Cuban President opens Cuba Salud 2025, a meeting for universal well-being

Posted on April 22, 2025 by Anthony Brenner

Havana, April 21 (Prensa Latina) President Miguel Díaz-Canel led the opening ceremony of the 5th International Convention Cuba Health 2025 here today, which will host 5,000 delegates from some 88 countries and focus on universal health coverage.

  • Photos: Vladimir Molina

At the opening, the organizers noted that the event is dedicated to Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro Ruz, the chief strategist of the Cuban healthcare system.

The multidisciplinary event, attended by some twenty health ministers, featured an opening lecture by the head of the department in the Caribbean nation, José Ángel Portal: “Cuba and the One Health Paradigm: Science and Human Commitment to Face Global Challenges.”

Cuba Salud 2025, which hosts the 2nd Medical Tourism and Wellness Fair, held at the Havana Convention Center and the Pabexpo exhibition center, has the theme “Universal Health Strategies, based on the One Health approach, for sustainable development.”

The event, which hosts some 400 scientific activities and more than 200 keynote addresses, panels, symposia, and meetings, will provide a space for reflection on current and future challenges facing national and international health.

The first Cuba-China Science and Innovation Symposium will also take place, where topics related to biotechnology will be addressed and will include interventions by several rectors of medical universities in the Asian country.

Prior to the event, Díaz-Canel and the president of the Cuban National Assembly, Esteban Lazo, inaugurated the exhibition on the National Health System, which showcases the main indicators and achievements of recent years in 14 stands, a period marked by significant challenges for healthcare workers in the country.

As part of the planned activities, the first National One Health Congress will be held. It will address the Caribbean nation’s comprehensive health strategy, integrating the knowledge and active participation of all sectors of society, from agriculture to education to water and energy resources.

“Cuba Salud 2025” will also host the 16th Health for All Fair from the 21st to the 24th at the Pabexpo fairgrounds. Considered the most important trade fair in the Cuban healthcare sector, it seeks to identify markets and share knowledge. Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero was present at its opening.

Touring more than 100 stands at the 16th International Health for All Fair, Marrero met with executives from nearly 220 companies present at Pabexpo.

For his part, Cuban Vice Prime Minister Eduardo Martínez noted that the major event will be characterized by a strong commitment to science and innovation in the field of health.

He emphasized that China is the guest of honor at Cuba Salud 2025, and the exchanges developed within the framework of the fair will impact the Caribbean nation’s healthcare system.

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Official mourning in Cuba for the death of Pope Francis

Posted on April 22, 2025 by Anthony Brenner

Havana, April 21 (Prensa Latina) Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel declared a state of official mourning today for the death of the supreme pontiff of the Catholic Church, His Holiness Pope Francis, national television reported.

The measure will be in effect from 6:00 a.m. local time on April 22nd until midnight on April 24th.

According to the statement, Pope Francis was very active in seeking solutions to global problems affecting humanity and the environment, and a fervent advocate for peace.

He agreed with Cuba on many issues on the international agenda during his long and distinguished career as head of state and spiritual leader, the text stated, highlighting his contributions to strengthening relations between this Caribbean nation and the Holy See, based on respectful dialogue.

Moved by deep feelings of affection for the Cuban people, he interceded for the improvement of relations between the United States and Cuba, advocating for the U.S. government to abandon its blockade policy against our nation, he emphasized.

The statement also recalled the friendship the Supreme Pontiff maintained with Army General Raúl Castro and his reception of President Miguel Díaz-Canel at the Holy See in June 2023.

While the official mourning period is in effect, the national flag will be flown at half-mast on public buildings and military institutions.

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The Italian Association of Friendship with Cuba celebrates its 64th anniversary

Posted on April 20, 2025 by Anthony Brenner

Rome, Apr 19 (Prensa Latina) The National Association of Italy-Cuba Friendship (ANAIC) celebrates today the 64th anniversary of its founding, which occurred hours after the victory at Playa Girón, achieved by the people of that Latin American nation against a U.S. invasion.

A statement from the organization commemorates its creation on this day, April 19, 1961, after hours of fierce fighting led by Commander in Chief Fidel Castro, annihilated the attempted landing of a brigade of mercenaries serving US imperialism.

“Thousands of people around the world took to the streets to protest against this US-orchestrated operation, as well as to express their solidarity with the Cuban Revolution,” and “in major Italian cities, many comrades flooded the avenues and squares in solidarity with Cuba,” the document recalls.

These actions provided the impetus for the formation of the first Anaic groups, “which today is rooted throughout the country with 77 groups and thousands of activists who, daily and tirelessly, sacrificing their free time and often their families,” support the Cuban people in the defense of their revolutionary process.

“After 64 years of continuous existence, we want to thank our activists and comrades for the work they do daily, and all the citizens who support us” in numerous actions, including denunciations of the criminal economic, commercial, and financial blockade imposed on Cuba by the U.S. government, they expressed.

“We wish to remember the presidents who left us, Arnaldo Cambiaghi and Roberto Foresti,” and “we would like to thank Irma Dioli and Sergio Marinoni for the extraordinary work they did during their presidency,” reads the statement from the organization, currently headed by Marco Papacci.

“For our part, our commitment remains to continue raising awareness of the reality of the Cuban Revolution, supporting and defending it,” Anaic emphasizes, reaffirming in the final part of that note that “Long live solidarity among peoples!”, “With socialist Cuba, always until victory!”, and “Homeland or death, we will win!”

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Cuba denounces the continuation of Israeli genocide in Gaza

Posted on April 20, 2025 by Anthony Brenner

Havana, April 19 (Prensa Latina) Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez today denounced the continued massacre perpetrated by Israel against the Palestinian population in the Gaza Strip.

In his profile on X, the highest representative of diplomacy of this Caribbean nation pointed out that the Hebrew state exterminates and expels the civilian population of that territory, despite calls to end the genocide.

Meanwhile, he noted, the Zionist government has been preventing the entry of humanitarian aid into the Strip since March 2 and has seized 30 percent of Gazan territory under the false pretext of creating “security zones.”

This Thursday, Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit warned that the Palestinian cause now faces the most dangerous threat in its history, amid what he described as a war of extermination launched by the Israeli army.

Speaking at the 57th session of the Higher Coordination Committee for Joint Arab Action, held in Tunis, the official criticized the international community’s silence.

Aboul Gheit also called for work to strengthen the Palestinian people’s struggle for freedom and independence.

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Cuban President calls on youth to defend the Revolution

Posted on April 20, 2025 by Anthony Brenner

Matanzas, Cuba, April 19 (Prensa Latina) Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel called on his country’s youth today to safeguard the Revolution against the constant aggression of the United States, 64 years after the victory at Playa Girón.

In a conversation with more than 100 young people at the scene of the defeat of the Washington-sponsored mercenary invasion in 1961, he reflected on the historical legacy of that feat and the relevance of its significance.

All the answers are in our history, the president affirmed, adding that Girón reaffirmed the value of unity and the idea of ​​not renouncing independence, sovereignty, and self-determination.

The meeting gained special poignancy with the testimony of Nemesia Rodríguez, a survivor of the bombings prior to the mercenary landing, who shared with the young people her experiences as a child during those crucial days, reported the Cuban News Agency.

The young participants, from western provinces, emphasized the importance of experiencing history in the places where it occurred and proposed extending this type of event to the entire country.

Cuba’s history is heroic, and we are feeling it alongside them in every setting, the president wrote on his X account, while reporting on the meeting.

On the sands of Playa Girón, where the empire tried to sink its claws and found a people ready to defend their Revolution, we met with more than a hundred young people, he noted in his message.

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Díaz-Canel congratulates the president-elect of Gabon

Posted on April 19, 2025 by Anthony Brenner

Havana, April 18 (Prensa Latina) Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel today called for strengthening bilateral ties with Gabon and congratulated the African nation’s president-elect, General Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema.

The Cuban head of state congratulated the dignitary elected in the presidential elections of April 12 and reiterated “the will to deepen bilateral relations of brotherhood and cooperation between our peoples and governments.

General Nguema, 50, led a military junta that overthrew former Gabonese ruler Ali Bongo, winning over 90 percent of the electorate.

In his acceptance speech, he asserted that he would govern for all Gabonese people and restore constitutionality.

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The Dance of the Bowls on the Head, from China to Cuba

Posted on April 19, 2025 by Anthony Brenner

Havana, April 18 (Prensa Latina) Chinese actress and dancer Zhang Lin, visiting Cuba today to participate in the International Urban Landscape Dance Festival, will present “Head Bowl Dance,” a work included in the Intangible Cultural Heritage list.

She is the only member of the Chinese delegation participating in the competition, which will take place from April 25 to 27 in Havana, and which will move freely, with a symphony, metaphorically speaking, in which the body is the main protagonist.

At an event featuring theoretical forums, yoga and contemporary dance workshops, flamenco and tango music, and other activities, Lin performs this dance with the ease of a bird in mid-flight, holding bowls on its head.

The Mongolian “Head Bowl Dance” is a unique form of traditional Mongolian dance, possessing profound cultural richness and high artistic value, according to the event program.

Through dancer Lin’s skills and graceful movements, multiple symbolic meanings are conveyed, the statement added.

Lin, with cups attached to her head, usually made of porcelain, maintains the stability of these vessels while spinning and jumping in her dance, demonstrating her body control and balance.

This dance, through the central element “the bowl on the head,” integrates life, ceremony, and faith into a whole.

The 2025 edition of the International Urban Landscape Dance Festival will feature artists from Bulgaria, China, Spain, and Mexico, the latter country having the largest delegation of dance companies.

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Díaz-Canel: Cuban doctors are the pride of the nation and many countries around the world

Posted on April 19, 2025 by Anthony Brenner
Cuba was the only country to send a contingent of doctors, nurses, and other professionals to respond to the 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa. More than 260 Cuban professionals fought this dangerous hemorrhagic disease in Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea Conakry.

More than 600,000 Cuban doctors have provided services in 165 countries around the world since 1963. Currently, 24,000 Cuban doctors work in 56 countries.

April 17 (teleSUR) In his recent podcast, Desde la Presidencia, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez emphasized his pride in Cuban doctors working around the world, and emphasized that the training and education of health professionals is one of Cuba’s strengths.

The audiovisual program featured the Minister of Public Health, José Ángel Portal Miranda, and Dr. Carlos Ricardo Pérez, who currently serves as Secretary General of the Cuban Red Cross after completing several missions as a member of medical brigades in different countries.

READ ALSO :

Caribbean leaders defend the hiring of Cuban doctors in the face of U.S. threats.

Díaz-Canel placed special emphasis in his platform on the campaign of hatred and discredit launched by counterrevolutionary elements from the U.S. and Europe, stating that it is only part of the Cuban far-right’s cynical plan to harm the country.

https://youtu.be/5ONet9kgPos

Portal Miranda, who also referred to this abject campaign, highlighted that the recognition of Cuban doctors is an issue that bothers the US government and those who want to see the end of the Revolution .

Díaz-Canel emphasized that Cuban medical cooperation is provided free of charge, creating schools for the training of local human resources . This, according to the Cuban President, is an example of genuine solidarity and humanism that contrasts with the profit-driven nature of other healthcare.

For his part, Pérez responded to those who accuse Cuban doctors of being slaves, calling such statements disrespectful and offensive, recalling the Hippocratic Oath, which commits doctors to act with conscience and dignity, prioritizing the health and lives of their patients.

These smear and disinformation campaigns against Cuba are nothing new; they are part of a strategy to harm the export of medical services by defaming the achievements of the Cuban health system. As part of imperialism’s unconventional warfare design, they are used to create the necessary conditions for the long-awaited political transition or military intervention that Cuban annexationists have always desired .

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Furthermore, the Head of State and the Minister of Health explained that the foreign currency generated by medical collaboration is primarily allocated to the Cuban healthcare system and public care.

Díaz-Canel emphasized that the Trump administration’s desperate campaign to block medical cooperation seeks to close off all avenues of income to Cuba and deprive other nations of quality health services .

Milestones of Cuban medical missions

During the podcast, it was recalled that over the years, more than 605,000 health workers (many have done so several times, but each mission counts as one) have cooperated in 165 countries, where they have provided more than 2.3 billion consultations .

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There are currently more than 24,000 Cuban collaborators in 56 countries .

Medical cooperation also includes the training of more than 87,980 students from 150 countries , both inside and outside Cuba, including 31,236 at the Latin American School of Medicine (ELAM), headquartered in Havana.

Honduran and Garifuna doctor Luther Castillo Harry , currently his country’s Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation and a graduate of ELAM, also spoke during the podcast. He asserted that there is no doubt worldwide about the technical, scientific and human capacity of the Cuban health professional.

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Havana, a city in motion with the International Dance Festival

Posted on April 18, 2025 by Anthony Brenner

Havana, April 17 (Prensa Latina) The International Urban Landscape Dance Festival returns to the Cuban capital with an extensive program that includes theater and dance, combined with film and a variety of other events, its organizers announced today.

From April 25th to 27th, Havana will be in full swing, with a metaphorical symphony in which the body is the main protagonist, at an event featuring theoretical forums, yoga and contemporary dance workshops, flamenco and tango music, and more.

The 29th edition of the competition will feature artists from Bulgaria, China, Spain, and Mexico, the latter country having the largest delegation of dance companies.

Among the Cuban participants are the Danzando Sociocultural Project, the Ecos Flamenco Company, the prestigious university student troupe Danza Voluminosa, the Raíces Profundas Company, and the Rosario Cárdenas Company, all based in the capital.

Meanwhile, the Cuban provinces of Matanzas and Cienfuegos will also be present with Danza Espiral and the Nexos 2.0 Company, respectively.

Among the goals this year of the International Festival of Dance in Urban Landscapes are to enhance the artistic and cultural heritage of Havana’s Historic Center, highlighting Cuban and universal identity, and encouraging companies to create choreography inspired by the architectural spaces where the event takes place.

Also to raise awareness of the assets of urban architecture and historical memory.

Another festival within the festival will take place at Bella Plaza, a project in the heart of Old Havana that showcases the potential of one of the capital’s most popular spaces.

This is Plaza Vieja, which will host the “Plaza Viva” project, an initiative that will bring the city into a state of revelry for three days.

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Cuban institutions receive awards for creativity and innovation

Posted on April 18, 2025 by Anthony Brenner

Havana, April 17 (Prensa Latina) The Center for Molecular Immunology (CIM) and the Information Technology and Advanced Telematic Services Company (Citmatel) received the 2024 “Creativity and Technological Innovation” awards from the Cuban Industrial Property Office (OCPI) today.

In the invention category, the Ocpi recognized CIM for the method for obtaining hyposialylated recombinant human erythropoietin for the treatment of nervous system disorders, called NeuroEPO PLUS, which includes a new fermentation and purification process, obtaining a composition different from NEUROEPO.

The product shows favorable results in clinical trials in patients with Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and hereditary ataxias.

With an internal industrial property system, CIM’s main activities include researching, developing, producing, marketing, and exporting biotechnology and pharmaceutical products for the diagnosis and treatment of diseases, with a special emphasis on cancer and other chronic non-communicable diseases.

Since its founding, it has filed a total of 76 inventions, 31 of which are active. These patents have generated a total of 696 patent registrations in Cuba and abroad, primarily in developing countries, BRICS countries, and Southeast Asia.

In the Distinctive Signs category, the Ocpi awarded the prize to Citmatel’s GYSCOM Brand, which since 2021 has distinguished the company’s products and services for national and international e-commerce marketed through its high-performance platform.

At the same time, it strengthens alliances to expand access to resources and specialized knowledge with universities, science and innovation entities, science parks, and innovative foreign companies.

Citmatel maintains technological monitoring of the evolution and trends of the digital market and, through its GYSCOM brand, promotes the expansion of marketable offerings for the national public.

Furthermore, it has an established intellectual property system, uses patent information in R&D and innovation projects, and evaluates technologies it plans to acquire abroad; it has eight registered and valid trademarks, a corporate logo and a trade name, and international registrations in Mexico and Spain.

It also has copyright registrations supporting 148 e-books, 10 audiovisual works, and seven software programs; and all its operations are backed by a certified integrated management system, which covers quality, the environment, and occupational health and safety.

The “OCPI Award for Creativity and Technological Innovation” was established in 1997 with the aim of recognizing not only the relevant innovative activity of creators and institutions, but also the achievement of successful strategies in the field of industrial property that have enabled greater competitiveness.

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