CUBANEWS FROM RADIO HAVANA CUBA E-mail: rhc@radiohc.org http://www.radiohc.org The following items are taken from Radio Havana Cuba's news service for Thursday, August 13, 1998. Today's stories: 1.- CUBAN AND INTERNATIONAL MEDIA SALUTE PRESIDENT FIDEL CASTRO ON THE OCCASION OF HIS 72nd BIRTHDAY 2.- GOVERNMENT CONTINUES EFFORTS TO ALLEVIATE SEVERE DROUGHT HITTING THE EASTERN REGION 3.- CUBAN HEALTH DELEGATION MEETS WITH AUTHORITIES IN SOUTH AFRICA 4.- EXPERTS REPORT RISING SEA LEVELS OFF THE COASTS OF CUBA 5.- NEW AMBASSADORS FROM CUBA TO PANAMA AND FRANCE 6.- AND FROM THE SPORTS DESK... AN IN-DEPTH LOOK AT THE CENTRAL AMERICAN AND CARIBBEAN GAMES CUBAN AND INTERNATIONAL MEDIA SALUTE PRESIDENT FIDEL CASTRO ON THE OCCASION OF HIS 72nd BIRTHDAY Havana, August 13(RHC)-- Thursday's Granma newspaper dedicated an article today to Cuban President Fidel Castro's 72nd birthday. The daily said it was a privilege to wish Fidel a happy birthday on behalf of all the Cuban people. The article in today's newspaper invited everyone to take part in celebrating the day at their work places and schools. Asking readers to join tens of thousands of young people who will dedicate their efforts to the Cuban leader's birthday celebration, Granma points out that this is the least that can be done for someone who has dedicated over 50 years of his life for the well being of the country. On the occasion of the birthday of Cuban President Fidel Castro, numerous international news agencies took the opportunity to outline the revolutionary life of the Cuban leader. It was emphasized that despite the passage of time, the leader of the Cuban Revolution does not age in his ideas or principles. The German DPA news agency, in a news cable commemorating the 72nd birthday of Cuban President Fidel Castro, pointed out that Fidel lead a revolution 40 years ago which moved the entire world. Italy'S ANSA news agency recalled that the Cuban leader admits he no longer has the vitality of a young man, but still demonstrates his good health during public appearances and long speeches. And the French news agency AFP reported that Cuba's Jose Marti Pioneer Organization will have a giant cake ready to celebrate the Cuban president's birthday. The children have invited Fidel to a birthday party in his honor, organized at Lenin Park on the outskirts of Havana. GOVERNMENT CONTINUES EFFORTS TO ALLEVIATE SEVERE DROUGHT HITTING THE EASTERN REGION Havana, August 13(RHC)-- The Cuban government continues implementing emergency measures in an effort to alleviate the severe drought hitting the eastern part of the country. Nearly half of the island's cattle are located in the affected areas and trucks are currently supplying water to more than 300,000 head of cattle. According to official reports in the eastern provinces of Guantanamo Holguin, Las Tunas and Camaguey, a total of 746 sources of water are completely dry. In Guantanamo, where the situation is most critical, some 17,000 head of cattle will be transported to other areas. The United Nations has offered emergency aid to cooperate with the Cuban government and will assist those who have been forced to leave their homes and temporarily move to other areas until the drought situation is resolved. CUBAN HEALTH DELEGATION MEETS WITH AUTHORITIES IN SOUTH AFRICA Johannesburg, August 13(RHC)-- Cuban Health Minister Carlos Dotres is heading a delegation to South Africa to analyze the bilateral cooperation accord on the presence of Cuban medical personnel in that African nation. South Africa is the nation with the most Cuban medical personnel, with over 400 doctors serving primarily in rural areas. During their stay in South Africa, members of the Cuban health delegation are meeting with government and local authorities. They will also visit with Cuban medical personnel located in the South African province of Kwazulu-Natal. EXPERTS REPORT RISING SEA LEVELS OFF THE COASTS OF CUBA Havana, August 13(RHC)-- Researchers from Cuba's Oceanography Institute have revealed that there has been an increase in the sea level off the coasts of Cuba, presumably due to the climatic phenomenon known as El Nino. According to experts, the situation is similar to that detected by other nations in the Caribbean. They confirmed an increase in the sea level worldwide, a consequence of the melting of polar ice due to rising temperatures. The increase in the sea level, according to Cuban experts, usually takes place when storms are present in the Gulf of Mexico. When these storms are strongest, the sea gradually rises. According to the experts, these changes occur between January and March, which should be taken into consideration when construction is done near the coasts. The biggest increase in Cuba's sea level over the last 30 years took place during a storm in February 1992, when the sea rose some 35 centimeters above its normal level. NEW AMBASSADORS FROM CUBA TO PANAMA AND FRANCE Havana, August 13(RHC)-- The Cuban Council of State has named Carlos Zamora as its ambassador to Panama and Eumelio Caballero as Cuba's ambassador to France. According to the Cuban Foreign Ministry, Carlos Zamora was previously the Director of the Latin American and Caribbean Department at the Foreign Ministry and Eumelio Caballero was deputy foreign minister. Last May, Panamanian and Cuban diplomats announced stepped-up relations between both nations. The amount of Cuba's trade with Panama last year was reported at some 200 million dollars, while the island's exports increased from 3 million to 20 million dollars. France is among Cuba's main trading partners in Europe. AND FROM THE SPORTS DESK... AN IN-DEPTH LOOK AT THE CENTRAL AMERICAN AND CARIBBEAN GAMES Maracaibo, August 13(RHC)- Mexico and Cuba shared top places in beach volleyball. In women's competition, Mexico took top honors and sent the island to the silver position, while in men's, Cuba took revenge. Bronze in women's went to Venezuela while Costa Rica was third in men's beach volleyball. Venezuela managed to grab one gold medal from the Cuban harvest in rhythmic gymnastics, where Yordania Corrales took three. Juliana Marquez got in the middle of the Cuban athlete's rampant way to the top and won gold in ribbon. Marquez is only 14 years old and told reporters she is really happy with the gold medal. She said she started when she was four years old and thanked her Rumanian trainer with whom she has worked over the past two years. She said it was a wonderful thing to win over a powerful rival -- proving that her country has to be taken into consideration. Meanwhile, Venezuela, the host nation for the 18th edition of the Central American and Caribbean games is leading in swimming competitions and won three titles Wednesday night. They set four records for the games and now have five gold, two silver and three bronze medals. Cuba follows with 4-5-2. Surinam is third with four gold and Mexico is next with 2-4-8. However, the sensation of the day was Cuba's Gunter Rodriguez who grabbed his third gold medal of the tournament after winning in men's 200-meter breast stroke with a time of two minutes and 18.58 seconds. Salvadoran Francisco Suriano was second and Mexican Jose Agustin Lopez third. Venezuelan Ricardo Monasterio received local support and established a new record in men's 400-meter free with a time of 3:58:88. Trinidadian Siobham Cropper won and set a record for women's 100 butterfly with a time of one minute and 3.01 seconds. In baseball, Puerto Rico crushed the Virgin Islands 11 runs to one. Colombia, which came to Venezuela as the favorite in soccer, is about to be eliminated after falling to Guatemala 2-4 in the second qualifying round of Group B. In its debut, Colombia surprisingly lost to Jamaica by a one goal margin and is now forced to win over Costa Rica in order to reach the tournament's quarter-finals as one of the two best third places. Costa Rica is virtually classified. Without tallying Thursday's competitions, Cuba continues to lead in the general classification and its advantage over the rest of competitors is widening. With 32 gold, 24 silver and 18 bronze, for a total of 74, the largest Caribbean island is "Numero Uno," followed by Mexico with 22 gold, 25 silver and 22 bronze. Venezuela comes in third with 22-13-17. Colombia is fourth with 7-17-6, while El Salvador is in fifth place with 4-6-11. Haiti and Aruba are at the bottom with one bronze each. [c] 1998, Radio Habana Cuba All rights reserved Articles cannot be reproduced, reprinted or published in any system without the consent of RHC. This prohibition includes the distribution of this material via Usenet News, "bulletin board" services, e-mail lists, print media, radio and television. For the complete RADIO HAVANA CUBA NEWSCAST and other features, please write for our daily broadcast schedule. We welcome your comments and suggestions. For further information, contact us at: Postal Address: Radio Havana Cuba P.O.Box 6240 Havana, Cuba Telephone: (53) (7) 791053 Fax: (53) (7) 795007 E-mail: rhc@radiohc.org WWW: http://www.radiohc.org