O U R   A M E R I C A

• Saving life, saving Mother Earth
April.23.10
COCHABAMBA, April 22.— Cuba will firmly and resolutely support the Cochabamaba agreements to defend Mother Earth, affirmed Cuban Vice President Esteban Lazo Hernández, addressing more than 35,000 people attending the closing event at the First People’s World Conference on Climate Change, which was brought to a close on Thursday afternoon by Bolivian President Evo Morales, PL reports.

• Evo Morales receives Cuban vice president
April.22.10
COCHABAMBA, Bolivia.—The president of the Plurinational State of Bolivia, Evo Morales, received here Esteban Lazo Hernández, vice president of the Council of State of Cuba, where he is a guest at the 1st People’s World Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth.

• MOTHER EARTH DEMANDS ITS RIGHTS
An S.O.S. from Tiquipaya
April.22.10
IT would not be exaggerated to state that Tiquipaya, a small locality in unredeemed Cochabamba, is making history. More than 20,000 people, clinging to the final hope of saving the planet, or Mother Earth, are meeting there. Five heads of state and two Nobel Peace laureates are accompanying them on this noble crusade in which the very existence of today’s world is at stake.

• Evo condemns capitalism for destroying the planet
April.21.10
COCHABAMBA, Bolivia, April 20.— Bolivian President Evo Morales yesterday condemned here the capitalist system, which he described as principally responsible for the destruction of the planet, PL reports.

• Fraternal meeting between Raúl and Chávez
April.21.10
CARACAS, April 20.—Chávez received President Raúl Castro at the entrance of Miraflores Palace this afternoon and, a few minutes later, they began a wide-ranging and warm working meeting, on the third day of the Cuban president’s visit to Bolivarian Venezuela.

• The two centuries of common history have taught us that
we have only one alternative: to unite, fight, and overcome
April.20.10
Speech given by Raúl Castro Ruz, president of the Councils of State and Ministers, at the 9th ALBA-TCP Summit, in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, April 19, 2010, "52nd Year of the Revolution."

• ALBA agrees to consolidate sovereignty and advance toward socialism
April.20.10
CARACAS, April 19.— Member countries of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our Americas (ALBA), agreed today in Venezuela to consolidate their integration and sovereignty in the interest of constructing the road to socialism, PL reported.

• Venezuela commemorates bicentenary of the independence struggle with patriotic event
April.20.10
CARACAS, April 19.—The 9th Summit of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA), which ended last night in a Teresa Carreño Theater filled with thousands of Venezuelans, was an excellent culmination of the celebrations for the bicentenary of the beginning of the independence struggle in this country. It was a beautiful event that had this capital vibrating with patriotic fervor, solidarity and overwhelming demonstrations of support for the Bolivarian Revolution.

• Raúl in Venezuela
April.19.10
MAIQUETIA, April 18. – Cuban President Raúl Castro Ruz arrived at Simón Bolívar International Airport in Maiquetía at 5:45 p.m. this Sunday, under a persistent drizzle which should alleviate the intense drought that has plagued this country for several months.

• Chávez swears in more than 30,000 militia
April.14.10
CARACAS, April 13.—With Bolívar’s sword on high, President Hugo Chávez Frías swore in today 30,000-plus members of the Bolivarian National Militia, who filled Caracas’ Bolívar Avenue, in celebration of April 13, a day of rebellion and the victory of the people who, eight years ago, restored their president to Miraflores Palace.

• Oscar Niemeyer: "Cuba has always known how to transform setbacks into victories"
April.12.10
BRASILIA, April 11.— A message that reached the Cubadebate editorial staff on Sunday, signed by the eminent Brazilian architect and friend of Cuba, Oscar Niemeyer, confirmed the South American artist’s commitment to the cause of the Cuban Revolution in the face of the recent anti-Cuba media campaign launched by the United States and Europe.

• Conspiracy of solidarity with the Haitian people
March.29.10
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti.—This Saturday was a joyful one here, although few Haitians noticed it. The fact is that this is a country where the infant mortality rate is in excess of 80 per 1,000 live births, where life expectancy is under 60, and where tens of thousands of people die from tuberculosis, malaria, and dengue fever… it could not experience a better day than one on which its highest authorities agreed to a program to strengthen health services and create a epidemiological prevention network.

• Thousands march in Honduras for an end to the repression
March.26.10
TEGUCIGALPA, March 25.—Several thousand people marched today in this capital demanding an end of the escalating repression and against the implementation of neoliberal policies that are affecting the poor, PL reports.

• Piñera declares state of disaster in central Chile
March.12.10
VALPARAISO, Chile, March 11. — Chilean President Sebastián Piñera declared a state of disaster on Thursday in the O’Higgins (central) region, after a 7.2-magnitude aftershock jolted the nation and provoked alarm in the midst of his inauguration.

• After the earthquake in Haiti
To heal the wounds of the soul
March.11.10
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti. — On March 9, Cuba assaulted the Champ de Mars Plaza, the same one where thousands of sad, exhausted people took shelter two months ago. And yes, it was literally an assault, but the kind mounted by people devoted to healing the wounds of the soul. A Cuban-style assault, with rumba from Santiago, clowns...

• Immigrants inhumanely treated in 180 European prisons
March.10.10
LIMA, Peru.—On Monday, representatives of social and immigration organizations came together outside the Italian embassy in this capital to protest against violations of immigrants’ rights and abuses in most of the European Union nations.

• UN representative in Haiti praises Cuban cooperation workers
March.10.10
UNITED NATIONS, March 9 (PL). — The head of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), Edmond Mulet, today described the work of Cuban doctors in that earthquake-struck Caribbean country as “extraordinary.”

• Earthquake in Chile leaves hospitals with 4,000 beds out of use
March.8.10
SANTIAGO DE CHILE, March 7.—The healthcare system should always be operative in normal conditions and situations of pandemics or natural disasters because, at the end of the day, it is the sector that saves lives, stressed Pablo Rodríguez, president of the Chilean Medical College, PL reports.

• Another 6.3-magnitude earthquake shakes Chile
March.5.10
SANTIAGO DE CUBA, March 4.— Another earthquake shook Chile on Thursday, although this time its magnitude was 6.3 and its epicenter was located in the Antofagasta region in the north of the country, according to Carmen Fernández, director of the National Emergency Office (ONEMI), Europa Press reports.

• A new subversive escalation, with extensive media coverage, has been launched against Cuba
March.4.10
Speech by Bruno Rodríguez Parilla, minister of foreign affairs of the Republic of Cuba, in the high-level segment of the 13th session of the Human Rights Council, Geneva, March 3, 2010

• José Mujica assumes presidency of Uruguay
March.2.10
MONTEVIDEO, March 1.— José Mujica assumed the presidency of Uruguay today in a climate of a popular fiesta. For the first time, the ceremony took place in the open air before South American presidents and other special guests.

• President and president-elect of Uruguay receive Machado Ventura
March.1.10
MONTEVIDEO, March 1.— Cuban Vice President José Ramón Machado Ventura was received by President Tabaré Vázquez and President-Elect José Mujica this Sunday.

• Death toll from earthquake in Chile rises to more than 700
March.1.10
SANTIAGO DE CHILE, February 28.—Chilean President Michelle Bachelet stated this Sunday that the number of dead as a consequence of the devastating earthquake of 8.8 magnitude on the Richter scale that shook the country on Saturday has risen to 708, and she appealed to all sectors to make a "gigantic effort" in order to overcome this "unparalleled emergency in the nation’s history. "

• ONE MONTH AFTER THE EARTHQUAKE
This is the greatest emergency we have ever experienced
February.26.10
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti.—Françoise Gruloos, the UNICEF representative in Haiti, doesn’t even remember what day it is. Since January 12, when the earth shook the lives of millions of people, this kind woman has not stopped. She lives in a tent, goes to bed after 11:00 p.m., and is on her feet again at 4:30 a.m. She says that she brought her office with her, and we don’t doubt that, as her cell phone rings regularly and she gives instructions.

• Creation of Community of Latin American and Caribbean States: a historically significant event
February.24.10
RIVIERA MAYA, Mexico.— The creation of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States is a historically significant event, and we believe it appropriate to strive to promptly define its statutes and mode of functioning, so that they cover the collective interest in the greater integration and unity of our region, Cuban President Raúl Castro Ruz said on Tuesday, Feb. 24, in addressing the Unity Summit’s final session.
- There is no reason why Latin America and the Caribbean should not have their own body of political consensus

• One month after the earthquake
Water, but not blessed
February.19.10
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, February 18, 2010 — Sous Shilove doesn’t know that the French president was in the city, much less that he promised $326 million in aid, along with 1,000 tents and 16,000 canvas tarpaulins for the start of the rainy season. The young Haitian, who is the oldest son and therefore responsible for his large family, only knows that the rains have begun, and they will make things worse in the chaotic Champ de Mars, the plaza where he and thousands of others have been living in miserable conditions for more than a month.

• In Haiti
More than 95,000 patients treated
February.18.10
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti.— More than 95,000 patients have been treated here to date here by the Cuban medical brigade since the January 12 earthquake, and 4,500 operations have been performed. However, as brigade coordinator Carlos Alberto García says, in looking toward the country’s future, the most important part begins today with the transfer of equipment and medical personnel to two new hospitals in the provinces.

• Cuban-trained doctors vaccinate the Haitian population
February.17.10
A group of doctors trained in the Latin American School of Medicine in Cuba (ELAM) have joined the vaccination campaign organized by Cuban medical personnel in devastated Haiti.

• Henry Reeve International Brigade on Haitian soil
February.12.10
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti.— Possibly the name of Commander in Chief Fidel Castro had never been heard with as much emotion as it was yesterday morning at the Toussaint Louverture International Airport, when 50 graduates from the Latin American School of Medicine (ELAM) landed on Haitian soil. They were the first group of the 200-plus doctors already in Havana who will gradually be incorporated into the Cuban brigade here.

• Cuba in the heart of every Haitian
February.10.10
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti.— Shortly before leaving for Cuba after two working days in Haiti, Vice President Esteban Lazo Hernández was received by Haitian Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive who, on behalf of the Haitian government, reiterated his people’s gratitude to Cuba.

• In Haiti
Cuba is not arriving, Cuba was already here
February.9.10
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti.— Commander in Chief Fidel Castro Ruz sent a message of gratitude and fraternal greetings to members of the Henry Reeve International Medical Brigade, graduates of the Latin American School of Medicine (ELAM) and fifth and sixth year students there, via Esteban Lazo...

• Anonymity in the field
February.8.10
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti.— Surgeon Oscar Suárez says that, without the medical electronics technicians, known as the "electromédicos," they would be nothing. "We have worked nights, into the morning… but they aren’t far behind us. These young guys have also been sweating; they are often our anonymous help, because you always see the doctors attending to people, but behind us, there has to be an electromédico."

• When the earth shook in Haiti
From today: U.S. doctors working in Cuban hospitals
February.5.10
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti.—Seven young doctors have just arrived at the Croix des Bouquets field hospital. They have come from the United States and wish "to help their Cuban brothers and sisters in attending to the suffering Haitian people. We are in the process of having our Medical degrees validated, but felt the need to be here, we’re leaving aside our studies so as to say ‘Present’," they affirm. For that reason they will begin attending to Haitian patients today.

• Haiti on alert following announcements of more tremors
February.4.10
PORT-AU-PRINCE, February 3.— Announcements of further telluric movements in Haiti and of a greater magnitude on the Richter scale have interrupted the population’s attempt to return to normality here and have provoked panic among inhabitants of this capital.

• U.S. doctors leave to work with Cuban team in Haiti
February.3.10
NEW YORK, February 2.— A group of seven American doctors, graduates of the Latin American School of Medicine in Havana, left today for Haiti to work together with the Cuban team that is attending to earthquake victims in that Caribbean nation.

• 20 days after the earthquake
Cuba still flying the flag in Haiti
February.2.10
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti.—Twenty days after the earthquake that mercilessly shook this capital, when many foreign aid workers were leaving for their peaceful worlds with the final photo confirming their presence on Haitian soil, 938 doctors from Cuba, including 380 Haitian doctors trained in Cuba, are still saving lives here, despite the difficult situation they have experienced and the one seen approaching.

• Joy in Leoganne
February.1.10
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti.—Fidel was born in Leoganne. He was brought into the world by Haitian Dr. Rodez Montumaire, who affirmed that the baby was born healthy. However, more than the specialized language of the doctor, Fidel, with an energetic and persistent wail, was making it known to everyone that he was here in the world in full force.

• Cuba was the first country to help us
January.29.10
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti. — The international community’s response in helping Haiti has been very important, above all that of Cuba, which was "the first country to help us, because the Cubans were working here before the earthquake, and have collaborated a lot in saving a considerable number of lives," affirmed Jean Rénald Clérismé, advisor to the office of President René Préval, during a meeting with Cuban reporters.

• The leaving of its president
January.28.10
PRESIDENT José Manuel/ Mel Zelaya made a dignified and sad exit from his country, Honduras today, January 27, six months after he was violently deposed by a coup d’état and transported against his will to Costa Rica, and four months after he valiantly re-entered Honduras in a clandestine manner – after two attempts to return by plane and on foot from neighboring Nicaragua – and was given refuge in the Brazilian embassy in Tegucigalpa.

• Haiti, without a palace too
January.27.10
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti. — They say that only majestic place in the Haitian capital was its National Palace. The building, enormous and blindingly white, was yet another paradox in this country, immersed in abject poverty, but able to show off a palace in the style of the grand Petit Palais in Versailles.
 
• ALBA agrees to send aid for the reconstruction of Haiti
January.26.10
CARACAS, January 25.— President Hugo Chávez of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela led the extraordinary meeting of the Political Council of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA), which took place from Sunday in the Miraflores Palace.

• PAHO describes Cuban cooperation in Haiti as excellent
January.25.10
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti.— Mirta Roses, director of the Pan American Heath Organization (PAHO), described Cuban medical cooperation in Haiti yesterday as excellent and marvelous during a visit to La Paix University Hospital, one of three institutions in the Haitian capital where Cuban doctors are working.
 

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