CSC news

Viewing from December 2008

Irish Foreign Minister to make first official visit in New Year

Campaign News | Monday, 29 December 2008

By Mary Fitzgerald for the Irish TimesMINISTER FOR Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin will make a historic visit to Cuba in the new year, becoming the first Irish Minister to travel to the island in an official capacity.The visit will take place against a background of changing international policy towards Cuba.Earlier ... read more

Parliament adopts social security law and name for 2009

Campaign News | Saturday, 27 December 2008

The Cuban Parliament unanimously adopted the new Social Security Law on 27 December, which was previously submitted to discussion by Cuban workers.The name of the upcoming year as “Year of the 50th Anniversary of the Triumph of the Revolution,” was also approved during the meeting.The law was passed in the ... read more

Harold Pinter, British Playwright, Nobel Laureate, and CSC patron dies

Campaign News | Friday, 26 December 2008

CSC statement on the death of Harold Pinter who ws a CSC patron and friend of CubaHarold Pinter (1930-2008)On behalf of the Cuba Solidarity Campaign in the UK we would like to offer our deepest sympathy to Harold’s family, colleagues and friends. We are all deeply saddened by this terrible ... read more

Cuba back in Latin American fold

Campaign News | Thursday, 18 December 2008

By Helmut ReuterRaul Castro returned to the Latin American fold this week with a showering of hugs, back-slaps and vigorous handshakes. He could barely catch his breath.At Tuesday and Wednesday's gathering of leaders from Latin America and the Caribbean at the northeastern Brazilian resort of Costa do Sauipe, the Cuban ... read more

Cuba seeks prisoner deal with US

Campaign News | Thursday, 18 December 2008

Cuban President Raul Castro has suggested he would release political prisoners as a "gesture" with the US.Speaking during a trip to Brazil, Mr Castro said: "Let's do gesture for gesture," essentially a call for the US to release five Cubans in its custody.The five were convicted in 2001 for spying ... read more

Miami 5 message to CSC members

Campaign News | Wednesday, 17 December 2008

Gerardo Hernandez thanks CSC for supportGerardo Hernandez has sent a message to the Cuba Solidarity Campaign to wish everyone season's greetings and successful campaigning in 2009.In his message, Gerardo - one of the Miami Five (unjustly imprisoned in the US for fighting terrorist attacks against Cuba)says how much he appreciates ... read more

Raul Castro's speech at Brazil summit

Campaign News | Wednesday, 17 December 2008

Speech President Raul Castro Ruz, at The Latin American and Caribbean Summit On Integration and Development. Salvador De Bahia, Brazil, December 16, 2008Dear friend Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva, President of the Federal Republic of Brazil:Distinguished Heads of State and Government:Distinguished guests:First of all, allow me to convey a message ... read more

Latin America summit excludes U.S. and welcomes Cuba

Campaign News | Wednesday, 17 December 2008

Reporting by ReutersLatin American leaders on Tuesday blamed the global economic crisis on rich countries and welcomed Communist-run Cuba at a summit meeting designed to weaken U.S. influence in the region.The presence of Cuban President Raul Castro at the meeting in northeastern Brazil was touted as a sign of Latin ... read more

Latin America leaders tell Obama to end Cuba embargo

Campaign News | Wednesday, 17 December 2008

By Raymond Colitt for ReutersLatin American leaders called on President-elect Barack Obama on Wednesday to lift the 46-year-old U.S. embargo against Cuba as soon as he takes office.The leaders of 33 Latin American and Caribbean nations said the unilateral enforcement of sanctions was "unacceptable" and said Washington must comply with ... read more

Raul Castro says he'll discuss embargo with Obama

Campaign News | Tuesday, 16 December 2008

from the Associated PressCuban President Raul Castro told reporters he's willing to discuss the 50-year-old U.S. trade embargo against Cuba with President-elect Barack Obama.After arriving in northeastern Brazil for a summit of Latin American and Caribbean leaders, Castro said he'd discuss the blockade that prohibits nearly all U.S. commerce with ... read more

50th anniversary of the Revolution 2009 calendar

Campaign News | Monday, 15 December 2008

<img src="images/calendarcover.jpg" alt="" />Cuba Solidarity Campaign’s own 2009 50th Anniversary of the Revolution calendar, featuring 12 original photographs.Each month reveals a full colour photograph and caption to represent an aspect of Cuba’s history and achievements over the last 50 years - plus calendar space for you to write important dates ... read more

In "eat local" movement, Cuba is years ahead

Campaign News | Monday, 15 December 2008

from ReutersAfter the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Cuba planted thousands of urban cooperative gardens to offset reduced rations of imported food.Now, in the wake of three hurricanes that wiped out 30 percent of Cuba's farm crops, the communist country is again turning to its urban gardens to ... read more

ALBA grows without giving up on its unifying dream, says Raul Castro

Campaign News | Sunday, 14 December 2008

ALBA (the Bolivarian Alternative for “Our America”) is growing, without giving up on a single idea of its unifying dream of solidarity and justice for all, said Cuban President Raul Castro on Sunday in Caracas.Castro made the statement at the closing ceremony of the 9th Cuba-Venezuela Joint Commission after he ... read more

Obama asked to extradite terrorist Posada Carriles

Campaign News | Sunday, 14 December 2008

Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez has asked US president-elect Barack Obama to extradite Luis Posada Carriles, who is sought by the Venezuelan justice system for acts of terrorism.“President Obama, send us the terrorist. We are asking you to do so because he should be in prison, and not walking free on ... read more

Cuba’s CDR Congress to analyse economic recovery

Campaign News | Friday, 12 December 2008

The role played by the Committees in Defense of the Revolution (CDR) in supporting the economy, services and food programs will be a top focus of debates at the organization's Seventh Congress to take place this weekend.One thousand delegates and two hundred guests will gather on December 13 to 14 ... read more

Workers discuss 2009 economic plan

Campaign News | Friday, 12 December 2008

Increasing production and productivity levels, cutting costs and raising efficiency are the key points being discussed in preparations for the 2009 budget and economic plan. Beginning in November and continuing throughout December, meetings are being held at workplaces throughout the country giving workers a chance to participate.Speaking at a meeting ... read more

More than 500 attend Latin America 2008 conference

Campaign News | Thursday, 11 December 2008

by Stephen Hallmark for CSC<img src="images/AmbassadorLAsmall.jpg" align="right" alt="" />MORE than 500 people packed the TUC’s headquarters to learn more about the radical social and political changes redefining Latin America.<img src="images/gallowayLAsmall.jpg" align="right" alt="" />Speakers from across the continent, together with British MPs, accademics and trade unionists, participated in plenaries and seminars ... read more

Frei Betto: Cuba guarantees human rights

Campaign News | Thursday, 11 December 2008

Brazilian priest Frei Betto said on Wednesday that the Cuban people enjoy the three main human rights: food, health and education.In an exclusive interview with ACN, the author of the 1985 book ‘Fidel y la Religion’ (Fidel and Religion) said that the work of Cuba in the field of human ... read more

In terms of Human Rights, nobody teaches anything to Cuba

Campaign News | Wednesday, 10 December 2008

An interview between His Excellency Jorge Castro Benitez Ambassador of the Republic of Cuba in Portugal and Timothy Bancroft-Hinchey Director and Chief Editor Portuguese version PRAVDA.RuPravda.RuOn the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the adoption and proclamation of the Universal Declaration of Human rights by the UNO (on 10th December ... read more

Cuba favors genuine cooperation in human rights field

Campaign News | Wednesday, 10 December 2008

Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque today affirmed that his country favors authentic international cooperation in the field of human rights, under the principles of objectivity, impartiality and non-selectivity.Addressing over one hundred foreign personalities and representatives of Cuban civil society, Perez Roque inaugurated the International Workshop titled “The Universal Declaration ... read more

Cubans to celebrate Fifty years of Revolution with popular parties

Campaign News | Wednesday, 10 December 2008

The 50th anniversary of the triumph of the Cuban Revolution will be celebrated in the island with cultural activities in all the municipalities of the country, said a Cuban Young Communists League leader, Joel Queipo.Queipo, with the National Bureau of the organization, said the program of activities to mark the ... read more

'Che' film gets thumbs up in Cuba

Campaign News | Tuesday, 9 December 2008

by Morgan Neill for CNN"Che" the movie met Che the myth in Cuba this weekend, and the lengthy biopic of the Argentinean revolutionary won acclaim from among those who know his story best.The movie was screened Saturday in the Yara movie theater in central Havana as part of the 30th ... read more

Caribbean presses Obama on Cuba

Campaign News | Monday, 8 December 2008

The leaders of 14 Caribbean nations have called on US President-elect Barack Obama to lift the decades-old American trade embargo against Cuba.The call came during a one-day summit between Cuba and the Caribbean regional trade bloc, known as Caricom.Current Caricom president, Antigua's Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer, said he hoped the ... read more

Benicio del Toro:Premiere of Che in Cuba, a great deal of responsibility

Campaign News | Sunday, 7 December 2008

Actor Benicio del Toro said that the premiere in Havana of the film Che, by American director Steven Soderberh, entailed a great deal of responsibility and emotion, since showing the movie to the people who knew Che Guevara so well, was like closing a cycle and writing a page for ... read more

Latin America 2008: a national conference which is a must

Campaign News | Friday, 5 December 2008

By Dr Francisco Dominguez, Head of Centre for Brazilian and Latin American Studies Middlesex University reports on this Saturday's conferenceLatin America is going through an extraordinary and fascinating process of progressive transformation.Despite inevitable complexities, the ‘Pink Tide’ keeps expanding bringing in new nations.What began back in 1998 with the election ... read more

July 2009 Caravan to Cuba

Campaign News | Friday, 5 December 2008

IFCO/Pastors for Peace Caravan to CubaIn July 2009 IFCO/Pastors for Peace will be sending its 20th Friendshipment Caravan to Cuba, as an act of solidarity with our Cuban brothers and sisters as they celebrate the 50th anniversary of their revolution. We will take with us hundreds of tons of humanitarian ... read more

Report cites benefits of changing US Cuba policy

Campaign News | Friday, 5 December 2008

A report released today calls for President-elect Barack Obama and Congress to signal a new direction in the foreign policy of the United States by changing policy towards Cuba. "The Case for a New Cuba Policy," written by Jake Colvin, Vice President of Global Affairs for the National Foreign Trade ... read more