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10/07/09 - Prensa Latina - Direct from Havana, PM



DIRECT FROM HAVANA, CUBA
LATIN AMERICAN NEWS AGENCY, SA
P R E N S A L A T I N A
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Evening Transmission
Tuesday, Oct 7, 2009

For up to the minute news: www.plenglish.com

CUBA-NATIONAL NEWS CUBA
Cuba Dreams of World Computer Finals in China
Cuban Modern Art on Display in Malaysia
New Frontiers of Chemistry in Cuba
Dutch, Cuban Culture Combined in Havana


INTERNATIONAL NEWS

LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN
Venezuelan Socialists for Grassroot Communication
MINUSTAH Extends Mission One Year in Haiti
High Unemployment Rate in Mexico
Venezuelan Government Fights Dengue
Public Sector Layoffs in Panama Denounced
Mexican Public Health System in Red
Peruvians Denounce US Protection to Criminal
Peru: Protest at US Embassy for Cuban Five

US, CANADA, EUROPE
Totti May Play in South Africa 2010
France Meets Austria in Paris
EU Calls on Czech President to Sign Treaty of Lisbon
New Sentence to Cuban Anti-terrorist in USA

AFRICA AND THE MIDDLE EAST
Israeli Envoys in Egypt to Negotiate Shalit Freedom

ASIA AND AUSTRALIA
China, Russia to Broaden Cooperation

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CUBA-NATIONAL NEWS CUBA

Cuba Dreams of World Computer Finals in China

Havana, Oct 13 (Prensa Latina) More than 30 Cuban universities´ teams
dream of taking part in the Association for Computing
Machinery-International Collegiate Programming Contest (ACM-ICPC)
finals in China.

A Cuban trio should head the competition in the contest from the
Caribbean area, which will take place next October 22 to 25 in the
Cuban University of Computer Sciences (UCI), before they arrive at
the Asian giant next March or April 2010.

The Cuban venue Director for the Mexican and Central American
ACM-ICPC, Dovier Antonio Ripoll, told Prensa Latina the teams from
six local higher education centers could for the first time
participate in that competition.

Ripoll estimated that the institutes with more chance of winning are
UCI, University of Havana, Central University “Marta Abreu” of las
Villas, University of Santiago de Cuba and the University of Holguin.

He pointed the most important thing is that we have begun the
programming contest movement ACM-ICPC in this area at last, although
this movement existed in the Caribbean for the last 30 years.

Cuba has multiplied by five its participation in those forums with a
fifth place among 122 teams in the regional contest in Venezuela 2001
as the best result since it started as a local contest in the
University of Texas, in 1970.

Although registration will close Tuesday, it is expected to gather
teams from universities of the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Jamaica,
besides local university centers such as the universities of
Guantanamo, Granma, and Camaguey.

The universities of Cienfuegos, Pinar del Rio, and the university
center of Isla de la Juventud will attend. There will also take part
teams from Matanzas and another from the Higher Institute for Applied
Science and Technology.

The engineer added that no Cuban team has reached the final round
because of the high competitive level, although it has achieved
places from 15 to 35 in the regional contests from 1999 to 2008.

If finally the ACM-ICPC International Executive Committee decides to
maintain a regional Caribbean venue, it is expected to have a
champion team for the round in Malaysia, 2011.

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Cuban Modern Art on Display in Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur, Oct 13 (Prensa Latina) Cuban fine arts join the
Caribbean Island with Malaysia through a display with works by
maestros at the National Arts Gallery of Kuala Lumpur, Indonesia.

Cuban Ambassador Carlos Amores and Mohamed Najib bin Ahmad Dawa,
general director of the Gallery, opened the display arranged by
curator Suzette Rodriguez on the Day of Cuban Culture in Malaysia.

The display includes pieces, among other , by Nelson Dominguez,
Eduardo Roca Salazar (Choco), Roberto Diago, Agustin Bejarano, Juan
Vicente Rodriguez Bonachea, Alfredo Sosabravo, Angel Ramirez and Jose
Omar Torres and Alexis Leyva Machado (Kcho).

Ambassador Amores said at the inauguration that the display
celebrates the identity that made Cuba a nation and boosted the
struggle for independence and that identity is present in every work
of art through that concept we all know as cubania, something every
Cuban is well familiar with.

Najib reminded that Malaysia also displayed its art in Cuba at events
like the 9th Havana Biennial of 2006.

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New Frontiers of Chemistry in Cuba

Havana, Oct 13 (Prensa Latina) More than 200 scientists from around
30 countries evaluate Tuesday in Cuba the opportunities to advance in
Chemistry in order to find new frontiers for this field, mainly in
the creation of materials and technology.

In the opening of the 1st Latin-American Congress on Chemistry,
Biochemistry and Chemical Engineering and in the 7th International
Congress on Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, the organizers of the
event wished success to the participants and also to achieve new
projects.

During four days in the Convention Palace of the capital, delegates
will discuss about the role of Chemistry in food processing and
investigations of energy sources and pharmaceuticals.

Sources of the scientific committee stressed the attendance of more
than one thousand workers and researchers from Germany, Argentina,
Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Chile and Cuba, besides Spain,
Italy, Japan, Mexico, Norway and Venezuela.

Before the plenary, the President of the organizing Committee,
Alberto Núñez, regretted the absence of the 1988 Chemistry Nobel
Prize, German Robert Hüber, who would lecture about regulations of
the proteases in medical applications.

Hüber won’t be present for reasons beyond his control and the control
of the organizing Committee, said Nüñez, who also said the German
will visit the island next month to attend Biotechnology 2009.

The organizers anticipate a scientific-commercial exposition where
specialize entities, labs and companies, nationals and internationals
could expose and market its equipments, medicaments, literature and
among other materials.

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Dutch, Cuban Culture Combined in Havana

Havana, Oct 14 (Prensa Latina) Cuba hosts Dutch Culture Week,
beginning with an exhibition on the life of Admiral Dutch Piet Hein
and on Dutch presence in Cuba.

The exhibition, under the title of "Piet Hein and the Treasure
Fleet", rests on themes like the times of Piet Hein as member of the
Government of the City of Rotterdam and his career as an Admiral,
first trips and experiences and Hein’s missions.

Other themes are his participation his participation in the Dutch
Indian company to capture the Treasure Fleet in the Caribbean and the
consequences of the Dutch victory over the Spanish in Havana .

The exhibition also embraces a collection of objects from that
European nation of the 18th and 19th century, which belong to the
funds of Havana’s Historian Office and Rotterdam History Museum.

Some of the activities to take place as part of the celebration are a
performance with music of the 17th century, played by the Cuban
Rennaissance-style band Ars Longa, which performance closed the
inaugural ceremony held at the Castle of La Real Fuerza Museum.

Some others are the premiere of Waterproof, a show that combines
water and dance, music and video, with guest of honors Onno van
Swigchem and Hermina Schineider, its Cuban colleagues of the
dance-theater company Retazos attending.

The audience gathered at Havana historic center will enjoy open-air
performances at La Plaza Vieja, part of a session of audio-visual
projections lasting one minute each, interpreted by creators from
both nations, and sponsored by One Minutes Foundation, from
Amsterdam.

Some other proposals will be the screening of the film "Love is
Everything" (2007), a romantic comedy by Kim van Coten,
documentaries; short-length films and cartoons addressed to children
and adults.

The exhibitions entitled "Nostalgias", "Holland Series" and "Havana"
(2009), by Cuban photographer Roberto Salas are some other activities
to be held.

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INTERNATIONAL NEWS

LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN

Venezuelan Socialists for Grassroot Communication

Caracas, Oct 13 (Prensa Latina) Leaders of the United Socialist Party
of Venezuela (PSUV), linked to alternative and local media in
Caracas, have called on communication workers to form patrols.

Those who want to be members of these patrols are expected to bring
their forms tomorrow to Bolivar Square to register their exact number
in the communications sector, spokesman for Popular Communicators
Wilfredo Vazquez told journalists on Tuesday.

"We have been meeting in different places through several local and
alternative media of Caracas, and the latest such gathering was held
by comrades of Avila TV and Viva TV, and even several journals and
private channels," said Vazquez.

These grass roots PSUV organizations "have a very important meaning
in state-run and private workplaces; therefore, we are calling on all
militants and their friend to join us."

Member of the PSUV Communication and Propaganda Committee in Caracas,
Gonzalo Gomez, explained that these patrols are made up of 10-20
members in each workplace.

"We have been taking part in joint campaigns, carrying out activities
around debate of the Organic Education Law and we will do the same
with the Organic Labor Law," he explained.

Venezuelan workers started to form socialist patrols in their
workplaces to defend the process of changes led by President Hugo
Chavez.

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MINUSTAH Extends Mission One Year in Haiti

United Nations, Oct 13 (Prensa Latina) The UN Security Council
decided to extend 12 months its Peace Keeping Mission in Haiti
(MINUSTAH) despite progress in stabilizing peace and security.

This resolution includes an initiative by Secretary General Ban
Ki-Moon to add 120 men to the 2,052-strong police to secure anti-riot
operations and shrink the military from 7,106 to 6,940.

The MINUSTAH, set up in 2004, is made up of troops from Argentina,
Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador,
Spain, the US, France, Guatemala, Peru, Paraguay, Russia and Uruguay.

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High Unemployment Rate in Mexico

Mexico, Oct 13 (Prensa Latina) The unemployment rate in Mexico
increased in August to 5.9 percent, one of the highest among member
countries of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and
Development (OECD).

OECD released unemployment figures and warned of a 0.2-percent
increase in the scourge.

It said the nation with a higher unemployment increase was Spain,
from 18.5 percent to 18.9, while in the United States the increase
was of 0.3 percent, from 9.4 to 9.7 percent.

Regarding Mexico, OECD said that this nation registered a two-percent
increase compared to August 2008.

Unemployment in Ireland was similar than that of Mexico.

OECD General Secretary Jose Angel Gurria said recently that
unemployment in the region will continue and called on countries to
adopt actions like those taken to confront the financial crisis in
order to prevent a further deterioration of the social fabric.

Unemployment reached 8.6 percent in the 30 richest countries that are
members of OECD (over 8.5 percent registered in July).

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Venezuelan Government Fights Dengue

Caracas, Oct 13 (Prensa Latina) The Venezuelan government has taken
steps to fight the dengue epidemic in the country with 35,744 cases.

In 2008 there were 35,546 cases, pointed out Indira Corado, Deputy
Minister of Health.

There is an Administration Plan to control and prevent dengue with
some projects, among them a communicational strategy, declared Corado
to Venezuelan TV.

Using billboards installed in the main traffic lights in some cities
of the country, the communities are informed about the elimination
and identification of the focuses of Aedes aegypti.

Fumigating without an environmental clean up and eliminating focuses
does not have an impact on the illness and it is a waste of time,
warned Corado.

According to the official, the priority states due to the number of
cases with dengue are Aragua, Apure, Lara, Monagas, Carabobo and
Barinas.

The Venezuelan government as part of this plan has opened some free
services, such as 6,700 modules of first aid assistance, 499
diagnosis center, 555 rehabilitation centers and 27 centers with
advanced technology equipment.

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Public Sector Layoffs in Panama Denounced

Panama, Oct 13 (Prensa Latina) Executives of the National Federation
of Public Workers (FENASEP) denounced Tuesday the dismissal of
thousands of officials on the part of the current government, after
the changes carried out to the Law of Administrative Career.

Alfredo Berrocal, general secretary of FENASEP, said this Tuesday to
TVN News that the affected employees are reaching the 5,000 so far.

With these actions, he added, the protection granted by maternity and
disabled people´s rights have even been violated.

Berrocal said that the administration of Panamanian President Ricardo
Martinelli can appoint the personnel, taking into account that the
new Administrative Career will be in force in 2012.

However, he noticed the existence of improvisation in this process.

That mechanism, designed to guarantee the fixation of the officials
of the state, was modified at the end of July by the National
Assembly to leave without effect the revenues of the last two years.

The changes were adopted under the argument of revising the
incorporations of thousands of workers, when considering that they
lacked the requirements to integrate the mentioned outline.

On the other hand, political analysts pointed out that the objective
is in creating spaces in the public apparatus for people close to the
new executive.

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Mexican Public Health System in Red

Mexico, Oct 13 (Prensa Latina) The deficit of the Mexican Public
Health Ministry reaches 333 million dollars, and this is a problem
prevailing since 2008 which gets even more serious with the
appearance of the A (H1N1) flu virus, revealed official sources
Tuesday.

Mexican Public Health Minister Armando Ahued said the situation is
caused by the approval of new laws and the operation of 10 programs
to which corresponding resources were not completely assigned.

Ahued appeared before the plenary of the Legislative Assembly
Tuesday, and said that the virus emergency has made people think of
the need to create a fund to prevent contingencies.

Among the programs with economic difficulties there are the ones on
recent creation such as “Angel”, which gives medical attention and
delivers medications for free in poor zones and neighborhoods, and
the ones for surgical operations to people who suffer obesity, among
others.

The Mexican public health system requires indispensable assigment of
greater resources for 2010 in its official report.

Some measures such as an intelligence center for epidemiology, the
Scientific Surveillance Committee, the Sanitary Alert System and the
Agency for Sanitary Protection, are some of the future projects that
now suffer lack of economic resources.

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Peruvians Denounce US Protection to Criminal

Lima, Oct 13 (Prensa Latina) Human Rights lawyer stated today that
the United States government gives protection to former Peruvian
officer Telmo Hurtado, which has not been extradited to Peru to be
judged for the killing of 69 peasants.

Defense Lawyer Karim Ninaquisque stated that the US Department of
State has not decided to extradite Hurtado in spite of everything is
ready for his trial.

This situation rode Ninaquique to denounce a government and military
understanding to disrupt the extradition of the officer which leaded
the killing of 69 peasants at Accomarca in Ayacucho on August 1985.

She pointed out that a US Court decided last May to send Hurtado back
to Peru, but deportation has not been carried out because is missing
an authorization of the US State Department.

She also announced that victims' relatives will come to the US
Embassy to claim the former officer extradition.

According to the lawyer the Council of Ministers of Peru has frozen
an extradition request to David Castaneda, another former official
involved at the killing and refugee at the US.

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Peru: Protest at US Embassy for Cuban Five

Lima, Oct 13 (Prensa Latina) The freedom of the five Cuban
antiterrorist fighters imprisoned in the United States, mostly known
as the Cuban Five, was claimed Tuesday during a peaceful
manifestation before the US Embassy in the Peruvian capital.

The demonstrators traveled the street of the embassy with posters and
pictures of the Cuban Five for more than 11 years by virtue of
illegal condemnations.

“It has been a legitimate and successful protest that has
demonstrated our solidarity with the five and our rejection to the
judicial maneuvers that seek to separate them with differentiated
condemnations,” the president of the Peruvian Committee of Solidarity
pointed out with the Five.

The leader, Gustavo Espinoza, underlined that the committee and the
world movement of support to the prisoners do not accept another
solution that is not the freedom of the Cuban Five.

The march was in charge of members of the Committee and of the houses
of Friendship with Cuba and it traveled in silence several times the
front of the embassy.

"Freedom now", said a poster taken by the first line of
demonstrators, preceded by two young people taking a Peruvian flag
and a Cuban flag.

While the protest was developed, members of to the police reinforced
the entrance of the embassy, while civil agents watched over and they
photographed the demonstrators, without being able to act against
them because of the peaceful and orderly character of the
demonstration.

The Peruvian Committee of Solidarity with the Cuban Five develops
constant popularization activities and denounces on the case of these
five Cuban fighters who collected information in the US on the
attacks prepared against the island by terrorist groups.

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US, CANADA, EUROPE

Totti May Play in South Africa 2010

Rome, Oct 13 (Prensa Latina) Marcello Lippi, Italian soccer team
coach, announced today that player Francesco Totti may take part in
World Cup South Africa 2010.

Lippi did not rule out the possibility to call Roma's team captain to
play again with the azzurra.

"He is a great boy and an excellent player. It would be simple to
talk about him as a lucky charm", stated the coach referring Totti.

There are speculations about Totti's participation in next World Cup.

Totti stated his interest in coming back to national team after
several months away because of his agreement with team Roma.

According to "La Gazzetta dello Sport" the playmaker is willing to
play next World Cup if he is in a good shape and if Lippi finds it
convenient.

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France Meets Austria in Paris

Paris, Oct 13 (Prensa Latina) France will meet Austria tomorrow in
this capital in a "formality game", which will end with the World Cup
South Africa 2010 European Qualifiers.

This is a practice game to the French team, especially to those
players who did not play regular last games, one of them Karim
Benzema (Real Madrid).

It is not known which team will be France's opponent at play-offs
next November 14 and 18. This stage of the competition will confront
the best second qualifier places. It is thought that the possible
French opponent may be either Ireland, Bosnia Herzegovina, Ukraine,
Slovakia or Slovenia.

"Ireland is probably the most difficult to defeat", stated today Aime
Jacques, 1998 World Champion and French team trainer, "France´s
weakness is its stability."

According to the critics, Les Bleus received a sharp blow especially
after they were eliminated at the European Cup 2008, to lose this
game with Austria is a luxury they cannot afford.

Domenech team defeated weak Faeroe Islands 5-0 and after that they
have had a goal scoring crisis, which is weird taking into account
its excellent players.

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EU Calls on Czech President to Sign Treaty of Lisbon

Brussels, Oct 13 (Prensa Latina) The President of the European
Commission, José Manuel Durao Barroso, called Tuesday on the Czech
Pesident, Vaclay Klaus, to stop giving pretexts before signing the
Treaty of Lisbon which hinders its effect.

After a meeting in Brussels with the Czech PM, Jan Fischer, Barroso
demanded the Czech Republic to do its duties and to ratify without
any delay the agreement that aims to improve the work of the European
Union (EU).

Klaus conditions the signing of the Treaty to the guarantee that
Germans expelled from the current Czech Republic, after the Second
World War, cannot claim their properties that were confiscated at
that time.

Fischer, who made a trip to Brussels to mediate between the EU
authorities and the Czech President, defended the EU leaders stand to
oppose Klaus demands at the Heads of Government Summit which will
take place at the end of October.

If the Czech President doesn’t give up his position, they see that
the 27 countries UE members will be forced to reopen the ratification
process, fact that Barroso qualified as absurd and surrealist.

Klaus demands are in addition to a resource presented by some Czech
senators before the Constitutional Court which will rule on the issue
next October 27.

The Treaty elaborated after the rejection by French and Dutch
electors of the European Costitution in 2005, is aimed to speed up
decision making in the heart of the EU, strengthening its political
and economic weight in the world.

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New Sentence to Cuban Anti-terrorist in USA

Washington, Oct 213 (Prensa Latina) A judge sentenced Tuesday Antonio
Guerrero, one of the five Cuban Anti-terrorists jailed in the US, to
21 years, 10 months, a longer sentence than that agreed by the
defense and the district attorney for a re-sentence.

The judge Joan Lenard doesn’t follow the recommendations of the
government and lawyers that suggested a reduction to 20 years the
previous sentence of life imprisonment and 10 years, said to Prensa
Latina Alicia Jrapko, member of the International Committee to Free
the Cuban Five.

According to Jrapko, who was present in the oral sentence, the
government recognized the Cuban Five Case, as it knows
internationally in the solidarity campaigns, caused different
reactions in the world, where many voices demand its release from
prison.

The Guerrero's audience precedes the audiences of Fernando González
and Ramón Labañino, both postpone after the judge announced an order
as replay to an application of the defense.

The three Anti-terrorists were assigned to a second sentence trial,
according to the ruling of the Court of Appeals of the Eleventh
Circuit, which cancelled the previous sentences because they
considered them wrong, as a result of many irregularities in the
judicial process.

Those three plus Gerardo Hernández and René González serve sentences
from 15 years to double life imprisonment because they informed their
country about violent actions prepared by terrorist Florida groups.
These sentences were announced by Lenard in 2001. However, the Cuban
Five are in prison since September 1998.

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AFRICA AND THE MIDDLE EAST

Israeli Envoys in Egypt to Negotiate Shalit Freedom

Cairo, Oct 13 (Prensa Latina) Representatives of the Israel
government met with Egyptian authorities in Cairo on Tuesday to
resume negotiations leading to an agreement to exchange Palestinian
prisoners for Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.

Israeli and Egyptian press reports confirmed that head of the
Diplomatic Security Bureau of the Defense Ministry Amos Gilad and
Hagai Hadas, who is in charge of the Shalit case, were sent to Cairo
by Tel Aviv to try to advance towards an understanding.

They discussed with Egyptian officials the latest events regarding
the exchange of prisoners Israel is negotiating with the Palestinian
Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), the members of which captured
Shalit in July 2006.

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ASIA AND AUSTRALIA

China, Russia to Broaden Cooperation

Beijing, Oct 13 (Prensa Latina) China and Russia explored Tuesday
ways to broaden bilateral relations signing some agreements during
the visit Prime Minister Vladimir Putin makes to this capital.

Economic and trade cooperation between both countries was the main
subject of a business forum, attended by Deputies Zhang Dejiang and
Alexander Zhukov.

In that meeting, the Chinese representation voted to strengthen
cooperation in the industrial and financial services sectors, as well
as in investments and according to what it was highlighted, it will
contribute not only to the development of both nations but also to
the recovery of world economy.

Both presidents co-chaired the fifth negotiation round about the
mentioned subject and also oil, natural gas, nuclear energy and
electricity.

According to what was informed, the parties will sign agreements for
five thousand 500 million dollars which also cover transportation,
mining, finance and telecommunications.

Also in this working day, Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao talked to
his counterpart Putin, who is in his first visit to this country as
head of state.

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