Fidel Castro turns 82

Cuban
Radar                                                                              Read Spanish Version

Fidel
Castro turns 82

A
service
by the Radio Progreso Alternativa Havana Bureau

On
Wednesday, August 13, Cuban
media focused
Fidel Castro’s birthday.

The
leader of the Cuban revolution received congratulations
in the media from the labor movement, Cuban athletes participating at
the Beijing Olympic Games, and from the Cuban Five, antiterrorists
serving prison terms in the United States. 

After
resigning from the government, Fidel has dedicated part of his
convalescence to writing on foreign and domestic political issues.
The last of his “Reflections”, under the title of “Cannon
Fodder for the Market”, focused on the crisis provoked by Georgia’s
invasion of the Republic of Ossetia, an event that prompted Russian
military guaranteeing Ossetia’s independence. With this article,
Fidel Castro backed the official declaration of the Cuban government,
signed by President Raúl Castro, in defense of Russia’s and
Ossetia’s positions.

AlbaFoods

On
Tuesday, August 12, PetroCaribe in Havana was brought to a close.
PetroCaribe is an organization, which under the ALBA (Bolivarian
Alliance for the Americas) umbrella sells low priced oil with
exceptional conditions of payment to several Caribbean countries. In
his closing remarks, Venezuela’s Minister of Apiculture Elías
Jaua announced the creation of AlbaAlimentos, which will function as
a multinational enterprise which guarantees the best possible food
security to member countries. With that objective in mind, Venezuela
decided to allocate $2 million for every member country.

Sugar
and sugar
derivatives targeted

The
Cuban sugar industry plans to increase the depressed
domestic sugar production (which in the last harvest had a slight
recovery), duplicate alcohol output (at present up to 100 million
liters a year in 11 distilleries), as well as the revival of sugar
cane derivatives, such as cattle fodder and the production of bagasse
boards.

The
recently approved Law 259 on agricultural policy leaves the door open
for foreign investment in the sector, as long as it meets the
requirements of the Cuban government. Among the requirements are
capital, technology and access to new markets.

New
president
appointed at ICAP

Jorge
Martí Martínez was appointed as new president of the
Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP). Martí,
who previously was the Cuban Ambassador to the Russian Federation,
substitutes the recently deceased Sergio Corrieri.