News

“There is no need to build permanent naval bases in Venezuela and Cuba,” affirmed Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in statements to his country’s television. Putin pointed out that he expects “positive changes” in relations between Moscow and Washington with the arrival to the White House of Barack Obama. Cuba was the center of a dispute between both the US and the former Soviet Union back in 1962, during the so-called Missile Crisis, reported IPS.

A new vaccine factory opened this week at the scientific research center on the west side of the capital. The plant has a capacity to produce 100 million doses of active components, especially against meningitis A and C.

Representatives of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and Cuba will debate the effects of the international financial crisis in the region during the 3rd bilateral summit, to be held on December 8th in Santiago de Cuba, 850 kilometers east of the Cuban capital. Environmental problems and threats to food security in the region will receive special attention.

Fifty-five per cent of the Cuban-American community in Florida’s Miami-Dade County feel the US government should lift its blockade against Cuba, according to a survey done by Florida International University, with sponsorship of the Brookings Institution, a non-profit organization based in Washington. Moreover, 65 percent of the 800 interviewees said they favor re-establishing diplomatic relations with the island, reported IPS.

Cuba will become an oil-producing country in the coming years thanks to the exploitation of new maritime resources, affirmed Terry Maris, executive director of the Center for Cuban Studies of Ohio Northern University. According to Maris, the island could reach a production of 700,000 barrels a day by 2015, more than 12 times what it currently extracts, reported IPS.

After a major campaign over the last ten years to prevent STDs and especially HIV/AIDS, the use of condoms in Cuba increased from 21 to 45 percent, said Rosaida Ochoa of the National Center for STD Prevention, reported IPS on Tuesday.

Cuba and China will establish joint ventures in the area of tourism, which the island’s government is trying to boost with the construction of new hotels, golf courses, marinas and theme parks in the provinces of Cienfuegos, Camagüey and Santiago de Cuba, reported IPS on Monday.

The 12th International Arts and Crafts Fair of Havana (FIART 2008) begins December 4 at the Pabexpo Fairgrounds, organized by the Cuban Cultural Assets Fund. Artists from Latin America, Asia and Europe will attend the event to run through December 14.

A devastating 2008 hurricane season ended Sunday in Cuba, with five storms directly affecting the island: Hurricanes Gustav, Ike and Paloma and Tropical Storms Fay and Hanna. Total damage was estimated at US $10 billion, dealing a sharp blow to the island’s economy. A massive recovery effort is underway nationwide.

Cuban President Raul Castro attended Saturday the beatification of Friar Jose Olallo Valdes, held in the city of Camagüey. Vatican representative Cardinal Jose Saraiva from Portugal presided over the ceremony lifting the 19th century “father of the poor” to sainthood. Doves were released and bells rung as Friar Olallo’s remains, in a gold colored urn, were taken in a procession through the city, reported the BBC. Friar Olallo, a member of the Hospitallier Order of Saint John of God, helped the sick and wounded during Cuba’s first war of independence (1868-1878) against Spain.