Published on 10 June 2016 by Granma.

Alba council

Caracas, 8 June — Cuba's Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla called on the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (Alba-TCP) to strengthen strategies to confront imperialist intervention and coup plots on the continent, according to AVN.

In his comments, during the Alba-TCP Political Council meeting to discuss common strategies to defend the region, PL reported, Rodríguez likewise called on social movements to defend progressive governments facing attacks orchestrated by foreign powers, as is the case in Venezuela, which was subjected to an attempt by the Organization of American States (OAS) to justify intervention via the application of the bloc's Inter-American Charter, as well as Brazil, where a parliamentary coup and media campaign are currently underway against the country's legitimate President, Dilma Rousseff.

Published on 13 June 2016 by teleSUR

guantanamo

Without an executive order, it is left to a Republican Congress to close the military prison.

U.S. President Barack Obama has been talking about closing the military-run Guantanamo Bay detention camp in Cuba since before he ran for president in 2008, but despite years of promises he's now saying he won't use his power as commander-in-chief to unilaterally shutter the detention center.

Published on 4 June 2016 by Granma.

raul at summit

Full text of speech by Raul Castro Ruz, President of Cuba's Councils of State and Ministers, opening the 7th Association of Caribbean States Summit.

Distinguished Heads of State and/or Government,

Esteemed Ambassador Alfonso Munera Cavadia, Secretary General of the Association of Caribbean States,

Distinguished delegates and guests,

For the seventh time, we are meeting as Heads of States and/or Government, alongside other high representatives of the States and territories of the Association of Caribbean States, ACS. On this occasion we have gathered for a deep exchange on the theme “Together to confront the challenges of sustainable development, climate change and peace in the Caribbean”.

Pulished on 23 May 2016 by Granma.

fidel and evo

On Saturday, May 21, the leader of the Cuban Revolution Fidel Castro Ruz, held a friendly meeting with compañero Evo Morales Ayma, president of the Plurinational State of Bolivia, at the end of his visit to Cuba.

Fidel and Evo recalled important moments in the ongoing process of regional integration, and highlighted the contribution of Hugo Chávez and Cristina Fernández de Kichner to the initiative. They also addressed the fraternal and growing collaboration ties between the two countries; discussed events currently occurring in Latin America and attempts by imperialist forces to destroy the socio-political movement in the hemisphere, whilst also warning of the grave threat such actions pose to humanity.

The warm and touching encounter served as another example of the shared vision of both leaders, and the genuine ties of friendship and cooperation which unite Cuba and Bolivia.

Published on 17 May 2016 by teleSUR.

cuban health centre MRI

About 900 delegates from 17 countries attended the international event in Havana, where Cuba's development model was showcased.

Cuban biotechnology products are exported to more than 50 countries around the globe, according to an expert interviewed Tuesday during the Second International Congress about Economic Management and Development that took place in Havana.

Published on 25 April by teleSUR english Written by Arnold August

uscuba flag

Despite thawing relations, Cubans are still resisting the Obama administration’s subversive policy towards the island

Before leaving Montreal for Havana in March 2016 to cover  Obama's trip to Havana, I wrote an article on Cuba–US relations. Referring to the cultural war to include, in the broad sense of the term, ideological and political aggression, I asked: “The question is, will Obama’s visit to Cuba provide Cubans the opportunity to make headway against the cultural war, or will it allow the US to make inroads? Or are both these scenarios on the horizon?”

My intention at that time was to deal with this question immediately upon my return from Cuba. However, one feature became clear during my stay in Havana and immediately following it. Both in and outside of Cuba, the repercussions of the visit not only continued but were being ramped up. In fact, at the time of writing, a month after the trip, the ideological and political controversies are carrying on. This situation is at present further being fostered by Raúl Castro’s April 16, 2016 Central Report to the 7th Congress of the Communist Party of Cuba (CPC). He devoted important sections of the Report to the issue of Cuba–US relations. 

Disinformation from within Cuba

Published on 22 April by Cuba Solidarity Campaign

coop bank

In November 2015 the Co-operative Bank closed the bank account of the Cuba Solidarity Campaign (CSC) citing changing “risk appetite” and “global regulations” among the reasons.

Now following a huge campaign by CSC members and affiliates Niall Booker, the bank’s Chief Executive, has finally confirmed in writing that the closure was due to ‘risk’ arising from sanctions imposed by the US government.

In response to direct questions from concerned members, Mr Booker said “it is correct that the sanctions that are in place are those imposed by OFAC.”

US blockade policies against Cuba are enforced by the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). By adhering to US sanctions the Co-operative Bank is complying with US extraterritorial legislation.

This is in itself illegal under British and EU law.

When similar events occurred in Austria and Mexico, those countries acted to penalise the companies for acquiescing to US blockade sanctions legislation over and above their own county’s sovereign laws.

Published on 3 May by Granma

granma founder

On Sunday, May 1, Susana Lee López, a founder of Granma, passed away 

She was one of the intrepid and committed young people who didn’t hesitate to sign up for the literacy campaign following the triumph of the Revolution. She worked as a journalist for over 50 years. She began in the profession without prior training, in May 1962, when she was still a high school student at the Institute of Secondary Education in Havana. Her first steps were taken in the paper Hoy, where she evolved as a dedicated reporter of youth and women’s issues. Her first teachers were seasoned professionals of the pen, such as Ricardo Sáenz, Juan Marrero, Gabriel Molina, Raúl Valdés Vivó, sub-editor, and Blas Roca, editor of the paper.

Between 1972 and 1976, she undertook a degree course for workers, graduating in Law, a profession she never practiced as she devoted herself completely to her vocation as a journalist. She was a founder of the papers Juventud Rebelde and Granma, in which she left her mark as a reporter. In the former, she worked for 15 years from 1966, when the paper was founded as a merger of the publications La Tarde and Mella. She worked as head of her team and information.

In the following decade, her daily work was linked to historic moments and issues, such as the constitution of People’s Power. By 1981, following a proposal from then editor Jorge Enrique Mendoza, she returned to Granma, and four years later became head of information. Thousands of articles, interviews, and even reports personally commissioned by Comandante en Jefe Fidel Castro, are the legacy of her long and productive time at the paper, the example of a journalist who won deserved acclaim amongst her peers.

Published on 28 April 2016 Sky News

 

Helen Yaffe on Sky News talking about British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond's visit to Cuba.