Huawei Wants to Replace Google Search
Huawei Wants to Replace Google Search With Its Own Search Engine
March 4, 2020
Translated and edited by Walter Lippmann for CubaNews.
Huawei’s billboard at PT Expo, Beijing, China, October 31, 2019. Photo: Mark Schiefelbein/AP.
Replace Google Search. That is the purpose of Huawei, which is developing an Internet search engine for its mobile devices, according to the media XDA, which participated in the testing of the beta version of that application which the Chinese technology began to develop last week.
Huawei Search works as a basic search engine that helps to find websites, news, videos or images on the Internet, while offering shortcuts to consult information about the weather or currency exchange.
However, this solution is not connected to other programs, while Alphabet’s company search engine does have links to utilities such as “podcasts” or Google Assistant.
This service is operated by Aspiegel Limited -Huawei’s subsidiary in Ireland- and could work on the Chinese technology’s own search engine, without the need to incorporate external search programs.
Although at first the company invited anyone to participate in this initiative, as of February 29th it stopped the beta testing of Huawei Search because of its “concerns” related to the “misuse” of the app in social media.
The Chinese technology company has promoted this project because it cannot use certain US technology services since 2019.
It also happens that some Huawei mobiles cannot use certain Google services since last year, when the US government blacklisted the Chinese firm, preventing it from acquiring components from US companies without Washington’s approval.
Cuban Medical Collaborators in Chinese Hospitals
Cuban Medical Collaborators Resume Activities in Hospitals in China
March 1, 2020
Translated and edited by Walter Lippmann for CubaNews.
Cuban health workers in China. Photo: Cuban Medical Cooperation in China/Facebook.
Ophthalmologists from Cuba’s Medical Brigade in China have been continuing their assistance activities in three hospitals in the country since Tuesday, with responsibility and the necessary protection in the midst of the emergency caused by the outbreak of the Covid-19 coronavirus.
The mission, led by Dr. Yamira Palacios, confirmed that work was resumed after the suspensions adopted for security reasons, and as part of the national contingency plan implemented since late January.
She said in the social networks that the Cuban collaborators together with the Chinese health professionals are still linked despite the complex epidemiological situation in the country, with responsibility for their health care and protection to avoid exposure to the greatest risk.
The Brigade added that the priority is to prevent, maintain control and comply with the measures to confront the coronavirus.
This gesture is another sign of love, unity, solidarity and commitment,” she concluded.
The Cuban collaboration is developing with good results in ophthalmological centers installed in mixed hospitals in the provinces of Qinghai, Shanxi and Henan.
Official figures show that between 2012 and 2019 alone, more than 225,627 consultations and 13,546 surgeries were performed.
A couple of days ago, the Brigade reiterated its support and confidence in the efforts of the Chinese government to stop the Covid-19 in the shortest time possible. In addition, the Brigade to highlighted the discipline and compliance with the actions carried out by the health authorities of the Asian giant and those of the Cuban embassy here.
“To this day no Cuban in China has fallen ill. The result of hard teamwork. Counting on truthful and timely information without issuing a single opinion that was not supported by science, nor additional measures, without alarmism or collective panic,” he said.
She highlighted the reinforcement of the team with pediatric infectious disease doctor Ileana Alvarez and clinical infectious disease doctor Rafael Arocha. Both are recognized physicians of the Henry Reeve Contingent and whose incorporation was considered another sign of kindness and solidarity of the Cuban health system.
“We will continue on the path that will lead us to control this contagious and still unknown disease (…) that has filled the Chinese people with pain, sadness, and uncertainty,” he said.
Dr. Palacios, along with Alvarez and Arocha, are in charge of the medical post established in the Caribbean island’s embassy to reinforce health care for compatriots in China in the midst of the emergency due to the outbreak.
The team provides assistance and consultations, follows up on the current epidemiological situation, and also supports the preventive work that the diplomatic mission implemented in order to be more effective in guiding and protecting its fellow countrymen.
Cuban health workers in China. Photo: Cuban Medical Cooperation in China/Facebook.
For a More Inclusive Society
For a More Inclusive Society
The 5th Congress of the Cuban Association of the Deaf takes place at the Havana Convention Center
By Liudmila Peña Herrera
March 4, 2020
Translated and edited by Walter Lippmann for CubaNews.
Cuba offers an inclusive education Author: Taken from the Internet Published: 04/03/2020 | 12:40 am
The demand of the deaf community that Cuban sign language be accepted as an official language, along with Spanish, was evident on the first day of the 5th Congress of the Association of the Deaf of Cuba (ANSOC), which is in session at the Havana Convention Center since Tuesday.
The speakers highlighted the richness of this form of communication, the academic research on its development and the need for families to have the opportunity to study and communicate through it, as it is a symbol of inclusion.
In one of the panels at the conference, aspects related to the linguistics of Cuban sign language and the culture of the deaf community, the methodology for teaching it to children, society’s knowledge of the potentialities and needs of these people, as well as the importance of sign language being protected by law were addressed.
In this sense, Leonardo Pérez Gallardo, professor of Civil Law at the University of Havana, reflected that in its Article 42, the Constitution prohibits any type of discrimination on the basis of disability, and one of the specific manifestations of disability is hearing.
A touching moment was the presentation of the video clip Soy el verso, with music by Telmary, performed in sign language, and the message that the artist sent, from there, to her colleagues: “It is important that society hears the concerns of the deaf community and the efforts made in the country in their favor. I hope that many artists can join in”.
The first day of the Congress was attended by Jorge Cuevas Ramos, member of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the Party; Marta Elena Feitó Cabrera, Minister of Labour and Social Security; Joseph Murray, President of the World Federation of the Deaf; Fermín Quiñones Sánchez, President of the Cuban Association of the United Nations; and Alejandro Marzo Peña, President of the ANSOC.
U.S.-Backed Deal Exposed
ISRAEL-PALESTINE CONFLICT
The U.S.-Backed Agreement (Scam) of the Century Exposed
U.S. President Donald Trump announced from the White House on January 28 his peace plan to “resolve” the historic conflict between Israel and Palestine, a scam that seeks to get the Palestinian people to accept an agreement that curtails their sovereignty
By Enrique Moreno Gimeranez | enrique@granma.cu
February 20, 2020
Translated and edited by Walter Lippmann for CubaNews.
It could definitely qualify as the Scam of the Century. U.S. President Donald Trump announced from the White House on January 28 his peace plan to “resolve” the historic conflict between Israel and Palestine, a document titled “Peace for Prosperity. A Vision for Improving the Lives of the Palestinian and Israeli Peoples,” internationally referred to as the Agreement of the Century.
“This vision of peace is fundamentally different from past proposals. In the past, even the best-intentioned plans were simple in their objectives and had complicated conceptual frameworks. In contrast, our plan is 80 pages long and is the most detailed proposal ever presented,” Trump presented his grand strategy.
But, in addition to the numerous international resolutions and historical keys that he threw away, in his proposal for an Agreement the magnate President overlooked an unavoidable detail: any project for peace and the solution of this conflict must necessarily involve two actors: Palestine and Israel. The Palestinian side was not included in the elaboration of the plan and only the Israeli premier, Benjamin Netanyahu, attended its presentation in Washington. Taking into account only this essential element, the pact was born by itself wounded to death.
“There were no brief or detailed talks with the US administration on the so-called Century Agreement. Palestine is opposed to everything related to the agreement,” Nabil Abu Rudeina, spokesman for the Arab nation’s presidency, had previously stated.
In the face of such actions by the United States, it is impossible not to recall the signing of the Treaty of Paris on December 10, 1898, between the governments of the United States and Spain. On that occasion, Washington and Madrid defined the situation of several territories, without the participation of representatives from Cuba, the Philippines, Guam or Puerto Rico. They avoided the sacrifice of the Cuban people during several years of wars of independence. Decades later, imperialism recycles a similar script and leaves the Palestinian people, the main victims of the conflict with Israel, out of the picture.
According to the BBC, the design of the plan took about three years and had among its “architects” Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner. The truth is that the moment of presentation of the controversial pact was very appropriate, both for Trump -wrapped in a scenario of impeachment and electoral campaign- and for Netanyahu -accused of corruption-. Perhaps, both dreamed of scoring points in foreign policy and at the national level, but the applause did not reach the expected dimensions.
Who wins and who loses with the American project?
If only Tel Aviv sat at the negotiating table, we can imagine the answer. The question becomes much more complex as we examine the different points of the agreement.
“Jerusalem must be recognized internationally as the capital of the State of Israel. Al Quds (or another name selected by the State of Palestine) must be internationally recognized as the capital of the State of Palestine,” the document states.
Accordingly, the U.S. embassy to the State of Israel will remain in Jerusalem and, following the signing of the Israeli-Palestinian Peace Agreement, the U.S. embassy to the State of Palestine will be in Al Quds (the Arabic name for Jerusalem), which would be located in the East Jerusalem section, territory that includes Abu Dis. In addition, other nations are encouraged to relocate their embassies to those locations.
“This is the most controversial and unavoidable point for the Palestinians (…). I will not engrave (my name) in my history and that of my country as the one who sold Jerusalem, because Jerusalem does not belong to me, but to everyone,” said the leader of the Palestinian National Authority (PA), Mahmoud Abbas, at an extraordinary session of the Arab League on February 1 to study the peace plan.
This contravenes international law and numerous UN resolutions on the subject, including UN Security Council Resolution 478 of 1980, which censured in the strongest terms and declared null and void the 1980 Jerusalem Law – by which Israel annexed Jerusalem as its ‘eternal and indivisible’ capital after the Six Day War – and urged UN Member States to move their embassies to Tel Aviv in protest.
However, it follows the maneuvers of Donald Trump who, since December 2017, had announced the controversial decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and to begin the process of transferring the U.S. embassy to that city.
So far, the governments of Guatemala and Honduras were the only Latin American countries that supported Washington’s decision and moved their embassies and trade offices to the Holy City, respectively.
Other controversial points of the Deal of the Century turn out to be that it allows Israel to annex part of the West Bank, while the Palestinians are promised several territories in the Negev desert. In addition, the Arab state will have access to the Israeli ports of Ashdod and Haifa.
The West Bank and Gaza would be linked by a tunnel through Israel. The existing Israeli settlements in the West Bank (considered illegal under international law) would be incorporated into the State of Israel. Israel would undertake not to build new settlements, expand existing ones or approve plans for construction in the areas that would become part of the Palestinian State. In exchange, two areas of comparable size to the Gaza Strip would be created south of this enclave: one would be an advanced industrial zone and the other an agricultural and residential area.
Palestine will have the opportunity to have an independent state within four years, provided that they disarm groups such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
“A realistic solution would give the Palestinians all the power to govern themselves, but not the powers to threaten Israel. This necessarily implies limitations on certain sovereign powers in Palestinian areas,” the plan outlines. Thus, Israel will control the airspace over the Arab state and the territorial waters of Palestine off the Gaza Strip. Two crossings on the border with Jordan, which will be included in the Palestinian road network, will also be under Israeli control, says RT.
The Cuban position
Cuba’s position on the Accord (Scam) of the Century was expressed on Twitter by our foreign minister Bruno Rodriguez: “A biased and misleading repudiation of the US peace plan that enshrines the Israeli occupation and violates the inalienable right of the Palestinians to have their own state on the pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital and the return of the refugees.
Cuba has also reaffirmed its unrestricted support for a comprehensive, just and lasting solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, based on the creation of two States. This would allow the Palestinian people to exercise their right to self-determination and to have an independent and sovereign State with the pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, and the right to the return of refugees.
The Greater Antilles has expressed in various international forums, to the Palestinian Government and people, its unwavering solidarity and support for Palestine’s accession to full membership in the United Nations.
Culture of Violence in the USA
Culture of Violence in the USA:
More Guns Than People
A shooting, which occurred on February 26th in the city of
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, has so far left seven dead
——————————————————————————————————————
Author: Raúl Antonio Capote | internacionales@granma.cu.February 28, 2020 01:02:35
@granma.cu.Translated and edited by Walter Lippmann for CubaNews.
Police cordoned off the area of the incident in Milwaukee, where a shooting left seven people dead.
Photo: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Once again, firearms are the protagonists of a painful act of blood, pain and death in the United States. A shooting, which took place on February 26 in the city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, has so far left seven people dead. According to local police, among the dead is the attacker, who was apparently a former employee of the Molson Coors brewery, where the incident occurred.
The city’s mayor, Tom Barret, called the incident a terrifying episode. Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers and Attorney General Josh Kaul also arrived at the scene.
“This is heartbreaking. My heart goes out to the Molson Coors employees, their families and the entire Milwaukee community. The Criminal Investigation Division of the Department of Justice is on the scene and will continue to assist local authorities with whatever they need,” tweeted Josh Kaul.
Police have cordoned off the area of the incident. Nearby businesses and enterprises in the area were closed as a result of the shooting, the fourth of the year in the United States, which has so far claimed 12 lives.
The last such event in Milwaukee was in August 2012, when a white supremacist terrorist killed six people.
Former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, a Democratic nominee for the U.S. presidency, recently devoted most of his speech at a Democratic gala in Las Vegas to harsh criticism of the National Rifle Association and gun manufacturers, promising to hold them accountable if elected President.
After lamenting the “carnage in the streets,” according to El Nuevo Día, and the anguish of families who lost loved ones to gun violence, Biden said he will not rest until they can sue gun manufacturers and ban assault weapons.
Joe Biden misquoted statistics on the number of Americans killed by gun violence since 2007. The mistake occurred while discussing gun control during the Democratic debate in Charleston, S.C., on Tuesday, Feb. 25, when he spoke of more than 150 million Americans killed by guns that year, according to Hispantv, a figure no doubt exaggerated in the midst of the debate for the Democratic nomination. But it reflects the plight of the American people in the hands of unscrupulous gunrunners and politicians who make a career out of suffering and death.
The Legacy of 2019
Official figures show that in 2019 there were 44 shootings that left 224 victims. However, a report by the Gun Violence Archive (GVA) handles much higher statistics that not only refer to deaths caused by single shooters, but to all deaths from firearms.GVA notes that at least 38,730 people were shot dead. Of these, 14,970 were victims of homicides, murders, intentional shootings or use defensive, a number very similar to that recorded in 2018, which was 14,789.
The nonprofit group, which documents firearms incidents across the country, counted 23,760 suicides involving some type of weapon.
The organization defines “mass shootings” as events in which at least four people are injured and “killings” as incidents in which at least four people are killed. It confirmed that in 2019 there were 409 mass shootings and 30 killings in that country.
He points out that there are also fatalities in family disputes, crimes of passion, gang fights, assaults and robberies, and from firearm accidents.
The areas where most of these incidents occur are Louisiana, Mississippi, North Florida, Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina, followed by North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, the District of Columbia, Pennsylvania, Delaware and New York, according to the gva report.
In the United States, there are approximately 200 million to 350 million firearms in the hands of citizens; however, these figures are highly inaccurate, due to the lack of a national census and federal documentation of control of such weapons.
The ease of acquiring almost any type of firearm and the state laws that allow its carrying and use, plus the culture of violence, rooted in the foundations of the nation, are the main causes of the high number of fatalities.
Source: Reuters, AP, EFE, Gun Violence Archive (GVA).
Cuban TV Apologizes for Gay Kiss Omission
Cuban Television Apologizes for the Omission
of the Gay Kiss in the Film “Love, Simon”
March 1, 2020
Translated and edited by Walter Lippmann for CubaNews.
The film will be broadcast entirely in the same space and we will announce it to the audiences in due course. Photo: Screenshot “Love Simon”
Cuban TV apologizes to the TV audience for the mutilation of the scene from the film “Love, Simon” in the space Thinking in 3D this Saturday, February 29, where the protagonists, two young homosexuals, were kissing.
In view of this error, we want to report that the corresponding analysis is being carried out, since the omission does not respond to homophobic positions of the ICRT and its directors of TVC, as some have referred to on social networks.
The film will be broadcast entirely in the same space and we will announce it to the audiences in due course.
The inclusive vision of Cuban society pushes daily against cultural stereotypes. It is the duty of all to walk on the side of the just and to advance as the country that constitutionally recognizes “the cult of Cubans to the full dignity of man.”
On video, “Love, Simon” trailer
This note widely reproduced in the Cuban media. Examples:
http://tvcubana.icrt.cu/seccion-informaciones/4730-informacion-de-la-tv-cubana
Televisión cubana ofrece disculpas por omisión de beso gay en filme “Love, Simon”
Ernesto Cardenal on Fidel
Ernesto Cardenal on Fidel:
He is Not a Simple Character
By Fernando Cardenal was a Nicaraguan poet and priest, one of the main exponents of Liberation Theology. Author of “Gethsemani Ky”, “Hora 0” and “Epigramas”.
August 13, 2009
Translated and edited by Walter Lippmann for CubaNews.
Taken from Juventud Rebelde
For those of us who have known Fidel Castro (and love and admire him) it is difficult to give a brief portrait of him. Because contrary to what those who only know him from the newspapers (often hostile to him) may think, he is not a simple character to define, but a highly complex one.
Above all, it must be said that he is a brilliant personality. But he is not only a genius, but many geniuses. He was first known as a guerrilla genius. Later he proved to be a genius as a statesman, too: one of the greatest statesmen of his time, standing out from them all for having ruled for so many years with great skill, or if you like with great success, facing the greatest power in the world under such unequal conditions.
We must also add that he is a great genius of oratory, I would say that he is not only one of the greatest orators of his time but of all history. It is amazing to see how he captivates the audience, in Cuba and in any other country, speaking for hours and hours, without having the speeches written as Demosthenes did, and sometimes without even having prepared them, completely improvised.
Unlike his rivals, the presidents of the United States, who, according to Gore Vidal, cannot write their own speeches if they do not have someone to write them for them, and sometimes they cannot even read them. He is also a genius with a great deal of knowledge. He is profound in agriculture, in medicine, in economics (perhaps the world’s greatest expert on foreign debt), in electronics, energy resources, and many other things.
Gabriel García Márquez told me about the success and depth with which he analyzed in the morning a novel of his that I had just read the night before. A few years ago he decided to study Liberation Theology, of which he knew nothing. Some theologians of this tendendy have told me how he had become an expert in it. I might also add that he is great in memory: I myself witnessed how an unfinished business he had discussed with me ten years ago was taken up again when he saw me again ten years later (there being so many people he sees). He is also famous for his ability to retain numbers and to do instant mathematical operations.
As someone who has treated him personally on occasion, I can attest that he is a fascinating personality: affectionate, very soft-spoken, polite, and even tender. He is familiar with anyone from the very first moment. He is witty, witty, and always makes you laugh… All this explains why he has been an indispensable character for the people of Cuba, why he has ruled for so long (not by force of arms, because he doesn’t rule by force of arms) and why he is so popular. And also that he has the enemies that he has.
Gallery: Fidel in the eyes of the artists
Selection of paintings made by great Cuban and international artists, dedicated to Fidel Castro. This exhibition is part of the collection of the National Museum of Fine Arts.
 Diálogo, Camelo González |
 Conjunto Escultórico Cinco Palmas, colective de autores, 2006 |
 El arca de la libertad, Colectivo de Autores, 2006 |
 La gran montaña, Dausell Valdez, 2008 Realizada con motivo del 82 cumpleanos del Comandante en Jefe |
 Birán, Ernesto Rancaño, 2008 Inspirada en el LIbro de Katiuska Blance “todo el Tiempo de los Cedros: |
 Colibri, Ernesto Rancaño, 2007. Inspirada en el Libro de Katiuska Blanco “todo el Tiempo de los Cedros” |
 Comandante, Ernesto Rancaño, 2007. Inspirada en el Libro de Katiuska Blanco “Todo el Tiempo de los Cedros” |
 Grados de Comandante, Ernesto Rancaño, 2007. Inspirada en el Libro de Katiuska Blanco “Todo el Tiempo de los Cedros” |
 Marti, Ernesto Rancaño, 2007. Inspirada en el Libro de Katiuska Blanco “Todo el Tiempo de los Cedros” |
 Miradas, Ernesto Rancaño, 2004 |
 Niño, Ernesto Rancaño, 2007. Inspirada en el Libro de Katiuska Blanco “todo el Tiempo de los Cedros: |
 Paqdres, Ernesto Rancaño, 2008. Inspirada en el Libro de Katiuska ZBlanco “todo el Tiempo de los Cedros” |
 Sierra, Ernesto Rancaño, 2007. Inspirada en el LIbro de Katiuska Blanco “todo el Tiempo de los Cedros” |
 Fidel, José Luis Farñas, 2006 |
 Marti, Eduardo Roca (Choco) |
 Fidel, Oscar Niemeyer, 1999 |
 Fidel, Oswaldo Guayasamin, 1995 |
 26, Raúl Martinez |
 Fidel, Servando Cabrera, 1980 |
Gallery: Fidel Castro, photos by Liborio Noval
Selection of photos of Fidel Castro taken by Liborio Noval, one of the most recognized professional photographers in Cuba. Liborio is a National Prize of Journalism and a collaborator of Cubadebate.
 Fidel Castro cose saco 6 millones August 1966 |
 Fidel Castro corta canna-12-19-3-65 |
 Fidel Castro con-mandela 26-7-91 |
 Fidel Castro with Lucius Walker New York 25-10-95 |
 Fidel Castro with guante-de boxeo 1995 |
 Fidel Castro combinado textil de Santa Clara-4-4-79 |
 Fidel Castro ciclon pinar-del rio oct 1964 |
 Fidel Castro boda colectiva el paraiso 19-3-91 |
 Fidel Castro asamblea nacional 28-12-90 |
 Fidel Castro Serie Pelota 19-12-65 |
 Fidel Castro Ricardo Alarcon universidad popular 9-4-61 |
 Fidel Castro recorrido-por oriente 1-2-70 |
 Fidel Castro leyendo-Granma 20-5-81 |
 Fidel Castro juega-pelota inst cuqui-bosh Santiago de Cuba-27-7-64 |
 Fidel Castro interview at CBS New York 23-10-95 |
 Fidel Castro en su-despacho 23-9-90 |
 Fidel Castro en Caujeri 1-7-77 |
 Fidel Castro v Serie-de pelota Eddy Martin and Francisco Quicutis 18-12-66 |
 Fidel Castro viaje a laurss 02-24-1-64 |
 Fidel Castro viaje a la-URSS -01-24-1-64 |
 Fidel Castro 40 aniversario dia-miliciano 12-y-23-16-abril-2001 |
 Fidel Castro 5to aniversario triundo revolucion 2 enero 1964 |
 Fidel Castro biran liborio 2003 |
 Fidel Castro Ciclon Flora October1963 |
 Fidel Castro-conferencia prensainra 15 febrero 1965 |
 Fidel Castro cortando-cana 5 marzo 1961 |
 Fidel Castro firmando poster documental kordavision 12-octubre-2000 |
 Fidel Castro gigante 16-abril-2001 |
 Fidel Castro-graduacion trabajadores sociales 15-febrero-2001 |
 Fidel Castro instituto-cuqui bosh Santiago-Cuba-24-julio-1964 |
 Fidel Castro Instituto-Cuqui Bosh Santiago-de Cuba picher-24-julio-64 |
 Fidel Castro Manos con bate 24-julio-1964 |
 Fidel Castro portada libro-caujeri-guantanamo 1-julio-1977 |
 Fidel Castro Raul-Castro asamblea-nacional poder popular 29-diciembre-2001 |
 Fidel Castro Raul Ramon 24-abril-1996 |
 Fidel Castro recibe-papa Juan Plablo-21-enero-1998 |
 Fidel Castro recorrido-oriente 1 febrero-1970 |
 Fidel Castro universidad habana 27-noviembre-1960-discurso |
 Fidel Castro universidad habana 27-noviembre-1960 |
Nicaraguan Poet Ernesto Cardenal Dies
Nicaraguan Poet Ernesto Cardenal Dies
March 1, 2020
Translated and edited by Walter Lippmann for CubaNews.
The poet Ernesto Cardenal. Photo: Confidential.
The poet Ernesto Cardenal died this Sunday afternoon in Managua at the age of 95. The priest was suffering from heart and kidney problems and had been hospitalized for a few days.
Nicaragua and Latin America are losing their greatest literary reference after Ruben Dario.
“I am a poet, a priest and a revolutionary”, was what defined the man who, in 2012, was admonished by Pope John Paul II for making a revolution together with the Sandinista Front for National Liberation (FSLN).
Cardinal, born in the colonial city of Granada in January 1925, was a poet, priest, theologian, writer, translator, sculptor and politician. His poetic work won him several international awards. In 2012 he received the Queen Sofia Award for Ibero-American Poetry. He was one of the most outstanding defenders of liberation theology in Latin America.
On February 4, 1984 -in the framework of the Cold War- Pope John Paul II imposed the suspension ad divinis (prohibition to administer the sacraments) to the priests Ernesto Cardenal, Fernando Cardenal (the poet’s brother), Miguel D’Escoto and Edgard Parrales due to their attachment to liberation theology. Thirty years later, on August 4, 2014, Pope Francis ordered that D’Escoto’s punishment be lifted, and Cardinal on February 17, 2019.
He poured his essence into his verses: the desire of women in his Epigrams, the concern about God, his revolutionary spirit in his poems against the Somoza dictatorship, his psalms, the conviction of social justice, and the famous Prayer for Marilyn Monroe.
On Monday, a mass will be held in Managua’s cathedral and the funerals will take place in Solentiname, an island in Nicaragua’s Great Lake where the writer, theologian and sculptor founded a community of peasants, painters and poets in the 1970s in support of the Sandinista Front.
(With information from La Pagina)
==================
Ernesto Cardenal: on Fidel: He is Not a Simple Character
For those of us who have known Fidel Castro (and love and admire him) it is difficult to give a brief portrait of him. Because contrary to what those who only know him from the newspapers (often hostile to him) may think, he is not a simple character to define, but a highly complex one.
FULL: https://walterlippmann.com/ernesto-cardenal-on-fidel/
Jeanine Áñez’s Campaign Stained
Drug Narcojet Arrested in Mexico Stains Jeanine Áñez’s Campaign
February 25, 2020
Translated and edited by Walter Lippmann for CubaNews.
Jeanine Áñez presides over a de facto government in Bolivia, following the coup d’état against Evo Morales last November. Photo: Rebelión.
On Tuesday, it was revealed that the aircraft arrested in Mexico last January, coming from Guayaramerín, Bolivia, belonged to the Jalisco cartel and was supposed to finance the campaign of the de facto president of that South American country, Jeanine Añez.
As soon as the complaint about the arrest of the “Narcojet” on January 28 was made public, government minister Arturo Murillo was quick to say that “the drugs were loaded in the Chapare”. Days later, in the face of the rain of evidence, he had no choice but to admit that the cocaine came from Guayaramerín, a province bordering the lands of the de facto president’s family.
“The drug was on the plane without any method of concealment. It is clear that in the place where the cocaine was taken on board, there was no control whatsoever,” a judicial source commented to the Argentine newspaper La Nación. This means that the Bolivian arm of the Jalisco cartel had the protection of the police and the army. The accumulation of evidence complicating the de facto government led former presidential minister Jerjes Justiniano to ask for the resignation of government minister Arturo Murillo.
According to the newspaper La Nación, the aircraft that took off from Guayaramerín had a U.S. license plate (registration N18ZL GLF3).
A witness revealed that the drug belonged to the Jalisco cartel and that it was supposed to finance Jeanine’s campaign. In addition, a confidential informant testified that the profits from the transaction of 1,000 kilos of cocaine destined for the United States were to cover the costs of the campaign of Jeanine Añez Chávez, a senator and current self-proclaimed president of Bolivia.
The media, whose task has been reduced to shielding (protecting) the image of the self-proclaimed, swept under the rug Jeanine Añez’s family links to drug trafficking. The self-proclaimed woman is married to Héctor Hincapié, a well-known Colombian politician who is under investigation for his ties to the Cali cartel, and is the aunt of Carlos Andrés Añez Dorado, who was arrested in Brazil with half a ton of cocaine.
(With information from Primera Línea)
Canadian First Nations on Health Coop with Cuba
Canadian First Nations on Health Cooperation with Cuba
By Lisandra Romeo Matos and Lisandra Fariñas Acosta
Cubadebate journalist. Degree in Journalism (2011), Universidad de Oriente. Worked at the Cuban News Agency (2011-2018).
February 28, 2020
Translated and edited by Walter Lippmann for CubaNews.
Jerry Daniels, the great chief of southern Manitoba and the Southern Chiefs Organization (centre), with chief Dave Ledoux of the Gambler Pueblo (left) and chief Nelson Genaille of the Sapotewayak Cree nation in northern Manitoba (right). Photo: Cubadebate.
First Nations leaders and health technicians from Manitoba and Alberta in Canada expressed their communities’ interest in establishing cooperation links with Cuba in the field of health.
After a week in Havana, where they toured several institutions in the sector and held meetings with authorities in the field, including the head of the country, Dr. José Ángel Portal Miranda, they announced this Friday at a press conference their growing desire that the Island be able to provide them with professionals trained in basic health services, who can attend to the needs of these for decades marginalized communities.
Jerry Daniels, the great chief of the southern region of Manitoba, and of the Organization of the Chiefs of the South, which represents 34 of the more than 600 native nations of Canada, said at Hotel Nacional de Cuba that these peoples “have been limited in their access to health care provided by the government,” and that is why they demand health care providers and various services in these communities.
He said that these communities “are in the midst of a process of transformation of care services, aimed particularly at creating and facilitating access, not only in infrastructure, but also in decision-making and training of professionals.
What we all agree on is that we need many more providers and access to health care, quality services, and professionals to assist these communities, especially in the most remote ones,” he remarked.
According to Daniels, Cuba has a structure in place and is recognized for using it, in addition to having cooperation programs consisting of sending health professionals to various nations, where they do their work with quality and contribute to saving lives even in the most difficult to reach regions.
He added that the Cuban government “can help in two fundamental aspects: sending doctors and other professionals to work in our communities to provide health services, and training specialists at the Latin American School of Medicine to return and cover existing health needs.
We are pleased to imagine that hundreds of health professionals will come to our communities and heal women, children, the elderly and other vulnerable populations. It would be a truly promising future, the native leader argued.
According to Daniel, another impact would be that by improving access to health care in these communities, in a more just and professional way, the migration of these populations to the cities in search of these services would be reduced.
“We want our communities to have health posts, hospitals and other assistance centers, and I urge the other chiefs of the first nations to open up to this possibility of collaboration with Cuba, which we need so much,” he said.
He called for accelerating the process of finding solutions to reverse existing health problems in these locations, such as diabetes, cancer, among other factors. “That is why we are here and we call on all world leaders to help us find solutions to provide better, quality health systems,” he summarized.
First Nations leaders and health technicians from Manitoba and Alberta in Canada. Photo: Cubadebate.
For Chief Dave Ledoux of the Gambler Pueblo, the offer from Cuba to the native peoples in Canada corresponds to the Cuban health mission around the world since 1959.
The leader highlighted the recognition of the Island’s health system by the WHO, as well as the quality and its preventive and holistic model, which has allowed to achieve minimal infant mortality rates, and to increase the life expectancy of its population.
“Thousands of students from all over the world have come to Cuba to study the different medical specialties in the last 60 years,” he pondered, and emphasized that it would be an opportune moment for this offer of help, “since we are currently rebuilding our communities to get out of decades of systemic institutional oppression.
The health philosophy of this country and its values are very similar to the traditional medicine model of our peoples, said Deloux.
The more than 600 first nations in Canada include more than one million people who would benefit from these services, he said. He added that from these initial meetings in Havana they are optimistic and hope to apply the ideas, designs and organizational strategies observed in the Cuban health system.
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