News

United Nations specialists will present today in Cuba a project to conserve agricultural biodiversity in six biosphere reserves on the island, announced Lázara Raymond, a Ministry of Science, Technology and the Environment official. The initiative’s aim is the conservation and sustainable use of the traditional genetic patrimony of those rural areas, reported IPS.

The Cuban government fears the emergence of an opposition movement on the Internet, which uses social networks like Facebook to organize actions against it similar to those that occurred in Ukraine, Iran and most recently in Egypt and Tunisia, according to a video published on the Vimeo platform. The material, allegedly screened for officers of the Ministry of the Interior and the Armed Forces, claims that the United States wants to encourage access to the Internet on the island, beyond the state restrictions, to promote dissident activities, reported IPS.

Cuba renewed the international campaign to ask for the release of the Cuban Five imprisoned in the United States charged with espionage, the local press reported. The International Committee to Free the Five urged persons interested in the case to write to President Barack Obama so that he pardon the Cubans, who are considered heroes on the island, reportó IPS.

The U.S. Department of State rejected the 20 year prison sentence requested for U.S. agent Alan Gross, imprisoned in Cuba since December 2009, in a communiqué released in Washington. The White House insists that Gross is innocent and was only helping the Caribbean country’s Jewish community.

The Catholic Church announced the release of Ángel Moya and Guido Sigler, two of the 11 imprisoned dissidents that refused to leave the country after being released. In a communiqué, the Havana Archbishopric announced Friday that Moya wishes to stay in Cuba and Sigler expects to travel to the United States. The releases come in response to Cardinal Jaime Ortega’s negotiations and reduce to nine the number of dissidents still imprisoned out of the group of 75 sentenced to severe prison terms in 2003, reported IPS.

While to the north much of the United States has suffered a major cold front in recent days, good weather with mostly partially cloudy skies is expected for the coming days in Cuba.

A 30-second ad for Sunday’s Super Bowl game between the Green Bay Packers and the Pittsburg Steelers is currently going for US $3 million dollars. Havana Times, a non-profit website with open-minded writing from Cuba will not be among the advertisers.

Just past the midway point in the current Cuban baseball season, the annual All-Star Game will take place tomorrow Sunday February 6 in the picturesque south central city of Cienfuegos.