Transport Fair concludes in Cuba with hundreds of agreements

Posted on April 4, 2025 by Anthony Brenner

Havana, April 3 (Prensa Latina) The third edition of the International Transport and Logistics Fair (FITL 2025) in Cuba concluded today, and among its results is the signing of some 130 business documents, said the minister of the sector, Eduardo Rodríguez.

From April 1 to 3, more than 200 companies from various countries gathered at the Pabexpo exhibition center to showcase their products, projects, and experiences, demonstrating the global interest in strengthening our logistics capabilities, Rodríguez stated during the closing ceremony of FITL, which was attended by the country’s president, Miguel Díaz-Canel.

Rodríguez specified that the signed documents include contracts, memoranda, and agreements that will boost exports and support the recovery, development, and gradual growth of Cuba’s transportation system.

He added that progress is being made on the project for the first electric bus terminal for public passenger transportation in Havana, as well as on the acquisition of 20 new electric buses for the transportation of aviation workers, which will also support public mobility.

Other results include the national industry’s potential to provide electric hearses, as well as improve maritime passenger transportation to and from the Isle of Youth, he listed.

These days, he said, we have felt the satisfaction of seeing projects conceived in previous editions become reality, and we are certain that this will happen in greater numbers in the fourth edition.

We know we need to do much more, to move forward at a faster pace, he emphasized, while acknowledging the urgency of finding solutions to the challenges, for which new ideas and paths that lead to the recovery of transportation in Cuba are valued.

In Rodríguez’s opinion, the meetings with Fair attendees show the way to what needs to be changed to move forward at a faster pace.

Near the end, he thanked the attendees for their contributions and their belief in the potential of the transportation and logistics system amid the difficult situation the country is facing. He also highlighted the presence at FITL 2025 of the provincial transportation delegates, who face complex problems on a daily basis.

Together, we can continue on the path toward the sustainable development that Cuba and our people need, he stated.

At the end, the Minister of Transportation announced the 4th International Transportation and Logistics Fair, which will be held in 2027.

lam/tdd

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April, a month to highlight Cuba’s commitment to children’s health

Posted on April 4, 2025 by Anthony Brenner

Havana, April 3 (Prensa Latina) An April for Pediatrics is the motto of a campaign that will take place this month in Cuba to highlight the importance of children’s health and the work of professionals in their care.

Institutions, communities, and social organizations in the Greater Antilles are joining forces with the Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP) to promote various actions that raise awareness about the challenges in pediatric care.

These include educational activities, vaccination days, and cultural events designed to engage families and industry professionals.

They are convened by the Cuban Society of Pediatrics, the National Department of Maternal and Child Care, the National Postgraduate Directorate of the Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP), the national and provincial Pediatric groups, and the National Department of Nursing.

The National Road Safety Symposium will be held today and tomorrow in this capital. Under the slogan “Stop the risks and reach your destination,” the event seeks to raise awareness about accident prevention and the importance of collective responsibility.

From April 7 to 12, quality standards for comprehensive care for adolescents will be monitored in 35 municipalities across the country. This initiative aims to evaluate and strengthen care for this population group.

The calendar continues with a Pediatric Open House, scheduled for April 21-25, where the community is invited to learn more about the world of children’s health and experience firsthand the sensitivity and humanism of the specialists’ work.

Professional training and development also take center stage during this commemoration, as a workshop on methodological preparation for child and adolescent consultations will be held from April 14 to 20.

The organizers also announced the holding of a National Ultrasonography and Hemodynamics Workshop in various Neonatal services, and a virtual course on pediatric surgery that will strengthen technical skills in this field.

In addition, the new Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Protocol will be presented, reinforcing the institutional commitment to protecting children’s rights.

In parallel, a polio vaccination campaign will be carried out starting April 22, a crucial initiative for preventive health care at early ages. Scientific workshops for pediatric residents will be held at regional universities on April 28, promoting the exchange of knowledge and innovative experiences.

The campaign is scheduled to conclude on April 30th, with keynote addresses that will review the achievements, evaluate the impact of the initiatives, and outline challenges and action plans to consolidate future strategies.

lam/lpn

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Russian Vice President pays tribute to Fidel Castro in Cuba

Posted on April 4, 2025 by Anthony Brenner

Santiago de Cuba, April 3 (Prensa Latina) The Vice President of the Government of the Russian Federation, Dmitry Nikolaevich Chernyshenko, paid tribute today to the historic leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro, before the monolith that houses his ashes, in the Santa Ifigenia heritage cemetery.

The Russian leader described the beginning of his official visit to the cemetery as highly symbolic, at the request of President Vladimir Putin, while affirming that his country will always stand by Cuba and assist it in the legitimate defense of its sovereignty.

Chernyshenko mentioned that both nations will celebrate several important dates this year, such as the eightieth anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War, the sixty-fifth anniversary of the restoration of relations between Russia and Cuba, and the five hundred and tenth anniversary of the founding of the city of Santiago de Cuba.

According to the Cuban News Agency, the vice president expressed his honor to “be here and pay tribute to the Cuban heroes who gave their lives for the sovereignty and happiness of future generations.”

He emphasized the importance of remembering Cuban heroes and educating young people with respect and admiration, “so that they remember everything these people did for the country.”

The high-ranking official also laid wreaths at the tomb of Cuban National Hero José Martí, and at those of Mariana Grajales and Carlos Manuel de Céspedes, Mother and Father of the Nation, respectively.

During his stay in Havana, Chernyshenko will co-chair the 22nd Session of the Russian-Cuban Intergovernmental Commission for Economic, Commercial, and Scientific and Technical Cooperation.

mem/mks

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Cuban delegation attends World Telecommunications Conference

Posted on April 3, 2025 by Anthony Brenner

Asunción, April 2 (RHC)– A Cuban delegation took part in the World Telecommunications Development Conference for the Americas this week in Paraguay, according to executives from this sector on the Caribbean island.

According to Tania Velázquez, the Executive President of the Cuban Telecommunications Company (Etecsa), the delegates from this Caribbean nation participated in the forums and working meetings organized within the framework of the World Conference to promote the development of new technologies and connectivity in the region.

The event, which ended on Wednesday, April 2nd, in Asunción, the capital of Paraguay, is considered one of the most important in the field of telecommunications and was organized by the National Commission for this sector in that country and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

In statements to the newspaper La Nación, Cosmas Zavazava, president of the ITU, noted that the Americas have great potential, which is why the organization believes in innovation in telecommunications.

“The region must not be left behind in terms of telecommunications development and has the capacity to overcome challenges such as the digital divide in each country, the ethical use of artificial intelligence, among others,” he explained.

More than 150 delegates from 33 countries took part in the World Telecommunication Development Conference for the Americas Region. 

(Source: PL)

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European Month in Cuba on the big cultural screen

Posted on April 3, 2025 by Anthony Brenner

Havana, April 2 (Prensa Latina) The third edition of Europe Month in Cuba will take place from April 9 to May 9 (Europe Day) as a major cultural event with cinema as the central theme and more than 70 activities.

At a press conference held in the Historic Center, Isabel Brilhante, ambassador of the European Union (EU) delegation in Havana, announced that in addition to the initiatives in the capital, there will be presentations in Gibara (Holguín), Isla de la Juventud, and Matanzas.

He highlighted that one of the most anticipated offerings is the eighth European Film Festival, which will bring the best of contemporary cinema from the region, with new showcases of Swedish and Polish cinema.

He announced that member countries will be represented at the Gibara International Low-Fairness Film Festival and the Isla Verde International Caribbean Film and Environment Festival.

Among the new features for 2025, the organizers highlighted the first European Theater Showcase, featuring works from Poland, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and Germany; and the first European Literature Festival.

A literary festival is planned, with a creative writing course taught by Cuban author Leonardo Padura. Also planned is the launch of the Café de Europa, designed for sharing experiences and dialogue, debuting with a film theme and featuring Cuban director Fernando Pérez and actor and filmmaker Jorge Perugorría.

It was reported that the film offerings include a special screening of Swedish crime fiction and others featuring Polish nostalgic films.

As in previous years, the European Study Fair and the Magical Night of the Stars, among other events, remain on the calendar.

According to reports, the event includes concerts, opera, exhibitions, children’s activities, dance, painting and literature exhibitions, and many other artistic expressions.

The event will coincide with the month of Spanish culture in Cuba, which includes the 31st La Huella de España festival, dedicated this year to the Balearic Islands.

Brilhante emphasized that the festival brings together all the arts and represents a vision that seeks to reflect the historical and cultural ties between the island, its institutions, and the EU countries.

This year, the embassies of Norway, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom joined the event.

arc/dla

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Díaz-Canel: Cuba sustains a battle of honor against adversity

Posted on April 2, 2025 by Anthony Brenner

Guantánamo, Cuba, April 1 (Prensa Latina) President Miguel Díaz-Canel affirmed that Cuba continues to wage the battle of honor against adversity today, as he participated in the commemoration of an important historical event in the war against Spain.

“I spoke about this with a group of young people, with whom we commemorated the 130th anniversary of the landing of (Antonio) Maceo, Flor Crombet, José Maceo and twenty other patriots (who arrived) aboard the Schooner Honor,” he wrote in X.

He also asserted that “history today takes us back to Duaba, a river in Baracoa and a heritage site,” the scene of the aforementioned event that marked the return of a portion of the Mambi leaders to restart the struggle for independence from Spain.

(The mambisado leaders) “came to consecrate the union of generations in the Necessary War,” the president emphasized on that social network.

The Cuban president met with the young people, who discussed their life experiences and memories left by the history of the charming city of Baracoa, located more than a thousand kilometers east of Havana.

According to the Presidential website, the first secretary of the Union of Young Communists, Meybis Estévez, defended the legacy of Antonio Maceo, calling him a guide for the present and an inspiration for the future.

Audiovisual producer Roly Peña, author of the television series “Duaba; The Odyssey of Honor,” highlighted the patriotic sentiment of those men who put the cause of the nation’s freedom above the disagreements among some of their generals.

Earlier, the head of state, along with Roberto Morales, Secretary of Organization of the Cuban Communist Party (PCC), led the traditional pilgrimage to Duaba Beach, which has taken place since 1903 and is considered one of the oldest in the country.

After walking four kilometers from the Family Doctor’s office to the base of the obelisk commemorating the landing, Díaz-Canel and other officials participated in the commemorative event for the anniversary.

The first secretary of the PCC Central Committee laid a red rose near a floral wreath placed there on behalf of the Cuban people, dedicated to the Mambises who, after 17 years of waiting, returned to their homeland in search of definitive independence, the media outlet reported.

lld

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Cuba and Iran highlight the importance of bilateral relations

Posted on April 2, 2025 by Anthony Brenner

Havana, April 1 (Prensa Latina) Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez today received Saeed Khatibzadeh, deputy foreign minister and president of the Iranian Institute for Political Studies, in Havana.

In his account on X, the Antillean chancellor highlighted the importance that Havana places on high-level political dialogue and the development of bilateral ties in multiple sectors.

The Cubaminrex website described the meeting as cordial, during which the parties highlighted the existing brotherhood between the two countries, as well as their mutual interest in continuing to foster economic, trade, and cooperation ties.

They also discussed unilateral coercive measures and other aggressions that the United States government and its allies are applying against various states. In this context, Rodríguez updated the visitor on the impact of the US blockade.

The top Cuban diplomat thanked the Iranian deputy foreign minister for his government’s long-standing support for the international call to end this policy, while rejecting the coercive measures the Iranian nation is facing.

The diplomats also discussed the complex situation in the Middle East, the scale of Israel’s aggression, and the threats to regional and international peace, stability, and security, the Foreign Ministry’s website reported.

Cuba and Iran established relations on February 10, 1975, which were interrupted in 1976 and reestablished in 1979, following the triumph of the Islamic Revolution, the source explained.

arc/lld

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Cuba calls on wealthy countries at ECLAC to comply with development aid

Posted on April 2, 2025 by Anthony Brenner

Santiago, Chile, April 1 (Prensa Latina) Cuba affirmed today at ECLAC that five years into the horizon outlined in the 2030 Agenda, its principles are far from being fulfilled, and urged wealthy countries to honor what they have agreed to in official development assistance.

By Carmen Esquivel

Participating in a forum on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the head of the Cuban delegation, William Díaz, warned about the lack of political will among the most economically advanced nations to contribute 0.7 percent of their Gross Domestic Product to this goal.

The reform of the international financial architecture, encompassing both institutions and their governance structure, cannot be delayed, said the director general of international cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Investment (Mincex).

The official also urged facilitating access to long-term financing and improving assistance, technology transfer, and capacity building programs.

In his remarks, the Cuban representative denounced the obstacles to development created by unilateral coercive measures applied against several countries.

He cited the case of the unjust and criminal blockade maintained by the United States against Cuba for more than six decades and, in particular, the inclusion of the island on the list of alleged sponsors of terrorism, a place it should never be.

The blockade affects all sectors, and one of its greatest impacts is the persecution of all our financial transactions, the Mincex official told Prensa Latina.

The meeting, held at the headquarters of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, aims to share experiences to overcome the region’s gap in achieving the SDGs. Government representatives, UN officials and experts, members of international and regional organizations, the private sector, academia, and civil society are participating in the event, which will run until April 4.

A decade ago, 193 United Nations member states approved an ambitious agenda of 17 goals for 2030 that seek to eliminate poverty, improve education and health, achieve gender equality, decent work, and economic growth, among other objectives.

However, according to ECLAC studies, less than a quarter of the goals have been achieved or are expected to be achieved in the next five years.

In the view of the United Nations agency, progress requires financing and strengthening international and regional cooperation, as well as multisectoral alliances.

arc/car

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Díaz-Canel received the Attorney General of Laos

Posted on April 1, 2025 by Anthony Brenner

Havana, March 31 (Prensa Latina) Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel today received Laotian Attorney General Xaysana Khoutphoutone at the Palace of the Revolution, the seat of government, on a working visit to the island.

According to a television report, the meeting was also attended by the head of the Cuban Attorney General’s Office (FGR), Yamila Peña, and other officials from that institution and the Foreign Ministry.

Díaz-Canel highlighted the historic nature of bilateral relations, characterized by a broad exchange of high-level delegations.

The ties between Cuba and Laos are strong at the levels of political parties, governments, parliaments, and people, and are now also strengthening in the legal sphere, the president noted.

For his part, Xaysana Khoutphoutone conveyed to the head of state warm greetings from the Secretary General of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party (LPRP) and President of the Asian nation, Thongloun Sisoulith. The visitor also praised the recent commemoration held in Havana of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the LPRP, a political organization that guided the struggle of the Lao people and spearheaded the construction of a socialist society.

The parties agreed that they will continue to expand mutual exchanges through visits by delegations from various sectors.

jha/lld

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Cuban doctors in Mexico: A fruitful and supportive effort

Posted on April 1, 2025 by Anthony Brenner

Mexico City, March 31 (Prensa Latina) Specialists from the Cuban medical brigade are helping to ensure coverage of essential health services in hospitals and other facilities in Mexico, without displacing local professionals.

The presence of the island’s more than three thousand doctors in these lands is part of a government and international cooperation agreement; their positions, salaries, and social security in Cuba are guaranteed, while their living, working, and subsistence conditions in Mexico are protected.

One of these specialists, ophthalmologist Magdevis Ruiz, arrived in July of last year and began working in the central state of Hidalgo, specifically at the Tulancingo Bravo General Hospital, about 112 kilometers from Mexico City.

“This specialty hadn’t been available at the hospital for about seven years, and patients had to travel to the state capital for care, with appointments taking very long, or else seek private care, and not everyone had the financial resources,” he says.

In an interview with Prensa Latina, the doctor explained that this is why they were experiencing many complications associated with the lack of care, especially diabetic patients with advanced stages of diabetic retinopathy.

With his presence at the health institution, he began treating children, pregnant women, and adults in general, as well as those arriving at the emergency room for purely ophthalmological conditions or other specialized needs.

Cuban pediatrician Marité Llerena arrived on September 9, 2022, in the southern state of Campeche, located more than a thousand kilometers from Mexico City, where she began courses to learn about protocols and other specifics.

We were then placed in different municipalities in the state, “the ones most lacking in specialized care,” says the doctor, who has since worked at the Pedro Lara y Lara Community Hospital of Hopelchén.

“It has always been the opinion of the hospital’s governing body that specialized medical care has recovered to almost 100 percent since we began operating, and they are very grateful for that,” Llerena adds, highlighting the saving of a large number of lives.

The doctor also mentions the integration with the Mexican staff and the resulting teamwork and highly satisfactory results, which are also appreciated by patients and their families, who express their gratitude for the quality and warmth of the care provided.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has repeatedly highlighted the work of Cuban doctors in Mexico.

“Now that I’ve been traveling around the country, visiting some health centers, I’ve seen the participation, how they’re working, and how grateful people are for their participation in providing coverage to some specialty,” the president said at a recent press conference.

ro/las

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