Panama City, June 29 (Prensa Latina) Panamanians and Cubans reached the top of Ancón Hill in this capital today to condemn the U.S. blockade imposed on the island for more than six decades, but destined to fail, they said.
In a symbolic and emotional event organized by the Cuban embassy on the isthmus, and after climbing the 199-meter-high hill from which the Central American nation’s largest flag flies, members of the state mission, Cuban residents, and solidarity groups demanded an end to the hostile policy.
On behalf of the participants, diplomatic official Yuniarque Canto noted that the harshness of the siege has not prevented the Revolution, which triumphed in 1959, from protecting the health and quality of life of the population, especially the most vulnerable.
As he explained, one expression of this cruel economic war can be seen in the obstacles they must overcome to acquire medical supplies and equipment and to provide care for people’s health, as demonstrated during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Canto emphasized the spirit of resistance that has characterized the Caribbean nation and that emerges as a greater human shield against the most brutal and prolonged siege the world has ever known.
Among the participants in the walk, members of the Martí Association of Cubans Residing in Panama highlighted that a similar commitment to their homeland was evident at the recent VII Meeting of Cubans Residing in Latin America and the Caribbean, held in the Dominican Republic between the 13th and 15th of this month.
According to Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez, this criminal measure constitutes the most ruthless, comprehensive, and prolonged economic warfare policy ever imposed on any country.
He also stated that as a result of the blockade, Cuba suffered losses of $5.568 billion from March 1, 2023, to February 29, 2024, representing an increase of nearly $200 million compared to the previous report submitted to the United Nations.
The estimated impact is more than $421 million per month, or $13.8 million per day, and he noted that over 60 years, these impacts have risen to $1 trillion 499 billion.
For the island’s top diplomat, Havana’s arbitrary inclusion on the State Department’s list of countries that allegedly sponsor terrorism deepens the difficulties and significantly affects Cuban families.
Rome, June 29 (Prensa Latina) The 4th Festival of the National Association of Italy-Cuba Friendship (ANAIC) concludes today in the city of Cava dei Tirreni, in the southern province of Salerno, after three days of solidarity activities with that country.
This Sunday’s program will be dedicated to the Cuban medical brigade providing aid to the people of the Calabria region, and will feature members of the medical team working in that southern Italian region, who will share their experiences, according to a statement.
As a special guest at this celebration, Gerardo Hernández, a Hero of the Republic of Cuba, arrived in Italy on June 23rd at the invitation of Anaic (National Institute of Statistics and Census), to participate in a broad program in several cities across the country, which will run until July 9th.
The national coordinator of the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution, a deputy, and a member of his country’s Council of State, will also be present at the Third International Meeting “Europe for Cuba,” to be held early next month in the northern city of Venice.
The Anaic festival began on June 27 at the Convent of San Francisco and San Antonio in Salerno, with a conference on Santería, between Catholicism and resistance, given by Cuban residents in Italy, Ulises Mora and Irma Castillo, promoters of the Timbalaye cultural project.
During the initial session, coordinated by Loredana Marino, representatives from Anaic, anthropologist Laura Marchetti, and Luigi de Magistris, former European Parliamentarian and former mayor of Naples, spoke.
Last Saturday, at 5:30 p.m. local time, an Anti-Fascist Roundtable was held, in which the writer Sonia Zanotti, the jurist Mirelle Fanon, the Cuban sociologist Indira Pineda, the Venezuelan consul Esquia Rubín, as well as the filmmaker Loredana Macchietti, president of the Gianni Miná Foundation, took part.
This was followed by a panel chaired by Marco Papacci, president of Anaic, on the topic of Cuba: The Island in Defense of Humanity in the Trump Era. Speakers included Cuban ambassadors to Italy Mirta Granda and Gerardo Hernández, as well as journalists Annalisa Capaldo, Erminia Pellecchia, and Giorgia Bozzetto.
In their interventions, the panelists addressed the current situation in the Caribbean country and its people’s struggle to defend their Revolution amid growing U.S. aggression, including a criminal economic blockade, aggravated by Cuba’s unjust inclusion on a list of alleged sponsors of terrorism.
Today, in addition to the session dedicated to the charitable work of Cuban doctors in Calabrian hospitals, there will be a debate, coordinated by the former president of Anaic, Irma Dioli, on the topic of Peace Beyond Wars.
The jurist Michela Arpicale will speak, along with Franco Dinelli, director of the Pax Christi Study Center, journalist Matteo Cosenza, and Italian diplomat Elena Basile.
Panellists discuss opportunities for biomedical technology cooperation between Việt Nam and Cuba. — Photo courtesy of the organiser
June 29, 2025 — VietNam News
LÂM ĐỒNG — Vietnamese and Cuban scientists and policymakers discussed opportunities for biomedical technology cooperation at a workshop in Lâm Đồng Province on June 28.
The event was jointly organised by the Lâm Đồng Provincial People’s Committee and the Green Economy Institute (GEI) to concretise and implement the Politburo’s Resolution 57-NQ/TW on breakthroughs in science, technology development, innovation and national digital transformation.
The workshop brought together more than 200 experts, scientists, representatives of leading agencies, organisations and businesses from Việt Nam and Cuba in the biomedical field.
The workshop served as a forum to discuss cooperation, promote technology transfer, exchange experts and develop applied products based on inventions, patents and technical solutions with commercialisation potential from Cuban scientists, such as treatment of cancer, stroke and diabetes, as well as public healthcare and high-tech agriculture.
Resolution 57 has identified science, technology, innovation and digital transformation as key driving forces and inevitable paths to bring Việt Nam rapid and sustainable development in a new era. The resolution also particularly emphasises the development of spearhead high-tech industries, including key areas like biotechnology and especially biomedical technology.
Secretary of the Party Central Committee and Head of the Central Policy and Strategy Commission Trần Lưu Quang speaks at the workshop. — Photo courtesy of the organiser
Speaking at the workshop, Secretary of the Party Central Committee and Head of the Central Policy and Strategy Commission Trần Lưu Quang highlighted advanced biomedical technology as one of 11 strategic technology priorities for Việt Nam.
Cuba has become a successful model of innovation in the field of advanced biomedical technology, successfully building a complete, international biotechnology ecosystem with autonomy from research and development to production and commercialisation, according to Quang.
“Today’s workshop is an opportunity for us to thoroughly discuss the potential for cooperation between the two countries, the mechanisms and conditions necessary to establish and operate a Việt Nam – Cuba Biomedical Technology Cooperation Centre located in Lâm Đồng. I believe that the centre will be the nucleus to form a complete biotechnology ecosystem, not only serving the two countries but also replicating the cooperation model with other international partners,” Quang said.
According to the deputy secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and chairman of the People’s Committee of Lâm Đồng Province, Trần Hồng Thái, Lâm Đồng will create a favourable investment environment with specific policies to attract Cuban and Vietnamese enterprises to invest in the province.
“Cooperation with Cuba, a country with leading global biomedical technology, is the first strategic step in this roadmap. Lâm Đồng is committed to accompanying domestic and foreign partners to develop biotechnology into a new spearhead industry of national and regional significance,” Thái said.
Việt Nam is currently the third-largest Asian trading partner of Cuba. The two countries have untapped potential and investment opportunities, such as processing of agricultural products and food, consumer goods, and many other items.
Consul General of the Republic of Cuba in HCM City Ariadne Feo Labrada said that Cuba has a high level of development in biotechnology, biomedicine, medicine and pharmaceutical production, both in the fields of human and animal health care, as well as in agricultural production.
Labrada also confirmed that Cuba will work closely with Vietnamese authorities, organisations, governments and the business system to bring and transfer technology and experience in biomedical and biotechnology products to Việt Nam.
At the workshop, experts and businessmen from Việt Nam and Cuba shared opportunities and challenges in cooperation to transfer and apply biotechnology.
They said that biomedical technology and biotechnology are important foundations in developing a sustainable green economy, in line with the orientation of the Party and Government. They also introduced products and technologies for treating cancer, stroke and diabetes, as well as for community health care and high-tech agriculture.
Representatives of GEI and the Labiofam Group (Cuba) signed a comprehensive cooperation agreement at the workshop. — Photo courtesy of the organiser
Within the framework of the workshop, the GEI and Cuba’s Labiofam Group signed a comprehensive cooperation framework agreement on joint research, development, production and trade of agricultural biotechnology, natural medicine products and research projects to serve people’s healthcare needs and sustainable agricultural development.
The GEI also signed an MoU on comprehensive cooperation with the Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology on cooperation in research, development, production and trade of agricultural biotechnology products and research projects, notably vaccines for livestock, poultry, aquatic animals and biological food preservation products.
Lâm Đồng currently has 1,247 species of plants with medicinal value, accounting for nearly 40 per cent of the total number of medicinal species in the country. The province’s Langbiang Biosphere Reserve was recognised by UNESCO in 2015 as one of the most important biodiversity conservation centres in Việt Nam and Southeast Asia, a place to preserve the rare genes of many medicinal species with high economic value. — VNS
HAVANA, Cuba, Jun 27 (ACN) The 53rd Venceremos Brigade will travel to Cuba next month, continuing the history of the US solidarity brigade with the Revolution founded in 1969, reported the Cuban Friendship Institute (ICAP by its Spanish acronym).
This year’s group includes 30 members of the LGBTQIA+ community, representing diverse gender expressions and identities, from 11 states in the northern nation.They condemn the US policy of maximum economic pressure against the Cuban people.
The brigade, the first group of its kind in the history of the Cuba solidarity movement, will arrive on July 21 to carry out 10 days of activities and celebrate the 26th, National Rebellion Day, alongside Cubans.
The visit program includes exchanges with Cuban institutions and professionals in fields of sexuality, health, and community projects, tours of sites of cultural and historical interest, and volunteer work, essential to the group since its inception.
In a press release, ICAP expressed its gratitude to its American friends for their visit and their defense of Cuba in the face of the growing hostility and harassment by the U.S. government, which is futilely attempting to subdue the people.
After winning three in a row, the Cubans will have a day off on Saturday
Yant scores 21 as the Caribbean come from behind to beat the Netherlands
Published 27 Jun 2025 — Volleyball World
Cuba men’s national team will head into the weekend with a lot to celebrate as the Caribbean secured their third-straight comeback victory in the second week of the Volleyball Nations League 2025 in Belgrade on Friday.
Playing for a third-straight day in the Belgrade Arena, the Cubans showed no signs of fatigue and had the energy to erase a first-set loss and beat the Netherlands 3-1 (21-25, 25-18, 25-21, 30-28), repeating what they had done against Germany on Wednesday and Serbia on Thursday and getting their third-straight comeback victory is as many days.
With nine points collected this week alone and 12 overall (four wins, three losses), the Caribbean now appear in fifth place in the VNL 2025 standings. The Dutch, who won just one of their first seven matches in this week’s edition of the tournament, are 16th, with three points.
“It was very hard,” middle blocker David Fiel reacted. “The first two matches were very stressful, both mentally and physically. But we came in determined to get a win today. It didn’t matter how we did it, the most important thing today was to get the victory. We have a very good team and everyone can help, as they did today.”
The Cubans got the victory in the same way they typically do, as their overpowered their opponents both at the net, leading the Dutch in kills (64 to 57) and blocks (13 to six), and the service line, getting three aces to the Netherlands’ two, and created the cushion needed to compensate for their higher number of errors (27 to 21).
The VNL 2025 top scorer, outside hitter Marlon Yant again came up big for the Cubans, leading the team with a match-high 21 points (20 kills, one block). Opposite Jose Masso (17), outside hitter Jose Gutierrez (15) and middle blocker Roamy Alonso (14) also had solid performances for the winning side.
On the Dutch side, opposite Silvester Meijs and outside hitter Tom Koops led the team with 15 points apiece, while 34-year-old outside hitter Ramon Martinez-Gion delivered 13 in his debut with his country’s national team.
“We’re trying to fight for every point here this week and hopefully some matches will go our way,” Martinez-Gion said. “Today it was very close and we were a little bit unlucky not getting at least a fifth set. But we have more matches coming soon and our focus is on that.”
Earlier on Friday in Belgrade, Iran defeated Argentina 3-1 (25-21, 22-25, 25-22, 25-22). Saturday’s schedule in the Serbian capital will have Germany and Iran playing the first match, at 16:30 local time (14:30 GMT), and Serbia and Argentina battling at 20:00 (18:00 GMT).
Havana, June 28 (Prensa Latina) Visiting the museum in Cuba that preserves the memory of the famous American writer Ernest Hemingway is more than just a huge satisfaction for visitors, it is an experience worth experiencing on multiple occasions.
At Finca Vigía, as this property is also known, located about 15 km from the historic center of this city, the presence of the Nobel Prize winner in Literature is felt in every corner, where art, culture, and history converge in perfect harmony.
National and international participants gathered here for the 20th Ernest Hemingway International Colloquium, which opened last Wednesday with the presence of academics, scholars, and admirers of the life and work of the author of “For Whom the Bell Tolls.”
The Gigi’s Stars Community Children’s Baseball Project welcomed everyone to the venue with a small representation of the sport they passionately display, both in spirit and on their jerseys.
The reproduction of the Nobel Prize in Literature scroll was then unveiled, an activity coordinated with the Swedish Embassy in Cuba.
Today we are donating a photographic reproduction of the Nobel Prize diploma that Ernest Hemingway received in 1954, symbolizing the cultural ties between Sweden and Cuba, said Magnus Johansson Foddrell, First Secretary of the Embassy in Havana.
Later, tourists and Colloquium guests saw—some for the first time—the museum where Hemingway completed For Whom the Bell Tolls and wrote Across the River and Into the Trees, The Old Man and the Sea, A Place Like Home, and Islands in the Gulf, as well as numerous newspaper articles.
Many of the works on display there, and the decor itself, are a source of wonder; however, the collection of more than 900 records, spanning a wide variety of genres, reveals a little-known side of the narrator: his exquisite taste in art.
At the closing ceremony, simple but moving, the participant’s diploma was presented to the founder of the Colloquium, Gladys Rodríguez Ferrero, and the rest of the speakers.
With the invitation to participate in the 2027 edition, a competition that honors a writer whose work is considered among the classics of 20th-century literature concludes.
Havana, June 27 (Prensa Latina) The decision by the U.S. embassy here to deny a visa to the delegation that was scheduled to participate in a women’s volleyball tournament in Puerto Rico is making headlines in major national media outlets today.
A statement issued Thursday by the Cuban Volleyball Federation (FCV) reported that the team would be unable to attend the NORCECA Final Four, scheduled for July 16-21, due to visa denials.
The text describes this measure as “unfair and discriminatory, and contrary to the precepts of sport.”
The FCV explains that this conduct, contrary to the commitments inherent to the responsibility assumed by host countries of international sporting events, hinders Cuba’s presence in a competition included in the qualification process for the Central American and Caribbean Games and counts toward the NORCECA and world rankings.
Several media outlets on the island have similarly described this hostile behavior, which is aligned with Washington’s policy of maximum pressure on Havana since Donald Trump returned to the White House.
Imperial arrogance, arrogance, abuse of power, and disrespect for the rules of the Olympics are also among the most repeated criticisms on digital social media regarding the topic.
According to the statement from the island’s Federation of this sport, the 16 members (12 athletes, two coaches, one referee, and one team manager) were notified at the U.S. diplomatic headquarters in Havana, where they submitted the request “in accordance with the established deadlines for such a process.”
The deliberate denial or delay of visa applications to hinder the participation of Cuban sports teams in tournaments held on U.S. soil has become a common practice of the Washington government, and has been denounced on each occasion by the island’s authorities.
Havana, June 27 (RHC/ACN) — The Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement on Friday, reiterating that Cuba does not and will not recognize any moral or legal authority of the Organization of American States (OAS), nor of any of its officials and subsidiary or autonomous bodies.
For months, U.S. Secretary of State Marcos promoted a campaign to position Rosa María Payá Acevedo, a well-known defender of the blockade against Cuba, as an impartial human rights expert on the OAS’s Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), narrowly achieving her election through pressure and economic blackmail.
However, her history of supporting coups d’état, promoting military interventions, and ignoring international norms demonstrated her lack of suitability.
This maneuver, part of an anti-Cuban obsession, seeks to exploit the IACHR to attack Cuba’s medical cooperation, even demanding confidential information from OAS member states, violating their sovereignty.
Because of its importance, we are publishing the full statement issued by the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs:
U.S. Pressure and Blackmail Impose Mercenary on the OAS Inter-American Commission on Human Rights
For months, the U.S. Secretary of State has unleashed an operation to try to transform a prominent member of his roster of salaried defenders of the blockade and aggression against Cuba into an impartial human rights expert.
Despite the dignified, courageous, and legitimate position of numerous governments in Our America, multiple pressures and threats, including blackmail claiming the United States would cut budgets for cooperation programs in the hemisphere, led to the narrow election of the notorious mercenary Rosa María Payá Acevedo as Commissioner of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.
However, the efforts of the Secretary of State, who made it a priority of his Department to whitewash the candidate’s record, did not erase the new Commissioner’s shameful record of supporting coups d’état, spreading lies, and promoting military interventions and economic warfare policies in the region.
As confirmed by the Independent Panel for Evaluating Candidates for the Inter-American Human Rights System, Payá Acevedo “demonstrated limited knowledge of international human rights standards, jurisprudence, or doctrine,” and her political activity “may call into question the appearance of independence in the judgment of a reasonable observer.”
The Center for Economic and Policy Research issued a special report on this candidate, stating that “Ms. Payá’s public record demonstrates a repeated disregard for human rights and international law in this area” and that she spread “disinformation about OAS member state governments.”
The Secretary of State, with his delusional anti-Cuban obsession and contempt for Our America, has succeeded in imposing one of his favorite employees to defend coercive policies that are universally rejected.
Facts like this demonstrate that hemispheric relations need a profound transformation.
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights is being used right now by the United States Secretary of State as part of his immoral campaign against Cuba’s medical cooperation. To this end, it has unprecedentedly required all OAS member states to respond to a detailed questionnaire on the agreements they have or have had with Cuba regarding cooperation in the health sector, which many consider an unprecedented request and a violation of state sovereignty.
Cuba reiterates that it does not, and will not, recognize any moral or legal authority over the OAS or any of its officials and subsidiary or autonomous bodies.
Havana, June 27 (Prensa Latina) Academics and scholars, all admirers of the work of the celebrated American writer Ernest Hemingway, are meeting here today to recall his legacy and share knowledge at the international colloquium that bears his name.
There are only a few hours left until the end of the event, whose Academic Session takes place in the Universal Art Building of the National Museum of Fine Arts.
From there, participants will access the history preserved in the pages of the book “Hemingway’s Havana and Other Stories” by Cuban journalist, writer, and essayist Ciro Bianchi and will visit the San Gerónimo University College in Havana.
The academic program of the 20th Ernest Hemingway International Colloquium also included the presentations The Presence of Botany in the Finca Vigía Collection, and Panarchy, Learning and Transformation in the “Great River with Two Hearts.”
Ernest Hemingway and his relationship with Geography, and Hemingway’s anti-fascist struggle will be other investigations that will highlight the figure of the author of The Old Man and the Sea (1952).
This journey through the life and work of the Nobel Prize winner in Literature is a must-see for the “Hemingway’s Havana” tour, with visits to Sloppy Joe’s Bar and Floridita Bar.
The event, which began last Wednesday and will conclude tomorrow, provides a platform for exchanging information with specialists and institutions affiliated with the museum that bears the writer’s name, as well as for comparing recent works about his life and work.
This edition commemorates the 90th and 85th anniversaries of the first publication of the novels “The Green Hills of Africa” and “For Whom the Bell Tolls,” respectively.
It also commemorates the 65th anniversary of the completion of “A Party to Live” and the meeting between Fidel Castro and Hemingway in Havana on May 15, 1960.
Havana, June 27 (Prensa Latina) Cuban authorities and tourism specialists are seeking substantial support from the multi-destination region to promote the recovery of the country’s travel industry.
This opinion was echoed this Friday by 80 experts on the subject, representing tour operators, travel agencies, hoteliers, and airlines, who participated in the First Multi-Destination Forum, held for two days (June 26-27) at the Meliá Cohiba Hotel in Havana.
The meeting took place during the first day in the hotel’s Salón Cetro and closed at the Havana Café.
The discussions, exchanges, and discussions also included a delegation from Venezuela and another from Honduras, as part of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America-People’s Trade Agreement (ALBA-TCP).
During these sessions, 61 meetings were held and 76 agreements were signed, resulting in 15 multi-destination products, they reported at the closing ceremony.
Attendees agreed on the success of the meeting and advocated for holding it regularly. The organizers also highlighted the presence of delegates from 15 airlines, a key factor for multi-destination plans.
Among the objectives, details were learned about connections between Cuba, Mexico, Panama, Venezuela, Jamaica, and the Dominican Republic (locations such as Cancun, Punta Cana, Varadero, and Santiago de Cuba) based on various proposals submitted by the participating firms.
The travel agency Ecotur, dedicated to adventure, nature, and rural tourism, highlighted the fact that, together with Enjoy Travel of Spain, they offer routes that even facilitate the participation of tourists included in plans for travelers with disabilities or reduced mobility.
Companies such as Cubatur, Cubanacán, Havanatur, Cubabooking, Bojorques, Vivas, San Cristóbal, and a long list of companies are participating with the aim of making a joint effort to promote multi-destination travel.
At the meeting, they also outlined plans to boost visits by this type of Chinese vacationer, with plans for combined stays of approximately 15 days, offering a variety of excursions, visits, experiences, and enjoyment.
Topics such as “A Single Trip” were noted, which involve Cancun, Havana, Margarita Islands, Santiago de Cuba, and Kingston.
Recipes for combining destinations, maximizing airline revenue, and customer satisfaction round out the comments from those attending the multi-destination forum.
