Translations 688

Translations, mostly from Spanish to English. Mostly edited and posted to the Web by Walter Lippmann. Translations prior to August 2015 can be found here.

Without masks… and with neocolonial garnish

1 year ago Granma, Translations, ,

 

Without masks… and with neocolonial garnish

The U.S. Government, which claims to be a Democrat, is disrespected when three senators from President Joe Biden’s own party set up a virtual conference with an interlocutor lacking in merit and authority, such as the Venezuelan Juan Guaidó.

Author: Elson Concepción Pérez | internet@granma.cu
October 31, 2021 22:10:25 PM

Translated and edited by Walter Lippmann for CubaNews.

The Government of the United States, which claims to be  democratc, is disrespected when three senators of President Joe Biden’s own party set up a virtual conference with an interlocutor lacking in merit and authority, such as the Venezuelan Juan Guaidó. There, in addition to giving him guidance on the peace process and the upcoming elections, they put the neocolonial garnish of insults against the Government and the democratically-elected president, Nicolás Maduro Moros. Do they really believe they have the right to such action?

That such slips occurred in the Republican government of Donald Trump, although immoral, was contemplated as one more of those actions displayed by the president, where irrationality and fundamentalism were determinant.

It is incredible that, at this point in time, a Democratic administration in a country where law and order supposedly prevails, three members of Congress ignore everything and attack Venezuelan legislation and authorities and dare to establish a dialogue with a nobody like Guaidó.

The Yankees who protect him know very well that this gentleman has no capacity or morals whatsoever to speak and act on behalf of a country and a people against whom he has even asked for foreign military intervention since he has never been elected by Venezuelans to be their president.

Everything he does is illegal and illegitimate -including the money he takes or is allowed to take, in foreign banks where it remains as patrimony of the Bolivarian nation-.

Now it turns out that three legislators of the U.S. Congress, the number two of the Democratic majority in the Senate, Dick Durbin; the chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Bob Menendez, and the head of the subcommittee for Latin America, Tim Kaine, met virtually with Guaidó, under the suthat they were providing guidance and listening to views of the “interim president” of Venezuela.

This was an interventionist action far from the system of international relations, of respect for the laws and in defiance of the vast majority of the Venezuelan people. They democratically elected Maduro as President and together with him participate in the construction of a more just and equitable society, where solidarity and love predominate. This is quite the opposite of  the hatred and confrontation used as a banner by the U.S. administrations and their internal lackeys.

According to EFE news agency, the U.S. senators and Juan Guaidó spoke about the “political impasse” facing Venezuela.

And that statement of “dead-end” could say it all, since both those in Washington who fabricated an “interim president”, as well as the character selected to carry that label, could be feeding ideas from the years of Donald Trump -and still present today-, of seeking a “solution” to unblock the dead-end with armed intervention, through the volatile border with Colombia. Interference is done “with a mask off” and with neo-colonial dressing, even though we are in the 21st century.

No originality in the script

1 year ago Granma, ,

No originality in the script

The purpose remains the same: to employ asphyxiating maneuvers until the prey loses all possibility of survival. The 243 measures of the U.S. administration to cut off the slightest maneuver of the Cuban government in the midst of the effects of the pandemic, bet on bringing the end of the pandemic closer.

Author: Daily Pérez Guillén | internet@granma.cu
October 28, 2021 01:10:32 am

Translated and edited by Walter Lippmann for CubaNews.

Photo: Illustration taken from Cubaenresumen

After six decades, the cast changes and the script remains the same. Such a long-standing political strategy requires operatives to renew the tactics in the field. The purpose remains the same: to employ asphyxiating maneuvers until the prey loses all possibility of survival. The 243 measures taken by the U.S. administration to cut off the slightest maneuver of the Cuban government in the midst of the effects of the pandemic, bet on bringing the end closer.

Faced with this scenario, Biden continued in the footsteps of his predecessors. Now, in a context that has even motivated the Pope’s reflections and rejection, the President must find pretexts to justify his policy towards the archipelago. Hence, the most active official of his government on the Cuba issue threatened the independent and sovereign nation of the Caribbean. To an international media, the principal director of National Security for the Western Hemisphere, Juan Gonzalez, declared that Washington will respond with sanctions if the promoters of the provocative march announced for November 15 in several cities of the country are prosecuted.

In recent months, through social networks, platforms through which the U.S. Government intends to build a parallel reality for Cuba and manage its interventionist strategy, the federal employee even exchanged with Cuban influencers to expose the vision of his administration towards the Island.

Promoting the “free flow of information”, supporting political operators associated with culture and “independent” journalism, as well as erasing the legitimacy of the Cuban Revolution in the international scenario, have been the matrices presented to the public opinion by the also advisor to President Biden. But these ideas need their correlate in practice in order to achieve their objective.

Weeks ago, in the midst of the VI Celac Summit, while several leaders were betting on cooperation to face the current scenario, a president chose “complacency” with Washington’s dictate towards Cuba, and was out of tune with a sepia speech on democracy and human rights.

To support these arguments in the international arena, the White House supports operators in Cuban territory. And now, once again, behind the “peaceful” discourse, the intention is to stage an event that articulates and advances the U.S. agenda and, furthermore, justifies it before public opinion. Whether or not the purpose has been achieved, the strategists have already ensured the counter-response: a justification to sustain the blockade and to point the finger once again at the Government of the Island for declaring such a “civic” expression unconstitutional.

The main promoter of the “peaceful march” has denied any link with organizations that respond to the US government; however, he himself revealed that the demonstration would be led by several citizens and civil society groups of which there is evidence of their financial and operational dependence on Washington. Among them, members of the self-styled 27N Movement and the Council for Democratic Transition. At the same time, all the press financed through projects of the NED, USAID and other organizations with similar purposes, maintains in its headlines any content related to the march or its organizers.

The date chosen for the performance could not be otherwise. They take advantage of the month and the day of the opening to international tourism, of the return to schools, of the restart of cultural life. Right now it is the information that the algorithms in the large servers of the social networks, all managed by U.S. corporations, rank in relation to Cuba.

Shortly before the mid-term elections that will renew Congress and one-third of the U.S. Senate, the Democratic Party runs the risk of losing control of Congress. The Republicans would only need five more seats in the House of Representatives and one in the Senate to regain the majority. In this dispute, despite not fulfilling his campaign promises, Biden reaffirms his votes with the most recalcitrant and powerful representatives of the Cuban community in the North American country.

A march or any other representation, in tune with the counterrevolution industry, will continue to be postable content in the profiles of U.S. government officials and agencies. Meanwhile, Cuba follows its own agenda. More than 7,000,000 people have received the complete COVID-19 vaccination schedule. Florida and Washington know it.

German experts on Cuban vaccines

1 year ago Granma, Translations,

German experts confirm that Cuban COVID-19 vaccines could be part of the continent’s immunogen portfolio

Cuban-made vaccines could form a vital part of the immunogen portfolio that the continent will need for many years to come, say eminent German professors Bert Hoffmann and Jan Felix Drexler, in the article “COVID-19 in Latin America: where we are and what is to come”

Author: Granma | internet@granma.cu
October 29, 2021 14:10:48 PM

Translated and edited by Walter Lippmann for CubaNews.

Photo: Ricardo López Hevia

Cuban-made vaccines can form a vital part of the immunogen portfolio that the continent will need for many years to come, say eminent German professors Bert Hoffmann and Jan Felix Drexler, in the article “COVID-19 in Latin America: where we are and what is to come”.

In the text published in the giga magazine of the German Institute for Global and Area Studies, both specialists agree that “given that vaccines are being produced in the region, their trade should be facilitated.

They also reflect on the vaccines that have been inoculated in the Latin American region. These include vectored vaccines such as those of AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson or Russia’s Sputnik-V; mRNA vaccines such as those of Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna (a modified messenger RNA encoding the spike protein); inactivated vaccines such as SinoVac and Sinopharm (which rely on cultured SARS-COV-2 that is chemically inactivated, for example, with formaldehyde); and protein subunit-based vaccines such as Cuba, Abdala and Soberana (which rely on the spike protein receptor-binding domain, in the case of Soberana, coupled to tetanus toxoid to enhance immunogenicity).

“Moreover, Cuba’s vaccines are a different case, as they are not produced under license from international companies, but are original developments of the Island’s biotechnology sector, a remarkable achievement given the country’s economic limitations and the fact that much richer states and pharmaceutical companies did not achieve this,” they point out, elsewhere in the text.

“Cuba also became the first country in the world to vaccinate children over the age of two. By the end of 2021, it is likely that the island will have fully vaccinated 90% of its population,” they point out.

 

CUBA INTENSIFIES VACCINE PRODUCTION

Cuba reached 40 million doses of the anti-COVID-19 Abdala vaccine, an achievement reached by the shared effort and work of the Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB) and the AICA pharmaceutical laboratories, institutions that give prestige to Cuban science.

According to the Twitter account of AICA Laboratories, this result is the result of a common vision, and highlights the importance of teamwork between two entities of the business group of the Biotechnological and Pharmaceutical Industries of Cuba (BioCubaFarma).

US Govt November provocation

1 year ago CubaDebate, Translations, , ,

cuba-debate

The United States government is the true organizer and promoter of the provocation mounted for November (+ Video)

 | 24 | 
Translated and edited by Walter Lippmann for CubaNews.

The Round Table transmitted a special presentation by compañero Rogelio Polanco Fuentes, a member of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba, as part of the public complaint made by the First Secretary of the Party at the closing of the Second Plenary Session of the Central Committee on the plans of the US government and its political operators in Cuba to try to overthrow the Revolution.

At the beginning of his statement, he recalled the words of the First Secretary of the Party in the conclusions of the II Plenary of the PCC:

“Now they appear with a supposed peaceful march. It is nothing more than an escalation in the way of acting against the Revolution and a challenge to the authorities and to the socialist rule of law endorsed in our Constitution; (…) It is a provocation as part of a “soft blow” strategy. Its purposes coincide with the main lines of attack, slander, lies and threats used by those financed by the United States Government who oppose the Cuban political system and try to destabilize it and restore capitalism.

“We are not going to legitimize the imperialist actions in internal politics or give way to the desire for neocolonial restoration that some have accumulated and that are reinforced in crisis situations. It is not an act of civility, it is an act of subordination to the Yankee hegemony ”.

Special remarks by Rogelio Polanco Fuentes, Member of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the Party. Photo: Abel Padrón Padilla / Cubadebate.

The Head of the Ideological Department of the Central Committee recalled that between September 20 and 27, a small group of citizens delivered similar texts to the headquarters of the municipal or provincial governments of eight provinces of the country announcing the decision to hold a supposedly peaceful march. .

“He underlined ‘the decision to hold a march’ because it was not a request: the holding of this march was being taken for granted. The action was conceived with a national scope in evident coordination by its promoters ”, he emphasized.

Later it was referred to as on October 12, the authorities of the municipalities where the aforementioned documents were delivered , gave a personal response to the senders. “On that occasion, the precise arguments were offered on the illegal nature of the march according to articles 56, 45 and 4 of the Constitution.”

“Among the reasons expressed, it was clearly established that the public projections of the promoters and their links with subversive organizations or agencies financed by the United States government have the manifest intention of promoting a change in the political system in Cuba, so that the the announced march constitutes a provocation as part of the regime change strategy tested by the United States in other countries,” he said.

Polanco Fuentes drew attention to how as soon as the march was announced, it received public support from US legislators, political operators and the media that encourage actions against the Cuban people, try to destabilize the country and urge military intervention. “It is something recurrent and permanent as these media and political operators from the United States urge military intervention in our country,” he said.

The Member of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba said that from the beginning it was evident that it was a destabilizing plan orchestrated from abroad through internal political operators with violent intentions.

“Faced with the challenge of the promoters of the provocation in their attempt to ignore the refusal of the authorities, on October 21 the Office of the Attorney General of the Republic at its headquarters in several provinces began a process of warning these citizens; stating that if they did not comply with the authorities’ decision, they would incur the crimes of disobedience, illegal demonstrations, instigation to commit a crime, and others provided for and sanctioned in current criminal legislation ”.

In this sense, he explained that the action of the Prosecutor’s Office was based on article 156 of the Magna Carta, which establishes that “it is the State organ whose fundamental mission is to exercise control of the criminal investigation and the exercise of criminal action. on behalf of the State, as well as ensuring strict compliance with the Constitution, laws and other legal provisions by State bodies, entities and citizens ”; as well as Law 83 of 1997 “Law of the Attorney General of the Republic” in its article 7.

A new chapter in the Unconventional War against Cuba

It is evident that we are facing a new chapter of the unconventional war, the soft coup or the manual of non-violent struggle that the United States has carried out during contemporary times in several countries, Polanco Fuentes pointed out.

“Yugoslavia, Libya, Syria, Ukraine, Nicaragua, Venezuela are some of the examples where these unconventional war actions have been carried out. There is sufficient doctrinal information on how the United States has carried out these actions “

As explained, circular TC-1801, one of the main documents of the United States Special Forces, urges taking advantage of the possible vulnerability of the government to overthrow, distance itself from the population, displace the portion of the citizenry that acts in a neutral manner to positions against them, to exploit these elements through subversion and when this does not lead to the desired strategic results, resort to armed conflict, through the promotion of the insurgency.

“For that they use all the elements of the model, the economic and psychological point of view, actions of subversion, as well as the massive use of information and communication technologies with the aim of overthrowing those governments with a lower economic cost, political and military ”.

In his speech he referred to his personal experience in Venezuela, a country where he served as a diplomatic official. In this sense, he recalled that in 2013, 2014 and 2017 the so-called guarimbas were developed. These were violent actions by representatives of opposition sectors in Venezuela to overthrow the Bolivarian government that caused innumerable economic and human damage to society.

“There is a report from the Venezuelan state ‘The truth of Venezuela against infamy: data and testimonies of a country under siege’ published in September 2020 that has elements that are related to the actions that are intended to be carried out in our country. This report states that the total number of deaths during the violent protests in February 2014 was 43 people, while in the protests from April to July 20174 the Public Ministry registered 121 deaths and 1958 injured, however, in relation to the protests of 2014 the then secretary of states of the United States John Kerry issued a statement in which he affirmed that “the demonstrations were peaceful and accused the Venezuelan government of confronting peaceful protesters by force,” he said.

“A detailed examination, says the report, of the events that occurred reveals that most of the demonstrations provoked and promoted by opposition leaders between April and July 2017 were carried out in violation of current national and international legislation. These demonstrations led to actions of extreme violence characterized by the use of firearms, Molotov cocktails, mortars and homemade weapons, the placement of barricades, death traps on public roads, damage to institutions, schools, health centers, and siege against military and police facilities. There were three unprecedented practices in the recent history of the country: setting fire to people designated as supporters of the government, using children and adolescents to prepare firebombs,guarding barricades and attacking the security forces, as well as the combination of high levels of violence with religious and patriotic symbols ”.

The official also highlighted how the report itself acknowledged with concern the fact that the media intended to present these events as peaceful demonstrations. “Some here are beginning to look for so-called non-violent methods of struggle to obtain advice and carry out some of these actions in Cuba.”

Special remarks by Rogelio Polanco Fuentes, Member of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the Party. Photo: Abel Padrón Padilla / Cubadebate.

Abundant funding for subversion

Regarding financing for subversive actions in other countries, he warned that it has been a systematic practice of the governments of the United States, which is why a network of institutions with multimillion-dollar funds has been created.

He emphasized that among the emblematic institutions are the NED and USAID. Polanco recalled that the first was born in 1983 within the so-called Democracy Project to openly do what the CIA had been developing for decades in a covert manner. “The objectives of the NED have always been political subversion and the so-called regime change from a network of organizations that promote courses, events, awards, scholarships, the foundation of NGOs, think tanks, foundations and university centers.”

In his presentation, he explained that among those organizations born in Latin America is CADAL (Center for Democratic Aperture in Latin America) , which is part of a wide network of non-governmental organizations that the United States uses to finance and channel financing. for its political operators through the NED and USAID.

“There are many public references to the financing of the NED to CADAL as part of the tentacles for the framework against progressive processes in Latin America and other parts of the world. The NED awarded CADAL $ 107,000 in 2017 and $ 100,000 in 2021 for the project called “A regional approach to promote democratic values ​​in Cuba.”

The links between the United States and its political operators in Cuba

He revealed that two Cuban citizens are part of the generous beneficiaries of the funds of these US organizations: Manuel Cuesta Morúa and Yunior García Aguilera, signatories of the documents delivered to the Cuban authorities regarding the intention to carry out marches in various cities of the country.

Both, he explained, traveled to Argentina in 2018 to participate in an event of this CADAL organization coordinated by the project “Times of change and the new role of the Armed Forces in Cuba.”

Among the objectives of this course, Polanco pointed out, were to give continuity to the FAR stadium to transmit possible scenarios and supposed future allies to activists, cooperate with Cuban actors in order to link with members and former members of the FAR open to change processes. “The subversive, conspiratorial and coup intentions of these projects are clear. You have to be delusional to make a dent in the dignity of our undefeated Revolutionary Armed Forces ”, he prevailed.

The Cuban politician denounced that both CADAL and its director Gabriel Salvia have been very active in supporting the provocations for next month in Cuba.

“In 2019 Cuesta Morúa and García Aguilera continued their preparation in a workshop sponsored by the Universidad San Luis Campus Madrid. There they received lessons from Richard Youngs, an expert on public protests as a method of political change ”.

As Richard Youngs points out, riots are increasingly a major route through which ordinary people seek to achieve social, political and economic transformation. “Protesters must make tough decisions, do they just disengage from politics or build new kinds of civic campaigns? Do they join existing political parties or do they move away from mainstream politics altogether?

The Member of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba listed that among the new types of civic campaign are the so-called political prisoners, violence, the formation of organizations, as well as the creation of conditions to carry out new demonstrations and the proclamation of new dates for these mobilizations. Actions are also promoted to evade police control and prevent police forces from preserving peace in the country.

He added that the Cuba Money Project website revealed that the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) awarded at the end of September about $6,669,000 dollars for subversive projects in Cuba, out of a total of $18,000,000 that it can allocate until 2023. for these purposes.

“Among the main beneficiaries are the Cuban Democratic Directorate, led by Orlando Gutiérrez Boronat, which has received $617,500, as well as the media created for the media campaign against Cuba, including ADN Digital with $2,031,260 and Cubanet $783,000. There are more than 70 million dollars that were dedicated during the Trump administration for subversion, to which should be added the more than 100 million the broadcasting office for Cuba of the misnamed Radio and Television Marti ”.

These organizations, he said, have served as financing for politicians and mercenaries living under the generous spill in Washington. He also recalled that these organizations continue to receive support and funding from the United States authorities, the State Department, the National Security Council and the Embassy in Havana, as denounced by the first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party. of Cuba in the recent plenary session of the party organization.

The United States is the organizer of the provocation

“The United States government is the true organizer and promoter of the provocation mounted for November, the facts and statements prove it. They have not taken care to hide it. Senior government officials participate directly in its conduct ”, he stated.

Special remarks by Rogelio Polanco Fuentes, Member of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the Party. Photo: Abel Padrón Padilla / Cubadebate.

Similarly, he added that recently the US government threatened new measures against Cuba, if the local operators of its anti-Cuban strategy are not allowed to act with impunity in the country, as stated in an interview by Juan González, director for Western Hemisphere affairs of the National Security Council. He pointed out that his administration will act if Cuba processes the organizers of the march “Cuba does not accept threats, nor is it intimidated. Our history of resistance and dignity confirm this ”.

“Save your threats as our people say. Nor are we surprised by the support for this alleged march by violent organizations and notorious terrorists of the anti-Cuban mafia and the hate-generating media center in Miami. We have all witnessed that since it was announced by its organizers, the march received the public and notorious support of US legislators, political operators and the media that encourage actions against the Revolution, ”he highlighted.

The enthusiastic support of Miami’s anti-Cuban mafia

Polanco stated that tweets, statements, resistance assemblies and other frenzied actions that have occurred these days in Miami, as if the actions were to take place in that city. “Regime change, government overthrow and military intervention” are once again the prevailing narrative in South Florida. Among the most fervent have been some of the congressmen, already known, as active promoters of the blockade and its subversion against Cuba and defenders of the violent riots of July 11.

Among the first to speak is the reconverted terrorist Orlando Gutiérrez Boronat, who has declared that this action will serve to overthrow the regime. This is the head of the so-called Cuban Democratic Directorate, leader of the self-styled Assembly of the Resistance. On December 4, 2020, after the events of November 27, he advocated an armed intervention in Cuba to overthrow the government. After July 11, he has repeatedly called for military intervention in the country.

The USAID and the State Department have awarded the organization at least $6,970,979 from 2006 to 2019, public records show. This character coincides in some platforms for the capitalist restoration in Cuba that have a certain academic profile with one of the promoters of the supposedly peaceful march

Another of the march’s enthusiasts is the Cuban-American National Foundation, the spearhead of anti-Cuban policies since the 1980s. Besides being the organizer of numerous terrorist acts against Cuba and several attempted attacks against Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro Ruz. In 2019, this foundation received $1,385,637 dollars of US taxpayer money to “empower Cuban civil society to build a lasting democracy in Cuba that is free from human rights violations, by improving awareness, the effectiveness of civil society on the island, in non-violent activism and facilitating training materials, communication equipment and technical knowledge ”. These days on its Facebook page, the foundation is giving guidance – he pointed out – on how to go and what to do in the supposedly peaceful and independent march.

One of the promoters of the violent provocation, Polanco indicated, is the Cuban citizen Saily González Velázquez who recently recognized the support of the Cuban-American National Foundation through its human rights director, Omar López Montenegro.

The alleged marchers also have the encouragement of the mercenary network of Brigade 2506, whose president on duty declared in Miami that “with these steps, an explosion will be promoted within Cuba, so that new us brothers take to the streets and this lead us to the collapse of the regime ”. These are the external political operators who call for overthrowing the Revolution, violence and chaos.

Special remarks by Rogelio Polanco Fuentes, Member of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the Party. Photo: Abel Padrón Padilla / Cubadebate.

The head of the Ideological department in the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba warned that another of those who is applied among the promoters of the provocation is the terrorist Ramón Saúl Sánchez, whose violent record is such that he has not even been able to receive official asylum in the States United, although he has never stopped having the protection of its authorities.

“He has been linked to a dozen terrorist organizations since he was 16 years old, including the Organization for the Liberation of Cuba, Omega 7, Coordination of United Revolutionary Organizations (CORU), Alpha 66, National Front for the Liberation of Cuba, Youth of the Star and the Democracy Movement. With Alpha 66 he participated in more than 20 terrorist acts, mainly against ships and diplomatic missions ”, denounced Polanco Fuentes.

It also indicated that Ramón Saúl Sánchez was the second head of CORU, an organization that carried out more than 90 terrorist attacks against Cuban facilities in various countries, including within the United States. The most notorious was the bombing of the Cubana de Aviación plane over Barbados, where 73 people died.

Documents dated between 1979 -1982 link this terrorist to the attack on the Cuban Interests Section in Washington and the repeated assassination attempts on the then Cuban ambassador. “The so-called Democracy Movement has been a promoter of flotillas that have violated Cuban territorial waters on several occasions,” Rogelio Polanco revealed.

Provocation is doomed to fail

“The provocation of November 15 is doomed to failure, it was never authentic. Its attempt to cover itself with some legality is a perverse manipulation. The Constitution of the Republic is a genuine creation of the people, there is no plot that it can hide. The promoters of the alleged march follow the Yankee script, carry out their orders, surround themselves with violent men and terrorists and dream of carrying out their destabilizing actions with impunity,” he said.

With our first party secretary and president of the Republic of Cuba we proclaim that “there are enough revolutionaries here to confront with intelligence, with respect and in defense of our constitution; but also with energy and courage any manifestation that tries to destroy the Revolution ”.

On November 15, he said, Cuba will open its doors to the world and will also open schools to children, that explosion of joy, happiness and hugs so far contained by the hard months of the pandemic. That is the joy that the promoters of hatred intend to frustrate, “but they will not be able to prevent Cuban mothers from enjoying that sublime moment of accompanying their children to the classrooms, nor the tender smiles of the teachers with the return of their longed-for students. They will not be able to prevent Cuba’s triumph in the face of the pandemic thanks to their own vaccines created with the ingenuity of scientists trained in Revolution. Vaccines made possible by the visionary thought and action of Fidel, founder of a genuinely Cuban biopharmaceutical industry ”.

“They will not be able to prevent the transition towards a new normality, a responsible normality that will allow us to gradually open up our economic and social life in the coming weeks. They will not be able to prevent the feat of Cuba, of its health professionals, of its workers, of its youth, of an entire people that in creative resistance advances optimistically over colossal adversities. They will not be able to prevent Cuba’s victory in the face of subversion and the criminal blockade of the United States, intensified in the midst of the pandemic, which magnifies our glorious epic ”, he pointed out.

Like our National Hero José Martí, whom some seek to outrage with their neo-annexationist pretensions, we proclaim “… What should true lovers of the country do…? We are here to prevent the enemy from cornering the standard-bearer, or the flag falling into the wrong hands:… Here we are vigilance and love, cordiality and sentinel, passion, reasoned by judgment, of everything that bears the name of decorum. Cuban”.

These are our reasons, the reasons of Cuba!

[No English subtitles in this 45 minute video.]

Revolution’s strength is in the neighborhoods

1 year ago Granma, Translations

The Revolution’s strength is in the neighborhoods (+ Video)

The President of the Republic arrived this Friday to La Timba to appreciate the resuscitation actions that have been carried out there for a few months. This time he was accompanied by the first secretaries of the provincial committees of the Communist Party and the first secretary of the Municipal Committee of the Party in the special municipality of Isla de la Juventud, who are in Havana to participate in the II Plenary Session of the Central Committee

Author: Yaima Puig Meneses | internet@granma.cu

October 22, 2021 16:10:43

Translated by Walter Lippmann for CubaNews.

The First Secretary of the Party and President of the Republic Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez called on the residents of La Timba to continue and not stop in everything that is being done in this vulnerable neighborhood. Photo: Revolution Studios

From a balcony the child’s voice overcame the noise of the patching equipment and the bustle of the people. The President heard him. He slowed his pace. He turned his face away. He raised his hand in greeting and smiled back at the boy.

The hustle and bustle continued in La Timba, one of the 65 neighborhoods that are part of the transformation experienced by deep places in the Cuban capital, and one of which the Head of State arrives every week.

This Friday, the visit there of the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Party had a sui generis company: together with him, the 15 secretaries of the provincial committees of the Party in the country and the secretary of the Municipal Committee of the Party in the municipality walked streets and citadels special Isla de la Juventud, who are in Havana to participate in the II Plenary Session of the Central Committee.

The president shared with them the experience that has multiplied in Havana since July, with the challenge of “extending to the entire country, taking into account the particularities of each territory.”

The tour had begun at the Gustavo Pozo elementary school, where the first secretary of the Municipal Committee of the Party in Plaza de la Revolución, Leira Sánchez Valdivia, spoke to them about the development challenges that distinguish the municipality, including the management of differences that are generated in an environment where large buildings and 53 citadels converge.

«In La Timba a dream is being built; now we are at a starting point that will continue to give us content to work more, “he said, and then detailed about the 47 works in which constructive actions are carried out, all of high interest to the population, such as the winery, various markets , the family doctor’s and nurse’s office, a post office, and more.

La Timba’s road structures were well defined since its inception, but the neighborhood “has grown disorderly” over the years and its streets require extensive paving and patching.

In the midst of these tasks, the President toured the community, greeted the small groups of workers, asked them about the works and continued to advance: in recent months here, more than 300 tons of asphalt have been used in patching actions and they have repaired almost 150 cubic meters of sidewalks.

“With these actions and later, when all the buildings and properties are painted and repaired, the streets have another life,” Díaz-Canel told a group of neighbors, whom he called “to continue and not stop in everything that is doing”.

Are you aware of the priorities? Do you agree? ”He asked again and again as he advanced through the busy crowd, which barely stopped to greet him.

Thank you, President! Thanks, mijito! Thank you! ”Were phrases that some shouted from afar and others –those who, no matter how fast or well located, could bump fists with the president– would burst out at him when they were close to him.

La Timba is a people that trusts in its Revolution, that is grateful. Mayra Arevich Marín, Minister of Communications – the organization that sponsors this neighborhood – reminded Díaz-Canel how in the first days of beginning the resuscitation work in the community, she thought that the people would never join. That was only at the beginning, he said, then the participation overflowed all spaces.

 

MATERIAL AND SPIRITUAL PRIORITIES

Because among the priorities defined by the community are the ways to initiate actions, one of the most important that is currently being carried out in La Timba is aimed at the conservation and maintenance of buildings, the construction of new homes for people who they live in critical condition, and the rehabilitation of citadels with their infrastructures.

More than a thousand families in the community –with some 4,000 inhabitants– will benefit from some of these actions. The President wanted to know about it, without any reports, retracing the streets and “asking permission” to break into the humble homes that today are filled with hope.

In the eventfulness of the journey, it was impossible to keep track of how many homes he visited. He entered, walked, filled the neighbors and builders with questions, left, advanced on the journey, and again the cycle was repeated. Each family has a story to tell, and in each family singularities can be discovered, which also help to solve many problems in the country.

La Manigua is a cultural and creative center that runs in the heart of La Timba, and aims to become an innovative space, where girls and boys can learn, experiment and have fun with Cuban history, art and culture, through the humor and the values ​​of Juan Padrón’s work.

Near the place of the constructive actions, Silvia Padrón, daughter of the revered Cuban cartoonist, explained to Díaz-Canel that the place will be the materialization of “a dream that my father had, of seeing his work transcending the world of cartoons, where the children could interact with her, experiment and connect ».

Then this idea came up, “which is a gift for the Cuban family; It will be very connected to La Timba, but it is a gift for the whole city. The idea is that the people who come can, based on the values ​​of the work itself, connect with the best of being Cuban and enjoying the game. This is what this site is all about: people are going to learn by playing, having fun.

Thus, during the tour, Díaz-Canel and those who accompanied him were able to learn about different community projects that are developed and implemented in La Timba, including one that they have decided to call Entimbalao, and that has come to life in a park, where adolescents and young people play sports with skateboards.

Here the boys themselves have participated with their opinions in the design of the park, and according to the leader of the project, once completed, it will also contribute to improving the quality of life in the neighborhood and expanding recreational offers.

The tour concluded at the Plaza Cultural Center. There, a fruitful exchange between President Díaz-Canel and the party leaders who accompanied him took place, along with them also the member of the Political Bureau and Secretary of Organization and Politics of Cadres, Roberto Morales Ojeda; the Minister of Communications, Mayra Arevich Marín, and the Governor of Havana, Reinaldo García Zapata.

For more than an hour, useful experiences were shared from that stage that ratified the urgent need for resuscitation actions carried out in capital neighborhoods to reach all the country’s territories.

Among other issues, Díaz-Canel spoke then of joint work, always listening to what the community wants and needs as a key to strengthening this experience and making it sustainable over time. He underlined the importance of fostering public debates, where the population participates; the transparency of the procedures; hone the role of the delegate; and assume with ever more sensitivity the problems that exist in our communities.

And because “the strength of the Revolution is in the neighborhoods,” the First Secretary of the Party’s Central Committee insisted on constantly looking at them and learning from the many lessons that the people always leave us.

To the inhabitants of the community, who were waiting for his departure from the Cultural Center to greet him, the Head of State asked to continue working as they have done so far: together with the organizations that have arrived to support them.

That everything we do – he added – is because you propose it and you need it. “There are many problems and we cannot solve them at once, but every day we are going to be tearing a bit out of each one, and thus we are going to move forward,” he explained.

In them he left the challenge of “supporting that everything is done with quality and nothing is violated that are motivations and aspirations of the population in the neighborhood.”
TEN MORE PHOTOS: 
https://www.granma.cu/cuba/2021-10-22/vuelve-diaz-canel-a-la-barriada-capitalina-de-la-timba

VIDEO: Seven minutes

Mandatory quarantine ends November 7

1 year ago CubaDebate, Translations, ,


Cuba eliminates mandatory quarantine of international travelers upon arrival in the country from November 7 (+ Video)

By: Lissett Izquierdo Ferrer, Journalist from Cubadebate. Graduated from the University of Havana (2014). She worked at the Cuban News Agency from 2011 until September 2018. Contact: lissett@cubadebate.cu
October 19, 2021
Translated by Walter Lippmann for CubaNews.

As of November 7, the mandatory quarantine of international travelers upon arrival in the country is eliminated. Photo: Ariel Ley Royero / ACN.

The 10 international airports are already ready for the reopening of the Cuban borders on November 15, Tourism Minister Juan Carlos García Granda reported on Tuesday at the International Press Center.

“It will be a controlled and staggered reopening, with the guarantee that in the next month more than 90% of the population will have the complete vaccination scheme,” he said and commented that in the last 15 days there has been a decrease in the number of positive cases to covid-19, with the same behavior in all provinces.

García Granda specified that as of November 7, the mandatory quarantine of international travelers upon arrival in the country is eliminated.

Other measures announced by the minister:

  • By day 15, the border entry PCR is eliminated.
  • All travelers (Cubans or foreigners) who enter the country must present a health passport or international anticovid certificate of those vaccines certified by the corresponding regulatory agencies.
  • Those who do not have these documents are obliged to present a covid-19 negative PCR certification at the arrival of the country with no less than 72 hours before traveling, carried out in a certified laboratory in the country of origin.
  • Epidemiological surveillance of international sanitary control will be maintained at all entry points, as well as in hotel facilities, for which medical assistance is strengthened with the location of basic health equipment in the facilities themselves.
  • Children under 12 years of age, regardless of their nationality, will be exempt from presenting a vaccination schedule or PCR test upon arrival in Cuba.
  • The presentation of the Declaration of Health of the Traveler (Affidavit of Health) will be required for all those who arrive in the country.
  • The mandatory use of the nasobuco is maintained within the air and port terminals, as well as throughout the country.
  • To board the flight at origin, airlines will require their passengers to provide evidence of a vaccination scheme or a negative PCR test applied within 72 hours beforehand.
  • The International Sanitary Control staff will randomly take samples for PCR at the airport.
  • Any traveler who arrives in the country and shows signs and symptoms of covid-19 or another communicable disease will be referred to a health institution and a PCR test will be performed.
  • The owners of rental houses or people who host non-resident travelers in the country are responsible for immediately informing the corresponding health authorities of the appearance of any symptoms that they present.
  • The health areas in the community will maintain epidemiological surveillance of tourists staying in private homes.
  • For Cuban travelers residing in the country, the obligation to appear at the family doctor’s office or health area is restored within a period of no more than 48 hours after their arrival, to be followed up by the family doctor.
  • All Cuban travelers residing in the country, if not vaccinated, will be performed an antigen test on the seventh day of arrival in their health area and if they present symptoms, they will be treated as a suspected case.
  • The protocols in the facilities are reinforced: the use of the mask in closed places and in the presence of other people, physical distancing, constant sanitation, hand disinfection measures, taking temperature and others.

 

The minister recalled that workers in the tourism sector and workers in transport, customs, immigration and aviation, together with those of Public Health, were among the first to be vaccinated, and it was agreed that before November 15 they would be vaccinated. apply a booster dose.

“We work for a responsible recovery of tourism in Cuba: All the facilities that will provide service will have the Tourism + Hygienic and Safe certification, guaranteeing compliance with the sanitary protocols established by Public Health”.

García Granda highlighted that a second training cycle is currently being developed on hygienic-sanitary protocols in the tourism sector, with the participation of state and non-state workers.

Varadero opens its doors to domestic tourism from next October 25

 

Varadero opens its doors to domestic tourism from next October 25. Photo: Ismael Franciso / Cubadebate.

As they announced in a press conference, as of November 15, the domestic market, complying with the established protocols, will be able to fully enjoy the country’s tourist offer.

The minister announced that starting next Monday, October 25, the Varadero tourist center will receive domestic tourism and the marketing of all open facilities is authorized , including those that operate today for the international market, such as Cayo Santa María, Cayo Coco and Cayo Guillermo.

The owner specified that there are provinces such as Matanza and Havana whose tourist facilities already receive customers, and “as inter-provincial and inter-municipal mobility increases and taking into account the situation of each territory, this activity will grow.”

“We are in a favorable moment of de-escalation, which means to begin to recover our customs, to be able to visit relatives and go on vacation, as well as to recover the economic activity of the country, not only in the state sector, but also in the non-state sector.”

Cuba expects to receive 100,000 international travelers in the remainder of the year

 

The 10 international airports are already ready for the reopening of the Cuban borders on November 15. Photo: Ariel Ley Royero / ACN.

According to the minister, so far this year some 200,000 travelers have entered the country, and another 100,000 are expected before the end of 2021. “It is a challenge, because it depends on how the markets react, but we are optimistic.”

“We do not think that on the 15th (November) the country will be full, but we estimate that we can have an early winter,” he predicted.

The owner said that since the announcement of the opening of the Cuban borders, a great expectation has been created among tour operators and airlines and thanked the commercial partners for their confidence in the Cuban destination.

“Our expectations have been exceeded, because the tour operators of the traditional destinations in Cuba have requested more requests than planned.”

There are, he said, requests for flights from Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and from other European countries, as well as from Mexico, Panama, the Dominican Republic, essential to connect the markets of the Southern Cone and some European customers who are in those Destinations.

As for Russia, he specified that it plans growth for the winter season and announced that it has already been authorized to fly from different cities in that country to Cuba.

García Granda pointed out that today there is air connectivity through the regular lines that have historically flown to the Island, such as Air France, Iberia, Air Europa, and charter flights with Evelop. Recently “WorldToFly was incorporated, in which we have placed a lot of trust”.

For its part, Cubana de Aviación will soon resume its traditional routes to the markets of Argentina and Spain, said the minister and argued that for those customers who wish to come from Asian countries and the Pacific area, they can do so through Turkish Airlines, which has restored frequencies to Havana.

Regarding flights from the United States, the minister emphasized that Cuba is open to all countries, “no one is discriminated against,” and it is even expected that American airlines will be among those that will rejoin when the borders are reopened. “There will be the option of traveling to any of the 10 international airports, everything will depend on what they are allowed to do.”

Asked about the losses suffered by the sector due to the pandemic , García Granda recalled the impact that tourism activity has on the national economy and said that currently the focus is on reversing the situation as soon as possible. “More than looking back, looking forward; how much more needs to be done to attract travelers; what must be foreseen so that the level of satisfaction is higher ”.

Tourist offer will have 4,000 new rooms

 

The minister informed that 4,000 new rooms will be incorporated and asserted that the country is open to more negotiations, air operations and even to cruises from any destination.

In these last two years, he commented, the sector has taken the opportunity to increase e-commerce and its necessary infrastructure, as well as to increase “the participation of all economic actors that complement and enrich the tourism product and enable new life experiences for those of us. they visit ”.

Likewise, he added, work is being done on the possibility of offering Cuban anticovid vaccines to international visitors.

  • At airports, the client will have access to free WiFi for 30 minutes.
  • The facilities have improved their comfort, and those with a five-star category already guarantee Internet connection from the rooms, public areas and beach areas, while working in four and three-star hotels.
  • New platforms and APKs are incorporated to serve the client in airports, transport and hotel facilities.
  • The information will be digitally available and online payment facilities are enhanced.

The owner recalled the ban on using the US dollar in cash in Cuba, and reiterated that transactions may be carried out in freely convertible currencies authorized in the country such as the Canadian dollar, the euro, the British pound, the Japanese yen and the Mexican peso. .

For months, prepaid cards in freely convertible currency (MLC) have been available, which can be purchased by tourists in the exchange offices of airports, marinas and tourist areas, and used to pay for services in Cuban territory.

These cards are valid for two years and the amount that the traveler has not spent upon leaving the country will be reimbursed if he wishes.

Prepaid cards available in freely convertible currency (MLC). Photo: Ariel Ley Royero / ACN.

 

“We work for a responsible recovery of tourism in Cuba.” Photo: Ariel Ley Royero / ACN.

On video, press conference


https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1059060618236269

What Adele looks like now

1 year ago Juventud Rebelde, Translations,

JuvReb

What Adele looks like now and what her new album will bring us

The British diva is working on a new album, and has issued statements about her makeover and upcoming plans

Author: Juventud Rebelde|digital@juventudrebelde.cu
Posted: Saturday 09 October 2021 | 10:33:28 am.

Adele has posed for Vogue, as part of the promotion of her new album. Autor: Pictwitter Publicado: 09/10/2021 | 10:32 am

Translated and edited by Walter Lippmann for CubaNews.

British singer Adele has revealed details about the recording of her new album, 30, whose lyrics will be very attached to her divorce process and personal self-improvement, according to international media.

Adele, in addition to impressing with her renewed slim image, has confessed to several media that she became addicted to exercise several years ago and assured that all the diets that were invented using her image are false. It was physical activity that made her lose 45 kilos and she also talked about the role that her divorce played in her transformation.

The 33-year-old Brit recently starred on the cover of Vogue magazine and referred that exercise helped her fight an anxiety disorder.

“It was because of my anxiety. By exercising, I felt better. It was never about losing weight, it was always about getting strong and spending my time every day without my phone. I became pretty addicted. I exercise two or three times a day,” she revealed, Sputnik news quotes her as saying.

It has been almost six years since Adele released 25, her last studio album. Thus, her return to music has become one of the most celebrated events in the music industry so far this year.

“I feel like this album is self-destruction, then self-reflection and then sort of self-redemption. But I feel prepared. I really want people to hear my side of the story this time,” the singer has said.

(With information from Sputnik news and Vanguardia)

Argentine solidarity in defense of Cuba

1 year ago CubaDebate, Translations,

cuba-debate

Argentine solidarity prevents action against Cuban embassy in that country (+ Video)

October 13, 2021

Translated and edited by Walter Lippmann for CubaNews.

Last Monday, October 11, from the most recalcitrant of the Argentine right wing and the small group of Cubans residing in the country who adhere to the so-called Patria y Vida (Homeland and Life), an attempt at an attempted attack was organized against the Cuban diplomatic delegation in Buenos Aires.

In the face of the attempt by a gusano-Cuban group financed by CADAL, Center for the Opening and Development of Latin America, an Argentine anti-communist NGO linked to the US State Department, the CIA and USAID, the MAS Cuba, Argentine Movement of Solidarity with Cuba, immediately mobilized and occupied the front of the Embassy, preventing the action, which included throwing eggs against the front of the building.

The tiny anti-revolutionary group had the support of the right-wing faction of the Libertarian Party, which openly adheres to the policies of Bolsonaro in Brazil and VOX in Spain, and tries, with violent actions and speeches, to capture the most dissatisfied sector of society, reproducing those policies in our country, which only benefit Washington’s recolonizing project.

#CubaNoEstaSola, those in solidarity with the Cuban Revolution, with their quick call, did not allow an attack on the diplomatic representation of Cuba in Argentina.

In video, solidarity prevents attack on Cuban Embassy in Argentina:

Cuba reports 2197 new cases of Covid 19

1 year ago Granma, Translations,

Ministry of Public Health: Cuba reports 2 197 new COVID-19 cases

Author: Digital Editor | internet@granma.cu
October 17, 2021 10:10:06 am

Translated and edited by Walter Lippmann for CubaNews.

At the end of yesterday, October 16, 25,457 patients were admitted, 15,123 were suspected, 1,651 were under surveillance and 8,683 were confirmed active.

For COVID-19, a total of 30,359 samples were taken for surveillance during the day, resulting in 2,197 positive results. The country accumulates 10 million 172 thousand 672 samples taken and 934 thousand 965 positive.

Of the total number of cases (2,197): 2,189 were contacts of confirmed cases; 5 with source of infection abroad; 3 with no source of infection specified. Of the 2,197 diagnosed cases, 1,159 were female and 1,038 were male.

Of the 2,197 positive cases, 5.4% (118) were asymptomatic, making a total of 129,294, representing 13.9% of those confirmed to date.

The 2 197 diagnosed cases belong to the following age groups: under 20 years of age (495), 20 to 39 years of age (488), 40 to 59 years of age (681) and over 60 (533).
=====
Of the 934,965 patients diagnosed with the disease, 8,683 remain hospitalized, of whom 8,428 have a stable clinical course. There were 8058 deaths (21 during the day), with a case fatality rate of 0.86% vs. 2.04% in the world and 2.45% in the Americas; two evacuated, 55 returned to their countries. During the day there were 2,274 discharges, 918,167 patients recovered (98.2%). There are 255 confirmed patients in intensive care, of which 88 are critical and 167 are serious.

During the day, 21 patients died. We deeply regret what happened and convey our condolences to their families and friends.
=====
As of October 16, 190 countries and 32 territories have reported cases of COVID-19, with 241 million 65 thousand 235 confirmed cases (+ 436 thousand 600), 17 million 870 thousand 542 active cases and 4 million 908 thousand 8 deaths (+ 7 thousand 117) for a case fatality rate of 2.04% (=).

In the Americas region, 93 million 106 thousand 348 confirmed cases (+ 135 thousand 747) were reported, 38.62% of the total number of cases reported in the world, with 11 million 50 thousand 910 active cases and 2 million 282 thousand 106 deaths (+ 4 thousand 185) for a case fatality rate of 2.45% (=).

How U.S. finances actions against Cuba

1 year ago Granma

How does the U.S. finance psychological actions against Cuba?

El Estornudo, Periodismo de Barrio and Cuba Posible are some of the sites of “independent journalists” that appeared to be promoting the actions of July 11 and 12 in Cuba, as recently denounced in a report by the Argentine Club of Journalist Friends of Cuba.

Author: Granma | internet@granma.cu
October 1, 2021 23:10:13 PM

Translated and edited by Walter Lippmann for CubaNews.

El Estornudo, Periodismo de Barrio and Cuba Posible are some of the sites of “independent journalists” that appeared to promote the July 11 and 12 actions in Cuba, as recently denounced in a report by the Club Argentino de Periodistas Amigos de Cuba (Argentine Club of Journalists Friends of Cuba).

These journalists, confirms the source, “are trained and awarded” by NGOs that operate with common sources of financing: the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), a front for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the Open Society Foundations founded by tycoon George Soros.

The note warns that the Cronos Civil Association based in Buenos Aires, Argentina, received “$80,000 dollars from the NED in 2020, to train journalists from the Island linked to the dependent media. This organization has, according to the Argentine club, two main media outlets, Revista Anfibia and Cosecha Roja. In relation to the Caribbean nation, they point out, “these sites carry out training projects and scholarships for journalists”.

On the other hand, the Instituto Prensa y Sociedad (IPYS) based in Lima, Peru, received in 2020 a total of $70 523 dollars to develop programs aimed at training “Cuban independent journalists” and promoting their links with journalists in the region. “In turn, Cronos and IPYS receive funds from the Open Society Foundations,” the publication explains.

Likewise, the Investigative Journalism in Cuba project of the Espacio Público Foundation, based in Chile and developed between 2019 and 2020, the text indicates, also works with funding from the NED.

“The agenda of these media and journalists is that of political correctness, an aesthetic and a profile friendly to progressivism that appears to have a low political profile, questionable in light of their sources of funding, NGOs linked to the worst crimes against the peoples,” comments the club of journalists in solidarity with the largest of the Antilles.

This is only one part of a huge continental project to train its journalistic cadres in Latin America, which includes other organizations (such as the Gabo Center, in Colombia, and Article 19, in Mexico).

Cuban dependent journalists are trained, awarded scholarships and prizes by this network of organizations throughout Latin America.

“Analyzing the message of these media allows us to understand the depth and complexity of the psychological action promoted by imperialism against our peoples”, they state.

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