San Salvador, Aug 17 (Prensa Latina) The historic leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro, remains in the memory of Salvadorans in solidarity with the island today, 99 years after his birth.
Fidel lives on in the validity of his thought as one of the great figures of the last century, which allowed him to travel to the future to warn the world of the dangers of the unpayable foreign debt for developing countries and the climate crisis that today threatens human existence, for example, according to attendees at a cultural gathering in this capital.
Ideas like these were expressed at the event held this Saturday in this capital, where solidarity groups commemorated the work of the “Comandante” in an atmosphere that included songs by Cuban singer-songwriter Carlos Puebla, whose lyrics expressed his anti-imperialist views.
Many remembered the verses of “the fun is over, the Commander arrived and ordered it to stop,” alluding to the end of the debauchery of the American monopolies in Cuba,
The tribute was enlivened by Salvadoran singer Moisés Ramos, who performed several pieces popularized by Puebla and his group.
Present at the event was Cuban Ambassador to El Salvador Tomás Lorenzo, who took the opportunity to denounce the latest US aggression against his country, which adds to the measures implemented by the Donald Trump administration during its first term.
The Cuban diplomat thanked Salvadorans for their solidarity in honoring Fidel on his birthday.
On August 13, among other activities, solidarity groups gathered at the José Martí roundabout in this capital to commemorate Fidel’s birth and his great work for humanity, with the profound internationalist sentiment that characterizes the Cuban Revolution.
Guatemala City, Aug 17 (Prensa Latina) The Cuban Medical Brigade today receives another recognition in its more than 26 years here, on behalf of the people of Guatemala, from the Coordinator of Solidarity with José Martí Island.
In an event honoring the 99th birthday of the Commander-in-Chief of the largest island in the Caribbean, the Guatemalan organization hailed the Caribbean white-coated professionals as a living symbol of internationalism, commitment, and humanity.
Since their arrival in 1998, amidst the emergency caused by Hurricane Mitch, their doctors have been in the most forgotten corners of our land, bringing health, hope, and dignity to those who need it most, he added.
For more than two decades, its doctors, nurses, and technicians worked tirelessly in rural and indigenous communities, facing adverse conditions with courage and dedication, he emphasized.
They saved lives, restored the vision of thousands through Operation Miracle, and have been pillars in the fight against epidemics and health emergencies, the Coordinator described. Their presence in many departments of the country, their delivery to hospitals, health centers, and remote villages, is a testament to a cooperation that transcends borders, she emphasized.
They are true heroes in white coats, whose legacy will remain engraved in the memory of our people, emphasized its members gathered in this capital.
They thanked the Brigade for giving life, for demonstrating that medicine can also be an act of love, and for reminding everyone that solidarity among nations is possible when people are at the center.
At the event, the Cuban Consul in Guatemala, Raúl Antonio Cardoso, expressed his deep gratitude for the recognition, while describing the affection and love that the Antillean doctors have received from the Guatemalan people as significant.
Aura Lily Escobar, representative of the José Martí Solidarity Coordinator, recalled that even during the COVID-19 pandemic, they were in the land of the quetzal, serving the people.
That speaks volumes about the care provided, their professionalism, and their willingness, because they are doctors who provide their services voluntarily, he emphasized.
They came to cover what many doctors here didn’t do, to stay in the most remote places, where not a single medicine was available, where many people died just from a cold or diarrhea, Escobar reflected.
Hanoi, Aug 16 (Prensa Latina) The Vietnam Red Cross-led campaign to support Cuba more than tripled its initial goal today, raising more than 219 billion dong (about $8,338,000).
The amount, reached just 72 hours after the initiative’s launch, was reported here by the news website VTV24, part of the Digital Content Production and Development Center (VTV Digital).
The campaign’s initial goal was to raise 65 billion dong (more than $2.47 million), and this goal was doubled the day before, when contributions from more than 598,368 individuals and organizations totaled 125.32 billion dong (about $4.77 million).
Speaking to the press shortly after the results were announced, Cuban Ambassador Rogelio Polanco expressed his deep appreciation for the extraordinary participation of the Vietnamese people in this initiative to support their country.
What we’ve experienced in recent hours cannot be achieved without a deep sense of unity between our peoples, a legacy forged by several generations of leaders led by President Ho Chi Minh and Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro, he emphasized.
Polanco also stated that “this campaign has touched the deepest souls of the Vietnamese people, demonstrating their generosity, altruism, and human courage for a nation thousands of miles away.”
He also noted that, as the organizers of the successful initiative stated, this is also a call for international solidarity. “May peoples unite to clearly, sincerely, and forcefully express the love we feel when a nation is under attack, as the Cuban nation is today,” he said.
On behalf of the Communist Party, the State, the Government, and the people of Cuba, the ambassador also expressed his deepest gratitude to the authorities and people of Vietnam for this new demonstration of profound solidarity and the love that once again fuels the close relationship between the two countries.
The campaign to support the Cuban people, launched here this Wednesday on the occasion of Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro’s 99th birthday and in the context of the Vietnam-Cuba Year of Friendship and the 65th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, will run until October 16.
Los Palacios (Cuba) (AFP) – Outside Havana, a combine belonging to a private Vietnamese company is harvesting rice, directly farming Cuban land — in a first — to help address acute food shortages in the country.
Issued on: 15/08/2025 – France 24
The Cuban government has granted Agri VAM, a subsidiary of Vietnam’s Fujinuco Group, 1,000 hectares (2,470 acres) of arable land in Los Palacios, 118 kilometers (73 miles) west of the capital.
Vietnam has advised Cuba on rice cultivation in the past but this is the first time a private firm has done the farming itself.
The government approved the move after a 52 percent plunge in overall agricultural production between 2018 and 2023, according to data from the Center for the Study of the Cuban Economy at the University of Havana.
The rice numbers are even worse. Total rice production dropped from 300,000 tons in 2018 to 55,000 tons in 2021, in the depths of the COVID pandemic. The number is slowly recovering, authorities say.
Rice is a staple of the local diet, with Cubans consuming 60 kilos (132 pounds) of rice per person per year.
During a media visit to its rice fields in May, an Agri VAM representative said the harvest yield to date is seven tons per hectare, “but we want more.”
That number dwarfs the ton and a half yield-per-hectare of Cuban growers.
Vietnam experienced the kind of food shortages that Cuba is going through now, in the 1980s. Today, the Southeast Asian country is the world’s third exporter of rice and a valued consultant to other rice-growing nations.
“The climate and the temperature are very good for agriculture,” but Cuban growers lack necessary farming products such as fertilizers, the Agri VAM representative told reporters.
Though Agri VAM can import some materials, it faces other obstacles such as fuel shortages, transportation problems and frozen assets, Cuban economist Omar Everleny Perez and other sources with knowledge of the situation told AFP.
Agri VAM and other foreign firms in Cuba may be making profits but “they cannot transfer them abroad because the banks have no liquidity, no foreign currency,” Perez said.
An independent Cuban media outlet, 14ymedio, recently published excerpts of a letter dated in May, in which Agri VAM asked the Cuban government to unfreeze $300,000 in its account at state-owned International Financing Bank.
Vietnam’s state press in May quoted deputy agriculture minister Nguyen Quoc Tri asking the government in Havana “to eliminate investment barriers that Vietnamese companies encounter.”
AFP contacted Agri VAM and Cuban officials but got no response.
Cuba is mired in an acute economic crisis and desperately in need of foreign investment. Vietnam and other allies have shown interest.
In July, Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz announced that Havana was taking measures “to energize foreign investment” as he authorized “wholly foreign-owned companies” in the hotel sector.
After three years of promises, Russia’s deputy prime minister Dmitry Chernyshenko announced in May that Russian businesses want to invest $1 billion in Cuba. Moscow will give them preferential financing rates, he said.
But he cautioned that there is “still hard work to be done” and said it is “impossible to achieve things immediately, as if by magic.”
Havana, Aug 15 (Prensa Latina) President Miguel Díaz-Canel today received Namibian Ambassador Samuel Hendrik Goagoseb, who concludes his mission at the head of his country’s diplomatic mission in Cuba.
According to the presidential website on the social network X, the president thanked the Namibian ambassador in Havana for his contribution to the development of historic relations between the two peoples.
The Cuban Foreign Ministry noted on its official website that the Caribbean and African countries base their relations on the brotherhood and internationalist solidarity forged in the struggle against colonialism and apartheid.
He also highlighted that between 1970 and 1980 Namibian fighters from the South West Africa People’s Organization (Swapo) participated alongside Cuban troops in Angola, confronting the South African occupation.
On March 21, 1990, coinciding with Namibia’s Independence Day, diplomatic relations between the parties were formalized.
Brasilia, Aug 14 (Prensa Latina) The National Association of Cuban Residents in Brazil (Ancreb-José Martí (JM)) today condemned the recent actions and statements by the United States government against the Más Médicos program and the national authorities involved in its implementation.
In a statement obtained by Prensa Latina, Ancreb-JM describes the allegations made by U.S. officials as “false accusations,” which are attempting to delegitimize one of the most emblematic social programs of the last decade in Brazil.
Created in 2013, Mais Médicos (More Doctors) was born in response to an alarming reality: millions of Brazilians, especially in rural and indigenous areas, lacked access to any type of basic medical care.
From its inception, Cuban doctors have played a key role in this program, serving communities historically neglected by the Brazilian health system.
For Ancreb-JM, the current attacks are more than just political aggression: they represent an attempt to criminalize international solidarity cooperation.
“Cuba’s participation in Más Médicos has saved countless lives,” the document states, denouncing that “attacks against this program are, in reality, attacks against the human right to health.”
The island’s legacy of medical collaboration is not new. For decades, thousands of Cuban healthcare professionals have provided services in countries across Africa, Latin America, and Asia, guided by a profoundly humanistic ethic.
The phrase from the historic leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro, quoted in the declaration – “Doctors, not bombs” – sums up the spirit of these missions.
Amid the current international landscape, where humanitarian crises are multiplying and access to healthcare remains a privilege for many, defending initiatives like Más Médicos takes on even greater importance.
Ancreb-JM closes its message by reaffirming its commitment to the Caribbean nation’s legacy of solidarity, Brazil’s sovereignty, and the right of all peoples to fair and universal healthcare systems.
On November 14, 2018, Cuba reaffirmed the solidarity and humanistic spirit demonstrated by its healthcare professionals in dozens of countries by announcing the withdrawal of Mais Médicos from Brazil, in response to conditions imposed by then-President-elect Jair Bolsonaro.
“The people of Our America and the rest of the world know that they can always count on the humanistic and caring spirit of our professionals,” the island’s Ministry of Public Health stated in a statement on the occasion.
As part of Más Médicos (More Doctors), the Ministry of Health stated, in the last five years, nearly 20,000 Cuban collaborators treated 113,359,000 patients in some 3,600 municipalities, “reaching a universe of up to 60 million Brazilians.”
Washington, Aug 14 (Prensa Latina) While a small group of detractors in high-ranking U.S. officials slander Cuban internationalism, its organized contribution to the needs of humanity is an example for all, activist Cheryl LaBash said today.
LaBash, co-president of the National Network on Cuba in the United States, told Prensa Latina that as attacks and slander against medical missions continue, it’s good to remember that 20 years ago, the Caribbean nation was the first to reach out to the American people after a devastating hurricane.
It was the leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro, whose centenary we will celebrate, who called for volunteers to help those affected by Hurricane Katrina, which devastated New Orleans and the U.S. Gulf Coast in August 2005, he added.
“More than 1,586 fully equipped medical professionals waited for the United States to allow them to come and help,” LaBash noted, emphasizing that no response was ever received from Cuban authorities, but “one thing was clear: it was a selfless, voluntary gesture that speaks volumes to Cuba’s humanistic and supportive spirit.”
He commented that “although Cuban medical internationalism began in the early years of the Revolution, it was in 2005 that Fidel named it the Henry Reeve Brigade, in honor of the former U.S. Civil War soldier who fought in Cuba against Spanish colonial rule.”
Despite economic difficulties and the U.S. blockade, Cuba continues to provide, contribute, and save millions of people around the world, he said.
For Samira Addrey, a board member of the US-based organization IFCO-Pastors for Peace, Cuba’s collaboration in health is a feat and a bastion of hope for many people around the world, she said in a recent interview with this news agency.
According to Addrey, a graduate of the Latin American School of Medical Sciences in Havana, “the world should recognize Cuba not only for its medical achievements, but for the humanity of its people.”
This Wednesday, the State Department announced visa restrictions for officials from African countries, Brazil, and Grenada involved in Cuban international health cooperation programs.
The measure targets them for hiring Cuban medical missions, which the U.S. administration baselessly describes as forced labor in its smear campaign against a program through which Cuba has helped save millions of lives around the world for decades.
The announcement, made by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, includes former members of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), whom he accuses of “complicity in the medical missions plan.”
In the case of Brazil, the State Department said it will revoke and restrict visas for government officials from that South American nation linked to the Mais Medicos (More Doctors) health program carried out in cooperation with Cuba.
This follows sanctions issued by the Donald Trump administration in February and June against officials from Central American countries associated with medical missions on the Caribbean’s largest island.
The Cuban government has assured that it will not halt its medical missions. Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez stated on his social media account that his country “will continue providing services.”
Rodríguez warned that the measure demonstrates that “imposition” and “aggression” are the “new doctrine of foreign policy” of the United States under the Republican administration of President Trump.
On May 23, 1963, the first Cuban medical brigade arrived in Algeria to provide its services. Since then, the presence of Cuban health professionals has been reported in 165 countries, with more than 600,000 collaborators, according to official data.
Currently, there are 54 brigades with more than 22,600 collaborators, responding to the needs expressed by each of the governments requesting services through these legitimate cooperation programs.
Havana, Aug 13 (Prensa Latina) Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel thanked The People’s Forum for the tribute it paid in the United States to the historic leader of the Revolution, Fidel Castro, on the occasion of his 99th birthday.
The president acknowledged the gesture of the American solidarity group, whose tribute, he wrote in X, “is moving and confirms the undeniable closeness between the peoples of Cuba and the United States, in these days of right-wing extremism and unhealthy hatred of global revolutionary thought.”
A neon sign located at the intersection of 34th Street and 8th Avenue in New York City today commemorates the 99th birthday of the commander-in-chief, various media reported.
“A revolutionary leader and defender of the oppressed, Fidel lives on in all those who fight for a better world,” wrote The People’s Forum, the organization promoting the initiative, on the social network.
Washington, Aug 13 (Prensa Latina) The Cuban Embassy in the United States today welcomed artists, intellectuals, social activists, and friends to its headquarters to celebrate the life of the leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro, on the 99th anniversary of his birth.
With the well-attended event on Wednesday afternoon, the island’s diplomatic mission began its commemorative cycle for the centennial—in 2026—of the man considered “a revolutionary titan, a visionary leader, and an enduring symbol of resilience, dignity, and solidarity,” said Chargé d’Affaires Lianys Torres, welcoming the event.
This August 13th, he said, “we don’t just remember Fidel; we celebrate the indelible legacy of a man who transformed the destiny of Cuba and inspired millions of people around the world.”
Words, poetry, and music came together. Prominent intellectual James Early presented the book “Fidel Castro: A Canadian’s View,” by Montreal writer, academic, and journalist Arnold August, who was unable to attend due to being denied entry into the country by U.S. authorities.
Dr. Early, former director of Cultural Studies and Communication at the Smithsonian Institution’s Center for Folklife and Cultural Studies Programs in Washington, D.C., reiterated his admiration for one of the most influential political figures of the 20th and part of the 21st centuries.
Regarding Fidel Castro, he said he was an exceptional human being who made connections with all of humanity, not only in the fight for Cuban sovereignty, independence, and self-determination.
The evening also saw the unveiling of two paintings by Ian Matchett, whose work is inspired by the tradition of social realism. A resident of Detroit, Michigan, the artist expressed his respect for Cuba, “a proud, independent, and sovereign nation” that “has endured more than 60 years of blockade (by successive U.S. governments).” His portraits captured the spirit of the revolutionary hero, whom he described as “a great helmsman in the midst of dire times.”
The event also featured Cuban hip-hop artist Jonathan Mackenzie, who read a poem and performed a song dedicated to the leader of the Revolution.
Fidel Castro was born on August 13, 1926, in Birán, present-day Holguín province (east), and his passing on November 25, 2016, at the age of 90, caused international commotion.
Throughout his life, the island’s State Security services identified hundreds of plots in various stages of development to physically eliminate him. Between 1958 and 2000, he escaped unscathed in 634 assassination plots.
Fidel asked that no statues or plazas be erected in his honor, so the monolith where his ashes rest in the Santa Ifigenia Cemetery in the eastern city of Santiago de Cuba features only the five letters of his name.
Havana, Aug. 12 (Prensa Latina) The world celebrates International Youth Day today with a look at the role of young people in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a priority that Cuba shares.
The official commemoration of the International Year of Youth 2025 will take place this Tuesday in Nairobi, Kenya, in collaboration with UN-Habitat. A variety of knowledge products, including multimedia storytelling, infographics, and a set of digital participation tools related to the celebration, are planned.
In line with the United Nations (UN)’s intention, this year was dedicated to “Local Youth Actions for the SDGs and Beyond,” highlighting the critical role of youth in turning global aspirations into community-driven realities.
The global organization also works to implement the global goals in specific local contexts, aligning them with community needs and maintaining consistency with national and international commitments, an area in which young people are key players, he says.
It will also highlight the essential role of local and regional governments in creating inclusive policy environments, allocating resources, and establishing mechanisms for youth participation in local planning and decision-making.
This population group brings “creativity, insight, and deep community ties that help bridge the gap between policy and practice. With more than 65% of the SDG targets linked to local governance, youth participation is not a luxury, but a necessity,” the UN emphasizes.
Every year on August 12, International Youth Day (IYD) draws global attention to the challenges and opportunities facing young people and recognizes their contributions to all aspects of global development, the organization stated in a recent publication.
In this context, Cuba is promoting summer activities with the participation of its youth and recently enacted a Code for Children, Adolescents, and Youth, which expands the legal framework for the protection, development, and participation of people aged zero to 35.
