The Cuban press denied this Friday rumors about the existence of three Covid-19 coronavirus cases in Cuba, which have circulated in social networks and in media outside the island. The rumors, which have become viral, state that three Cubans who returned from Italy with symptoms of respiratory disease had been admitted to the Pedro Kourí Institute of Tropical Medicine (IPK) in Havana. However, Juventud Técnica reported having contacted the communication team of the medical institution, which assured the magazine that this information is false and that the center was already aware of the comments. For his part, Cuban Minister of Health José Ángel Portal published this Friday afternoon that Cuba still hadn’t reported cases of coronavirus and maintained a “strict epidemiological surveillance and border health control to minimize the risk of the virus’ entry.” https://twitter.com/japortalmiranda/status/1233476331893149696?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1233476331893149696&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Foncubanews.com%2Fcuba%2Fprensa-cubana-desmiente-rumores-sobre-casos-de-coronavirus-en-la-isla%2F This is not the first time such rumors have circulated. Previously, there had also been comments on possible patients with Covid-19 admitted to the IPK and one in the city of Santa Clara, the latter apparently the result of a mistake after the report of a case in the county of Santa Clara, in California, United States. Meanwhile, the island’s medical authorities have repeatedly insisted...

Cuban scientists are working on several new drugs against cancer and other diseases, such as cardiovascular ailments and rheumatoid arthritis, Granma newspaper reported. The BioCubaFarma group is currently carrying out 102 projects, of which 75 have a Cuban patent, explained Rolando Pérez, director of Science and Innovation of this state conglomerate dedicated to the production of medicines, medical equipment and high-tech services. The HerberSavax therapeutic vaccine―one of the leading products in the oncology area―is in phase III clinical trials in ovarian tumors and hepatocarcinoma, which is the most common type of liver cancer. Developed by the Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB), a leading entity in this field on the island, the vaccine reduces the formation of blood vessels in the tumor, thereby limiting the supply of nutrients and oxygen and inhibiting its growth and shows “encouraging results” in some patients. https://oncubanews.com/informe/cuba-prueba-una-nueva-vacuna-tumores-solidos/ For its part, a biopharmaceutical created at the Molecular Immunology Center is about to begin a phase I clinical trial in patients with solid tumors. According to Pérez, it is a product of the field of cancer immunotherapy, in which intensive research is being carried out. “We have five other products in development in the initial stages...

As if the difficulties of the Cuban economy and the impact of U.S. sanctions weren’t enough, Cubans’ table has a new threat in 2020: a pest in bean crops that is already affecting a large part of the island. It’s an insect named Megalurothrips usitatus and known as bean flower thrips, which causes damage to the flowering of plants and the premature fall before they bear fruit. Those that manage to grow end up producing deformed pods, with less quantity and quality of the grains. Yojan García, head of the Department of Various Crops of the Ministry of Agriculture (MINAG), told the press that the presence of the insect was confirmed last December by Cuban specialists of Plant Health, and said it had not been reported before as a pest “because it did not exceed the economic damage threshold.” The official explained that “as a result of a detection and delimitation survey,” the presence of the pest in bean crops in the western provinces and central Cuba has been diagnosed, between Pinar del Río and Ciego de Ávila, according to the information published on the Cubadebate site. In addition, its presence is reported in other crops, although with a lower...

At the close of 2019, 7.1 million Cubans had access to the Internet, which represents 63 percent of the population of approximately 11.3 million. Of these, mobile data customers reached 3.4 million and more than 650,000 have the service with 4G speed one year after the launch of the activation of the mobile internet network. The data was provided by Minister of Communications Jorge Luis Perdomo, in a report at a review meeting on the work of the sector. Currently active cell phone lines total more than 6 million and almost 650,000 subscribers joined in the period. The public areas of Wi-Fi connection reach 1,500, of which 229 were installed in 2019. The minister’s report states that the country increased its capacity by 30 percent in terms of international connectivity. He said that cybersecurity, the television digitalization program, the diversification of Internet access, are pending areas where foreign investment projects must be completed and medium and long-term financing must be achieved. Cuba activated the mobile data network in December 2018 and extended the commercialization of the Internet connection. The president of the Cuban Telecommunications Enterprise (ETECSA), Mayra Arevich, acknowledged that there is dissatisfaction regarding the cost of services provided by...

Vermont senator and Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders reiterated this Monday his partial defense of the Cuban revolution and Fidel Castro: “The truth is the truth,” he said. At a political rally in South Carolina, Sanders reiterated the praise of Cuba's “literacy program” at the beginning of the Revolution. “When Castro came into office… you know what he did? He had a literacy program. At that time, many people in Cuba were illiterate and he formed the Literacy Brigade...and they left and helped people learn to read and write. You know what? I think teaching people to read and write is a good thing,” said Sanders. He added: “I’ve been extremely consistent and critical with all authoritarian regimes around the world, including Cuba, including Nicaragua, Saudi Arabia, China and Russia. I believe in democracy, not authoritarianism.” The controversy arose from statements made by Sanders during an interview on the CBS “60 Minutes” program that was broadcast on Sunday night. On that occasion the Democrat praised a “literacy program” that the Cuban government launched in its early years and said that “it’s unfair to say everything’s bad” in Cuba. The Democratic presidential candidate also rejected the criticism he received from congressmen...

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urged his Cuban counterpart, Bruno Rodríguez, this Monday to “immediately” release dissident José Daniel Ferrer, leader of the Patriotic Union of Cuba (UNPACU), who has been imprisoned since last October. “For the sake of the Cuban people and for the betterment of your nation, we urge you to free Jose Daniel Ferrer immediately and take the first step toward a better future for Cuba,” said the head of U.S. diplomacy in a letter to Rodríguez and released by the State Department. Pompeo alleges that, in the more than one hundred days that he has endured “unjust” imprisoned, Ferrer “has been repeatedly dragged, chained, beaten and burned” by agents of the Cuban government. https://twitter.com/SecPompeo/status/1231984531156217857?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1231984531156217857&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Foncubanews.com%2Fcuba-ee-uu%2Fpompeo-exige-liberar-a-jose-daniel-ferrer-bruno-rodriguez-responde%2F In response to Pompeo's demands, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez published on his official Twitter account that the U.S. Secretary of State “doesn’t care about the human rights situation in Cuba,” adding that “if so, he would try to lift the genocidal blockade.” https://twitter.com/BrunoRguezP/status/1232015029945458688?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1232015029945458688&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Foncubanews.com%2Fcuba-ee-uu%2Fpompeo-exige-liberar-a-jose-daniel-ferrer-bruno-rodriguez-responde%2F Rodríguez recommended that his U.S. counterpart take care of medical insurance in his country, of the “rights of women, Afro-Americans, the poor, homeless, migrants and detained children.” Finally, he demanded that the ban on travel to Cuba imposed...

U.S. Senator Bernard Sanders said this Sunday in an interview that he is “very opposed to the authoritarian nature of Cuba but it’s unfair to say everything’s bad.” Sanders, who took the lead in the primary elections of the Democratic Party after his victory on Saturday in Nevada, made a partial defense of the Cuban revolution on CBS's “60 Minutes” television program, CNN reported. “When Castro came into office you know what he did? He had a literacy program. Is that something bad? Even if Fidel Castro did it?” Sanders commented in the interview. https://oncubanews.com/articulos-revista/bernie-sanders-gana-en-nevada/ When the show’s anchorman Anderson Cooper pointed to the number of dissidents imprisoned in Cuba, Sanders replied: “It’s true. And we condemn it,” cited by CNN. However, the Vermont state senator disagreed with the U.S. president's approach to the governments of North Korea and Russia. “Unlike Donald Trump, let's be clear, you want.... I don't think Kim Jong Un is a good friend,” he said. “I don't exchange love letters with a murderous dictator. Vladimir Putin is not a great friend of mine,” said Sanders, who defines himself as a Democrat Socialist. His comments were the answer to a question about Sanders’ comments in the...

The government of Havana is promoting a plan for the conservation of the image and hygiene of the city, which includes high fines for those who fail to comply with the provisions. The government program comprises a group of measures that will enter into force on March 1 and among which are that “each state or social entity is responsible for the permanent hygiene and beautification of its establishments, including its surrounding areas,” the newspaper Tribuna de La Habana reported this Saturday. Among the measures to maintain hygiene in Havana's communities and neighborhoods is the call to families to deposit household waste at the collection points established between 6:00 and 10:00 p.m. The violation of this rule can be sanctioned with fines of up to 1,500 Cuban pesos (CUP), as well as the non-collection of waste in these sites by those responsible for doing so. On the other hand, those who throw waste in the avenues, streets, parks or other common areas outside the wastebaskets, baskets or garbage deposits, can be subject to fines worth between 150 to 300 pesos. In addition, those who throw in public places debris resulting from construction actions in their buildings may be fined up...

The coronavirus COVID-19, which until this Saturday has infected about 78,000 persons and caused the death of more than 2,350, is threatening to expand rapidly outside China, after the increase of cases in countries such as South Korea and Italy. In South Korea, the infections multiplied by eight in just four days, reaching the figure of 433 cases, most of them related to a church and a hospital in Daegu, the fourth largest city in the nation and its surroundings, where health workers rushed to examine thousands of people. The Asian country also reported its third death from this disease: a man in his 40s who was found dead at home and posthumously positive, and there is concern that the number of deaths from the virus may increase. The COVID-19 patients with signs of pneumonia or other serious pathologies were transferred from the hospital in Cheongdo to other facilities, Deputy Health Minister Kim Gang-lip explained to reporters. Seventeen of them presented critical conditions, he added. The official said the outbreak has entered a serious new phase, although he showed moderate optimism regarding its containment in the region surrounding the city of Daegu, where the first case was reported on Tuesday....

A Cuba and Thailand joint venture will soon start manufacturing cancer drugs, the Cuban media reported this Friday. The enterprise is formed by the Thai pharmaceutical company Siam Bioscience (SBS) and the Cuban medicine industry and its operations will be initiated in the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), according to the official newspaper Granma, which quoted a tweet from Eduardo Ojito, director of Cuba’s Center for Molecular Immunology (CIM). The publication affirms that the company emerged in 2017 to produce “world-class drugs for complicated diseases,” whereby the Thai SBS and the Cuban CIM agreed to jointly develop monoclonal antibodies to treat cancer and autoimmune diseases. Songpon Deechongkit, general director of Siam Bioscience Group, to which SBS belongs, assured the Bangkok Post that by 2022 the enterprise plans to produce and sell three new drugs for cancer, kidney failure and autoimmune diseases, both in Thailand and abroad. For his part, Agustín Lage Dávila, general director of CIM, told the publication itself that the agreement will help SBS produce other medicines when its patent expires, through the skills created in it. https://oncubanews.com/tendencias/dos-nuevos-medicamentos-para-el-cancer-dan-buenos-resultados/ The Thai pharmaceutical giant, according to the source, “has as its main objective to reduce the costs of...

The Council of State, an organ of the National Assembly of Cuba that represents it between its sessions, approved this Thursday two decree-laws, the first of 2020 according to the legislative schedule approved by parliament last December. The decree-laws that were passed were the one on the National System of Document and Archive Management, and another on the creation of a national commission to address the issue of genetically modified organisms in Cuban agriculture, the official media reported. The press report does not detail the content or specify the date the legal texts will take effect, which until Friday had not been published in the Official Gazette. Nor does it refer to a third decree-law on the work system of Cuban cadres and their reserves, which according to the official schedule published in January, also had to be approved on this occasion. The same session of the Council of State, in which Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel and Prime Minister Manuel Marrero participated, also took other agreements, such as “updating what is related to the organization and operation of the working group that directs, coordinates and controls the legislative activity” and that, “until the new Law on People’s Courts is issued,...

The Tobacco Business Group of Cuba (Tabacuba) billed more than 269.8 million dollars for the export of its productions in 2019, almost 10 million more than the previous year, the presidency of that entity reported this Thursday from Sancti Spíritus. During an annual review meeting of the group, made up of 39 state-owned companies, three joint ventures, a commercial company and a research center, its executives indicated that Tabacuba this year intends to raise its revenues to more than 280. 8 million dollars with the export of quality cigars, to maintain the leadership of its products internationally. The head of the Group, Justo Luis Fuentes, indicated that in the 2018-2019 tobacco harvest the planting program was exceeded and 97.3 percent of what was planted was harvested, although he noted that the 45,000 workers of the entity have potential to surpass the results. Among the difficulties of the process he pointed out losses of seedbeds due to the rains, as well as inadequacies in contracting and lack of products to control blue mold, the most disastrous disease for tobacco. The official called for paying better attention to cigar makers because “it is the artisan who creates the Habano that gives income...

The head of the Department of International Health Control of the Ministry of Public Health, Dr. Carmelo Trujillo, said that in order to prevent the entry of the coronavirus, Cuba is intensifying epidemiological surveillance in international ports, airports and marinas. He emphasized that this surveillance is based on primary health care, and that it has been extended to tourist institutions, hotels, hostels and other state and private entities. https://oncubanews.com/cuba/cuba-insiste-en-que-no-tiene-casos-confirmados-de-coronavirus/ There is no restriction, he said, on trips to China or any other nation, and affirmed that the island’s entry points are covered by properly equipped health personnel. He insisted on the responsibility of travelers to go to the health authorities before 72 hours once they arrive in the country, to declare their status as a traveler and contribute to effective epidemiological surveillance. The authorities have insisted that there is no case of coronavirus and denied rumors and comments to the contrary in social networks.

Cuba already has the specific diagnosis for Covid-19 coronavirus, so any possible case of the so-called Wuhan pneumonia could already be accurately diagnosed on the island, the official media reported this Monday. This was confirmed in a press conference by Francisco Durán, national director of epidemiology of the Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP), who reiterated that “there are no suspected or confirmed cases of coronavirus in Cuba to this day,” the Cubadebate digital site said. “A Cuban specialist was prepared in Mexico and we already have the reagents to make the specific diagnosis of this coronavirus in the country,” said the official, who said that the island already had diagnostic methods for other viruses, which until now were being applied to suspicious cases seeking to rule out possible contagion. Durán explained that the specific diagnosis of Covid-19―which has already infected more than 73,000 people worldwide and has caused more than 1,800 deaths, almost all in China―“will be made to those people with characteristic symptoms of the virus” and with epidemiological elements, for example, having recently visited the Asian giant. “It’s not for massive testing, only for those exposed to risks,” he said. Durán said that at this time Cuba does...

A note published in the state media announced the capture of five assailants who, in the early morning hours of February 14 intercepted two young university students with the aim of robbing them. The young people were returning home in the capital’s Vedado district when they were attacked. After resisting, one of them was stabbed and died. The note highlights the capture in less than 48 hours of the alleged culprits with the help of the population, which “as usual repudiates these uncommon actions in Cuba.” The authors of the incident are described as young, not linked to study or work. The report says that “they are currently detained and are being processed with the established legal guarantees.” The authorities state that “in order not to interfere in the investigation of the case, it was decided to wait until now to give this information.” “Once again it becomes clear that, in situations of this kind, the Revolution and its authorities will not allow impunity and will face in a decisive way the criminal manifestations that attempt to affect citizens’ tranquility and internal order,” concludes the message that appeared in Granma.

Cuban law offices are offering the service of legalization of documents for the Spanish Consulate, as the National Organization of Collective Law Offices (ONBC) of Cuba and the Spanish diplomatic headquarters confirmed in the social networks. In a message posted on its Twitter account, ONBC reported that this service is associated with the procedures for obtaining documents in different offices and their prior legalization in Cuban government agencies. It is offered in its 187 offices distributed throughout the island, at a cost of 15 convertible pesos (CUC), which does not include the tariff applied by the Consulate. “People who in any province of the country are interested in legalizing documents for the Spanish Consulate in Havana can go to the Collective Law Firm closest to their home to contract this service, without having to travel to the Consulate. It is recommended that the service be requested at the time of contracting the legalization of the document for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” says the ONBC tweet. https://twitter.com/ONBC_CUBA/status/1229768988982435841?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1229768988982435841&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Foncubanews.com%2Fcuba%2Fdocumentos-para-consulado-de-espana-pueden-legalizarse-en-bufetes-cubanos%2F Meanwhile, the Spanish Consulate appreciated the performance of the ONBC, which is defined in the networks as “an organization of Collective Lawyers in Cuba, non-state, of a professional nature and eminently social vocation,”...

The enterprise Cementos Cienfuegos S.A. is burning useless tires to use as an energy source and, in this way, reduce this waste’s environmental impact and replace fuel imports for its own operation, at a time when the island is experiencing difficulties with fuel. Carlos López, technical deputy manager of the enterprise, explained to the official daily Granma that this production is still in an initial phase, in which 130 to 150 vehicle tires are processed per day. According to the official, to date they have processed more than 3,600, but they hope to multiply that figure and reach 400 tires per day. Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel called for taking advantage of this alternative means of fuel production during a recent visit to Cienfuegos, and according to López “many entities, even based in the eastern part of Cuba, are willing to bring them” and “steps” are being taken to ensure their transfer. “In this way, when they come loaded with tires they can return with cement, representing zero cost for the factory,” he said. The Cienfuegos enterprise hopes to take advantage of “thousands of used and useless tires that are found in various facilities” throughout the country, says Granma, pointing out...

On his first stop of a tour of the Caribbean and Central America, Santiago Muñoz Machado, the director of the Royal Spanish Academy (RAE), met this Saturday with Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez. He was accompanied by the director of the Cuban Academy of Language (ACL), Rogelio Rodríguez Coronel; as well as by intellectuals and officials Eusebio Leal and Abel Prieto. The Cuban president referred to the exchange on his Twitter account describing it as: “fraternal, interesting dialogue in which we ratify the will to cooperate.” https://twitter.com/DiazCanelB/status/1229091972410957825?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1229091972410957825&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Foncubanews.com%2Fcuba%2Freunido-con-diaz-canel-director-de-la-rae-visita-hoy-la-universidad-de-la-habana%2F The meeting took place shortly after Muñoz Machado’s visit to a regular plenary session of the ACL, where he was conferred the status of full member and after which he made his first statements to the press on the RAE website. “I just received the reports of the work of the Cuban academy and really the word that works best for me is admirable, it is exemplarily dedicated even though resources are always scarce,” he explained. This Sunday, the president of the Association of Academies of the Spanish Language (ASALE) toured historic sites in the Cuban capital accompanied by Havana Historian Eusebio Leal Spengler, who in the Palace of the Second Corporal gave...

A list with the most representative of Cuban cinema produced by the Cuban Institute of Cinema Art and Industry (ICAIC) since 1959 was published by the Cinematheque of Cuba, on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the institution, responsible for the safeguarding of national film heritage. The survey was convened last year, when the 60th anniversary of ICAIC’s foundation was celebrated, and a hundred people participated in it, including 53 national critics, researchers or journalists; 25 filmmakers or people linked to the island's cinema and 22 foreign critics, researchers or journalists. The results were divided into three categories: fiction films, documentaries and animated cartoons. Another list by specialties was also formed, where the participants gave their vote to the materials with the best Screenplay, Photography Direction, Edition, Art Direction and Soundtrack. Among the directors most represented in the voting are Tomás Gutiérrez Alea (Titón) and Fernando Pérez, both with six works included in the lists, as well as documentary filmmaker Santiago Álvarez, while Humberto Solás also excels with five materials. However, the filmmaker most mentioned in the survey turns out to be Juan Padrón, for his work in the direction of animated cartoons. The creator of the character of...

The Western Union (WU) company, the leader in remittances to Cuba, could suspend financial transfers to the island from other countries, except the United States, as of February 26, according to the Nuevo Herald. A spokeswoman for the U.S. company told the publication that WU may lose its ability to operate money transfer services to the island, “due to the unique challenges of operating remittance services from countries outside the United States to Cuba.” “Customers in the United States can continue sending money through the Western Union mobile application, on the company's website or in retail stores,” the company spokeswoman added. U.S government restricts sending of remittances to Cuba The company understands “the impact” that this measure can have on its customers, which is why it will keep in touch with those affected. According to the Nuevo Herald, a journalist of Cuban origin shared screenshots of remittances sent to Cuba from some countries that showed the warning of the possible suspension of services at the end of February. Economist Emilio Morales, quoted by the media, considered that this measure is “a warning sign.” “Remittances to Cuba today constitute the fundamental source of foreign exchange in the country. The systematic reduction...

The Cuban delegation to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games will exceed a hundred athletes. The objective will be to win more than three titles to be among the top 20 countries with the best results. Athletics, boxing, wrestling, judo, taekwondo, canoeing and shooting are the disciplines committed to the Olympic table of medals and which will receive most of the budget allocated to the training prior to the Tokyo Olympics, INDER’s national director for high-performance sports, José Antonio Miranda, this Friday explained to Jit. Miranda said the island reduced its initial pre-selection of 341 athletes by 75, while 26 of them have secured tickets to participate in the Olympics. The official also said that there are 206 events in which Cuba will not participate. He mentioned disciplines such as boxing, judo, taekwondo, fencing, wrestling, archery and rowing to refer to some that are expected to raise the number after several pending qualifying events. To date, men's volleyball was the last sport to try to pass, without success. The following pre-Olympic program events include baseball, boxing, taekwondo and archery. Cuba participated in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games with a delegation of 123 athletes in 19 sports disciplines and won...

The Cuban government promised, through an official letter to the president of the Paris Club, that it will pay its 2019 debts at the latest in May with the countries of that group, Prensa Latina (PL) news agency reported. According to PL, which quotes the Agence France-Presse (AFP) news agency, Cuban Deputy Prime Minister Ricardo Cabrisas was in charge of sending the official statement to Renaud-Basso, general director of the French Treasury and president of the Paris Club. The countries affected by defaults are Austria, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Japan, France and Spain, to which the island had to reimburse between 32 and 33 million euros, out of a total of 82 million owed to 14 creditors in 2019, according to a diplomatic source cited by AFP. https://oncubanews.com/cuba/economia/empresariado-espanol-confia-en-que-cuba-pagara-su-deuda-de-300-millones-de-euros/ In the letter, Cabrisas recalled that during his visit to Paris in January he explained to the creditors the impossibility of paying on time. The deputy prime minister explained in “exhaustive” way the circumstances that determined that Cuba cannot honor its commitments with some countries, as agreed in the multilateral Minute signed by the parties in December 2015, a fact that was reported in several media in recent days. The Cuban authorities...

The director of the Royal Spanish Academy of Language (RAE) and president of the Association of the Academies of the Spanish Language (ASALE), Santiago Muñoz Machado, arrived in Cuba. This is the first stop on a tour that will put him in touch with seven RAE representations in Central America and the Caribbean. The essayist and author of historical stories will also visit the headquarters of the Cuban Academy of Language (ACL) this Saturday, in the Santo Domingo building, in Old Havana. There he will meet with City of Havana Historian Eusebio Leal, who is also a full member of the ACL. Shortly after, Muñoz Machado will attend an ordinary session where he will receive the status of corresponding member of the Cuban institution. According to the RAE website, this afternoon he should meet with President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez to discuss the continuity of the Cuban Academy and the importance of supporting its work. At that meeting he would be accompanied by Rogelio Rodríguez Coronel, president of the ACL, Eusebio Leal and Abel Prieto, president of the Casa de las Américas. On Sunday, the visitor will visit places of interest in the Historic Center of Havana and on Monday 17...

The athletes Lisneidy Veitía and Sahily Diago were reaccepted to represent Cuba in the next international competitions, after several years competing in Italy and Guatemala, respectively, Prensa Latina (PL) news agency reported. Vice President of the National Institute of Sports, Physical Education and Recreation (INDER) Ariel Sainz told Radio Havana Cuba that the reinstatement of both runners was approved after the request submitted by the Cuban federation of athletics. After many years in which INDER’s policy did not accept the return to the national sport of the athletes who left Cuba and competed for other countries, it has become increasingly common to reinstate some athletes by the governing institution of the sport on the island. Veitía, 25, and a native of the province of Villa Clara, in the central region of the island, was Central American champion in the 400-meter race in 2014. https://oncubanews.com/deportes/simon-hierrezuelo-y-el-ruso-readmitidos-por-la-federacion-cubana-de-voleibol/ Meanwhile, Matanzas-born Sahily Diago that same year came in second in the U-20 World Cup and the Diamond League in Rome, in the 800-meter race. Both athletes, who left Cuban athletics after participating in the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in 2016, will now have the possibility of joining the national team that will again represent Cuba...

The State University of New York (SUNY) and the Cuban Ministry of Higher Education (MES) signed a memorandum of understanding in the context of the Universidad 2020 International Congress, which just took place in Havana. The agreement “will provide new opportunities for students from both countries,” reported the Agencia Cubana de Noticias (ACN) news agency, which specified that, as part of the agreement, “exchanges will be carried out in the system of universities, such as short courses, internships, doctoral grants, masters, and lectures by academicians.” Sally Crimmins, associate vice rector of the SUNY Office of Global Affairs and who signed the memorandum for the U.S. institution, said that the universities have a “huge responsibility” in the formation of future leaders, so that they understand “the importance of relations between Cuba and the United States and work towards rapprochement.” She explained that her university's links with the MES began in 2016, during the “thaw” between Cuba and the United States, “in a climate of great optimism,” and said that the work done since then “has been very enriching.” She also recalled that at the moment there are about 13 cooperation agreements with academic entities on the island, despite the rollback in...