October 12th from Our America: We vindicate the legacy of the oppressed and celebrate the Day of Indigenous Resistance

Posted on October 13, 2024 by Anthony Brenner

Havana, October 13 (RHC)– From Cuba, Casa de las Americas, the Office of the Martiano Program and the World Council of the José Martí Project of International Solidarity vindicated the legacy of the oppressed in memory of the cultural clash of October 12, 1492.

Casa de las Americas, the Office of the Martiano Program and the World Council of the José Martí Project of International Solidarity declared this Saturday in Havana the vindication of the legacy of the oppressed in memory of the cultural clash of October 12, 1492 and the emancipatory process that followed.

Through a statement, Cuba’s cultural institutions condemn “all forms of colonialism, neocolonialism and exploitation — past and present — and denounce any attempt to impose a pink legend or glorify perpetrators and ideologues of such outrages.”

With the hashtag #NadaQueCelebrar — Nothing to Celebrate — which qualifies “one of the darkest chapters of history,” produced in the so-called “discovery” of the American continent, the text alludes to the “extermination, the encomienda, the mita, the imported diseases and the cultural shock that [Europeans] produced in the first century and a half of colonization.”.

The cultural institution Casa de las Americas, the Office of the Martiano Program and the World Council of the José Martí Project of International Solidarity vindicate the resistance embodied by “those who rose up five centuries ago against the oppressors and all those who, on this side of the world, since then, have decided to cast their lot with the poor of the earth.”

“The invasion of America by Europeans – in the words of José Martí – constituted the interference of a devastating civilization, two words that, being an antagonism, constitute a process,” contains the text, which was posted on the Facebook profile of Casa de las Americas in Havana.

“Nothing to celebrate.  The conquest and colonization of the Americas turned the initial encounter of two cultures into a sequence of plundering and underdeveloping plundering to which a greater infamy would be added: the slave trade.”

For his part, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez stated on his X account that “the conquest and colonization of America would add a greater infamy: the slave trade.”

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Venezuela rejects UN resolution on so-called fact-finding mission

Posted on October 12, 2024 by Anthony Brenner

Caracas, October 12 (RHC)– The Venezuelan government has expressed its strong rejection of the renewal of the so-called Fact-Finding Mission, which was approved by the Human Rights Council of United Nations. In a statement, Caracas declared that the renewal of this body is “illegitimate” and serves “exclusively political objectives” in favor of the United States government.


In a statement, Caracas declared that the renewal of this body is “illegitimate” and serves “exclusively political objectives” in favor of the United States government.  It stated that these missions have become “instruments of coercion and blackmail against sovereign peoples and governments” and represent “a clear indication of the deviation of United Nations institutions.”

Furthermore, the statement denounced their incapacity to address genuine acts of crimes against humanity, such as the genocide in Palestine and the bombing of civilians in Lebanon perpetrated by the State of Israel.

“The Government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela has demonstrated a strengthened commitment to human rights,” which is “much more solid than that of most governments that today promote its instrumentalization to reverse the advances of the revolutionary democratic process in Venezuela,” concludes the declaration.

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US, Cuba Tackle Obstacles to Normalizing Relations

Posted on October 12, 2024 by Anthony Brenner

Oct 11 (The Christian Broadcasting Network – CBN) U.S. and Cuban officials are meeting in Havana Thursday to talk about normalizing relations.

Roberta Jacobson, the top American diplomat for Latin America, is leading the U.S. delegation. She’s the most senior U.S. official to visit Cuba since 1980.

The two countries will discuss how to bring a Cuban ambassador to the United States and how to re-open the American Embassy in Havana.

Cuba is asking that the United States remove it from a U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism. Washington says it’s considering the possibility.

Cuba is also asking for broad changes to U.S. immigration rules that allow virtually automatic legal residency for any Cuban who touches U.S. soil.  So far the United States has rebuffed that demand.

The Cuban government has long blamed Cold War policy for luring tens of thousands of Cubans every year to make dangerous journeys by land and sea to reach the United States.

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said the “wet foot, dry foot” approach, which usually protects Cubans from deportation if they reach the America, remains in effect.

He also stressed, however, that Cubans trying to enter illegally would likely be interdicted and returned.

The number of Cuban rafters attempting to reach Florida spiked after President Barack Obama’s Dec. 17 announcement on normalizing relations with Cuba. In recent days, those numbers appear to have slowed.

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Cuba’s Deteriorating Food Security and Its Implications for U.S. Agricultural Exports

Posted on October 12, 2024 by Anthony Brenner

October 2024

U.S. Department of Agriculture logo

Economic Research ServiceU.S. Department of Agriculture

Economic Research Report No. (ERR-340) 38 pp

by Steven Zahniser, Lila Cardell, Yacob Abrehe Zereyesus, and Constanza Valdes

Cuba’s economy, which has been struggling since 2016 and fared poorly during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, is facing lower tourism revenues, decreased agricultural output, energy shortages, and double-digit inflation. This continuing economic downturn is limiting Cuba’s ability to import agricultural products. Along with reductions in domestic agricultural production, which have weakened Cuba’s ability to supply its own food, Cuba faces a growing food security problem. To assess the extent of this problem, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Economic Research Service (ERS) applied the International Food Security Assessment (IFSA) model. Results indicate that an estimated 12.8 percent (1.4 million people) in Cuba did not meet the daily threshold of 2,100 calories per capita in 2023. Due to uncertainties regarding the measurement of Cuba’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the report’s authors considered a scenario with adjusted GDP per capita and estimated that 37.8 percent of the population (4.2 million people) was food insecure. Although Cuba’s declining agricultural production increased the need for agricultural imports, the country’s ongoing challenges in earning foreign exchange limit its ability to do so. Under these circumstances, U.S. agricultural exports to Cuba increased in 2021, 2022, and 2023 but were concentrated in a single commodity, chicken meat.

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“From Gaza to Cuba”

Posted on October 12, 2024 by Anthony Brenner

In 4 days, on October 15th at 8 PM EST, we will host the virtual screening and panel event for our new documentary, From Gaza to Cuba.

Click HERE to reserve your spot at the live event!

Murid Abukhater, the protagonist of the film and a medical student at the Latin American School of Medicine (ELAM), will be joined by:

Anaheed Al-Hardan (Moderator) – educator, scholar & author of Palestinians in Syria: Nakba Memories of Shattered Communities

Hibah Osman – physician and assistant professor at Harvard Medical School, Chair of Faculty Committee at Gaza Educate Medics

Alice Rothchild – OB/GYN, filmmaker, author & organizer, member of Jewish Voice for Peace health advisory council

Jenen Hani Alzwaraa – Palestinian Medical Student at the Latin American School of Medicine (ELAM)

Reed Lindsay – journalist and filmmaker at Belly of the Beast

We hope to see you there!

Use our social media toolkit to help us spread the word about this important and inspiring film and event!

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Third Asia-Havana Meeting concludes in Cuba

Posted on October 11, 2024 by Anthony Brenner
The meeting included presentations of pairings of Habanos with rum, expert conferences, artistic performances, and visits to some of the most iconic tobacco factories

Havana, Oct 11 (RHC) The 3rd Asia-Havana Meeting, inaugurated last Tuesday, concluded today at the Casa del Habano of the Trip Habana Libre Hotel of the Spanish Meliá chain.

The event achieved the goal of strengthening the position of the Casa del Habano and enhancing the image of Caracol SA’s shops as the preferred destination of tourists.

According to a notification from the company, responsible cigar consumption was also promoted, partnerships with clients were established, and the identity of several products were enhanced.

The Meeting brought together lovers of Cuban cigars and rum from Asia, mainly China. As in previous editions, citizens of other countries were also welcomed.

The meeting included presentations of pairings of Habanos with rum, expert conferences, artistic performances, and visits to some of the most iconic tobacco factories. (Source: PL)

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G77 and China demand exclusion of Cuba from US terrorist list

Posted on October 10, 2024 by Anthony Brenner

Havana, Oct 9 (Prensa Latina) The Group of 77 and China adopted a ministerial declaration condemning the inclusion of Cuba in the arbitrary US list of States that sponsor terrorism, the island’s Foreign Ministry reported today.

The bloc requested the immediate exclusion of the Caribbean country from the list, during the 48th Meeting of Foreign Ministers of the G77 held on September 27 in New York, the source said.

The participants recognized at the meeting that the measure of the US Government has reinforced the effects of the blockade, including the difficulties of Cuba to carry out financial and commercial operations, threatening the subsistence and integrity of the Cuban people.

The ministerial declaration “is a valuable expression of solidarity that adds to the more than 900 statements that this year have demanded the immediate rectification of this serious injustice against the Cuban people”, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the island.

The G77 and China is the most diverse multilateral advocacy group, with 134 member states representing two-thirds of the United Nations membership and 80 percent of the world’s population.

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Cuban president expresses solidarity with Petro in the face of coup attempt

Posted on October 10, 2024 by Anthony Brenner
“The coup d’état has begun”, said the ruler after the message of the Plenary Chamber of the National Electoral Council (CNE). Photo: EFE

Havana, October 10 (RHC)– Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel has expressed his solidarity with his Colombian counterpart, Gustavo Petro, who denounced that he is facing an ongoing coup d’état.

“All our solidarity with the President of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, who denounced an attempt to subvert the popular will as part of the actions of the oligarchies in the region against progressive governments,” the Cuban head of state said in a message on his account on the X social network.

The Colombian president affirmed on Tuesday that he initiated a coup d’état against him and against the pro-government political coalition Pacto Histórico.

“The coup d’état has begun,” said the Colombian president after the message of the Full Chamber of the National Electoral Council (CNE), which decided to open an investigation and bring charges against the first and second round presidential campaign of the coalition Historical Pact, represented ”by citizens Gustavo Petro Urrego, candidate; Ricardo Roa Barragán, campaign manager; Lucy Aydee Mogollón Alfonso treasurer, María Lucy Soto Caro and Juan Carlos Lemus Gómez, auditors; the political movement Colombia Humana and the political party Unión Patriótica (UP); for the alleged violation of the electoral campaign financing regime”.

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Cuban drug Nimotuzumab, a hope against cancer

Posted on October 10, 2024 by Anthony Brenner
The drug was created by researchers from the Center for Molecular Immunology and is included in the Basic List of Medicines since 2010

Havana, Oct 9 (RHC) Created by researchers from the Center for Molecular Immunology (CIM), the drug Nimotuzumab has become one of the leading products of Cuban biotechnology for the treatment of cancer.

It obtained the sanitary registration granted by the Center for State Control of Medicines, Equipment and Medical Devices on February 19, 2002, for its use in the therapy of advanced head and neck tumors in adults.

Doctor of Medical Sciences Tania Crombet Ramos, director of Clinical Research at the CIM, explained to the press that the drug prevents the uncontrolled proliferation of malignant cells leading to the spread of cancer, and activates the immune system. It is usually used in combination with irradiation and chemotherapy.

According to Dr. Crombet, a result recently presented at the Annual Congress of the American Society of Clinical Oncology showed that survival in patients with locally advanced head and neck cancer, treated with chemo-radiotherapy together with Nimotuzumab, was 44.28 months compared to 33.36 months for the group of those who were treated only by chemo-radiotherapy.

Included in the Basic List of Medicines since 2010, Nimotuzumab is part of the portfolio of anti-cancer products. It also received new medical records in China last February, for its use in pancreatic, head and neck carcinomas.

Furthermore, nations such as Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Canada, India, Brazil and Germany have recently conducted clinical research with the Cuban drug in different cancer locations. (Fuente: Granma)

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Forum on prestigious Mexican diplomat concludes in Cuba

Posted on October 10, 2024 by Anthony Brenner
Forum on prestigious Mexican diplomat concludes in Cuba

Havana, Oct 9 (RHC) The 2nd “Gilberto Bosques, Ambassador to Cuba Forum” concludes today in Havana.

The event, inaugurated on Tuesday, brings together historians and members of the foreign services of Cuba and Mexico to commemorate the work of Gilberto Bosques, a Mexican ambassador who served as Cuba’s ambassador from 1953 to 1964.

Gathered at the Benito Juárez Mexico House Museum, the participants emphasized the human values and courage of Gilberto, who, during a turbulent period in Cuba’s history, helped save people persecuted by Fulgencio Batista’s dictatorship (1953-1959).

They recalled that, because of his support for Cuba’s cause, he was requested by the revolutionary government after January 1st, 1959, to remain in his position.

At the opening of the forum, Mexican ambassador to Cuba Miguel Díaz emphasized the importance of documenting history and remembering the legacy of Gilberto as a leader in historical diplomacy based on his country’s principles.

He also thanked historians, researchers, and institutions from both countries for their efforts in documenting Gilberto’s legacy for diplomacy and friendship between Mexico and Cuba.

This Wednesday, the ties between Cuba and Mexico will be discussed with emphasis on close cultural and historical links. (Fuente: PL)

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