> >Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit > >Radio Havana Cuba - News Update - 11 May 2000 > > > -COURT OF APPEALS IN ATLANTA HEARS ORAL ARGUMENTS IN ELIAN GONZALEZ CASE > -UN HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES COMES OUT IN FAVOR OF GLOBAL SOLIDARITY > -CUBAN MEDICAL GROUP IS WELCOMED BY BELIZE'S HEALTH MINISTER > -PRESIDENT OF THE CANARY ISLANDS ON OFFICIAL VISIT TO CUBA > -TOBACCO PRODUCTION CONTINUES ON THE RISE > -FIRST REGIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL AND COMMUNICATIONS WORKSHOP UNDERWAY > -COUNCIL FOR RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT IMPRESSED WITH CUBA'S SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE > -PINAR DEL RIO DEFEATS HAVANA'S INDUSTRIALES; > READY TO FACE DEFENDING NATIONAL CHAMPS, SANTIAGO DE CUBA > -Viewpoint: THE BIG BUSINESS OF TRAFFICKING HUMAN BEINGS > > >COURT OF APPEALS IN ATLANTA HEARS ORAL ARGUMENTS IN ELIAN GONZALEZ CASE > >Atlanta, May 11 (RHC)-- The Elian Gonzalez case arrived at the 11th Circuit >Court of Appeals in Atlanta today. U.S. government attorneys and those >representing the child's great-uncle in Miami, Lazaro Gonzalez, were given >approximately 20 minutes to present their oral arguments. The government >also allowed Gregory Craig, the lawyer representing Elian's father, Juan >Miguel, to use part of their allotted time. > >Experts almost unanimously agree that Elian's distant relatives in Miami can >only prolong the dispute and that eventually the child and his immediate >family will return to Cuba. > >Observers contend that the petition for an asylum hearing by the boy's >kidnappers in Miami -- based on the claim that the child will be persecuted >and indoctrinated in Cuba -- does not meet the requirements established to >grant asylum. > >Stephen Legomsky, an immigration law expert at Washington University in St. >Louis, said proving that Elian will be persecuted would be difficult at >best, since he is adored in Cuba. And, he said, it will not be easy to >prove that a six-year-old child -- who is too young to have political ideas >-- will be indoctrinated. > >In terms of an eventual Supreme Court appeal, Alex Aleinikoff, professor at >Georgetown University Law Center and a former INS general counsel, said that >decades of Supreme Court rulings favor parental rights over those of >children and that Elian's case should be no exception. > >An article in today's edition of the Los Angeles Times points out that if >the court rules that Elian must be given an asylum hearing, his fate would >be in the hands of the Immigration and Naturalization Service -- the agency >that has ruled three times that the boy should not be permitted to apply for >asylum. An asylum hearing, however, is a process that takes two to three >months. > > >UN HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES COMES OUT IN FAVOR OF GLOBAL SOLIDARITY > >Havana, May 11 (RHC)-- Visiting United Nations High Commissioner for >Refugees, Japanese Sadako Ogata, has called for the globalization of >solidarity during a lecture at the University of Havana on the challenges >for the protection of refugees. > >Sadako Ogata arrived in Havana on Tuesday, beginning an official visit at >the invitation of Cuban authorities. This is the first visit of a UN High >Commissioner for Refugees to Cuba since the creation of that UN agency in >1951. > >The UN official pointed to war, political repression, violence, poverty, >social exclusion and environmental degradation as the main causes for an >increased refugee crises worldwide over the past several decades. > >She also referred to the positive as well as the negative impact of >globalization. In that sense, she said that while the free circulation of >goods and capital have created wealth, employment opportunities and a better >life for some, the rapid movement of investment capital in and out of >certain regions have led to major financial crisis during the last decade. >The search for quick profits and other factors have also contributed to >social destabilization and, as a result, increased poverty for the poorest >strata of society. > >The UN High Commissioner for Refugees stressed the importance of promoting >what she called global solidarity. > >"It's of utmost importance that we convince political leaders worldwide to >integrate global solidarity into the system of values on which their action >is based. It may sound abstract and you may also ask why it's necessary. I >have two answers. First, because it responds to the compelling moral >imperative of sharing with those who are less fortunate. Second, because the >larger the number of people living a relatively secure life, the more secure >everyone will be. Global solidarity contributes to overall human security. >The efforts made by Cuba to maintain adequate public services in the key >areas of education and health and, I should add, in providing protection to >refugees are exemplary". > > >CUBAN MEDICAL GROUP IS WELCOMED BY BELIZE'S HEALTH MINISTER > >Belmopan, May 11 (RHC)-- Belize's Health Minister, Jose Coye, personally >welcomed the fifth group of a Cuban medical team which arrived in that >country as part of Cuba's Integral Health Plan for Central America. > >The group of 34 -- most of them specializing in the nursing sector, along >with six medical professionals -- brings the number of Cuban doctors and >health technicians working in Belize to 107. > >Belician health authorities say that Cuba's assistance is extremely valuable >and will allow the Central American country to improve the quality of its >health services, which are undergoing a reform process. > >The Cuban internationalist health professionals offer their support with >highly-qualified personnel, mainly in the area of community medicine. The >medical team has also helped to reinforce the country's major hospitals with >specialists in gynecology, neurology, ophthalmology, and, most recently, >nursing. > > >PRESIDENT OF THE CANARY ISLANDS ON OFFICIAL VISIT TO CUBA > >Havana, May 11 (RHC)-- The President of the Canary Islands, Roman Rodriguez, >will meet with Cuba's Tourism Minister, Ibrahim Ferradaz, to evaluate >cooperation projects in the field of personnel training and the exchange of >technology. > >Upon his arrival in Havana on Tuesday, the President of the Canary Islands >characterized the island's investments as intelligent, especially in the >tourism sector. > >During Roman Rodriguez' stay in Cuba, he is also scheduled to donate medical >supplies to the Leonor Perez Maternal Hospital and participate in the >inauguration of a cigar factory. > >The president of the Canary Islands offered his country's cooperation to the >more than 11 thousand descendents of his islands living in Cuba, promising >greater efforts in favor of that immigrant community. He also said that >among his visit's major objectives are to stimulate the presence of >companies from the Canary Islands in Cuba and exchange ideas with local >authorities. > > >TOBACCO PRODUCTION CONTINUES ON THE RISE > >Havana, May 11 (RHC)-- Cuba's President of the National Association of Small >Farmers, ANAP, Orlando Lugo Font, said that conditions are favorable on the >island to increase tobacco production by 10,000 tons during the year, >despite a drought that has hit areas of the country. > >The increase of tobacco production has been possible due to the extension of >the production to all of the other provinces on the island and increase of >new areas in the traditional zones like western Pinar del Rio, Havana, >central Sancti Spiritus and Villa Clara. > >The 9th Congress of the National Association of Small Farmers will get >underway next Monday, with 800 delegates and 200 invited guests. One of the >main issues to be discussed at the Congress will be the development of the >agricultural sector on the island. > > >FIRST REGIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL AND COMMUNICATIONS WORKSHOP UNDERWAY > >Sancti Spiritus, May 11 (RHC)-- The First Regional Environmental and >Communications Workshop is underway in the central Cuban city of Sancti >Spiritus, with the participation of representatives from surrounding >provinces. > >Cuban specialists are debating the issue of environment and communications >in today's world. During the two-day event, participants exchanged ideas on >environmental problems and the mass media -- examining the treatment of >those issues on radio and television, as well as in the written press. > >The meeting, which is sponsored by the Ministry of Science, Technology and >the Environment and the Association of Cuban Journalists, is part of efforts >to contribute to environmental conservation measures. > > >COUNCIL FOR RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT IMPRESSED WITH CUBA'S SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE > >Havana, May 11 (RHC)-- A high-ranking member of the Council for Research >Development, based in Geneva, told reporters in Havana that her organization >is impressed with the level of scientific knowledge attained in Cuba. > >Mathias Korter, a Swiss scientist who is currently visiting the island, said >that he deeply admires Cuba, adding that despite its economic difficulties, >the island had made tremendous scientific and social achievements. > >During his participation in the Symposium on the Impact of Science in >Technological Innovation, Korter said that the event has provided a good >opportunity to discuss future cooperation between the Council for Research >Development and Cuba. > > >PINAR DEL RIO DEFEATS HAVANA'S INDUSTRIALES; >READY TO FACE DEFENDING NATIONAL CHAMPS, SANTIAGO DE CUBA > >Pinar del Rio, May 11 (RHC)-Pinar del Rio defeated Havana's Industriales 8 >to 5 -- qualifying them for the finals against the defending champions >Santiago de Cuba. > >Pinar del Rio catcher Yosvani Madera was the most valuable player of the >night with a triple and homerun -- scoring six of the eight runs for the >team. > >Now Pinar del Rio will face the strong-hitting team of Santiago de Cuba on >Saturday for the finals of the National Baseball Series. > > >Viewpoint: > >THE BIG BUSINESS OF TRAFFICKING HUMAN BEINGS > >Human trafficking continues to rise, as the free market becomes the imposed >model for global trade. Increasing, South-to-North migration makes it easy >for dealers who run a well-organized mafia, with control over borders and >custom regulations. > >Merchandise and raw materials are guaranteed free circulation across >frontiers, but the poor populations of the Third World meet inflexible legal >restrictions and material barriers that force them to make risky attempts to >leave their impoverished countries, seeking work opportunities in the very >nations that have raped their local economies. > >The globalization of economies and communications allows the spread of vice >and crime, resulting in a world order that holds greed as its First >Commandment. > >Although human trafficking is an international business, the situation along >the U.S. southern border stands out among the most critical. Human dealers, >known as "coyotes," place the lives of tens of thousands of Latin Americans >at risk every year. Most of the immigrants are of Mexican origin and suffer >great hardships in their attempts to cross the heavily guarded and monitored >U.S. border. > >Over the years, the number of people killed in attempts to cross the border >to improve their lives has continuously increased. To stop human trafficking >in the area, the U.S. government has built huge metal walls, set up wired >fences, militarized the border zone and even ordered border patrol agents to >shoot violators. A while ago, a border patrol guard shot a fleeing >15-year-old boy as he attempted to climb BACK into Mexico. These guards are >armed with modern weapons as well as the most sophisticated means for >tracking and detection. > >Poverty leaves few choices, if any. Undocumented immigrants in the United >States are condemned to the worst jobs -- most of them in agriculture. They >work from dusk to dawn for such low pay that no U.S. citizen would even >consider such work. > >Making big money from other people's poverty and desperation has turned into >a new and profitable source of income, which can only be compared to the >drug trade and the illegal trafficking of weapons. > >(c) 2000 Radio Habana Cuba. All rights reserved. > >------------------------------------------------------------------------ >There's still time to order Calyx & Corolla flowers for mom. >These fresh and elegant bouquets are available for delivery >by Mother's Day. To order, please visit >http://click.egroups.com/1/4103/0/_/30563/_/958105017/ >------------------------------------------------------------------------ > >Cuba SI - Imperialism NO! >Information and discussion about Cuba. >Socialism or death! Patria o muerte! Venceremos! >http://www.egroups.com/group/cubasi > >Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > __________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki - Finland +358-40-7177941, fax +358-9-7591081 e-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.kominf.pp.fi ___________________________________ [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe/unsubscribe messages mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] ___________________________________
