N E W S

• Nobel Prize winners send message to Washington solidarity event for the Cuban Five
June.6.2014
Nobel Prize winners Rigoberta Menchú, from Guatemala, and Adolfo Pérez Esquivel, from Argentina, sent messages of support to the 3rd Five Days for the Five being held in Washington.

• Five days for the Cuban Five begins in Washington
June.4.2014
A five day event in solidarity with the Cuban Five begins today, June 4, in the U.S. capital with the participation of supporters from over 40 countries. Numerous activities will continue through June 11 to increase pressure on the Obama...
 
• Fidel and Raúl send fraternal greetings to new Salvadoran President
June.2.2014
The historic leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro, sent a fraternal greeting to the Salvadoran people on the occasion of the inauguration of the country’s new president, in a ceremony held June 1. Salvador Valdés Mesa, a Cuban vice president, conveyed the message to president-elect Salvador Sánchez Cerén, during a ceremony held in San Salvador’s Civic Plaza.

• Cuban delegation attend South African presidential inauguration
May 26.2014
Salvador Valdés Mesa, vice president of the Council of State, led the Cuban delegation attending the South African presidential inauguration of Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma.

• Mandela is an unsurpassable example for Latin America and the Caribbean
11.December 13, 2013
Speech given by Army General Raúl Castro Ruz, President of the Councils of State and Ministers, at the funeral honors for the historic leader of South Africa, Nelson Mandela, in Johannesburg, December 10, 2013, Year 55 of the Revolution

• Cuba elected to Human Rights Council
November 13, 2013
UNITED NATIONS.—The decision made by the UN General Assembly to reelect Cuba to the Human Rights Council (HRC) for a three-year period, is a solid recognition of work undertaken by the country in this context, according to Anayansi Rodríguez, Cuban ambassador to international organizations based in Geneva.

• Significant agreement for peace in Colombia reached in Havana
November 7, 2013
IT took close to five months, but the agreement on political participation reached November 6 between the government of Juan Manuel Santos and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-Army of the People (FARC-EP) constitutes a significant step toward ending half a century of armed conflict.

• The blockade is aggressively extraterritorial and a violation of international law
October 30, 2013
Speech by Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, Minister of Foreign Affairs, at the 68th Session of the United Nations General Assembly. New York, October 29, 2013

• U.S. absolutely isolated and discredited
October 30, 2013
UNITED NATIONS.— October 29, the international community in the UN General Assembly once again confirmed the isolation of the United States’ imposition of a economic, commercial and financial blockade of Cuba.

• Press release from the Cuban and Norwegian governments
October 28, 2013
U.S. citizen Kevin Scott Sutay, held by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-Army of the People (FARC-EP) since this past June 20, was handed over by members of the FARC-EP Eastern Bloc to representatives of the governments of Cuba and Norway and delegates from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), an action undertaken with the cooperation of the Colombian government.

• Official Note
October 22, 2013
ECONOMIC and Social Policy Guideline No.55 of the Party and the Revolution, approved by the 6th Congress of the Communist Party of Cuba, proposes that the country will, "Advance toward monetary unification, taking into account the productivity of labor and effectiveness of distributive and redistributive mechanisms.

• Evo Morales affirms that as long as imperialism exists there will never be peace
September 26, 2013
UNITED NATIONS.—Bolivian President Evo Morales stated September 25 at the UN that as long as imperialism exists, there will never be peace, justice or sovereignty for the peoples of the world, and that war is the business of capitalism.

• Indelible memories
September 16, 2013
BARELY three days ago, a high-ranking leader from the Vietnamese Communist Party visited us. Before leaving, he conveyed to me his wish that I write some recollections of my visit to the territory of Vietnam liberated in its heroic fight against the yankee troops in the south of his country.

• I have acted in accordance with my principles
August 29, 2013
THE chance to kiss Rosa – his wife with the immense, blue eyes – is what Fernando González Llort is wishing for right now. He won’t get it. He can’t. Just as he has not been able to wake up at her side for many years.

• Vigil for the Cuban Five outside the White House
August 22,2013
WASHINGTON.—A vigil outside the White House has been convened for September 12, the 15th anniversary of the incarceration of the five Cuban anti-terrorist fighters sentenced in a rigged trial in Miami.

• “We will celebrate the best birthday of all together in our eternal Cuba” 
August 19,2013
WASHINGTON.—Ramón Labañino, one of the five Cuban anti-terrorists sentenced to long prison terms in the United States, affirmed optimism in relation to his return to the country in a message to his compañero Fernando González, who celebrated his 50th birthday on August 18.

• There can be no lasting peace without development, without combating poverty, hunger and inequality
August 12,2013
Statement by Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cuba, on behalf of the Pro Tempore Presidency of CELAC, at the UN Security Councilsession, August 6, 2013

• Death of Bernie Dwyer, untiring fighter for the Five
July 11,2013
BERNIE Dwyer, the Irish journalist who worked at Radio Habana Cuba for many years, died in Ireland on July 10. She was the director of a number of documentaries, including Mission against Terror and The Day Diplomacy Died. Bernie interviewed dozens of international figures, among them Noam Chomsky.

• 5TH VARADERO GOURMET INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL 2013
Cuban cuisine, renewed and authentic
July 4,2013
CUBAN gastronomy exhibited its seductive power and its professionals displayed imagination, creativity and a renovating spirit during the recent 5th Varadero Gourmet International Festival 2013, which took place in the Matanzas resort June 19-21.

• A poster seen around the world
June 27,2013
"I am a graphic designer who paints," affirms Jorge Martell, author of the International Free the Five campaign poster, "Obama: Give me Five"

• Cuba and United States resume talks on postal service
June 20,2013
REPRESENTATIVES from Cuba and the United States resumed talks on the postal service between the two countries this June 18-19. 

• Statement from Josefina Vidal Ferreiro, head of the Foreign Ministry’s U.S. Department
June 20,2013
CUBA has been acknowledged worldwide for its exemplary undertakings to protect children, young adults and women. It is not a source, transit or destination country for person trafficking.

• FIVE DAYS FOR THE FIVE IN WASHINGTON
Latin American legislators meet with members of U.S. Congress
June 20,2013
During the recent 'Five Days for the Five' in Washington, Latin American parliamentarians advocating for the imprisoned Cuban anti-terrorists met with two respected members of the Congressional Black Caucus, Bobby Rush and Yvette Clarke. Rush has represented a South Side Chicago district in the House for 20 years and Clarke, first elected in 2007, represents a district in the New York City borough of Brooklyn.

• HEROIC FIGHTER’S 85th BIRTHDAY
Che: Present now and forever
June 20, 2013
THAT asthmatic and underdeveloped boy, as on one occasion his father Don Ernesto Guevara Lynch described him, who seemed an unlikely candidate to become a revolutionary icon of Latin American and world thought, Ernesto Che Guevara, would have celebrated his 85th birthday June 14.

• Comandante Ernesto Che Guevara Sculptural Complex receives 3.5 million visitors
June 20, 2013
SANTA CLARA.—Coinciding with the 85th anniversary of the birth of Che Guevara, on June 14, Swede Bernhard Hofstetter became the 3.5 millionth visitor to the sacred Comandante Ernesto Che Guevara Sculptural Complex, the resting place of the remains of the heroic guerrilla and his compañeros who died fighting in Bolivia.
• Cuba among countries recognized by the FAO
June 17,2013
ROME, June 16—.The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) today recognized 18 countries for their exceptional results in combating hunger, among them various Latin American nations.

 • "We won the trial"
June 13,2013
Closing the ‘Five Days for the Five’ event in Washington, Hero of the Republic René González spoke with participants via a videoconference

• Jurists meeting in Washington emphasize irregularities in the trial of the Cuban Five
June 13,2013
A panel of eminent jurists, including attorney Martin Garbus from the team defending the Cuban anti-terrorists imprisoned in the United States, presented in Washington a detailed analysis of the irregularities which occurred during the prosecution of the Five.

• Cuba condemns increase of Israeli aggression toward Palestine
June 11,2013
GENEVA.—Addressing the Human Rights Council, Cuba condemned continued Israeli acts of aggression against the Palestinian people and the illegal construction of new settlements in the occupied territories.

• Algeria – 50th anniversary of Cuba’s first medical mission
May 30,2013
ALGERIA’S struggle for independence made such an impression on Fidel that within a few hours of meeting President Ben Bella, and discussing the horrendous health conditions in the country, he made a commitment to help. That same evening, Fidel proposed to a meeting of the reduced number of Cuban doctors on the island that 50 volunteers be sent to the North African country.

• "I will die as I have lived" --  Watercolors by Antonio Guerrero exhibited in U.S.
May 23,2013
THE exposition "Me muero como viví" (I Will Die as I Have Lived), composed of 15 watercolors painted by Antonio (Tony) Guerrero, a decorated Hero of the Republic of Cuba, was inaugurated May 15 in the headquarters of Casa Maryland, a Latino community organization established in 1985, among the most important of its kind in the state.

• Pastoral Platform demands justice for the Five
May 23,2013
MEETING in Matanzas, the Cuban Pastoral Platform approved a statement supporting family reunification for the Five, "to put an end to an injustice which has continued unnecessarily over time."

• Five Days for the Five in Washington
May 23,2013
THE important Afro-American leader Angela Davis, Dolores Huerta, leader of the Farmworkers Union, European Union parliamentarian Gianni Vattimo, as well as Chilean legislators Hugo Gutiérrez and Alejandro Navarro, in addition to other intellectuals and figures from around the world have confirmed their participation in the Five Days for the Five in Washington.

• We were, we are and will be the Five
May 15,2013
To my brother René in freedom
That September 12, for which there is no adjective to describe its violence, I was the last to arrive in Miami and, thus, the last to be placed in an extremely cold cell, with a bare mattress, a bedspread and a roll of toilet paper; all of us in isolation.

• René no longer a U.S. citizen
May 15,2013
SINCE Thursday, May 9 at 2:00pm, René González Sehwerert is "just a Cuban patriot." At that time, in Havana’s U.S. Interests Section (USIS), he received the document certifying his renunciation of U.S. citizenship, a procedure which will allow him to remain in Cuba.

• A new standard-bearer
May 11,2013
HE could have taken advantage of the same pretexts used by those who very quickly decided to plead guilty and cooperate with authorities. After long years of separation, he finally had Olga and Irmita at his side, and was able to enjoy the newborn Ivette for barely four months.

• Ramón Labañino salutes René González’ presence in Cuba
May 8,2013
WASHINGTON, May 7.—Ramón Labañino, one of the Cuban anti-terrorists sentenced and incarcerated in the United States, stated that the presence of René González in his homeland “is as if part of us is already home.”

• Letter to Fidel from FAO Director General
May 6,2013
Rome, April 29, 2013
DEAR Comandante:
I have the honor of addressing you from my position as Director General of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), to sincerely congratulate you and the entire Cuban people for having fulfilled in advance the goal proposed by the World Food Summit, which took place in Rome 1996, and which proposed to reduce by half the number of malnourished persons in each country by 2015.

• Cuba remains committed to its irrevocable decision to advance its socialist, national, original, democratic and freely participative socialist development
May 3,2013
Speech by Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cuba, at the presentation of the national report to the Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review

• Statement from Johana Tablada, deputy director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ U.S. Office
April 10,13
AT 10:30am today, April 9, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MINREX) informed the United States Interests Section in Havana that the Cuban government was prepared to hand over to its authorities American citizens Joshua Michael Hakken, his wife Sharyn Patricia Hakken and their two young children.

• U.S. couple kidnap minors
April 10,13
WASHINGTON.—Joshua Hakken, 35 years of age, and his wife Sharyn, 34, who lost custody of their children as the result of drugs charges, kidnapped the two minors, four-year-old Cole and two-year-old Chase, fleeing with them to Cuba, according to news agencies.

• New injustice in the case of the Five
April 9,13
WASHINGTON, April 8.—Authorities at the Victorville Penitentiary in California have refused to allow the U.S. actor Danny Glover a planned visit to Gerardo Hernández, according to a communiqué from the International Committee for the Freedom of the Cuban 5.

• Cuban Vice President highlights relations with Holy See
March 20,13
VATICAN City, March 19.—Cuba and the Vatican maintain cordial relations of mutual respect and collaboration and are advancing in the development and deepening of those links, affirmed First Vice President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez here today.

• U.S. Interests Section information on consular procedures for travel to the United States
March 1,13
THE U.S. Interests Section (USIS) in Havana recently requested an interview with Granma in order to detail requirements and regulations related to visa applications to the United States, following Cuba’s updating of its migration and travel policy. The meeting, at the Granma newspaper offices, was attended by Consul General Timothy Roche; Lynn Roche, director of the Press and Culture Office; and Patricia Bermúdez, an official from the Visa Information Department.

• Statement from Josefina Vidal, U.S. director at the Cuban Foreign Ministry
March 1,13
IN the context of the publication of the February 27 MINREX statement, referring to a new outrage against one of the Five, a State Department official, who asked not to be named, gave a statement to the EFE news agency.

• Venezuela: ABC joining the disinformation media campaign
February 11,13
THE disrespectful coverage of the issue of Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez’ health by the right-wing press is continuing with mounting aggressiveness.

• The case of the Five is the DNA of a grand lie
February 7,13
THE rigged legal prosecution of the Five amounts to the DNA of a grand lie orchestrated by the United States. In this way, National Assembly President Ricardo Alarcón de Quesada defined the situation of the Cuban anti-terrorist fighters serving unjust prison terms in that country.

• Vice President Díaz-Canel heads Cuban delegation to Venezuela
January 10,13
COUNCIL of Ministers Vice President Diáz-Canel Bermúdez is heading the Cuban delegation which is to participate in the mass event in solidarity with the Bolivarian Revolution convened for today in Caracas.

• Intellectuals of the world in solidarity with Chávez
January 8,13
THE Intellectuals and Artists in Defense of Humanity Network has joined peoples and individuals desiring the prompt and total recovery of Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez.

• President Chávez’ condition complicated by pulmonary infection
January 4,13
CARACAS, January 4 (PL).—Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez is facing complications resulting from a severe pulmonary infection, Communication and Information Minister Ernesto Villegas affirmed yesterday.

• President Chávez in stable condition
January 3,13
CARACAS.— Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez remains stable within the context of his delicate condition, affirmed on January 2 Jorge Arreaza, Venezuelan Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation. In a message via Twitter, Arreaza said that Adán Chávez (the President’s brother) had arrived in Havana.

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