Tuesday 22 May 2018 | 02:58:44 pm.
GEVENA, Switzerland, May 21 (ACN) The General Director of the World Health Organization (WHO) Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Monday in Geneva during the inauguration of the 71st World Health Assembly that "we dream of a world in which people can enjoy quality health service as a main human right".
Tuesday 22 May 2018 | 02:57:44 pm.
HAVANA, Cuba, May 21 (ACN) The arrival of two million tourists to Cuba so far this year ratifies the confidence of tour operators, travel agencies, airlines and vacationers to the Caribbean destination, according to a report on Monday of the Tourism Ministry.
Wednesday 16 May 2018 | 09:14:15 am.
HAVANA, Cuba, May 15 (ACN) The Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts Company of Singapore has achieved success at its first hotel in Cuba, the Dhawa Cayo Santa María, inaugurated a little over a year ago in this tourist center, located in the north of the central province of Villa Clara.
Sergio Álvarez, the Asian firm's representative on the island, told the Cuban News Agency that since its official opening in March 2017, it has maintained good occupancy rates, despite the shutdown following Hurricane Irma last September.
It has been a successful operation, said the executive, who was optimistic about sales for the coming summer and winter seasons.
This 515-room facility represents Banyan Tree's debut in Latin America and the Caribbean, and is also the first in the world to launch the Dhawa brand, which was added to the other three existing brands: Banyan Tree, Angsana and Cassia.
So far, its main markets have been Canada, Mexico, France, Germany, Argentina, Chile and Spain, while in the summer months Cubans were in second place.
Very close to Dhawa, in Cayo Las Brujas, is in the final phase of construction of a hotel that will also be managed by Banyan Tree, under its luxury brand Angsana.
According to Álvarez, the new hotel will focus on the adults only segment and will have 252 bedrooms and two swimming pools with sea views.
Currently the Asian company is building two more hotels, one of the luxury brand Banyan Tree and the other of Angsana, both in the emerging area of Cayo Buba, near Varadero, Matanzas.
According to Álvarez, Banyan Tree operates 60 hotels worldwide, most of which are located in Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, China and Vietnam, and for the past eight years have opened two in Mexico.
Data provided by Manuel Marrero, the head of Tourism, reports that in Cuba there are 21 foreign managers through 95 hotel administration and marketing contracts, responsible for 45,333 rooms (65 percent of the country).
There are also 27 joint ventures that manage more than 5,000 four- and five-star hotel rooms.
The tourism sector brings together the largest number of businesses operating in the country with foreign investment, considered an essential element in the nation's socioeconomic development strategy.
Wednesday 16 May 2018 | 09:12:11 am.
HAVANA, Cuba, May 15 (acn) The Cuba Domadores will face next May 18 th the France Fighting Roosters in the semifinals of the 8th World Series of Boxing (WSB).
The quintet summoned to fight next Friday as visitors in the C-2 format will have as pillars three universal monarchs: Julio Cesar La Cruz (81 kg), Roniel Iglesias (69) and Lazaro Alvarez (60).
The two others called up by Coach Rolando Acebal are Jose Angel Larduet (+91), 2009 world bronze medalist, and Jorge Griñan (52), 2016 world junior runner-up.
The French squad won 20 out of 30 individual bouts this season and ranked second in Group B with balance of 5 wins and only one loss in team matches.
Cubans achieved one more individual win and had the same team balance, but they topped Pool A.
The home semifinal match (C-1) for the Caribbean side will be on May 25 at Havana´s Sports City Coliseum.
The other semi-final will take place on those same weekends between the Kazakhstan Astana Arlans and the British Lionhearts and will start in Sheffield, UK.
Wednesday 16 May 2018 | 09:09:46 am.
HAVANA, Cuba, May 15 (ACN) Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez thanked the Belgian government for its support, especially for the resolution on the need to end the US blockade, at the start of his visit to that European country, reported today from Brussels Prensa Latina (PL) agency.
Minister Rodriguez was received by his Belgian counterpart, Didier Reynders, and they held a meeting in which they discussed topics of common interest on current international affairs and the respective regions, and described mutual relations as positive.
Both sides reviewed issues on the bilateral agenda and confirmed their willingness to continue developing political dialogue between the two foreign ministries.
Rodriguez highlighted Belgium's constructive role in the European Union in advancing relations with the Caribbean country.
The Cuban Foreign Minister began a European tour of Brussels, where he plans to participate in the first EU-Cuba Joint Council, together with the head of diplomacy of the regional bloc, Federica Mogherini.
The meeting will take place after the provisional entry into force on November 1, 2017 of the Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement signed by both parties in 2016, in order to promote bilateral ties.
As part of his European tour, the Cuban minister will be in Geneva tomorrow to present Cuba's National Report to the Human Rights Council's Third Cycle of the Universal Periodic Review.
For the third time, the Caribbean nation will report to this mechanism (the previous ones were in 2009 and 2013) to detail the progress made in the area of human rights over the last five years, which is a continuation of the work carried out since the triumph of the Revolution.
Saturday 12 May 2018 | 11:09:57 am.
The Cuban couple of Nivaldo Diaz and Sergio Gonzalez lost in their second match of the 3-star Luzern stop, in Switzerland, corresponding to the 2017-18 Beach Volleyball World Tour.
The Cuban pair was beaten 1-2 (14-21, 21-19 and 9-15) by Lithuania´s Rumsevicius – Kasdailis in a game for Pool C of the men´s event, according to the official website of the tournament.
This event on Swiss soil is attended by 53 duos from 29 countries, with highlight to Australia, Germany, United States and the hosts, all with four teams, followed by China and Ukraine, both with three.
Diaz and Gonzalez debuted in the 2017-18 World Tour in the stop of Xiamen, China (four stars), where they ranked 25th, with two wins and two losses, thus earning 240 points for the world ranking.
In their second presentation, with a stage in Mersin, Turkey (three stars), last weekend, they won the bronze medal, with balance of five and two and 480 units for the universal list.
Between Xiamen and Mersin, they attended the Varadero stop, corresponding to the NORCECA Circuit, where they finished second, gaining 180 points for the NORCECA ranking.
The main goal of the Caribbean duet, fifth in Rio 2016 Olympics, for this year is the Barranquilla Central American and Caribbean Games, from July 19 – August 3, where they will defend the crown they won in the previous edition of Veracruz 2014.
Prior to that major competition, they will also attend the World Tour stops of Itapema, Brazil; Ostrava, Czech Republic; Warsaw, Poland and Esphino, Portugal.
Saturday 12 May 2018 | 11:04:55 am.
Havana will host the fifth round of the Roundtable of Dialogues for Peace between the Colombian government and the National Liberation Army (ELN).The head of the island's team of guarantors, Iván Mora Godoy, confirmed last week that Cuba received the official request from the Colombian government and the ELN to host the new round of talks.
Saturday 12 May 2018 | 10:59:32 am.
The CIMEX retail stores launched a new service, Donde Hay, that provides customers information on the existing products in its stores network.
This service, created by Datacimex, facilitates the purchase of products for customers because it enables the location and availability of desired products in the establishments of the corporation, according to the information published on the Cubadebate website.
With this software, customers will be able to search by product description or by scanning their barcode, resulting in product locations and prices.
The application will start as a test and will go through a constant process of development and continuous improvement, by means of which later, more functionalities will be incorporated, according to their demand.
Specialists from this chain of stores clarified that the new service consists of two spaces: a website and an application for mobile phones with Android operating system version 4.0 onwards.
Interested parties can access this new feature through the website from the public network and wifi nauta access points and for the application, through Etecsa's mobile data.
The service, free of charge for users, is available at the Joven Club de Computación, the La Mochila project, the Datacimex website (www.datacimex.cu) and the Information Bureau of the Cimex Business Units and can be downloaded directly through the Aplicación Donde Hay website.
All recommendations and suggestions regarding the application can be channeled from the customer service system through the unique number of the corporation, available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 0800 00724 or by e-mail atencionalcliente@cimex.com.cu.
Saturday 21 April 2018 | 10:39:58 am.
After the election of Miguel Díaz-Canel as president of the Cuban Council of State and Council of Ministers, leaders of various nations sent their congratulations and reiterated their support for the revolutionary process in Cuba.
According to Prensa Latina, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro praised Raúl Castro for his performance as head of the country in recent years and sent a message of congratulations to Cuba "for the impeccable, democratic and participatory development of its legislative and executive authorities".
The Venezuelan Foreign Ministry issued a statement expressing its unconditional support for Díaz-Canel's mandate by President Maduro and the Bolivarian Revolution in pursuit of the struggle for social justice and human development in the coming times.
Meanwhile, Evo Morales, president of Bolivia, used his twitter account to congratulate the new Cuban head of state.
"We greet Brother Miguel Mario Díaz Canel Bermúdez, democratically elected President of the Council of State by the National Assembly of People's Power of Cuba. It is the guarantee of deepening the revolutionary legacy of Commander Fidel Castro, his brother Raul and the Cuban people," the Bolivian leader tweets.
"A big hug to that great friend of Ecuador and the Citizen Revolution, Miguel Díaz-Canel, the new president of our heroic Cuba. All our affection for Commander Raúl Castro. Thank you very much for everything, in the name of the Great Homeland. To victory always!" Rafael Correa, former president of Ecuador, also said.
According to Cubadebate, other congratulatory messages within the Latin American area came from the presidents of Mexico and Panama, Enrique Peña Nieto and Juan Carlos Varela, respectively.
On the other side of the world, Vladimir Putin, President of Russia, joined in the celebrations for the appointment of Diaz-Canel while thanking Raul Castro for the many years of fruitful bilateral cooperation.
Chinese President Xi Jinping also reaffirmed the affection between his people and the Cuban people and expressed his desire to strengthen ties with the new leadership of the island.
Meanwhile, congressmen from Peru greeted the election of Díaz-Canel and wished him success in his government work, as well as Nicaraguan, Costa Rican and Bolivian media highlighted the political trajectory of the president and the work of the historic generation of the Revolution.
Saturday 21 April 2018 | 10:32:17 am.
Raul Castro Ruz, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba, expressed his confidence in the absolute success of the administration of the new President of the Council of State and Ministers, Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez, for his virtues, experience and dedication to work.
At the closing speech of the constitutive session of the 9th Legislature of the National Assembly of People's Power, which took place for two days at the Havana Convention Center, Raúl highlighted the qualities of the newly appointed head of state and government, "which made him worthy of the confidence to occupy the post".
The election of Díaz-Canel is no coincidence, he is the best of a group of cadres, he has demonstrated maturity, work capacity and his rise to the highest responsibility of the nation has not been the result of haste, said the leader of the Cuban Party, a post he will leave in 2021 when the Eighth Congress of the country's highest political body is held, he announced.
From then on, if my health allows me, I will be a soldier with the people, defending this Revolution," said Raúl, before being interrupted by a standing ovation by the deputies in the plenary session of the Havana Convention Center.
He emphasized that the Party will support the new President of the Council of State and Council of Ministers in the exercise of his constitutional powers, in order to safeguard the unity of all revolutionaries and the people.
At another point in his speech, Raúl acknowledged the work carried out by the Electoral and Candidacy Commissions in all instances, and the institutions that collaborated in the success of the different stages of the 2017-2018 general elections.
The First Secretary pointed out that setting the example was the fundamental thing, even though the limit of the two mandates is not yet within the Cuban Constitution, "but it will be in the modifications of the new Magna Carta" that will be endorsed by the people, as in 1976, although it will not contemplate changes in the strategic objectives of the Party's work.
We cannot make mistakes, Raúl said, referring to the times in the world and the region, while adding that past failures have ruined important processes for humanity.
In a speech that came out of formalisms, he referred to the importance of not regressing on issues such as gender equality, and recalled Fidel's decision to empower women, although he considered that the presence of women in decision-making positions is still insufficient.
On behalf of his generation, he said he was deeply satisfied with the consolidated revolutionary work, as well as with the happiness and confidence of seeing the transfer to the youth of the mission of continuing the advances of Socialism and guaranteeing independence and national sovereignty.
Not just for the sake of it, he said, is one of the main bets of the enemies to confuse the youth, and to distance them from the ideals, history, culture and revolutionary work, and to induce them to pessimism, detachment from the times and from humanist values, "plans doomed to failure".
On the updating of the Cuban economic model, Raúl acknowledged the complexity of the process by covering all spheres of society, and reiterated that in order to continue, it is necessary, among other things, to overcome the paternalistic mentality and egalitarianism.
According to the leader, the implementation of self-employment and the experiment of non-agricultural cooperatives will continue, with the application of modifications to existing regulations in the face of the emergence of known indisciplines, tax evasion, illegalities and violations of the rules.
He expressed that the rhythm of the transformations in transcendental issues such as the currency unification, has been determined by the premise of not applying shock therapies against the most needy, nor leaving any citizen helpless.
He also referred to the intensification of the US blockade and financial persecution, which limits access to credit for development and hampers foreign investment.
He highlighted "the undeniable results in the patient and laborious process of debt management with the main creditors".
He warned that the current tensions in the internal finances are a warning sign, "we must plan well and on a secure basis, save and eliminate non-essential expenses," he said, although he said that the country is not in an extreme and dramatic situation like that of the 1990s, a stage called the special period.
In his speech of more than an hour and a half, the First Secretary of the Party congratulated the members of the Cuban delegation participating in the VIII Summit of the Americas and its parallel forums, who defeated the provocation orchestrated by the US government and the Organization of American States to discredit the Revolution.
The exclusion of Venezuela from that event, in which the US was seeking a continental front against the South American nation and in which Cuba, Bolivia and other countries stopped, pointed out and reiterated the invariable solidarity of the Island with the people and the legitimate government of Nicolás Maduro, was arbitrary and unjust.
Raul called for a new system of relations between the two Americas, where the Monroe Doctrine does not prevail, and praised the frank and firm language of Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla's speech in the face of the antiquated and interfering intervention of U.S. Vice President Mike Pence.
He said that since the arrival in power of the current US President, Donald Trump, there has been a deliberate setback in bilateral ties and an aggressive and threatening tone in the tycoon's rhetoric, despite earlier evidence that civilized coexistence was possible and beneficial for both sides.
Amidst hostility towards progressive governments, he underscored Cuba's commitment to the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America, to contribute to the development of the most unequal region in the world.
Raúl denounced the arbitrary imprisonment of Brazilian leader Luiz Inácio Lula Da Silva and called for his immediate release.
Before concluding, the First Secretary of the Party summoned the people to participate in the coming May Day as a sign of support for the Revolution, the Party, Socialism and the new President of the Councils of State and Ministers.
I will be in the parade on May Day in the José Martí Revolution Square in the capital with the new President, he said.
