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Cuban Economy

Díaz-Canel continues government visit to Villa Clara

Díaz-Canel continues government visit to Villa Clara
The President of Cuba’s Councils of State and of Ministers continued his second day leading a government visit to Villa Clara with the Council of Ministers, with a tour of the Ernesto Che Guevara Cardiac Center

Author: Ángel Freddy Pérez Cabrera | freddy@granma.cu
Author: Walkiria Juanes Sánchez | internet@granma.cu
may 16, 2019 10:05:53

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Photo: Estudios Revolución
The President of Cuba’s Councils of State and of Ministers continued leading a government visit to Villa Clara with the Council of Ministers.
Diaz-Canel’s first stop was the Ernesto Che Guevara Cardiac Center to check on progress on an expansion to increase bed capacity, improve the ambulatory consultation area, and other facilities.
In a conversation with staff members, who serve 3.5 million residents of the island’s six central provinces, the President noted that the center is a product of audacity and perseverance, of dreaming, but with our feet firmly on the ground, which plays an essential role in the region’s public health system.
Upon leaving the institution, as has become customary, Díaz-Canel chatted with the crowd waiting for him, sharing observations he has made during the tour.
Later, he visited the Induvilla Basic Enterprise Unit, affiliated with the Pescavilla fishing company, where he conversed with its director, Rene Peña.
Next, the President reviewed progress being made on the province’s housing program, noting, “An effort has been made to guarantee resources for the most needy,” referring to subsidies and the need to expedite their processing.

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Photo: Freddy Pérez Cabreras

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Photo: Freddy Pérez Cabreras

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Photo: Twitter

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Photo: Twitter

Cuba Helms-Burton Act

U.S. lies and threats against Cuba denounced around the world

Granma English

U.S. lies and threats against Cuba denounced around the world

Voices around the world condemn new U.S. sanctions on Cuba, in particular the recent activation of the Helms-Burton Act’s Title III

Bertha Mojena Miliánmay 14, 2019 09:05:02

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Photo: Osval
Voices around the world continue to condemn new U.S. sanctions on Cuba, in particular the recent activation of the Helms-Burton Act’s Title III.
The government of Mexico reiterated its rejection of the re-activation of this stipulation in violation of international law, and reaffirmed its commitment to legally protect Mexican companies that may be affected. In an official communiqué, the Ministry of Economy recalled that, in order to counteract the extraterritorial effects of the Helms-Burton, Mexico enacted a law that specifically protects commerce and investment from foreign regulations that contravene international norms, in effect since October 1996.
“Like other countries, Mexico has analyzed the relevant legal procedures to file complaints for violations of international law that the Helms-Burton Act represents,” the Mexican government states.
The Islamic Republic of Iran also confirmed its support for the Cuba. “Washington demonstrated, once again, that it resorts to illegitimate mechanisms to pressure independent countries,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Seyed Abas Musavi said.
According to Prensa Latina, a professor at the Chinese University of Political Science and Law, Pan Deng, commented that the Trump administration is attempting to pressure Cuba and affecting the entire international community.
Deng said that Title III is a throwback to the colonial era that violates the principles of the world trade, creating barriers to the exchange of goods and services between different states.
The “Friends of Cuba” organization in Belgium adopted a resolution calling on the European Union and its member states to use all possible means to protect companies and citizens from the consequences of legal suits in U.S. courts, filed on the basis of Title III.
Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, yesterday once again tweeted his appreciation for “the widespread international rejection of the Helms-Burton Act by governments, companies, and individuals.”
As our President Miguel Diaz-Canel affirmed: “The U.S. government’s threats, sanctions, measures, falsehoods, and lies against Cuba have found no support among political, academic, cultural, business, or religious sectors, inside or outside U.S. territory.”

USA a history of war crimes

Does the U.S. have the right to impunity?

Does the U.S. have the right to impunity?
Under U.S. pressure, the ICC declined to investigate the allegations of atrocities committed by the country’s forces in Afghanistan

Raúl Antonio Capotemay 10, 2019 18:05:03

The  .

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Photo: El País
The United States Army has established a long history of war crimes, beginning with the genocide of native peoples in the North America, through those committed in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria, more recently.

Usually, the U.S. government, the armed forces, and the press are able to cover up the atrocities committed. To cite a few examples from the war in Iraq, on November 19, 2005, U.S. troops entered the town of Haditha, killing individuals indiscriminately. Aws Fahmi, a witness to the massacre, saw Marines murder members of three families, and heard his neighbor beg in English for his life and those of his loved ones, including his daughters, 14, 10, five, three and one years of age.

Nine-year-old Eman Walid Abdul-Hameed recounted that the Marines broke into his home around 7:00 am, saying that they “entered the bedroom where my father was praying and shot him. They went into my grandmother’s bedroom and killed her without a thought. They threw a grenade under my grandfather’s bed.”

The attack lasted five hours and the Marines killed a total of 24 civilians.

On November 13, 2006, U.S. troops opened tank fire on the Al-Dhubat neighborhood of Ramadi and killed some 35 people, all civilians. Haji Jassim, 60, told Inter Press Service that residents “were not allowed to go near the houses to rescue the wounded, so many bled to death.”

In November of 2004, U.S. forces began Operation Phantom Fury against the city of Fallujah. Over ten days, they destroyed the city and killed thousands of people, using white phosphorus munitions prohibited by international treaties.

A video of the operation, recorded by NBC correspondent Kevin Sites, shows several wounded Iraqis in a mosque, guarded by Marines. The detainees had been interrogated and were left on the ground overnight. A Marine pointed to a wounded man lying on the floor and said: “He’s not dead, just pretending”. The soldier raises his rifle and shoots him in the head. Another Marine shouts: “Well, he’s dead now.” The execution of a prisoner, especially a wounded one, is a war crime according to the Geneva Conventions. Continue reading Does the U.S. have the right to impunity? →

Helms-Burton Act

The Helms-Burton is not applicable in Cuba

The Helms-Burton is not applicable in Cuba
“The Helms-Burton Act is not applicable in Cuba… because it is a law of the United States and therefore its jurisdiction, its range of action, is the United States… Cuba has a law approved in 1996 that declares the Helms-Burton Act null and void,” said Carlos Fernández de Cossío, the Foreign Ministry’s director for the United States

Yudy Castro Moralesmay 10, 2019 18:05:07

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Photo: José Manuel Correa
“The Helms-Burton Act is not applicable in Cuba; in the first place, because it is a law of the United States and therefore its jurisdiction, its range of action, is the United States. No sovereign country that respects itself would allow the extraterritorial application of a U.S. law in its territory. In addition, in our case, Cuba has a law approved in 1996 that declares the Helms-Burton Act null and void.”

This is how Carlos Fernández de Cossío, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ general director for the United States, explained the situation, which is worth repeating for those with doubts about this famous law’s lack of validity. This legal creation, meant to strangle the Cuban economy, is well-known precisely because of its extraterritoriality, and its disrespect for international law.

Continue reading The Helms-Burton is not applicable in Cuba →