamenco is a wonderful tradition for Spain, but in Cuba, "it's not worth imitating when you can do something authentic," Alfonso explains after leading dancers through an exhausting rehearsal at her dance company's Old Havana headquarters."In Cuba, there is an excellent school of (classic) ballet. They love Spanish dances and all kinds of folklore," said Alfonso, who has soft features but penetrating eyes. "What I did was mix all that to create the type of dance we do, fusion."

The show reflects a flamenco boom that swept Cuba after the Soviet Union's collapse crippled the island's economy in the early 1990s. Some Cubans later embraced flamenco as a sign of wealth and economic status, and many Spanish dance companies have sprung up around the country since then. But Alfonso's group is one of only a few companies able to truly embrace flamenco, pulling off "a very serious effort to renovate, reapportion and reinterpret its legitimate Iberian roots," according to Cuban art critic Pedro de la Hoz. "Vida" opened to critical acclaim last year in Canada, where private financing from a theater producer helped design and pay for costumes and sets that Alfonso managed to bring back to Cuba. The show is slated to run one month at Havana's Mella Theater, but Alfonso hopes to extend performances well into the rest of the year.

A dancer as well as director, Alfonso attended her first ballet class at 4 and was performing on stage by age 9. A graduate of Cuba's Superior Institute of Art, she was just 23 when she founded her own company in 1991, saying that working independently from government influence was the only way she could try new twists on Cuban classical ballet. For years, the group was viewed with suspicion by Cuban authorities because it was not state-run. Some also bristled at Alfonso's penchant for pioneering variations to classic Cuban dance forms. "When you are born in an independent manner, no one can clip your wings," Alfonso said. "We worked very hard, but for nine years we were considered something that shouldn't exist."

Alfonso does not appear personally in this show, which tells the story of Vida, an old woman who recounts her life's story to her young granddaughter. The narrative parallels 100 years of Cuban history, from colonialism to independence to Fidel Castro's revolution and a communist government. At times, more than 50 performers crowd the stage. The performance "is our way of expressing what we feel, who we are and what we do," Alfonso said. The cast includes X Alfonso, a noted Cuban hip hop artist and Afro-rock singer not related to Lizt Alfonso, and Omara Portuondo, a diva of "Buena Vista Social Club" fame. Litz Alfonso said Portuondo, whose father was a black baseball player and whose mother came from a well-to-do white family, embodies the show's mulatto spirit. She said Vida embodies her dance company's continuing effort to combine classic ballet with flamenco and raw Afro-Cuban emotion. Alfonso instructs her dancers to offer the audience "a sweeping of the feet, a Spanish tap dance, but with a coordination between arms and feet that adheres to the classic Cuban school." "We move our hands like it's a flamenco, but we move our hips as if we were any Cuban, doing a rumba," she said.

Alfonso's company also breaks with what she calls the carefully choreographed "pendular" style of traditional flamenco, allowing dancers to move in ever-changing circles that are "passionate and almost out of control," she said. Though it quickly built a national following, Alfonso's company faced resistance until it performed overseas. It was during a tour of Spain in late 1998, visiting 22 cities and provinces that Alfonso began perfecting her vision of flamenco fusion. She called it a "trial by fire." "The people who know flamenco better than anyone in the world, Spanish dancers, said to us 'you are doing the same thing (we do), but your style is different," Alfonso recalled. At first, the company could afford international tours only when organizers covered travel and logistical expenses. But a bit more than a year after the company's success in Spain, Cuba's Ministry of Culture came up with financial support for its expenses and performers' salaries. Some Cuban officials still oppose her company and its work, Alfonso says, but "when you do things in an authentic manner, you earn the right to be and others respect you."

Washington - (Prensa Latina) - The next Pastors for Peace Caravan to Cuba will be on the road on June/July visiting more than 120 US and Canadian cities along 14 routes. It will collect donations of medical and educational supplies all across the US and Canada as a collective challenge to the inhuman and immoral US blockade and travel ban, said organizers. Five of the buses will be named in honor of the Five Cuban patriots unjustly incarcerated in US jails. Caravan participants will spend 8 days in Cuba attending cultural events and visiting social projects such as organic farms, elderly persons´ homes and health centers, including the Latin American School of Medicine.

This year's caravan will also host the second Hiphop Without Borders Exchange. Accompanying the caravan will be many hiphop artists to participate in an international hiphop festival, as well as carrying turntables, keyboards and other musical equipment to support Cuban hiphop. Together with the caravan there will be other travel challenges undertaken by the Venceremos Brigade and the US-Cuba Labor Exchange. On July 14th all will return to the US proudly acknowledging that they challenged the US travel ban. That's the intentions, but it needs supporters, a network, to make it happen, say organizers who call on US interested residents to contact them through cucaravan@igc.org.

Asuncion - (Prensa Latina) - Cuba will send doses of yellow fever vaccine to Paraguay following an outbreak that has already killed two persons in the South American country, President Nicanor Duarte announced. "The Cuban friends will arrive with their plane for Operation Miracle and they will also bring the vaccines", Duarte said. The Paraguayan government declared a 90-day national emergency to detour bureaucratic processes and obtain funds and donations of vaccines from neighboring countries. Yellow fever had not been registered in that nation for 34 years.

Commentary – The Huffington Post - Back in August 2006, while I was covering the reaction of "the Cuban-American street" to the news that their devil incarnate, Fidel Castro, had ceded power and was possibly on the verge of death, I got a teensy taste of the incredible euphoria -- sometimes bordering on hysteria -- built up over 47 long, frustrating years. SUV's gassed up at Hugo Chavez' Citgo stations and raucously honked their way down Southwest 8th Street, their passengers wildly waving Cuba's red-white-and-blue and beating pots and pans. Activists propped up a gruesome effigy of Fidel in a coffin in front of Little Havana's iconic Versailles restaurant. Telemundo and Univisión news constantly broke into the telenovelas (soap operas) with the latest updates. And Mayor Manny Diaz -- who himself rode to office on the Elián González mania of 2000 -- ironically begged for "calm and patience."

Patience, indeed, because what happened afterward was...not much. Well, at least on the surface. Gaga Fidel and his intestinal woes have been gradually, gingerly maneuvered aside as his younger brother Raúl gathered up the reins of the dictatorship, yet daily life in Cuba, Miami, and Washington DC continued much as before, with embargo supporters ceding nary a smidgeon of a fraction of an inch. But now, a year and a half later, tantalizing hints of change are leaking from the palmy police state 90 miles south of Key West. Earlier this month, the BBC and CNN broadcast an astonishing, nearly hour-long video of Havana-area computer-science students grilling parliament boss Ricardo Alarcón about, for example, why they aren't allowed to go abroad and why political candidates are always unopposed ciphers who never campaign. The snappiest comeback the old geezer could manage: "Well, imagine, if the whole world, its six billion residents, were able to travel where they wished, the congestion in the planet's airspace would be enormous!"

Meanwhile, in the state-run media, another parliamentarian, well-known singer Silvio Rodriguez, declared himself in favor of freedom of travel and against Cuba's tourism apartheid, while minister of culture Abel Prieto said he supports same-sex marriage (Raúl's own daughter, Mariela Espín, runs an organization promoting gay rights and tolerance). Oy, what a concept. And of course in the latest rubber-stamp elections, on January 20, Raúl shored up his position as Big Dog, supposedly nailing 99.37 percent of the vote against Fidel's piddling 98.26.

In a political system like Cuba's, of course, these sorts of openings, however tiny, rarely happen spontaneously or by accident. Granted, it seems one of those uppity young pups may have been briefly arrested, and he and several others later appeared on a régime videotape claiming there was no arrest and that the foreign media had twisted the first encounter. But most such leaks tend to be trial balloons of sorts -- meaning it's looking like Raúl may be readying his long-suffering public for some big changes, changes he has to know are necessary for the régime's long-term survival -- changes perhaps following the lead of America's bosom trading partners, Communist China.

As for change here in the "Empire," as the Castro régime calls us, none of it particularly impresses the Cuban exile dinosaurs and their enabling gringos, who've kept a Cold War stranglehold on U.S. Cuba policy for most of my life. Did you know that arguably a majority of Cubans in Miami Dade County now favor junking the travel restrictions? Not only are the intransigentes dying off and the more sensible younger generation pushing onto the stage, but more recent Cuban immigrants have been added to the mix. These folks are certainly no fans of the Castro gang either, but want to be free to visit their families and realize it's a no-brainer that a key to reform is more, not less, contact with the outside world. (I'll never forget how my group's entry into Havana's chichi Café de Oriente in 2002 ticked off two elite policemen guarding the door, one muttering to the other, "man, wouldn't I rather be eating lobster in there than eating mierda out here").

You wouldn't know it, though, to hear the same-old same-old bloviations of Capitol Hill's "Gang of 3." Lincoln Díaz Balart, brother Mario (both related to Fidel, by the way), and their gal pal Ileana Ros-Lehtinen -- Miami Republicans all -- have for years made their careers on being the Hill's strident, relentless whips of the counterproductive embargo and prime trough-feeders in the embargo-industrial complex typified by the millions lavished on pork like TV Martí (which almost nobody on the island can see). But wait...could it be? This November these characters are finally facing races that are...gasp!... competitive! Lincoln's being challenged by popular former Hialeah mayor Raúl Martínez (on whom Ileana's D.A. husband tried to pin a corruption rap back in the 1980's), while Mario's facing the Dems' respected county chairman Joe García. Ileana meanwhile, is less of a one-trick pony and has also lucked out by drawing a political newbie, Colombian-born businesswoman Annette Taddeo. Could the Gang of 3 conceivably lose?

Repubs are a whole damn sight less popular down here than they used to be -- the "W" stickers have been disappearing mighty fast, Bush lost Miami Dade County to John Kerry even back in 2004, and I now get anti-Bush e-mails and even DVD's from various Cuban Republicans supposedly rock-solid for the embargo. If even one of this trio becomes part of the expected GOP Congressional meltdown this November, the bipartisan Hill coalition that comes closer and closer every year to scrapping the embargo just might manage it the next time, a major plus for U.S. policy in a Latin America where Cuba allies like Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador, Nicaragua, and possibly soon El Salvador have been on the march. Of course there's always a possible pro-embargo President McCain or Clinton to worry about (Obama's position: keep the trade ban for now but allow family travel; an Obama foreign-policy advisor told me they're taking an "incremental" approach).

So the glimmerings of glasnost on both sides of the Florida straits finally offer hope that some degree of loosening on the island may be in the cards, along with a common-sense loosening of the U.S. policies that since JFK have helped keep the bad guys in power, the embargo-industrialists in clover, and Cuban-American families in pain and suffering. Several analysts I know pooh-pooh that. But golly, wouldn't it be a blow for libertad all around...

Newsday.com - Recording Cuba's rappers: 'Liberación' - Chris Murphy is a 53-year-old Australian best known for managing international rock stars INXS, but in 2002 he found himself in a confrontation with a Cuban government official in Havana. He was negotiating to continue to record the hip-hop artists that appear on "Liberación" (Petrol/EMI), a DVD that has been nominated for best long-form video at the Grammy Awards ceremony. "The chairman of the Cuban music institute became extraordinarily aggressive towards me," said Murphy in a phone interview. "He said in this country, people have to become qualified to become musicians, and go to a conservatory for five years." Murphy, who had his partner Mark Edwards clandestinely record rappers like El Médico, Kuva Man to Man and Fresca in a home studio in Santiago, felt himself in the throes of a dilemma.

"Your mind is flickering between what is morally correct and what a fantastic thing [it is] that these young people can be trained for five years on government money," Murphy said. "After he finished ranting I looked him in the eye and said, 'If your philosophy was correct, we wouldn't have had Michael Hutchence, Bono or Elvis Presley. They didn't have a single day of training in their lives.'" Murphy then traveled to the southeast coast of Cuba with a freelance BBC cameraman and recorded the performances on "Liberación" during the Carnaval de Santiago de Cuba, celebrated in July. The MCs rap about quotidian life in Cuba over backing music that varies from reggaetón-style beats to more traditional hip-hop breakbeats. The video mixes layers of carnaval footage of wildly costumed revelers and families celebrating in their houses and on the streets, giving Santiago a dreamlike quality.

The performers in "Liberación" are talented, enthusiastic, and display strong technique and lyricism. "El Médico was very disciplined and had a star quality about him," Murphy said. Other impressive moments are provided by Resurrection's performance of "Guapo" and Lady Ragga's "Come and Get It." The DVD's theme song is a reggaetón cover of T-Rex's "Children of the Revolution." Murphy is thrilled with his Grammy nomination, since the project took almost five years to be released. His Petrol Records label has had success releasing a series of world music compilations using graphic representations of fruit on the cover (Cuba's features an orange), as well as last year's "Che Guevara: A Soundtrack to Life," an exclusive deal with iTunes. Now that "Liberación" has finally been recognized, he's thinking of returning to Cuba to do a documentary about where the rappers are now.

"When I arrived back in New York from Cuba, I told my daughter, I'm a wee bit confused about capitalism vs. communism," Murphy said. "People need more food on their plate, but every single person I saw was dancing and had a smile on their face, and music was in their blood, and there was a happiness and good vibe about the place. In New York, I walk down the street and nobody smiled at me, and I went to a restaurant where the serving was for four people instead of one, and I thought, who's really happy here?" CRUCIAL SONIDOS. Molotov plays Irving Plaza (212-777-6800) Sunday ... Diana Navarro plays Dizzy's Club Coca Cola (212-258-9875) Thursday ... Brian McKnight and Tito Nieves play the Lehman Center in the Bronx (718-960-8833)

Havana - (acn) - Improved urban transport; street repairs; and refurbishing hospitals, movie theaters and parks are some of the principal challenges for 2008 in the Cuban capital, said Economy and Planning Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez during a tour of Havana. Rodriguez, accompanied by Juan Contino, president of the City of Havana provincial government, informed about efforts to clean up the city and repair popular recreation centers, as reported by Granma daily. In a visit to an electric generator set facility in the Havana municipality of Regla, the minister said the program to improve the national electricity system would continue in the current year. He also said a sizeable investment will be spent on upgrading power lines.

The water pipe networks are another area to receive priority attention this year, said Rodriguez, who added that funds should especially be spent on infrastructure that helps increase production. During his tour of the city, workers spoke about the new Cuban made garbage containers that will substitute previous ones imported from Spain saying they are more durable and cost less. Rodriguez also noted that the government has earmarked additional funds for the eastern provinces of the country to, among other priorities, repair roads after the damage caused by heavy rains last year. Among the places visited by the Cuban official in the capital was the crematorium in Guanabacoa, the Fructuoso Rodriguez Orthopedic Hospital, the housing project for physicians in Alamar and the Parque Lenin amusement park.

COUNTRY VIEW - ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT - OUTLOOK FOR 2008-09

The new National Assembly will elect a president when it convenes in late February. Whether or not Fidel Castro stands, the Economist Intelligence Unit expects political change to be gradual, rather than sudden. There will be no easing of tensions with the US in 2008, but some rapprochement is possible from 2009. The government has promised reforms to improve economic management, but progress will be constrained by conservatism and its commitment to full employment.

A strategy for moving towards a single currency and single exchange rate is under way, but until this objective is achieved, the economy will continue to be plagued by dislocation and perverse incentives. We expect growth to moderate in 2008-09, and it will remain below potential as a result of continued US sanctions and restrictions on private investment. The current-account balance is forecast to remain within plus or minus 1% of GDP. The services and current transfers surpluses will rise, offsetting a widening goods trade deficit.

DOMESTIC POLITICS: Our forecast is based on the expectation of gradual, rather than sudden, political (and economic) change in Cuba in the medium term. Following elections to the National Assembly on January 20th, the Assembly's first meeting, due to convene on February 24th, will elect the president. Although the current nominal president, Fidel Castro (81), has been named as a candidate for the National Assembly, he has indicated that he may not stand for election to the presidency. If not, his brother, Raul Castro (76), who has been acting president since July 31st 2006, might be formally elected by the Assembly in his place, or a new president could be chosen from among the younger generation of leaders. Of these, Carlos Lage Davila (56), one of the six vice-presidents and de facto prime minister, appears the most likely. Mr Lage is known as a people manager and pragmatist. The smoothness of the initial handover to Raul Castro as acting president, and the prospect of a constitutional transfer to a figure within the government, means that the succession is likely to be achieved without political upheaval. It is still possible that Fidel Castro might remain nominal president, but this will not change the fact that the succession has taken place. The new leadership faces a challenge in terms of establishing a new balance of power to replace the unchallenged authority of Fidel Castro. The main risks to this forecast stem from potential rivalries within the post-Fidel Castro leadership, which could be heightened by social pressures or by actions by the US.

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS : There has been no change in official policy on Cuban-US relations on either side, but there are signs of change ahead. Although the current US government will not engage with a "successor" government or relax sanctions, the succession in Cuba, and the approach of the US presidential election in November 2008, open the possibility of gradual improvement in relations from 2009. Ties with China, Venezuela and other important emerging markets, which have provided a major economic stimulus, will continue to be nurtured. This will make CubaÂ's official relations with the EU and Canada less significant, encouraging its rejection of political conditions. Cuba will continue to build relations actively across Latin America and the Caribbean.

POLICY TRENDS: Our central scenario assumes that the government will make no sudden changes in the overall economic policy stance, but significant adjustments, including price reforms and liberalising measures, are likely to emerge from the ongoing national debate on economic efficiency and living standards. Fiscal revenue will be supported by an increase in the profitability of state enterprises, keeping the overall fiscal deficit close to target. The Banco Central de Cuba (BCC, the Central Bank) will continue to use a broad range of both direct and indirect means to control monetary growth and the use of foreign exchange. Efforts to strengthen state oversight and regulation will continue.

INTERNATIONAL ASSUMPTIONS: We expect that world GDP growth (at purchasing power parity exchange rates) will slip from an estimated 5.1% in 2007 to around 4.5% in 2008-09. This would still be sufficient to ensure the continued expansion of international trade and underpin commodity prices. However, the risks to this forecast arising from the large imbalances in the global economy have grown. Within the US, GDP growth has started to weaken, creating the potential for a sharper than forecast international slowdown. This would hit Cuba through a slack tourism market and weaker commodity export prices. A further risk for Cuba arises from dependence on economic ties with Venezuela, which would be sharply affected by political upheaval within Venezuela.

ECONOMIC GROWTH: In 2005-06 major new trade agreements, investment commitments and credit lines from Venezuela and China relaxed Cuba's tight financing constraint, lifting average real annual growth to close to 10%. In 2007 growth was tempered by a slowdown in tourism, while the investment surge (financed by an expansion of service earnings subsided). We forecast that growth will moderate further in 2008-09, although it will remain firm, at over 5%, despite continued US sanctions and restrictions on private enterprise.

INFLATION: Consumer price inflation is determined by the net effect of price movements in the formal and informal markets, denominated in both Cuban pesos (CUP) and convertible pesos (CUC). The government can influence inflation by using price controls and regulating the limited free markets, but the prices of goods in the retail outlets--both those operating in convertible pesos and the free agricultural and produce markets denominated in Cuban pesos--are affected by market pressures. In the case of the CUC markets, prices in Cuban peso terms fluctuate with changes in the unofficial CUP:CUC exchange rate; and in the case of the free markets, prices are sensitive to movements in demand and supply. Official inflation data is published only annually, and the most recent figure is 5.7% for 2006. We estimate that it moderated slightly, to 4.8%, in 2007. In 2008-09 it will be strongly influenced by the government's decisions regarding price, wage and exchange rate adjustments. Higher real household incomes are likely to be coupled with increases in some administered prices, which will mitigate upward pressure on market prices. Our forecast assumes a gradual appreciation of the Cuban peso against the convertible peso (which will restrain peso inflation) and upward adjustments to administered prices.

EXCHANGE RATES: The Cuban peso can only be exchanged for the convertible peso for personal transactions and neither unofficial nor official exchange rates, which are widely divergent, are close to purchasing power parity level for the economy as a whole. This distorts the labour market and creates an obstacle to the integration of the domestic and external economies, and so acts as a barrier to the growth of Cuba's domestic economy. Changes in the currency system introduced since 2004 are part of a strategy for the unification of the two Cuban currencies. Our forecast assumes that two domestic currencies will continue until after 2009, with gradual convergence, but abrupt unification is possible. This could create adjustment difficulties in the short term, but it would improve dynamism in the domestic economy in the long term.

EXTERNAL SECTOR: The current account has been close to balance since 2005, with a deficit of less than 1% of GDP until 2007, when we estimate that there was a small surplus, of just 0.1% of GDP. Our forecast anticipates that it will remain close to balance in 2008-09. The trading of professional services for Venezuelan oil has made a major contribution to strong growth of international trade since 2004. The tendency for a widening goods trade deficit offset by a rising surplus on services will continue, thanks to further expansion of earnings from professional services, the licensing of pharmaceutical production abroad and tourism--albeit at a less rapid rate than before. Lower interest rates on external financing and the repatriation of profits from Cuban joint ventures abroad will keep the income deficit in check. With limits on remittances from the US relaxed slightly, we expect net current transfers rise to US$1.2bn by 2009.

Havana – DTC - Cuban authorities are working to increase power generation, as part of their efforts to meet the growing domestic demand. As part of that strategy, 12 fuel oil engines are being installed in the eastern province of Ciego de Avila to generate 20.4 megawatts. That plant, the second of its kind in the province, will increase the generation capacity to nearly 120 megawatts. Similar projects are being carried out in Jardines del Rey, where two modern generators are being installed, and Cayo Guillermo and Cayo Coco, with one generator each. The initiative has contributed to reducing power outages due to generation problems, as small generators have been installed throughout the country. In addition, the national power grid has been renovated to reduce losses during distribution.

(Xinhua) - HAVANA - The 614 deputies elected in the January 20 polls will be called to meet in the International Conference Center in Havana on February 24 to create the country's new legislature, Cuba's official news agency Prensa Latina reported, quoting a statement from Raul Castro. The deputies, who are to serve a five-year-term, will also choose the assembly's president, vice president and secretary-general, said the statement. It said members of Cuba's Council of State will also be elected by the deputies of the assembly, which is the supreme organ of state and the sole legislative authority.

Under Cuba's constitution, the national assembly chooses 31 of its members to form the Council of State, whose leader will be Cuba's president. According to Cuba's National Election Commission, some 8.23 million Cubans cast their ballots on January 20, with a turnout of 96. 89 percent. Fidel Castro, the country's top leader who is convalescing from gastro-intestinal surgery in July 2006 and temporarily handed over his power to Raul Castro, was reelected as the assembly's deputy with an approval rate of 98.26 percent.

South Florida Sun Sentinel - Cuba notebook - For the first time since the 1959 revolution that brought Fidel Castro to power, the political fate of Cuba's Maximum Leader is uncertain. Will parliament again name Fidel Castro president of the nation's highest governing body and chief of state later this month, despite his long public absence, or will he assume more of an advisory role? Will brother Raúl be named Cuba's new president? Or will a younger generation take over?

The answers lie in a process that rivals a papal selection, rife with speculation and cloaked in secrecy. When the 614-member assembly meets on Feb. 24, its main order of business will be to select members and officers of the Council of State, the island's highest governing body. Raúl Castro, 76, who temporarily assumed power after his brother underwent emergency intestinal surgery in July 2006, could permanently take over the presidency. But Raúl, too, may be happier in an advisory role, even though he garnered 99.4 percent of the vote in the Castro family stronghold of Santiago in eastern Cuba — a percentage point more than the immensely popular Fidel. Still, Cuba watchers have identified three likely post-Castro successors: Carlos Lage, Cuba's 56-year-old vice president and a former physician; Felipe Perez Roque, the 42-year-old foreign minister; and National Assembly President Ricardo Alarcón, 70.

Perez Roque, the youngest of the three, spent eight years as Fidel Castro's chief of staff before becoming foreign minister in 1999. He famously stepped to the microphone to calm the crowd when Fidel Castro fainted during a speech in 2001, shouting "Viva Raúl! Viva Fidel!" Perez Roque's Fidelista past, however, could work against him, according to Frank Mora, a Cuba expert at the National War College in Washington, and other analysts. The former electrical engineer has earned a reputation as a hard-liner bent on maintaining his mentor's socialist model.

Affable and fluent in English, Alarcón is considered one of Cuba's most powerful officials. His ties to the Castro brothers date to the revolution. Alarcón also is Cuba's most experienced diplomat and has long managed relations with the United States. But his age is a concern, analysts said. "Alarcón is the most experienced and I think he will certainly have a very senior role but he's up there also," said Wayne Smith, director of the Cuba program at the Center for International Policy, a Washington research organization. "By the time Raúl moves aside, Alarcón may be too old."

That leaves Lage. "He's the person to watch," said Mora. "Lage seems to be someone who at least is acceptable to multiple circles within the leadership – in the military, in the party, with the Raúlistas." Lage is credited with engineering and implementing the limited reforms that restarted Cuba's economy after the Soviet collapse. The programs included legalizing the dollar, creating small private enterprises and agricultural cooperatives, and increasing foreign investment and tourism. Although Fidel Castro reversed many of the reforms in 2003, Lage is viewed favorably among foreign businessmen in Cuba as a pragmatist open to economic change. "Lage would make a very good president," said Smith, who served as America's top diplomat in Havana from 1979 to 1982. "He's very pragmatic and solid and he has a good economic head on his shoulders."

Lage and Perez Roque are more than two decades younger than the Castros who are among the "historicos," Cuba's revolutionary leaders. Gradually the political leaders who fought in the Revolution are being replaced with Cubans who grew up with the revolution, according to analysts. More than 60 percent of the parliamentarians were born after 1959. "There may come a time when this generational change could affect Cuban policy in some dramatic way," Cuba expert Phil Peters of the Lexington Institute, a research group outside of Washington, wrote in his blog late last month. "For now … the importance of this electoral process is that it forces a decision on the political future of Fidel Castro."

HAVANA - (Reuters) - Cubans working for foreign companies and embassies are expressing anger at a recent government decision to make them pay income tax on their hard currency bonuses. After four decades of tax-free communist rule, the prospect comes as shock. Since 1996, only artists, writers and self-employed Cubans have paid income tax. A circular distributed by Cubalse, the state employment agency that provides embassies with staff, postponed a deadline for registering at the tax office by one month until April 1.

The delay came in response to a rare outburst of dissent at a meeting of the Acorec employment agency where card-carrying Communists who work for foreign companies expressed opposition to the tax decision. A video of the meeting seen by Reuters showed workers winning applause by demanding that the government first legalize hard currency salaries before taxing their earnings. "We know taxes exist in other countries. What bothers us is the way they imposed this tax," said an employee of a foreign company who asked not to be named. "It's a political problem. They want everyone to be equal, equally screwed," she said.

Foreign companies cannot hire workers directly but go through two state agencies which pocket the hard currency and pay the workers in local pesos, worth 24 times less. Most companies pay their employees under-the-table salaries that are not legally allowed but tolerated under the euphemism of "gratificaciones" or bonuses. The proposed tax, ranging from 10 to 50 percent, is aimed at about 5,000 Cubans, among the best-paid people in a country where the average monthly wage is $15. Cuba watchers saw the new tax as a break with the principle of an egalitarian society upheld by Cuban leader Fidel Castro since his 1959 revolution. They said it could point to more steps to raise economic performance under acting President Raul Castro, who took over from his ailing brother 18 months ago.

Foreign companies, which have faced criticism for paying "slave wages" in Cuba, welcomed the government decision because it allows them to legally pay their employees real salaries. "With this tax, the government is recognizing that some Cubans can earn much more than others. That's a big step," said an executive of a foreign multinational company. Phil Peters, a Cuba expert at the Lexington Institute think tank in Northern Virginia, said the "hyper egalitarian" Fidel Castro would never have taken such a step. "It signals acceptance of incentives and higher earnings for workers in sectors of the economy that produce results," Peters said. Extended to other areas of the economy, it would mean more incentives and opportunities that should improve output and productivity which would be "positive for Cuba's economic health," he said.

Havana – DTC - The Dairy Industry in Bayamo, the capital city of the eastern Cuban province of Granma, has increased production for the domestic market and hard-currency shops. The factory produces cream, cubanito and curd cheese, mozzarella and cholesterol-free margarine. Production for hard-currency shops is expected to increase fourfold in 2008 to reduce imports and guarantee supplies for the tourism sector. Company executives noted that most of the plant's production goes to the municipalities of Pilón and Niquero, in Granma, Morón, in Ciego de Avila, and Varadero, in Matanzas. It also supplies its products to local gastronomic establishments and state-owned institutions.

PEBERCAN INC. (PBC) - CONCLUSIVE RESULTS OF SANTA CRUZ 305 WELL
Pebercan Inc. has completed drilling of the Santa Cruz 305 well and it has shown positive results. The well was spud on Oct. 20, 2007, and completed on Jan. 11, 2008, after which a testing period and multizonal completion were achieved in order to isolate several zones. Initial production totals 881 barrels per day of 10.2 degrees American Petroleum Institute density oil. Following the successful drilling by Sherritt of two Puerto Escondido second duplex wells, which border the Canasi field, the company drilled the Canasi 100 well to ensure development of new reserves on the second duplex zone in the Canasi field. By the end of November, 2007, the well reached a total length of 5,090 metres (for a vertical depth of 2,377 metres) and the data shows a 70-per-cent oil saturation on approximately 1,400 metres. This well produced water and oil for a few hours before testing was interrupted due to technical problems. A completion is being designed for the current open hole and will be implemented during this month of February, 2008.

Havana - (acn) - Cuban Tourism Minister Manuel Marrero is heading a large Cuban delegation to Spain's International Tourism Fair, FITUR 2008, one of the most important of its type in the world. FITUR has 12 pavilions and is one of the main travel fairs in the world, second only to Berlin's. It will run until February 3, says a Prensa Latina report.

Representatives of the tourist system: agencies, hotels, receptors and associates are part of the delegation. Cuba Destination burst into the fair, one of the 170 participating countries, with an invitation to the upcoming International Tourism Fair Cuba 2008 in May. Focused on product diversity and historic-cultural richness, the Cuban delegation is presenting Havana as a tourist destination. Spain is Cuba's best tourist market, which is enjoying a rebound after late 2006, when US firms bought some Spanish companies and prohibited operations with the Caribbean island, the Cuban tourism minister pointed out.

Oil & Gas Journal - LOS ANGELES - Brazil's state-owned Petroleo Brasileiro SA (Petrobras) has signed agreements with Cuba's Compania Cubana de Petroleo (Cupet) for cooperation in oil and gas exploration and production, research and development, and human resource cooperation. Studies also will be undertaken for agreements concerning facilities maintenance. The agreements give Brazil a foot in Cuba's energy door that Venezuela has, until recently, partially blocked. Petrobras, which has expertise in deepwater exploration and production, said the agreement "foresees the assessment of the offshore blocks in the Cuban sector of the Gulf of Mexico, as well as technical and economic analyses for the construction of a lubricant factory in Havana."

Cuba hopes its exploration in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico will result in discoveries enabling the country to become self-sufficient in oil production. The US Geological Survey says Cuba's GOM areas could contain 4.6-9.3 billion bbl of crude and 9.8-21.8 tcf of gas (OGJ, Jan. 21, 2008, p. 41). Brazil also extended Brazilian credit to Cuba for food, medicine, and hotel and road construction. Brazil's official Agencia Estado news agency said the agreements coincide with political transition in Cuba a year and a half after Cuban President Fidel Castro transferred power to his brother Raul due to health problems. Agencia Estado said the aid program has a long-term strategy: Brazil sees Cuba as a growing market and a transshipment point in a "privileged location" near Florida, and it wants to be in a positive position "when trade opens up as part of Fidel's succession process."

Venezuela is Cuba's biggest trading partner in South America, and Brazil wants to recover ground lost to Hugo Chavez. Since 2003, Chavez has been selling petroleum to Cuba at subsidized prices in exchange for the island's sending physicians, nurses, and hospital equipment to Venezuela. "It was because of Venezuela that Cuba's negotiations with Petrobras in the past reached an impasse," said Agencia Estado. On Dec. 22, 2007, Chavez and Raul Castro signed 14 energy agreements in Havana, including a $122 million loan for Cuba to buy tankers to transport crude oil and products from Venezuela.

Plans also call for Venezuela and Cuba jointly to increase the capacity of Cuba's 65,000 b/d Cienfuegos refinery to 150,000 b/d. Built in 1990 with Soviet technology and mothballed in 1991, the refinery reopened Dec. 21, 2007, following Venezuela's renovations. Cuba also will reopen an oil pipeline from the refinery to Matanzas. Cuba has endured a 50-year US economic embargo that precludes US firms from investing in such projects.

 

Havana – DTC - Authorities in the central Cuban province of Cienfuegos are working to increase exports, as part of their strategy for 2008. The province is also working to reduce imports by saving energy and increasing food production. Experts said it is possible to increase coffee, shrimp and bee honey exports, especially to countries in the region. Honey production dropped in 2007 due to adverse weather conditions, while shrimp populations decreased slightly in traditional fishing zones. Alcohol and cement production was affected by shortages of raw material.

Havana - (acn)- Nickel, one of Cuba's most important economic sectors, consolidated its position as the island's main export in 2007, said the Minister of the Basic Industry (MINBAS), Yadira Garcia, during a meeting with workers and executives of the sector in Moa, in the eastern province of Holguin. Garcia noted that these achievements were the result of the stability, adequate operation and productive management reached by the nickel industry on the island. The minister and participants in the meeting also discussed the strategy to continue looking for productive reserves and to achieve a higher efficiency in the extraction of nickel and in its processing as a finished product.

Garcia also stressed the importance of continuing with the training of highly qualified personnel and protecting the environment with the reforestation and rehabilitation of areas affected by mining activities, among other initiatives. The production of nickel in Cuba is concentrated in the factories Rene Ramos Latour of Nicaro, and the Pedro Soto Alba and Ernesto Che Guevara in Moa, both in Holguin province. In 2007, the Cubaniquel business group, comprised of 19 productive and service companies, made the biggest contribution of its history to the national budget.

MADRID - Granma International - (EFE) - The construction of a Museum of Tourism in the Cuban capital's Centro Habana neighborhood —traditionally its most commercial— is one of the projects planned to attract more visitors to the city, according to Manuel Marrero Cruz, the island's minister of tourism.  "The museum will display the entire history of the pre- and post-Revolutionary periods," said Marrero Cruz, who spoke at the International Tourism Fair (FITUR) in Madrid. "We have sufficient material and history for the project to be very interesting."

The construction of the museum would come in the context of a broader project to create a "commercial zone of reference" that would have its nerve center on Havana's Galiano Street. "We want tourists to use their time to the maximum, which is why we are going to close down half of the street to make it a pedestrian mall, and develop a strategy to open restaurants and hotel establishments," the minister said.  The capital's seaside highway, the Malecón, will also be transformed to adapt to the times. "The plan for the Malecón is to create an atmosphere where its charms can be enjoyed at all hours, adding a number of services that it currently lacks, such as zones dedicated to leisure and entertainment," Marrero Cruz said.

The operation of "tourist buses," an old project of the Ministry, would offer a different image of the city to travelers. "This year, the government has heavily invested in urban transport, and we are finally going to be able to do it," Marrero Cruz said. Cultural offerings for tourists would have their maximum exponent in the Havana Carnival time and in the route of Cuban bands and orchestras, which would perform in different parts of the city. The government expects to receive more than 2.5 million visitors to the island this year. "Cuba is not just sun and beaches anymore, and Havana is a destination destined to be successful," the minister said.

Havana - (acn) - Almost 20 foreign firms and nearly 100 national companies have confirmed their participation in the Fifth Commercial Fair of Central Cuba that will take place on March 19-23 at the Expocentro exhibition site in Santa Clara, Villa Clara province. The director of Expocentro, Manuel Hernandez, said that almost all of the 1,400 square meters of the exhibition site have been contracted and that they are working to fit out other areas to satisfy the exhibition needs. Cuba will be represented at the fair by firms from the provinces of Matanzas, Cienfuegos, Sancti Spiritus, Ciego de Avila and Villa Clara. Hernandez noted that the event is consolidating its position as an excellent opportunity of exchange that favors economic development with a program of activities that includes presentation of products, conferences, etc. This fair is one of the main events hosted by Expocentro, an exhibition site inaugurated five years ago in order to promote business in the central part of the island.

Khaleej Times Online- SOFIA - Yordanka Hristova was once called "the bride of all Cubans" and was so popular on Fidel Castro's island that Cuban families named their daughters after her. Forty years on, the 64-year-old Bulgarian pop diva keeps the gossips guessing about her relationship with the revolutionary icon himself, saying all that matters is her love for Cuba and her admiration for its leader with the beautiful brown eyes. The singer was first introduced to Castro during his visit to communist-ruled Bulgaria in 1972 and fell for what she called his macho charisma. He praised her for her good Spanish rather than her looks, she recalled. "I was impressed with his eyes, which looked very beautiful, brown, slightly transparent," she told Reuters.

Dismayed by the collapse of ties between Havana and Sofia after the end of communist rule in eastern Europe in 1989, Hristova has helped set up a foundation to revive cultural links, named after Cuba's national hero, Jose Marti. Marti, a poet and writer, died in a cavalry charge in 1895 in the fight against Spanish colonial rule. Hristova says his life mirrored that of Bulgaria's own revolutionary hero Hristo Botev, also a poet, who died in an uprising against Ottoman rule in 1876. The foundation has erected a statue of Marti on a small square in Sofia and is pushing the capital's mayor to name the square after the fighter for Cuban independence.

In the communist era about 40,000 Bulgarians worked in Cuba, mainly as engineers and agriculture experts. The Balkan nation exported chemicals, machinery, wine and canned food to Cuba and imported the Caribbean island's sugar and citrus fruit. Bulgarians still have fond memories of Cuban bananas and oranges, which reached their shops in winter and were so popular they had to be rationed. These days trade is negligible and cultural ties have faded away, much to Hristova's disappointment. "The Cubans loved us very much. They considered us relatives and used to say that we were the Latin Americans of Europe..." Hristova first sang in Havana in 1967, when Castro had embraced Soviet-style communism and the Beatles and other "decadent" Western rock groups were banned.

"It was mutual love at first sight with the Cuban audience. That's probably why they started naming baby girls after me." Yordanka is now a common name for Cuban women in their 30s. With her passion for Latin rhythms and dances, Hristova made a splash at the Varadero Song Festival in 1967 and has performed in Cuba almost every year since, often passing the winter there. Of all the Soviet bloc singers who toured their country, Hristova won the warmest reception, her open manner earning her the affectionate title of "bride of all Cubans", her repertoire including Cuban, Italian, French and English songs. Hristova's own loyalty to Castro and his socialist vision is unswerving. "I bow down to Fidel, to a person who has devoted his life to a cause — Cuba's independence," she said. "All this is at the expense of the Cubans and severe shortages. But they think it's meaningful. That helps them to be a spiritual rather than a consumer, material society."

Asked whether Castro was a fan, she said: "He is not a music aficionado and a bohemian. He doesn't like to dance, unlike his brother (Raul) who is a much more typical Cuban. "The Cubans like to have fun, they like music. He is different, he is an intellectual, he likes to read." Middle-aged Cubans still recall Hristova's sex appeal. "She was pretty sexy and had a lot of Latin rhythm, especially compared to the Russian singers," said computer technician Guillermo Orosa. The singer, a widow with two children who speaks at least five languages and is still a star at home, admitted her looks played an important part in winning Cubans' hearts.

"The Cuban men don't like skinny women, they prefer them plump," Hristova claims. "I am that type — more sporty, plump, and I was very popular," said the singer, who favours shawls, hats and bright red lipstick. Hristova attended Castro's 80th birthday celebrations in Havana in 2006, just a few months after he had emergency surgery for an undisclosed stomach illness. She regularly receives his writings from the Cuban embassy in Sofia and occasionally sends him telegrams, signed "your friend, Yordanka Hristova".

BBC – UK - Tata Guines, Cuba's most famous percussionist, has died of a kidney infection in Havana. He was 77. Guines, whose real name was Federico Aristides Soto, died on Monday, Cuba's state media reported. The "King of the Congas" shared the stage with some of the world's most renowned performers during a career spanning more than six decades. In the US in the 1950s, he performed with the likes of Frank Sinatra, Josephine Baker and Dizzy Gillespie. He had spent his formative years playing with some of the greats of 1930's and 40's Cuban music. Despite his success in the United States, Guines returned to Cuba after Fidel Castro's communist revolution in 1959, saying he had never been able to get used to the racial segregation in the US at the time. "Fame did not extend beyond the stage. Once you left the stage, it was like the signs said: 'Whites only'," he said in an interview published last year. After spending years away from the public eye, he enjoyed renewed success in 2004 when he performed on the Grammy nominated hit album, Lagrimas Negras - Black Tears.

Havana - La Botica Francesa – the Ernesto Triolet Pharmaceutical Museum – was declared a National Monument by the Cuban Heritage Council, for being the only one of its kind in the world. Officials from the National Monument Commission noted that the museum was declared a National Monument because of its originality, excellent preservation and 125-year history. La Botica Francesa (The French Drugstore), located in the historic heart of the city of Matanzas, is an example of elegance and neoclassic and eclectic influence that characterized the city's architecture in the 19th and 20th centuries. Juan Figueron (Cuban) and Ernesto Triolet (French), who were doctors in pharmacy, opened the drugstore in 1882. The establishment exhibits tools to make drugs in a traditional way and thousands of crystal and porcelain bottles, including Ojos de Boticario (Pharmacist's Eyes), which are made of Bohemian crystal. In addition, syrups and unguents, made from formulas created by prominent Cuban doctors and contained in some 55 protected books, are kept on the drugstore's shelves.

Havana - (Prensa Latina) - Cuban Vice President Carlos Lage visited the works of the National Highway in the section linking the provinces of Guantanamo and Santiago de Cuba in the eastern tip of the island. According to Juventud Rebelde daily, the secretary of the Council of Ministers Executive Committee was informed that constructors are working on the first mile and a half of the 16.7 miles of the highway going from Cabanas to Songo-La Maya. The director of the Guantanamo Road Center, Manuel de Jesus Guilarte, explained the highway will take the southern route of the road and will have two lanes for circulation and a paved sidewalk.

When this part of the project is concluded, the risks of land access with Santiago de Cuba will disappear. This usually happens in the rainy season when the Guantanamo river overflows flooding the Cabana bridge in the existing road, said the official. Also, he added, the completion of the stretch to Santiago reduces by four miles the part of the traditional road and gives greater comfort and security to the traffic. Lage also visited the Luis Raposo quarry and an asphalt plant where he assessed the execution of investments and the need to increase production of building materials demanded by the social works being done. He also visited the water pumping station Guanta being modernized as part of initial works carried out in the southern part of the Guantanamo aqueduct to benefit 64 thousand inhabitants and the main industries located in that zone.

Havana - (Prensa Latina) - Cuba has marketed over 10,000 high-technology medical equipment in the last five years in countries of all continents, produced by the Neurosciences Center and the Institute for Digital Researches (ICID). Experts from those western Havana institutions stated they have inked several contracts to produce over 4,000 new units, which will be destined to the national welfare network and exploitation. About 1,647 of those equipment are currently in hospitals and policlinics of the island, while 1,948 are being used by Cuban health collaborators in several nations worldwide.

The extensive hospital network of the Cuban health system has those resources to improve people's quality of life, ICID executives asserted. Among those devices are a portable electrocardiograph system known as Cardiocid BB, a system to study the electrocardiograph signal known as Excorde, and a desfribilator denominated Cardiodef 2. These equipment are traded by the Combiomed company, which has other enterprises in Venezuela and Algeria and other three in Cuba, in charge of its distribution within and out of the country.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS - FRANKFURT, Germany - Reinhold Fanz is Cuba's new coach. "It's an interesting job ... The goal is of course to qualify for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa," Fanz told the German soccer federation's Web.  The German has coached Bundesliga clubs Hannover 96 and Eintracht Frankfurt. If Cuba and the United States advance to the semifinals of the North, Central American and Caribbean region, they would play each other Sept. 6 in Cuba.

Havana - (Prensa Latina) - The eastern Cuban provinces of Guantanamo, Santiago de Cuba, Granma, Las Tunas and Holguin are currently considered the largest sugar producers in Cuba. These territories have registered agricultural and technical breakthroughs over the last few years and also due to their final results in 2007.

Deputy Minister for Sugar Cane Agriculture, Jose Carlos Santos Ferrer, told Prensa Latina that these provinces have registered the highest yields per area countrywide, currently reaching 15.5 tons of sugarcane per acre. During a visit to Guantanamo, Santos congratulated the farmers, who started the harvest with estimated yields that nearly doubled the planned figure of the previous harvest.

SANTIAGO, Cuba - The Edmonton Journal - The young waitress, wearing a smile and a well-worn sheen to her blue serge skirt, made my selection. "Criolla Deliciosa" (delicious local food) was boldly emblazoned in white chalk across the blackboard. My opinion of Cuban fare as a gastronomic nightmare was to be challenged yet again. Chicken, fried to a crisp? Canned sardines? Bread that fragments into low flying missiles at the mere approach of a knife? No -- this time it was a pork steak, large and tough enough to resole my Rockports. I manage a grin "Mmm - deliciosa indeed," praying that my crowns would hold! I have opted for a small, government-owned (they all are), hotel in Ciega de Avilar. With rundown balustraded sidewalks and horse-drawn traffic, the town has a hint of the Wild West. Oddly the toilet flushes with hot water that the shower fails to deliver. Otherwise, the price seems reasonable at 25 CUC (convertible pesos) or around $30 Cdn which includes breakfast.

There are two ways to visit Cuba. The all-inclusive resorts of Varadero, Holguin and Cayo Coco provide an all-you-can-eat, all-you-can-drink closeted beachfront experience. A great way to spend an "it's all about me" week, away from the bills, boss, winter blahs -- and well away from real Cubans who are banned from resort areas. When Russia collapsed, the peso tanked. Fidel Castro's revolution guaranteed free medical, education, housing, and a ration book granting subsidized staples for life. Imported fuel, parts, and medicines require scarce "hard" currency. In 1990, Castro announced a "special" period. Oxen replaced tractors. Horse-drawn wagons replaced local buses. All very cute for a "Kodak moment" but tough for a people used to modern amenities. To get around, Cubans still catch open cattle-trucks to official hitchhiking points along the autopista. Vehicles with blue licence plates are government-owned and required, by law, to pick up passengers. An arrangement to visit granny in the next town can be hazardous unless booked weeks in advance on the much cannibalized, shrinking bus fleet.

Breakfast brings the same grinning waitress. She carefully arranges a basket of week-old bread, a watery "cafe Americano," and an omelette the size of a wafer-thin hockey puck, then suddenly launches herself forward to "buss" me on both cheeks. "Buenos dias Senor." McDonald's could learn from this server!
To reach Santiago, Cuba's second largest city, my choices are limited. Hitchhiking sounds romantic but impractical for the 400-kilometre trip. Car rental at $75 CUC a day is over the top. Trains run at night and all flights are full. The government owns a fleet of comfortable tourist buses which run between popular centres, via rest stops where a limp cheese sandwich will set you back a cool $3 CUC-- a week's pay to a local. Ticket prices on "Viazul" buses rival Canadian Greyhound at around $6 CUC per journey hour.

Cubans are banned from tourist accommodation -- Fidel's unsporting way of intervening between lustful foreigners and the amorous overtures of hot-blooded Chicas and Cabana boys -- (It seems the urge for an illicit dalliance is no longer a male bastion). But "amor" did find a way -- for a while anyway. To fill the void, illegal "Casas Particulares" or Bed & Breakfasts, proliferated like mushrooms on a soggy log. Alas in 1996, the state thwarted these cupids' corners by bringing them under a similar regulatory blanket. Transgressors faced fines or even loss of their homes. Two blue inverted V's displayed above a door like a military ranking, indicate approved tourist accommodation. For $25/$30 CUC a night this is a great way to meet real families, throw some money into private pockets and, with luck, enjoy a decent home-cooked meal. (Much of what you pay is taxed back by the government.)

In Santiago, I haul my pack from the bus depot into a waiting coco-taxi. The yellow snail-shaped vehicle has three wheels, a set of handlebars and an open-fronted roof which curves shell-like over the back and side and acts as a "rain scoop" in downpours. Most doorways on the narrow lane bear the inverted blue V. I opt for a tall house requiring a full flight of stairs to reach the entrance. Maybe there'll be a view? Arturo leads me through his home. Stone steps take me up to a room on the roof and a view of the bay. I will share my penthouse with a cunning cockroach the size of a sand crab -- for a few days anyway. The vociferous pig, tethered by day on the neighbour's roof, sleeps peacefully at night -- in their kitchen -- away from light fingers.

Arturo is a single, 40-something, English teacher at the medical school. His monthly income of $30 CUC a month is double the national average. My daily rent of $30 CUC pushes him into the upper middle-class. For an extra bit of "convertible cash" he will prepare black-market lobster and rum-based mojitos. He beckons me furtively to a pile of rusting iron sheets stacked vertically under the staircase. An assortment of chains holds them together. "They'll steal anything they can get their hands on," he announces, unlocking the hasp of each padlock with a separate key. Eventually the last sheet is freed and laboriously pulled aside. A shard of sunlight catches the polished chrome exhaust pipe. His baby, a gunmetal grey motor scooter built in Czechoslovakia, a 1963 CZ-175, glints from within its secret lair. "You buy the gas; I'll show you around," he adds, relishing the thought of being financed to indulge his weekend hobby. I park my 6-foot-3 frame on the passenger seat. We race up and down steep alleys. An agitated man stands at the curb with two bleach bottles filled with fuel. Three convertibles are snatched from my hand and stashed hastily into his trouser pocket. "My friend was a doctor, now he drives the school minibus. It broke down when the mechanic was on sick leave. He used his own hard-earned cash to fix it privately." "Wow," I respond, trying to imagine a Canadian driver digging out his Visa to keep things rolling. "Fidel sure knows how to pick 'em!"

But this is Cuba. "Luxuries" from toothpaste to toilet paper can only be purchased with hard currency from the 600- plus government-owned "convertible currency stores." The duties of my "hero of the people's paradise" include collecting and delivering food for school lunches -- from which he skims enough to feed his family with a little left over to trade. Furthermore, his weekly gasoline allowance provides a chance to siphon off a few litres for the black market. Ah, the bleach bottles. "As a driver, he earns way more than a doctor, but if the bus breaks down ...?" I lose the rest as we speed up into some serious hairpin bends. At the hilltop restaurant a top-notch band is belting out salsa to the gyrating crowd. The lead dancer from The Tropicana nightclub has just married a Dutch businessman three times her age. "She wants to leave the country and needs to marry a foreigner to get a passport," adds Arturo, eyeing my quizzical, and slightly envious, look.

Survival for the average Cuban is a constant struggle. Water shortages and power outages are normal fare. Meagre rations of cooking oil are often replaced with rendered pig fat by month's end. Soap is a luxury as are razorblades and pens. An indomitable spirit. The kindnesses. The music. The artwork. The smiles. These are the qualities that bring people back again and again. Break out of the box -- go and see the real thing!

IF YOU GO:
- VISAS: Not necessary for Canadians.
- MONEY: One convertible peso (CUC) is about $1.3 Cdn.
- FOOD: To supplement the lack of restaurants outside major centres, the government has licensed private in-home "Paladares" allowing a maximum of two tables. Meals cost around $9 to $15 C for lobster. The food is vastly superior to normal restaurant/hotel fare. You will find these places easily as touts on the street will constantly approach you hoping for a commission. Note: It is better to book in the afternoon so the owner can shop to order.
- ACCOMMODATION: Casa particulares are the way to go. Mine varied from a historic mansion in Trinidad to a simple bungalow in Vinales where the table always groaned with delicious dishes. The tastefully renovated colonial Hotel Gran in Camaguey was also a great find with excellent buffets and a pool. Phone ahead to avoid disappointment.
- UNOFFICIAL CASAS PARTICULARES: The government has cracked down on these establishments which pay no taxes. There is a snitch network not to mention the ire of legitimate operators to contend with. Avoid, unless you don't mind being turfed out by the authorities during the night.
- CAR RENTALS: The government has a hand in every enterprise in Cuba so the prices generally are non-negotiable. The longer the term, the cheaper the rate. You are required to buy a tank of gas with no refunds at the end. Check the gauge before departing. Short filling is rampant. Cuba is frustratingly short of road signs and maps.
- SAFETY AND SECURITY: Cuba is the safest country in the world in which to travel, but take normal precautions. Avoid talking politics with your hosts.
- WHAT TO TAKE: The climate is hot. Sunscreen. A good map. Flashlight for blackouts. Cubans are short of everything: clothes, pens, soap, makeup, nylons, razors, blades -- the list goes on.
- COMMUNICATIONS: A few lucky people have computers and e-mail but the Internet is blocked. You must show your passport at official centres to access hotmail or webmail. Expensive international calls can be made from telephone offices. Internal calls are cheap. Post is unreliable. People will ask you to mail their letters from your home country.
- TIPPING AND MONEY: Canadian credit cards can be used and travellers cheques can be cashed at resorts, high-end hotels and banks. Tourists can rarely use local pesos. Tipping is survival for many and a chambermaid will cover you in kisses for a small gratuity left in the room.
USEFUL GUIDEBOOKS: Moon Handbooks Cuba by Christopher Baker is excellent. Lonely Planet does a moderate job, but is easier to follow.

Havana - (Prensa Latina) - Workers at the Gibara I Aeolian Park in eastern Cuba are preparing the six recently assembled generators to begin generating power before February ends. Contributing 5.1 megawatts when connected to the national electromagnetic system, the wind turbines are set atop 180 foot high masts on the Gibara coast, in eastern Holguin Province. The Spanish cutting edge equipment will automatically turn the wind into electric energy, without using a single gram of oil.

The Gibara II park, similar to Gibara I, but with a 4.5 MW generating capacity, will be built in the same region, said Hector Lugo, in charge of the aeolian project in that territory. Cuba already has two other aeolian parks working in Cayo Coco, in central Ciego de Avila Province, and another in the Isle of Youth, but with different projects and lower capacity than Gibara I.

Havana - (acn) - Cuba has an average of 15.3 workers in scientific and technological activities per 1,000 economically active people, one of the highest indicators in Latin America and the Caribbean. Deputy Minister of Science, Technology and Environment (CITMA) America Santos referred to this as a "considerable" rate, given that workers in the scientific fields surpass 74,000, most of them higher education graduates. Santos told ACN there are some 34,000 employees in specialized entities and over 5,400 of them fall in the categories of scientists and technologists.  At present, there are 257 patent requests made by Cuba's Industrial Property Office (OCPI, acronyms in Spanish), said the deputy minister of CITMA. Products added to the list of exports include the pentavalent vaccine for diphtheria–pertussis–tetanus- haemophilus influenzae type b; the Heberprot, for tissue re-growth in feet ulcers of diabetic patients; and the hR3, a humanized monoclonal antibody targeted against head and neck cancer.

Havana - (acn) - Canadian music students of La Salle Public High School in Ontario, considered one of the country's leading art schools, are in Havana for an exchange of experiences with Cuban professors and students. Conducted by Professor Marthe Charbolais, the school's chamber orchestra will offer a concert on Thursday at 5:00 p.m. at the Old Havana Government Palace, performing works by Dvorak, Vivaldi, Copland and versions of popular North American folk songs. The Canada Cuba Sports and Culture Festivals coordinated the La Salle group's visit to the Cuban capital, concludes the news report by Granma daily.

Adelante.cu - "Relations between Cuba and China are excellent," said the Chinese ambassador in the island, Zhao Rongxian, during a visit to the westernmost province of Pinar del Rio this weekend as part of a program of activities to celebrate the arrival of the new Chinese lunar year. "Our peoples have strong bonds of friendship and cooperation that is now spreading to new areas and that will benefit both nations," he added. During his stay in Pinar del Rio, Rongxian visited tobacco plantations and small cooperative farms. He also stopped at the House of the Habano in the city of Pinar del Rio where he learned about the cigar manufacturing process. He also toured areas of economic interest in the municipality of Viñales, a territory declared by UNESCO as a Cultural Landscape of Humanity.

Brown Daily Herald - Though the average American can't travel to Cuba, 10 Brown students will have the opportunity to spend next semester in Havana studying with 10 Cuban students at the Casa de Las Americas, taught entirely by Cuban professors. "This is the perfect opportunity to look at the past, present and future of Cuba while sitting next to Cuban nationals," said Kendall Brostuen, director of international programs and associate dean of the College. Brostuen began working with the Center for Latin American Studies a year and a half ago on this program, which may be an option for Spanish-speaking students every fall semester. The program- which will charge Brown's tuition plus $1,000 for room and board - has already generated a lot of student interest, and Brosten said he expects it to be competitive.

Brown has a license from the Department of the Treasury authorizing semester programs in Cuba for its students, Brostuen said, meaning students can travel only by going through Brown's program. There were once more University programs that allowed students to travel and study in Cuba, Brosuten said, but the Treasury tightened the restrictions on Cuban study abroad programs in 2004. Many schools could not maintain their programs due to these changes, and now only a handful of schools, including the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Harvard and Sarah Lawrence College have programs for students in Cuba, Brostuen said.

Brostuen said the University adheres "scrupulously" to the restrictions, informing the Treasury when faculty or graduate students travel to the country. Adrian Lopez-Denis, a postdoctoral fellow in international humanities who was born in Cuba and came to the United States in 2000, said Cuban study abroad programs flourished during the Clinton administration but became harder and harder to maintain during the Bush administration. "The issue is not connected to study abroad programs specifically but tied to the Cuban-American relations, which are very intense," Lopez-Denis said. He added that while "academically these restrictions on the programs are good news," because those approved programs would likely be good ones, he said he regrets that "not as many people are going to have access."

Lopez-Denis, who said he came to Brown last semester because he knew this program was in the making, will be in Cuba during the next fall semester and will teach one of the four classes that students will take. He first became involved in American programs in Cuba when he was a student, he said. "That's why I insisted for the Cuban students, because I am a product of a program just like this," he said. Because the 10 American students will be taking their four classes together with Cuban students, Lopez-Denis said he expects there to be a unique opportunity for Brown students to see the city and experience the culture from the Cuban perspective. "Having Cuban students as classmates will make for a very fast foot in the door," Lopez-Denis said. "Students will be exposed to the official views and the commoners' views. It's going to be a very involved experience."

This first semester in Cuba comes at an interesting time. Students will be in in the country as it prepares for the 50th anniversary of its revolution - on Jan. 1, 2009. "Cuba is in a moment of transition and in such a unique political context it will be a real eye opener," said Esther Whitfield, assistant professor of comparative literature. "Historically the Cuban revolution was a really important thing and living in Cuba the way it is now will be a really important experience." In addition to the academic opportunities available, the Brown students will attend three festivals that attract audiences from around the world - an international ballet festival, jazz festival and a Latin American film festival. Students will also take tours of the Cuban countryside and have field visits incorporated into their classes. "Cuba is a rather unique place in terms of history, politics and culture," Lopez-Denis said, "and a lot of it is going to be new and challenging for students."

"The experience is going to be very unique because there is almost no other way for American citizens to get to Cuba," he added. Lopez-Denis, who said he benefited from programs like Brown's when he was a student, said he believes the Brown program will inspire other universities to do the same. "Academics are suffering from issues that are not of an academic nature," he said. "I believe that for people in a situation like this, change can only be good and having more people talking and sharing can not be a problem." Cuba, Lopez-Denis said, is "a place that is very close and very far." "Some things are going to seem familiar," he said, "and students will really wonder why we have the problems we have."

Havana - (Prensa Latina) - Cuba will have 1.5 million informatics experts who will graduate from Computer Joven Clubs in June, when the ongoing school year will end in those centers throughout the country. From October to January alone, more than 1,000 students, including children, youths and adults, graduated from Joven Clubs. Joven Club leaders confirmed that there are more than 600 such institutions throughout the country, from where 1.31 million students from all walks of life have graduated over the past 20 years. The Joven Clubs, which were created on September 8, 1987, have contributed to boosting computer sciences and electronics, as well as the creation of educational and creative software. The program currently involves 760 professors and has an enrollment of more than 125,000 students. At Joven Clubs, users can surf the Cuban intranet, send emails and spread Cuba's reality on the Internet.

Pinar del Río, Cuba - (Prensa Latina) - Héctor Luis Prieto, famous in Cuba for his skill as tobacco producer, shows today high yields with a handicraft technique to dry out the leaves. Prieto has plantations of not over 100 thousand plantules. He is outstanding among thousands of farmers on whose hands rest most of the agricultural process in this part of the country, distinguished worldwide for the quality of its tobacco. His fame comes from increasing the volume of covers (leave covering the cigar) by 20 to 40 percent, thanks to an adequate control of temperature and humidity inside the curing house after the harvest.

The creation of a microclimate through a spraying system and nylon cover, the harvester can maintain ideal conditions for the aging of the leaves, obtaining a cover (leave) clear and clean, he told Prensa Latina. With the installation of three thermometers inside the curing barn and a detailed monitoring of the described parameters to control aging, the farmer reduced the green spots and obtained a better color in the leaves. Prieto´s method stands out in the tobacco region of San Juan and Martinez, where half of the national production of the leave is concentrated.

Havana – DTC - Cuban experts are working on a vaccine against HIV, which causes the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). According to specialists from the Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology Center, the clinical trials of the vaccine will begin next year. In that regard, the product's safety was tested in animals with promising results. It is a therapeutic vaccine for people infected with the virus, and it may improve the results of treatments. The experts are also working on a drug known as Heberprot, which prevents amputation in diabetic patients with ulcers. They are also researching on some kinds of interferon against hepatitis.

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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 and the "third-country company" did not derive a majority of it's revenues from operations in Cuba. (Therefore, under that criteria, U.S. citizens and companies can invest in a private or public Canadian company doing business with Cuba)

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James
Cuban Weekly News Digest

http://www.cubaninvestments.com