Once again, U.S. excludes Cuba from the Caribbean Series.

Tags

#Blokade, #Cuba - EU-relations, #Imperialism

Attacks on Cuban baseball are nothing new, and it is not surprising that the Caribbean Confederation of Professional Baseball (CBPC) has decided to forego our participation in the next Caribbean Series, in Puerto Rico, referring to supposed difficulties caused by the limited time available to process U.S. visas needed to travel to that nation.

The Caribbean Series, which began in Havana in 1949, and the CBPC, also founded in the same city, in 1948, were born of Cuban baseball’s prestige and our thinking, as has been documented in studies by researchers Felix Julio Alfonso, Oscar Fernandez, and Tony Perez, among others.

But the competition and its organizational structure function under the auspices of U.S. baseball, or in other words, the decisions of Caribbean baseball have been subordinated to the imperial master who hates Cuba and our baseball, conscious that the game is part of our identity and an undeniable symbol of our nationality.

In 2018, in Guadalajara, Cuba expressed its willingness to organize the 2020 tournament, and there CBPC president José Francisco Puello, told Granma: “My dream is to have the Series in Cuba, in Latinoamericano Stadium. It would be a show I wouldn’t want to miss. I don’t want to leave this position without making that wish come true.” Last year, in Panama, he once again told this newspaper of his aspirations, but recalling that there is no license allowing a contractual relationship with Cuba, he invoked his religious faith. “God willing it will be resolved and before I leave here, may the dream come true.”

Diaz-Canel ratifies Cuba’s commitment to its émigrés.

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#Cuban immigrants., #Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel, #Ernesto Soberon Director General of Consular Affairs and Cuban Residents Abroad (DACCRE)

Havana, Jan 16 (P L) Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel on Thursday ratified the island’s commitment to the process of normalizing ties with Cuban residents abroad, described by authorities as continuous, irreversible and permanent.

 

Through his Twitter account, the president shared a link to the website of Juventud Rebelde newspaper where Ernesto Soberon, Director General of Consular Affairs and Cuban Residents Abroad (DACCRE), states that the Cuban government recognizes, values, and counts on the work of émigrés, in defense of the Revolution.

Cuban residents abroad have an important role to play to contribute to the development of the country. They have knowledge, a good part of which was acquired in Cuba, and experiences with which they can contribute to the development of our country, he said.

Cuba sends message of solidarity to Australian people and government.

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# Message from Cuban President Díaz-Canel, #Australia, #Cuba, #Solidarity with Australian people

A message expressing deep sorrow in the wake of devastating fires in Australia was sent Wednesday by Esteban Lazo Hernández, President of Cuba’s National Assembly and Council of State, to Tony Smith, Speaker of the country’s House of Representatives

“On behalf of the National Assembly of People’s Power, our people and myself, I wish to express our most sincere condolences to the families of the deceased, to the Australian Parliament and people given the damage caused by the incident,” reads the letter published on the National Assembly’s website.

Lazo lamented the loss of human life, harm to the nation’s ecosystem, the deaths of millions of animals and the severe economic damage caused by this major disaster.

“Once again we witness with concern the harmful effects of climate change on our planet, causing great droughts, enormous fires with the destruction of millions of hectares of forests, melting ice and other phenomena that seriously threaten life,” Lazo wrote.

Telesur: Voice and image of those who fight and resist.

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# Unquestionable truth, #Cuba, #genuine culture, #Telesur is the voice and image of the peoples that fight and resist the imperial attack, #TeleSUR means unity

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel condemns threats against the international television news channel teleSUR on his Twitter account

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez strongly condemned “threats made against the voice and image of the peoples who fight and resist the imperial onslaught,” insisting, “From Our America and the world: Viva teleSUR!”

The Cuban leader was reacting, on his Twitter account, to plans announced by the impostor Juan Guaidó, under U.S. guidance, directing his venom against a channel that carries the message of our peoples around the world and expresses the views of those resisting efforts to subvert progressive governments and derail integrationist projects.

Guaidó is the same Venezuelan congressman who posed and signed photos revealing his ties with the paramilitary group Los Rastrojos, and who just recently, in a real performance, was seen trying to scale the fence of the National Assembly headquarters in Caracas, then playing the victim, said he wasn’t let in.

Rightly so, teleSUR president Patricia Villegas responded to his threats to block the channel’s transmissions, stating, “The deputy is talking about something he knows nothing about, and clearly does not understand.”

In his recent display of bravado, Guaidó threatened to “take teleSur off the air,” attacking the channel founded in 2005 by Bolivarian leader Hugo Chávez, which broadcasts the voices of countries of the South, answering the avalanche of lies that are transmitted every day by the corporate media at the service of the United States government and local oligarchies.

Santiago de Cuba rises with José Martí example.

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#167th anniversary of the birth of Jose Marti, #Cuba, #Jose Marti, Fidel.

Santiago de Cuba, Jan  (P L) Although these days the proximity of the 167th anniversary of his birth on Tuesday 28 makes his presence more real than ever, José Martí is in this city not only the mystery that accompanies us.

Beyond that poetic definition of José Lezama Lima, the Apostle of Cuban independence glows here in multiple ways and in unexpected places, from the Mausoleum that keeps its ashes in the patrimonial cemetery of Santa Ifigenia to the humblest neighborhood school.

When the nation vibrates indignantly before the humiliation to the Apostle by vandals in the capital, the city where the lifeless body of the Major General of the Liberation Army arrived on May 27, 1895, after his fall at the hands of Spanish colonialism in Dos Ríos, with utmost reverence for his legacy.

To the privilege of guarding with infinite zeal the mortal remains of the Delegate of the Cuban Revolutionary Party, the people of Santiago also incorporate evidence of the admiration and respect for the most universal of Cubans who can be felt throughout its urban geography.

In the immediate vicinity of the former Moncada Barracks, assaulted by Fidel Castro and young revolutionaries on July 26, 1953 with the sacred idea that his imprint would not die in his centennial, an upright sculpture evokes he who was considered the intellectual author of that epic.

Cuban cuisine could be a major tourist attraction

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# Cuban Culinary Federation, # International Culinary Workshop Cuba Sabe 2020, #Cuba

Cuba’s President, Miguel Díaz-Canel, and Prime Minister Manuel Marrero, attended the closing ceremony of the International Culinary Workshop Cuba Sabe 2020, held at the Iberostar Grand Packard Hotel in Havana.

The event held January 9-11, and was attended by more than 200 delegates from the United States, Mexico, Spain, United Kingdom and Italy, had as its main objective the promotion of genuine Cuban cuisine, recently declared Cultural Heritage of the nation, Prensa Latina reported.

During the closing day, the island’s tourism minister, Juan Carlos García, announced the foundation of the Cuban Association of Sommeliers, to help safeguard the country’s gastronomic values, he said.

Garcia noted that events of this type show that Cuba should be visited not only to enjoy its world-class beaches, but its gastronomic attractions, as well.

The official announced that the third edition of the event to be held January 14-16, next year.

For her part, the president of the event’s organizing committee, Liz Cuesta, stated that the event offered an ideal opportunity for national and international chefs to share experiences and to promote the diversity of Cuban cuisine.

Fifth Encounter of Women Artists opens in Cuba.

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#Cuba, #Encounter of Women Artists, #This edition, 'Angel y Habanera'

Havana, Jan 9 (P L) The screening of the documentary ‘Confidencia,’ by Peruvian filmmaker Marta Luna, today opened the ‘Angel y Habanera’ Fifth Encounter of Women Artists.

 

The event runs through January 11 in this capital and will celebrate the 100th anniversary of Peruvian folklorist singer Chabuca Granda (1920-1983), whose most famous song worldwide remains ‘La flor de canela’ (The Cinnamon Flower).

The Animation Studios of the Cuban Institute of Cinematographic Art and Industry hosted the screening of ‘Confidencia,’ which looks at the life of Granda.

Every year, Cuban singer-songwriter Liuba Maria Hevia organizes this initiative together with her project ‘Alma Creadora’ (Creative Soul), in order to offer opportunities to several generations of women musicians to promote their work and rescue songs that should never be lost.

In a nuclear war, the collateral damage would be human life.

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#Cuba, #Nuclear war, Fidel., Humanity, world

Today, when the United States and Iran are on the brink of an international conflict, the words of Fidel Castro Ruz have extraordinarily relevance.

Message from Comandante en jefe Fidel Castro Ruz against nuclear war

The use of nuclear weapons in a new war would mean the end of humanity. This was foreseen by scientist Albert Einstein, who was able to measure their destructive capacity to produce heat of millions of degrees that would vaporize everything within a wide radius of impact. The brilliant researcher was the driving force behind the development of this weapon, before it was available to the genocidal Nazi regime.

All the world’s governments are obliged to respect the right to life of all nations and all peoples on the planet.

Today there is an imminent danger of war with the use of such weapons, and I have no doubt that an attack by the United States and Israel on the Islamic Republic of Iran would inevitably become a global nuclear conflict.

More than 620,000 Cubans living abroad visited the country in 2019.

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# "Cuba abre y Estados Unidos cierra "., # 623.831 cubanos que viven en el extranjero visitaron el país en 2019, #Cuba, #IV Conference on Nation and Emigration

To further strengthen ties between the government and Cubans living abroad, Havana will host the IV Conference on Nation and Emigration, April 8-10

Despite measures implemented by the United States government since the end of 2017, intended to limit bilateral relations between the two countries -including the suspension of consular services in Havana; the expulsion of 17 diplomatic officials from our embassy in Washington, using unjustifiable and politically motivated pretexts; and recently the suspension of flights to nine destinations in Cuba – ties between the émigré community and the homeland have not been eliminated.

This is confirmed by the fact that a total of 623,831 Cubans living abroad visited the country in 2019, “evidence of the strengthening of ties between Cuba and its citizens,” said Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, who added on his Twitter account that 552,816, of that total, came from the United States.

Hostile U.S. actions, which remain in effect, hinder the normal flow of Cubans traveling abroad and those traveling to Cuba, particularly to and from the United States, thus making normal communication among Cuban families difficult, confirming the Foreign Minister’s statement: “Cuba opens and the United States closes.”

Cuba among 35 countries worldwide with the lowest infant mortality rates: 5

Tags

#Cuba, #Infant mortality rate of 5.0 deaths per 1, #Ministry of Public Health, 000 live births.

To achieve a rate of 5.0 deaths per 1,000 live births, Cuba has maintained its commitment to maternal-infant health care, even in the most difficult times

Cuba has maintained a great commitment to children’s health, even in the most difficult moments for the nation, a task that has required, and requires, much effort, sacrifice, and dedication from thousands of professionals, who work in the country’s maternal-infant care services and approach all difficulties and setbacks with determination.

This is why the risk of death during the first year of life is low on the Island. This is the commitment of entire multidisciplinary teams capable of overcoming the greatest challenges, thanks to the political will and support of our government.

Preliminary data, provided by the Medical Records and Health Statistics Directorate, indicate that this past year, born in Cuba were 109,707 children, 6,626 less than the previous year, with an infant mortality rate of 5.0 deaths per 1,000 live births.

Dr. Noemí Causa Palma, director of medical care at the Ministry of Public Health (Minsap), told Granma that we continue to be among the 35 countries with the lowest infant mortality rate and among the first in the region.

The main factors contributing to infant mortality, she added, were related to complications associated with premature birth and intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR), and despite efforts made in the care of pregnant women and newborns, and additional measures adopted, it was not possible to reduce their impact on infant mortality.

It should be noted that for the third consecutive year, the infant mortality rate due to congenital malformations was 0.8 deaths per 1,000 live births. The provinces of Cienfuegos, Sancti Spíritus and the Isle of Youth special municipality ended the year with no deaths from this cause.

This indicator is the best in our region of the Americas and is the result of the work carried out by community genetic services, the development of the national medical genetics network and the national program for the prevention of congenital defects and genetic diseases, Dr. Causa explained.

It is also significant that in 2019 there were no reported maternal deaths from postpartum hemorrhage, a persistent problem in developing countries and an achievement for Cuba, the result of multidisciplinary work carried out over the past three years.

Essential objectives in maternal-infant health care for 2020, the doctor reported, include increasing multisectoral work to reduce teenage pregnancy and risk factors faced by women of childbearing age, such as obesity, hypertension and diabetes mellitus, among others.

Efforts will also be focused on strengthening the monitoring of pregnant women at high risk during their prenatal care in order to detect retarded intrauterine growth and hypertensive disorders in a timely fashion, and prevent pre-term deliveries.

In the case of neonatal services, she added, efforts will be intensified to continue to increase newborn survival rates.

Similarly, health promotion and educational actions will continue to be expanded through the mass media, directed toward women of childbearing age, their partners and family members, in relation to the importance of taking folic acid to prevent congenital disorders, the prevention of sexually transmitted infections, health care for chronic diseases and pregnancy, the promotion of breastfeeding, and the prevention of accidents and community-acquired infections.