Cuban Antiterrorist Turns 48 in U.S. Prison

Havana, Aug 18 (Prensa Latina) Cuban antiterrorist fighter Fernando Gonzalez is celebrating his 48th birthday on Thursday in a U.S. prison, where he has been unjustly held since September 12, 1998 despite his declared innocence.

Fernando, along with Ramon Labañino, Rene Gonzalez, Antonio Guerrero and Gerardo Hernandez, were detained for monitoring anti-Cuban terrorist groups based in Miami, Florida.

Cuban Circus in Brazil for 2016 Olympics

Havana, Aug 15 (Prensa Latina) The popular Brazilian actor Marcos Frota is working to bring the Cuban circus to Brazil in July 2012 for the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

In an exclusive interview with Prensa Latina, Frota, who also directed the first free circus university in Brazil, said he intended to bring his own company, Unicirco, to Cuba in early 2016.

Cuba Begins Intensive Anti-Dengue Campaign

Havana, Aug 15 (Prensa Latina) A one-month intensive fumigation and clean-up campaign begins Monday in various provinces to prevent the proliferation of the Aedes Aegypti mosquito, which carries dengue fever.

Deputy Public Health Minister Luis Estruch stated that the campaign will be carried out in Havana and the cities of Pinar del Rio, Santa Clara, Camaguey, Santiago de Cuba, Bayamo and Guantanamo, and the municipality of Mariel, in Artemisa province.

Serenade of Fidelity, a Tradition of Love

Havana, Aug 13 (Prensa Latina) At midnight on Saturday, to the sounds of a live rumba performance, the concert Serenata de la Fidelidad (Serenade of Fidelity) celebrated the 85th birthday of the leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro.

This was a “gift from the soul, by mandate of the memory of (artist) Oswaldo Guayasamin,” materialized through the perseverance of a foundation that bears his name as a feeling of love among those who appreciate the special meaning of the life of a man, a people and a Revolution.

For a little more than three hours, artists from nine countries sang to the “brother of humanity and, in his person, to the heroic people of Cuba,” with a diversity of genres and styles representing the richness of Latin American culture.

Cuban City of Baracoa Celebrates 500th Anniversary

Havana, Aug 9 (Prensa Latina) As the Cuban city of Baracoa celebrates its 500th anniversary, it has become one of the strongest pillars of the Cuban tourist industry, especially focused on nature and culture.

Baracoa will celebrate its anniversary on August 15 with festivities that highlight the city’s development in the tourist industry in areas such as nature, history, culture, traditions and contact with city residents.

Diana Nyad Ends 2nd Attempt to Swim from Cuba to Florida

Havana, Aug 9 (Prensa Latina) U.S. open-water swimmer Diana Nyad decided to end her second attempt to swim 103 miles from Cuba to Florida as she reached the halfway point.

After 29 hours of swimming, the 61-year old Nyad had to stop due to backache, heavy swells and asthma symptoms that did not allow her to optimize her breathing capacity.

Rock, Beach, and Art in Cuban Summer

Pinar del Rio, Cuba, Aug 9 (Prensa Latina) Rock and hip hop bands will accompany vacationers on a beach in this Cuban province, a summer initiative that provides a camping area to enjoying the sea and art. From August 12 to 14, bands from the western territory will perform in this place, which will welcome tourists, singers, instrumentalists and their followers, both in the traditional huts of the place and in tents set up for the occasion.

France: Forthcoming Book on U.S. Blockade of Cuba

Havana, Aug 8 (Prensa Latina) A historical and legal analysis of U.S. political, economic and commercial sanctions against Cuba is the idea behind a book soon to be published by French Professor Salim Lamrani in his country.

The blockade is the most developed, sophisticated and long-lasting network ever implemented by one country against another, said Lamrani, an expert in Cuba-U.S. relations, in an exclusive interview with Prensa Latina during the Meeting of Coordinators of the Network in Defense of Humanity.

Raúl Castro felicita a Hugo Chávez en Cuba

La Habana, 7 ago (PL) El presidente Raúl Castro dio la bienvenida al presidente venezolano Hugo Chávez en el aeropuerto internacional José Martí hacia la medianoche del sábado por la noche.   Chávez estuvo acompañado por su ministro de Relaciones Exteriores, Nicolás Maduro, informó el periódico Juventud Rebelde. El presidente venezolano comenzará una segunda etapa de la quimioterapia, después de haber concluido una primera etapa con éxito hace unos días. / jg / RAB / MGT / YDG

Diana Nyad to Begin Swim from Cuba to United States

Havana, Aug 7 (Prensa Latina) The 61-year-old U.S. swimmer Diana Nyad said Sunday that she will attempt to swim the 166 kilometers from Cuba to the United States in what she called a symbolic gesture.

“I love Cuba and I would like my attempt to serve to connect these two countries,” Nyad said in a Sunday morning press conference at the Marina Hemingway’s International Nautical Club west of Havana.

Cuba to Increase Oil Processing Capacity

Havana, Aug 7 (Prensa Latina) The vice president of Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA), Asdrubal Chavez, commented in this capital on the importance of investments in Cuba to increase the country”s oil processing capacity.

Activists Step Up Campaign to Free Cuban Five

Havana, (Prensa Latina) With a call to step up the battle to free the five Cuban antiterrorist fighters unjustly held in U.S. prisons, a new international solidarity campaign begins Friday.

The International Committee to Free the Five, promoter of the initiative, urged more actions to call for freedom for Gerardo Hernandez, one of the Cuban Five, in line with a recent decision by the National Assembly of People’s Power (Parliament).

Cuba Cuts Prices for Farm Tools to Boost Production

Havana, Aug 5 (Prensa Latina) The Ministry of Domestic Trade published a list of new lower prices for farm tools to stimulate production, which is still too low, it was reported Thursday.

The prices took effect on August 1, and aim to increase sales of farm tools, especially for the 150,000 new farmers who have received state land since 2008.

LatAm, Caribbean Solidarity Brigade in Cuban Countryside

Havana, Aug 2 (Prensa Latina) Members of the 18th Latin American and Caribbean Cuba Solidarity Brigade began voluntary agricultural work on Tuesday.

The group of more than 100 people is lodged at the Julio Antonio Mella International Camp in Caimito, Artemisa province.

Cuban Parliament Opens Ordinary Session

Havana, Aug 1 (Prensa Latina) Cuba’s National Assembly of People’s Power (Parliament) opens the seventh ordinary session of its seventh legislature on Monday at Havana’s International Conference Center.

US-Cuba Friendship Caravan Declares US Blockade on Cuba Unjust

Havana, Jul 31 (Prensa Latina) The economic, commercial and financial blockade the United States imposed on Cuba for nearly 50 years was termed unfair by members of the 22nd US-Cuba Friendship Caravan.

Fidel Castro, Raul Castro Pay Tribute to Cuban Martyrs

Santiago, Cuba, Jul 31 (Prensa Latina) A wreath by the leader of the Revolution, Fidel Castro, and President Raul Castro was laid at the tomb of martyrs Frank and Josue Pais at the Santa Ifigenia cemetery of this eastern province.

  In this manner, Fidel and Raul paid tribute to the martyrs of the Revolution, when the day of those fallen in the struggle against the Fulgencio Batista dictatorship (1952-1958) was celebrated in Cuba on Saturday.

UN Project to Benefit Cuban Marine Areas

Pinar del Río, Cuba, Jul 30 (Prensa Latina) Marine areas in Pinar del Rio, in western Cuba, will benefit from an international project funded by the Global Environment Fund (GEF), which supports environmental research and initiatives in those areas.

Four protected areas of this western region have been included in the GEF program, which will allocate over five million USD to Cuba in five years.

Cuban Media Battle Crucial

Havana, Jul 30 (Prensa Latina) The media battle currently waged by Cuba in defense of the truth about its situation against continuous defamatory campaigns promoted abroad was considered crucial by members of the 22nd US-Cuba Friendshipment Caravan.

Meeting of Intellectuals for Humankind Concludes in Cuba

Havana, Jul 30 (Prensa Latina) The International Meeting In Defense of Humankind, in session at ALBA Cultural House is scheduled to conclude on Saturday with the approval of a final declaration.

During three-day work sessions, artists and intellectuals from 17 countries of Latin America, the Caribbean and Europe discussed issues related to the role of the network of networks in revolutionary processes in the continent and the major platforms of struggle and articulation of social movements.

Tropical Storm in Gulf of Mexico

Havana, Jul 28 (Prensa Latina) Tropical Storm Don continued moving into the Gulf of Mexico, the Cuban Meteorological Institut (INSMET) reported Thursday.

At 06:00 local time, the storm was located at latitude 23.1 north, longitude 88.8 west, around 1,017 kilometers (632 miles) from Corpus Christi and 924 kilometers (574 miles) from Brownsville, both in the U.S. state of Texas.

Cuban Leaders Highlight Political Unity to Preserve Socialism

Ciego de Avila, Cuba, Jul 26 (Prensa Latina) Cuban First Vice President Jose Ramon Machado Ventura today highlighted the political unity existing in the Cuban people to preserve socialism and update its economic model, in the closing speech at the central act for the 58th anniversary of the Attack on Moncada Garrison, which was attended by Cuban President Raul Castro, and government and Communist Party leaders.

Cuba Regrets Categorization of NGO in ECOSOC in Geneva

Geneva, Jul 26 (Prensa Latina) Cuba regretted the decision to grant the NGO International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) consultative status at the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), due to its hostile platform to certain Latin American countries.

Pastors for Peace Caravan Arrives in Cuba

Havana, Jul 22 (Prensa Latina) The 22nd Pastors for Peace Caravan arrives in Cuba on Friday from Mexico with over 100 tons of humanitarian aid collected in 130 U.S. cities. The group of more than 100 activists is challenging the U.S. economic, trade and financial blockade imposed on Cuba for over 50 years.

That policy, opposed worldwide, has caused some 751.363 billion USD in losses to Cuba, according to official figures.

Peru’s President-elect Visits Cuba

Havana, Jul 19 (Prensa Latina) Peruvian President-elect Ollanta Humala arrived in Cuba early Tuesday to meet with President Raul Castro, on the last stop of his Latin America tour before taking office on July 28.

“We have come here to visit a sister country and to set an open agenda with President Raul Castro,” Humala said in respose to a question from Prensa Latina.

This visit is the last stop of a tour abroad before the inauguration, Humala said after being received by Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez, Deputy Foreign Minister Rogelio Sierra, and the Cuban ambassador to Lima, Luis Delfin Perez.