TODAY S NEWS Close hour: 13:00

Transcription

1 TODAY S NEWS Close hour: 13:00 -Cuban People Pay Tribute to Martyrs of the Revolution -Cuba Denounces USA for Preventing Actions Against Israel -Washington: Int l Conference of Experts to Advocate for Cuba -British Solidarity Activist Says the Cuban Five Remain Firm and United -French Organizations Demand Release of the Cuban Five -Spreading Information: Key Element in the Struggle for Release of the Cuban Five -CELAC, Common Space for Agreement, Cuban Ambassador Says -Palestinian Ambassador Thanks Cuba for its Expressions of Solidarity -Cuban Medical Collaboration in El Salvador Lauded -Forum on Alternative Media and Social Networks Opened in Cuba -Hurricane Season Ends with Little Damage to Cuba -Alicia Alonso Says Spanish Tour a Success for the Cuban National Ballet -Santiago de Cuba Hosts International Choral Festival -Cuba Strengthens Fight against Cancer -Int l Conference on Biotechnology Began in Havana -Cuba to Present Progress on Hybrid Corn Growing at Int l Conference -Santiago de Cuba to Host 20th Int l Chemistry Conference Articles -The Money the US Uses for Terrorist Actions against Cuba -Sports Medicine, 45 years of Praiseworthy Contribution

2 Cuban People Pay Tribute to Martyrs of the Revolution SANTIAGO DE CUBA, Nov 30 (acn) Tribute was paid on Wednesday in Cuba to the martyrs who were killed during the November 30, 1956, uprising in Santiago de Cuba against the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista. The leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro, and President Raul Castro sent floral wreaths in honor of the youths who died in the action, aimed at backing the landing of the Granma yacht, in which a group of revolutionaries that included Fidel and Raul, as well as Ernesto Che Guevara, among many others were coming from Mexico to continue the struggle for Cuba s definitive independence. Pepito Tey, Tony Aloma and Otto Parellada were some of the youths who died during those days and who received the tribute from the Cuban people. The main rally to commemorate the date in Santiago de Cuba on Wednesday morning was attended by Jose Ramon Balaguer and Olga Lidia Tapia, members of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of Cuba s Communist Party (CCPCC), as well as Commander Julio Camacho Aguilera and Lazaro Exposito, members of the CCPCC. Cuba Denounces USA for Preventing Actions Against Israel United Nations, Nov 30 (Prensa Latina) Cuba on Wednesday denounced the United States and other western countries for preventing the Security Council from condemning Israel for its illegal actions and crimes against the Palestinian people. There are sufficient reasons to adopt not only political condemnations, but also binding decisions by the Council to stop Israel crimes and sanction those responsible, the text states. During a General Assembly session on the Palestine issue, the Cuban delegation noted that the issue "reveals the hypocrisy and double standard of some developed countries that self-proclaim human rights paradigms." The document also criticized that body s passivity and inactivity in the face of Israeli actions and wondered why the crimes against the Palestinian people are not sanctioned or why those responsible are not deprived of economic resources to support their actions, or why their movements are not limited. The Cuban representation noted that the issue of Palestine was first included in the agenda of the Assembly 64 years ago, and still they have not been able to stop Israel crimes against the Palestinian people nor revert the occupation of its territory. The delegation later reiterated the island s support to the cause of the

3 Palestinian people, to defend their rights and Palestine s entry as a full member of the UN. The island s delegation also reiterated the statement made in September at the General Assembly by Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez, who stated that body has the inescapable moral, political and legal obligation to guarantee the recognition of the new Palestine State. Washington: Int l Conference of Experts to Advocate for Cuba Washington, Nov 30 (Prensa Latina) Analysts, professors and politicians from different countries will analyze on Thursday in Washington what they consider Cuba s arbitrary inclusion in the list of nations sponsors of terrorism. The U.S. government arbitrarily inserted Cuba in the controversial list since 1982, at the request of the then Secretary of State Alexander Haig and in a resolution ratified by President Ronald Reagan. The Latin America Working Group and The Center for International Policy (CIP) are the main sponsors of the seminar, which will be staged at the National Press Club's Zinger Room in Washington D.C. The event will have a mainly academic nature, sponsored by two of the socalled U.S. think tanks that have clear positions regarding the improvement and normalization of U.S.-Cuba relations, academics of the issue told the press. Among lecturers are Wayne Smith, former U.S. diplomat in Cuba and CIP analyst, Robert Muse, of Muse and Associates Company, and Havana University professor Carlos Alzugaray. The possibility of Cuban delegates participation is a significant fact, as the attendance of the island s professors to this kind of event in the United States was prohibited for nine years. One of the most cynical aspects of the U.S. policy has been to maintain Cuba in that ignominious category of "sponsor of terrorism," without any evidence that supports such an accusation against the Caribbean nation, noted the text of the meeting scheduled for Thursday. During a previous seminar, held in February 2010, also to ask the U.S. government to exclude Cuba from that controversial list, Muse referred to the dangerous legal consequences derived from the Washington resolution. Sarah Stephens, of the Center for Democracy in the Americas, and Arturo Lopez, academician linked to the Josef Korbel International Studies School, in the University of Denver, also expect to attend the event. British Solidarity Activist Says the Cuban Five Remain Firm and United HAVANA, Cuba, Nov 28 (acn) British Father Geoffrey Bottoms,

4 who has visited three of the five Cuban antiterrorists unjustly imprisoned in the United States Gerardo Hernandez, Ramon Labañino and Fernando Gonzalez said that, although they have different personalities and characters, they act and think as only one. Bottoms, a committee member of the Cuba Solidarity Campaign in the United Kingdom with special responsibility for the Free the Five Campaign, participated in the Seventh International Colloquium for the Freedom of the Cuban Five and against Terrorism in the eastern Cuban province of Holguin on November The activist was shocked by the negative impact of the U.S. economic blockade on the Caribbean nation since his first visit to Cuba two decades ago. It was then that he joined the Cuba Solidarity Campaign in the United Kingdom and, later, he started to correspond with Gerardo Hernandez, Ramon Labañino and Fernando Gonzalez, Antonio Guerrero, and Rene Gonzalez internationally known as the Cuban Five. At that time, Bottoms commented, he asked them if they would like him to visit them in prison and they said yes. However, the U.S. authorities only allowed him to visit Ramon, Gerardo and Fernando. Visiting them is an amazing experience because you come away feeling strengthened and heartened by their commitment to their people and their revolution. They remain very strong and very firm. Mentally they are very alert. They are very well-informed about what s going on back in Cuba and around the world. They also like to discuss other things, very ordinary everyday things, Bottoms said in a recent interview. He announced during an interview with the Cuban Trabajadores weekly that the British committee is organizing a demonstration in front of the U.S. embassy in London for December 1, with the participation of the mothers of the five Cuban antiterrorists. The Cuban Five were arrested in 1998 and given harsh sentences for monitoring anti-cuba right-wing groups in South Florida that were planning and carrying out terrorist actions against the Caribbean nation. Hernandez, Guerrero, Labañino and Fernando Gonzalez remain unjustly imprisoned while Rene Gonzalez was recently released, but he was forced to stay in U.S. territory for three years on probation. French Organizations Demand Release of the Cuban Five HAVANA, Cuba, Nov 25 (acn) French organizations in solidarity with Cuba demanded the US government on Friday the release of the Cuban antiterrorists unfairly condemned in that northern country for fighting terrorism. In a meeting held opposite the Opera of the Bastille in Paris, Jacques Milhas, coordinator of Cuba Si France, explained the terrible situation these five patriots have gone through, the Prensa Latina news agency reported.

5 They were incarcerated and condemned to long sentences for warning the Cuban government about plans of terrorist attacks organized by notorious terrorists like Luis Posada Carriles. Ramon Labañino, Antonio Guerrero, Fernando Gonzalez and Gerardo Hernandez are still in prison in US territory. Milhas warned that the life of Rene Gonzalez is in danger, due to the additional punishment imposed on him: to stay for another three years in the US under supervised release, even though he has already served his sentence. During the meeting, held every month in a different place of the French capital, the solidarity organizations also demanded from the US the end of its blockade against the Caribbean island, which dates back to almost five decades. Milhas recalled that Washington insists on maintaining that policy, in spite of the fact that this year, for the 20th occasion in a row, the UN General Assembly approved (by the overwhelming majority of its members) a resolution condemning that economic, commercial and financial siege against the island. Spreading Information: Key Element in the Struggle for Release of the Cuban Five HAVANA, Cuba, Nov 25 (acn) Success in the struggle for release of the five Cuban antiterrorists unjustly imprisoned in the U.S. since 1998 depends on spreading the truth on their case and sensitizing more and more people in the U.S. and around the world, said Alicia Jrapko, a member of the International Committee for the Freedom of the Cuban Five. During a recent meeting with Cuban journalists from the eastern province of Las Tunas, Jrapko noted that although media coverage has been accomplished by means of alternative media, the mainstream media does not say much about the case of Gerardo Hernandez, Ramon Labañino, Antonio Guerrero, Fernando Gonzalez and Rene Gonzalez internationally known as the Cuban Five. The activist quoted one of the defense attorneys of the Cuban Five, the late Leonard Weinglass, who said: This is a political fight and therefore we must fight in the political front, spreading the truth on their legal process and raising people s awareness on their case. Jrapko pointed out that this includes people that do not necessarily share the same view on Cuba but who can become sensitive to a human rights-related case like this one. She also expressed her confidence in the search for new ways to reach a greater audience, especially within the U.S. people. In this sense, she referred to the positive results of the annual International Colloquium for the Freedom of the Cuban Five, which was recently held in the province of Holguin.

6 The activist added that meeting with trade union members, religious leaders, parliamentarians, and personalities from different sectors so that they share and spread information on the cause of the Cuban Five with their counterparts in the U.S. is an effective way to achieve this purpose. Jrapko condemned Rene s additional three-year supervised release which prevents him from returning to Cuba with his family, after he had served his term; and stated that this is a new form of punishing him, Cuba, the Cuban Five, and their relatives. Alicia Jrapko, who has been able to visit Gerardo Hernandez on several occasions in jail, said that he is an incredible man that keeps up his good mood regardless of his difficult situation and his harsh and long sentence. The Cuban Five were arrested in 1998 and given harsh sentences for monitoring anti-cuba right-wing groups in South Florida that were planning and carrying out terrorist actions against the Caribbean nation. Hernandez, Guerrero, Labañino and Fernando Gonzalez remain unjustly imprisoned while Rene Gonzalez was recently released, but he was forced to stay in U.S. territory for three years on probation. CELAC, Common Space for Agreement, Cuban Ambassador Says Caracas, Nov 29 (Prensa Latina) Cuban ambassador to Venezuela Rogelio Polanco stated on Tuesday that the birth of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) will be a common space for agreement, based on complementarity and regional integration. Interviewed by Toda Venezuela program, the Cuban diplomat stated that the coming event, which will be attended by 33 regional nations on December 2-3, show those peoples' willingness to join a common space where they could debate the genuine thing of each country. In that sense, Polanco stated that Latin America is experiencing new times and a clear example of that is the strengthening of relations between Venezuela and Colombia, after a meeting carried out on Monday between those countries. They signed many accords to contribute to integration and the economic and social development of both states. Polanco insisted on the importance of regional unity to face those global challenges, of a social and economic nature, to face food, economic and environment crises that engulf the developed countries and of which developing nations are not exempt. The Cuban ambassador said there will be some attempts to weaken that unity process and there will be many challenges, "but the most important thing is we have that approach. The language of wars and confrontation cannot be imposed, because we are a peace zone, free of nuclear weapons."

7 The fact that the birth of CELAC is in this capital has a great importance, this being where the idea of independence of the American peoples emerged through Simon Bolivar, stated Polanco. Palestinian Ambassador Thanks Cuba for its Expressions of Solidarity HAVANA, Cuba, Nov 28 (acn) Palestinian ambassador to Havana, Akram Samhan, highlighted on Monday in Ciego de Avila the expressions of solidarity of the Cuban government and people in favor of the struggle of his nation for the right to be a free and independent state. These statements were made during a meeting between students from the two countries at the University of Medical Sciences in Ciego de Avila, on the occasion of the International Day in Solidarity with Palestine, to be marked on November 29, the Prensa Latina news agency reported. Samhan explained that, every day, fraternity and support towards the Arab peoples increase, peoples struggling to achieve peace in the region and for the right of refugees to return to their countries. The diplomat added that Cuba has always offered help to Palestine, and example of which are the more than 600 youngsters of that nation of the Middle East that have graduated from Cuban universities. At present, some 160 Palestinians are studying at Cuban universities, who will have upon their shoulders the responsibility of contributing to the construction of the new nation, he pointed out. More than 85 percent of nations in the world are in favor of the Palestinian cause, but discrimination against the people continues, so it s necessary to put an end to the injustice committed in that region, concluded Samhan. Cuban Medical Collaboration in El Salvador Lauded San Salvador, Nov 29 (Prensa Latina) Salvadorian Health Minister Maria Isabel Rodriguez described Cuba''s medical collaboration, included in one of the most important social programs of the government, as excellent. Rodriguez told Prensa Latina that a group of Cuban experts are advising local authorities on the implementation of the Comprehensive Health Reform as part of an agreement that involves the Pan-American Health Organization and whose first stage will conclude on December 1. Questioned about the collaboration from Cuban health experts, Rodriguez immediately responded that it was excellent. The work of the Cuban medical collaborators was also praised by President Mauricio Funes on July 20, when attending the inauguration of a Health Community Team (ECOS), the foundation of the Reform, in the northern city of Arcatao.

8 Rodriguez noted that she had met with the three Cuban advisors working in the development of the Health Reform, and recalled that the program also benefits residents of neighbouring Guatemala and Honduras. Forum on Alternative Media and Social Networks Opened in Cuba Havana, Nov 29 (Prensa Latina) A forum convened by the Cuban Foreign Ministry to discuss the role of alternative media and social networks opened on Tuesday with the participation of delegates from 12 countries. The forum that will be in session until Wednesday at the Havana s Convention Center began with the speech of the Deputy Foreign Minister Ana Teresita Gonzalez, who emphasized the importance of the issue in current policy settings and international communication. From panel discussions, organizers hope the forum to be a space designed to share experiences and strengthen America's efforts in entering the global communication scenario. Among those attending the forum are representatives of Bolivia, Ecuador, Nicaragua and El Salvador. Hurricane Season Ends with Little Damage to Cuba Havana, Nov 30 (Prensa Latina) The hurricane season in the North Atlantic, Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico this year officially ends this November 30th with little damage for Cuba, said Maritza Ballester Perez, specialist in Cuba''s Meteorology Institute Forecast Center (INSMET). November 30th. She noted that no hurricane or tropical storm had directly affected the Island in the period running from June 1st to Only Irene, a category three hurricane in the Saffir-Simpson Scale, dropped some rain on the archipelago late in August, although it caused some damage in the Bahamas and to a lesser extend on the East coast of The United States. Ballester told the Cuban News Agency (ACN) that this season produced eight tropical storms and that seven developed into hurricanes. Alicia Alonso Says Spanish Tour a Success for the Cuban National Ballet HAVANA, Cuba, Nov 28 (acn) Prima ballerina assoluta Alicia Alonso described as successful the three-month tour through Spain by the Cuban National Ballet, the company she founded and heads.

9 Alonso arrived from Spain this Sunday and offered a press conference at the Jose Marti National Airport where she spoke of the warm welcome they received from the Spanish audiences as well as the coverage from the mass media. She praised the performances of the members of the company in sold-out theatres, and the energy and discipline of the new dancers, despite the rigours of the tour that took them to 29 Spanish cities. They all felt gratified by the shows of love and respect in every theatre, and the experts appraisals of the academic training of the dancers, who played several roles in each performance, she said. Alonso said that the doble characterization by each dancer is unusual in these times in the ballet world. She proudly showed the World Theater Ambassador title she was presented with at the Calderon Theater in the city of Valladolid; and spoke of the Spanish street named after her. It was very beautiful to see the new company members to dance and the requests we received for teachers and added that the Cuban dancing style is something that draws attention abroad. Alsonso said that they had welcomed the news of four members of the National ballet selected among the top 100 ballet dancers in the world: Viengsay Valdés, Alejandro Virelles, Dani Hernández and Osiel Gounod. She expressed her disappointment though when she added that stars as Anette Delgado and Sadaisi Arencibia were not chosen, showing a clear preference for male leading dancers, something she dubbed unfair. Santiago de Cuba Hosts International Choral Festival HAVANA, Cuba, Nov 30 (acn) Groups from Colombia, Venezuela, the USA and Finland are participating as of Wednesday, along with some of the best from the Caribbean island, in the International Choral Festival, the venue of which is the eastern city of Santiago de Cuba. Choral concerts have been scheduled for the Dolores Hall, the Esteban Salas Conservatory, the old Chapel of Saint Basil the Great, and the Cespedes Park, the Granma newspaper reported on Tuesday. Once again, the Santiago Choral Society (Orfeon de Santiago), the legendary group founded 51 years ago by Maestro Electo Silva, will be the host this fiesta of vocal music, which will run until December 4. Cuba Strengthens Fight against Cancer HAVANA, Cuba, Nov 29 (acn) Cuba has strengthened the fight against cancer by developing a broad and successful

10 biotechnological branch, with international recognition, aimed at achieving therapeutic vaccines and diverse treatments to counteract this disease, the second cause of death in the Caribbean island. According to the Cuban website one of the lines of work of Cuban scientists has been to widen the national production of antineoplastic and complementary drugs, and new biotechnological products. Local researches confirm that Cuba has the potential to avoid more than 10,000 new cases per year by means of prevention programs, which play a significant role in this regard, though there is a higher incidence rate of this disease due to alcoholism, smoking, and bad feeding habits. Last week Cuba and China signed joint agreements in the field of biotechnology for the development of vaccines and other biomedical products, including bilateral prevention, early diagnosis, and cancer control actions. The Caribbean island is also taking forward cooperation programs with Brazil in order to produce cheaper medicines for world markets, if compared with prices imposed by the international pharmaceutical industry, without decreasing the quality of the products. Annually, cancer takes the lives of about 18,000 people and results in nearly 28,000 new cases in the national territory. Int l Conference on Biotechnology Began in Havana HAVANA, Cuba, Nov 29 (acn) The International Conference Biotecnologia Habana 2011 was inaugurated on Monday afternoon at the Center of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering (CIGB) in the Cuban capital. With almost 150 registered patents, Cuba has the most advanced biotechnological industry of all developing countries, said the president of the event s organizing committee, Carlos Borroto, during the opening session of the meeting that was attended by Jose Ramon Fernandez, vice president of the Council of Ministers, and Jose Miyar Barrueco, minister of Science, Technology and the Environment. British Richard J. Roberts, a Nobel Prize winner in Medicine, and Belgian Marc Van Montagu, one of the pioneers in the field of molecular biology in plants, were named Presidents of Honor of the event. Improving food production and distribution is an urgent need for the world and particularly for Cuba. noted Borroto. But this improvement necessarily has to go hand in hand with sustainable development and in harmony with the environment, he added. Meanwhile, Van Montagu pointed out that one of the greatest challenges of humanity is to preserve the biodiversity and the services of the ecosystem while trying to feed a world population of more than seven billion people.

11 In order to succeed in this endeavor, it is essential to redesign the traditional systems of production, to implement biotechnological techniques with responsibility, and to count on the political will of the governments of the world, the expert explained. He also criticized the stance of some non governmental organizations that reject or regard as dangerous the advances in the biotechnology sector. In this sense, Van Montagu noted that science gives new opportunities to explore and find solutions to global problems. A Commercial Fair was also inaugurated on Monday with the participation of eleven Cuban and foreign companies. Biotecnologia Habana 2011 will be running through December 3 under the slogan Agro-Biotechnology: Helping to Face the Global Challenges. Cuba to Present Progress on Hybrid Corn Growing at Int l Conference HAVANA, Cuba, Nov 28 (acn) Cuba's progress in the growing of geneticallymodified maize hybrid will be presented at the International Conference of Biotechnology beginning Monday in Havana. This crop, which is the result of an alteration on the plant s genes and the combination with other corn varieties, is able to resist pests and Cuban weather conditions better than any other variety, according to experts from the Havana-based Genetics Engineering and Biotechnology Center, which will be hosting the event. Around 600 specialists involved or interested in the application of biotechnology in the agricultural sector will attend this year's event, which will address the use of biotechnology in facing global challenges. According to Carlos Borroto, president of the organizing committee, among personalities attending the conference will be British Richard J. Roberts, winner of the Nobel Prize in Medicine, who is based in the United States; and Belgian Marc Van Montagu, one of the world forerunners of molecular biology in plants. At the same time, a trade fair will open its doors for the showcase of products by companies from Japan, Costa Rica, Germany and Switzerland, among other nations. Santiago de Cuba to Host 20th Int l Chemistry Conference HAVANA, Cuba, Nov 28 (acn) The 20th International Chemistry Conference will take place in the eastern city of Santiago de Cuba on December 6-9 with the participation of more than one hundred representatives from eleven countries. Renowned personalities such as Doctor Santiago Vicente Luis Lafuente, from the Universitat Jaume I of Castellon, Spain, and Professor Luis Echegoyen, from the University of Texas, are in the list of participants, who will discuss important topics such as Sustainable Chemistry and Nanochemistry.

12 The event s program includes lectures by doctors Luis Alberto Montero and Roberto Cao, both from the University of Havana, and by Rosa Catalina Bermudez, of the Center of Industrial Biotechnology Studies at Santiago de Cuba s Universidad de Oriente. The triennial meeting was first held in 1964 and it was born as a space to exchange knowledge and experiences on the development of chemistry research in Cuba, mainly in the mining and sugar industry sectors. On this occasion, representatives from Germany, Angola, Spain, Mexico, Brazil, Panama, Ecuador, Venezuela, the United States and the Dominican Republic will be attending the event. Articles The Money the US Uses for Terrorist Actions against Cuba Havana, (Prensa Latina) While the US government is applying measures to reduce expenses in transport, technology and publicity by 20 percent, other US entities authorize funds to promote and finance actions against our country. After criticizing the lack of work of the US Congress to fight the economic problems in this northern country, President Barack Obama signed an executive order on November 9 granting US government institutions a time limit of 45 days to prepare a saving plan. However, while several sectors make cuts, the evidence on how many initiatives to favour subversion against the Cuban people and leaders are financed is every time greater, in a place like the US, in which demonstrations are daily multiplying against the economic system and unemployment. A recent example occurred in October, when the United States Agency for International Development prepared a festive activity to celebrate in advance the award of the 2011 Peace Nobel Prize to counter-revolutionaries of Cubanorigin Oswaldo Paya and Oscar Elias Biscet, which they took for granted was going to happen. It didn t. For this objective, a total of 250,000 dollars were approved for several activities developed by the US Interest Office in Havana, such as the printing of 100,000 T-shirts with the faces of Paya and Biscet on a background with the national flags of Cuba and the US and a phrase saying "The Time Has Come for Cuba." The complementary gifts included balloons, small flags, watches, key rings, suits for the celebration, allegorical bracelets, and of course, payments to selected journalists to cover the event, which never really took place, since they never won the prize. The budget also included suits to wear at the prize ceremony for the two fellows, who have for years dedicated themselves to promote plans of

13 destabilization against Cuba, encouraged by functionaries of the Washington administration. The real Nobel Prize winners were Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf (President of Liberia), Liberian Leywah Gbowee, responsible for non-governmental organization Women Peace and Security Network Africa and Yemeni activist Tawakkel Karmen. The organized and financed actions from the US national territory against Cuba have been denounced for years by the Cuban authorities and silenced by the great communications media of the US. However, on occasions US institutions have themselves admitted that they have financed projects for what they call the "fostering of democracy." As part of this assistance, only for the 2011 fiscal year, the US administration approved 62 million dollars destined to political, social and communication media interference in Cuba. That represented 34 percent over the 2010 statistics. Although the US has 14 million unemployed people, and 46 million people living below the poverty line and constant protests because of the failed economic system, the so-called "assistance to Havana" is constantly growing. In what does that "assistance" consist? USAID money is dedicated to reinforce the work of the US Interest Section Office in Havana and the Cuban Affairs Office, in charge of managing the US policy towards Cuba from the US Department of State. Almost half of the 62 million dollars annually is distributed between Radio Marti and Television Marti, which broadcast towards the Caribbean island in violation of the regulations established by the International Telecommunications Union. For the year 2012, the US government proposed to use another 20 million dollars to widen projects to "foster freedom in Cuba", mainly through USAID. Those funds are mainly managed by US companies and organizations, fundamentally based in Florida, and contribute to anti-cuban groups with money and equipment that need only fulfil the requirement of being opposed to the Cuban government. In the month of June, USAID published three tenders for plans linked with the freedom of expression and information, and for support to the Cuban civil society, in sums totalling 21 million dollars. The agency said it would destine 6 million dollars to projects to facilitate free access of Cuban citizens to information, using traditional media and new technologies. Another six million dollars would go to programs to foster freedom of expression and association in young people between 12 and 24 years of age.

14 The remaining 9 million dollars would be used to make members of local communities, neighbourhoods and other groups conscious of their rights and civic responsibilities, develop leadership abilities and prepare them to participate fully in democratic development. But while the capital dedicated to actions against Cuba is increasing, according to 2010 data published by the US Census Office, in percentual terms, the poverty rate in the US is the highest since 1993, with 15.1 percent. According to the statistical data of the National Poverty Center of the University of Michigan, it will take 6 or 7 years for the poverty rate to go back to the level it had in 2000, when a percentage of 11.7 was reported. The statistic data revealed that the average home annual income decreased by 2.3 percent, reaching 49,445 dollars, and the number of US inhabitants without medical insurance is over 50 million. Sports Medicine, 45 years of Praiseworthy Contribution Modesty apart, it is unquestionable that without the contribution by the Institute on Sports Medicine (IMD) and the cooperation of other institutions to Cuban sports, the Caribbean island would not have been able accomplish so many successes worldwide in this field. It would suffice to mention Alberto Juantorena, Driulis Gonzalez, Felix Savon, Mireya Luis, and many other sport figures that made their dreams come true thanks to the levels of expertise accumulated by this institution that is close to celebration the 45th anniversary of its foundation, on December 1. Its doctors, psychologists, physiotherapists, lab assistants, analysts, technicians, biologists, and the rest of its staff somehow linked to training of sportsmen have made their contribution to all the medals assured by Cuban athletes. The genesis of their work is related a sports that was born with the Revolution, which always had a clear view as to its medical mission, not only in the form of medical assistance. A medical sports department was born in 1960, which gave a step forward six years later, and then another one in the 1980 s when this institution was spread throughout the country in provincial centers. It continued developing through the years and became the focus of attention in 2001, when Commander in Chief Fidel Castro inaugurated an Anti-doping Lab, which soon gained prestige and rewarded the government s concern and the devotion of its staff. That s why we can speak of the Cuban medical sport system said the director of IMD, Doctor Jorge Pavel Pino.

15 Pavel noted that Cuba s main strength is the results it has achieved in the training of human resources and the organization work that allows making the most of it. That s the reason why we can take advantage of the available technology and contribute with the positive results of the Cuban sports, he affirmed during an interview on the history, present situation, and perspectives of that institute. He also recalled that its first specialists graduated in 1970, in Europe; while today there are more than 320, including foreign experts that studied in Cuba. Already 120 specialists have a master s degree on medical monitoring on sports training, as a result of the work by IMD, which was credited 35 years ago as scientific and technical center, Pavel mentioned. He noted that they have retaken their national congress and announced that the institution has arranged an international meeting with the participations of experts from several nations from May 28 through June 1. The director of IMD affirmed that this is an important step in their efforts to enhance exchanges and update professionals of this field and added that the promotion of the event was very well-received in the context of the recently concluded Pan-American Games of Guadalajara, Mexico. As to IMD s missions and challenges, he explained that although the competitiveness is the most outstanding sphere of their work, it is not the only priority for its more than 1,200 workers nationwide. In addition to biomedical and psychological control, including physioprophilaxis, this institution also contributes with improving the health of the Cuban people, he stated.