U.S. Interests Section in Havana increases its provocations

Cuban
Radar                                                                             Read Spanish Version

U.S.
Interests Section in Havana increases its provocations

A
service by the Radio Progreso Alternativa Havana Bureau

An
official release by the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Relations (MINREX)
denounced the U.S. Interests Section in Havana for allegedly offering
courses by video conference to journalists and taught by Florida
international University (FIU) professors.

According
to the release, at the Interests Section dissidents also have access
to Internet, and the head of the Section and other members give
"direct orders to the mercenaries in order to increase their
subversive actions, including incitement of provocative actions by
them on the streets and symbolic places such as Revolution Square."

Other
services provided by U.S. diplomats to their protégés
are, according to the release, "a constant supply of money, cell
phones, means of communication, computers and counterrevolutionary
propaganda, among others."

MINREX’s
declaration claims it has "verified information that (the
Interests Section) is trying to organize other illegal activities and
is inciting their mercenaries in Cuba to carry out provocative
actions on the streets around July 4, U.S. Independence Day. These
activities would coincide with U.S. Interests Section head Michael
Parmly’s end of mission in Cuba and his definite departure from our
country."

"Once
more, the Government of Cuba reiterates that it will not tolerate the
continuance of these provocations and illegal actions incited by the
U.S. Administration through its diplomatic officials in Havana, and
holds the U.S. Government responsible for the consequences that could
derive from its (Cuba’s) response," concludes the declaration.

Hooliganism

The
destruction and theft of public telephone parts is not the only act
of hooliganism being reported. In its July 1 edition, the official
daily Granma
reported that in the province of Cienfuegos 238 traffic signals were
damaged from January 1 to late April.

In
that period of time there were 123 cases in the city of Cienfuegos,
37 on the highways from the provincial capital to Aguada de
Pasajeros, 14 on the road to Rancho Luna Beach, and 10 on the
National Expressway.

The
national media reported that due to energy consumption fraud, 10.7
million kw/hour were not paid for. The Electric Company reported that
in the first five months of the present year 1,791 more acts of fraud
were detected than during the same period of time last year.

The
battle against social indiscipline and hooliganism is attracting the
attention of authorities and the majority of the population is asking
for more severe penalties.

New
transportation experts

The
daily Granma
on its July 2 edition reports that the Aracelio Iglesias Polytechnic
Institute will again include in their curricula the degree of
Transportation Operation.

"Its
profile includes, among other subjects, planning of loading and
unloading operations in port, land and railway facilities, as well as
traffic and transportation of cargo and personnel,” reported
Granma.

According
to the daily, this area of study had disappeared in 2004.

Local
development a priority

Migration
towards the capital is closely related to reality in the rest of the
country. Such is the opinion of experts interviewed by the Juventud
Rebelde daily
in an investigative piece published on Sunday, June 30.

City
of Havana is the destination of 40.8% of all internal migrants,
according to the last population census (2002). Living conditions and
prospects of personal development are the main reasons for the exodus
to the capital.

Millions
in investments for infrastructure in water systems, power grid, and
repairs and construction of new housing, as well as reevaluation of
agriculture and land distribution to old and new farmers are policies
for supporting and harmonizing the development of other areas of the
country and for reversing internal migration.

As
a song by popular dance group Los Van Van clearly states: "Havana
can’t handle any more."

Panamanian
pardon for Posada and accomplices unconstitutional

Hours
before stepping down as President of Panama in August, 2004, Mireya
Moscoso pardoned Luis Posada Carriles and three other Cuban born
terrorists who had been sentenced for different crimes related to an
assassination attempt against then Cuban President Fidel Castro
during the Iberian American Summit in November 2000.

Now
all Panamanian news media highlight the unanimous decision by the
Supreme Court of Panama that found that the pardon granted by former
President Moscoso was unconstitutional.

According
to media sources, with this finding by the Supreme Court, the
judicial situation is now reversed to what it was before the
presidential pardon.

Posada,
who presently lives in Miami, is wanted by Venezuelan courts for the
bombing of a Cubana Airlines plane in 1976 costing 73 lives. While in
prison in Venezuela pending trial, Posada escaped, allegedly with the
assistance of Miami Cuban counterrevolutionaries.

Since
2005, when it was known that Posada Carriles had illegally entered
U.S. territory, the Venezuelan government has repeatedly requested
his extradition, but the Bush administration has not given an
official and definite answer to the Venezuelan request. 

More
elderly than children

In
the year 2020, Cuba will have more elderly residents than children,
experts from the National Office of Statistics (ONE) told the Prensa
Latina news agency.

According
to the experts, the aging curve is significant. In 1985,11.3 percent
of the population was older than 60, by the end of 2007 that group
had reached 16.6 percent, which amounts to 1,823,069 people.

Working
women, difficulties for obtaining housing independent from the rest
of the family, and the use of contraceptives are some of the reasons
that place Cuba as the oldest group in Latin America.

Cuba:
First place in Latin America in social spending

A
June 30 report by Prensa Latina news agency from the Dominican
Republic said that a study by that country’s National Council of
Private Enterprise (CONEP) found that Cuba allocates 28.7% of its GNP
to social spending. 

According
to CONEP’s study, the figure places Cuba at the head of Latin America
in that capacity.