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Archive - Apr 17, 2011

Fidel explains his absence from the parade

<p style="text-align: justify;">Fidel Castro apologized Sunday for not showing up Saturday for the parade on Revolution Square. In a brief article in Granma, he wrote: "I might have been at the Square perhaps for an hour, under the prevailing sun and heat, but not three hours. I thought that all of you would understand that I can no longer do what I did so many times before. Read More

`Ticket to Paradise' Takes Top Prize at Havana Film Fest New York

<p style="text-align: justify;">Sunday, April 17, 2011 9:50:49 AM (IST)&nbsp; New York, April 17 (IANS/EFE) Cuban film "Boleto al paraiso" (Ticket to Paradise) by Gerardo Chijona took home best picture at the Havana Film Festival New York.The film was based on Jorge Perez's "Confesiones de un medico" (AIDS in Cuba: Confessions of a Doctor), which tells the story of six young people who intentionally infect themselves with HIV so they can enter a hospice and have regular meals during Cuba's severe 1993 economic crisis.It was among 54 films from 17 countries that were screened during the festival, which ran from April 7 to April 15. Read More

Cuban leader warns against improvisations in economic management

<p style="text-align: justify;">MarleneDuvalAndAssociates.Cuban President Raul Castro Saturday called for the elimination of improvisations in the country's economic management.In a speech opening the Sixth Congress of the Cuban Communist Party in Havana, Castro stressed the need for rationalization in decision making in order to obtain better results with lower costs.Urging an increase of the commanding capability of institutions and companies, he said the current times require a shift from a centralized economic model to a decentralized one. Read More

CPC congratulates Cuban party on opening of national congress

<p style="text-align: justify;">04-17-2011 14:35 BJT. BEIJING, April 17 (Xinhua) -- The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Sunday sent a congratulatory message to Cuba's Communist Party (CCP) for the opening of its Sixth National Congress on Saturday.On behalf of the CPC and the Chinese people, the committee hailed the event and extended via the congress the most cordial greetings to all CCP members and the Cuban people. Read More

Cuba Implements New Traffic Safety Code

<p style="text-align: justify;">LINO LUBEN PÉREZ. Cuba implemented a new Traffic Safety Code (Law 109) in March that prioritizes education and prevention measures to avoid traffic accidents in Cuba, said Lieutenant Colonel Mario Rios, from the Havana Police Traffic Division.Rios said that this new law came into force last March and establishes that the Ministries of Education and Higher Education are responsible for educating young people, the segment of the population with the greatest levels of traffic violations, reported ACN. Read More

Cuba to Hold Scientific Meeting on Asthma

<p style="text-align: justify;">By: Ileana Ferrer Fonte. Havana, Apr 16 (Prensa Latina) The central activity on occasion of the World Asthma Day in Cuba will be focused this year on a scientific forum slated for May 3-4.The event includes issues such as asthma epidemiology, effects of climate change on the ailment, updating the national program and Cuban researches, organizers said. Read More

Cuban court studying appeal from U.S. contractor

<p style="text-align: justify;">By Nelson Acosta. HAVANA. Sat Apr 16, 2011 12:59pm EDT. HAVANA (Reuters) - Cuba's highest court has received an appeal by U.S. aid contractor Alan Gross seeking to overturn a 15-year jail sentence handed down last month for crimes against the Cuban state, the head of the court said on Saturday. Read More

Cuba recalls Bay of Pigs, holds Communist Congress

<p style="text-align: justify;">By Shasta Darlington, CNN. April 16, 2011 -- Updated 1848 GMT (0248 HKT) Havana, Cuba (CNN) -- Tanks rumbled through Havana's Revolution Plaza and jets tore through the sky on Saturday as Cuba commemorated its victory over a U.S.-backed invasion at the Bay of Pigs 50 years ago and prepared to hold its first Communist Party Congress in nearly 14 years.President Raul Castro looked on as thousands of people, both military and civilian, marched through the square, shouting slogans and waving flags. Read More

Standards on Cuba's offshore drilling?

<p style="text-align: justify;">WASHINGTON, April 15 (UPI) -- Cuban offshore drilling is an "issue of concern," U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said. "We're watching it closely," Salazar said of Cuba's plans, The Hill reported Thursday, the day Interior hosted an international summit on offshore drilling safety that focused on the lessons learned from last year's Deepwater Horizon disaster on the Gulf of Mexico.Cuba and its foreign partners will begin drilling five oil wells in the Gulf of Mexico this summer, with production slated for 2013. The country's Gulf of Mexico reserves are estimated to be about 20 billion barrels. Read More

La Bodeguita del Medio restaurant brings a taste of Cuba to Palo Alto

<p style="text-align: justify;">By Jennifer Graue. Correspondent.04/16/2011 12:00:00 AM PDT.During spring's soggy start, the gloom got to me, and -- apologies, Jimmy Buffett -- I needed a change in latitude. That's why I was looking forward to Palo Alto's La Bodeguita del Medio. There's something about Cuban cuisine and cocktails that conjures white-hot sunshine and a languid, tropical breeze. Stepping off California Avenue into the bar at La Bodeguita del Medio (literally, the bar in the middle), you're likely to find a boisterous, cocktail-sipping crowd on any given evening, one that grows in size and decibels as the night wears on. Read More