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 Tuesday, August 25, 1998. Today's stories: 1.- CUBAN PRESIDENT FIDEL CASTRO RETURNS HOME FOLLOWING OFFICIAL VISIT TO THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC 2.- U.S. FEDERAL GRAND JURY INDICTS SEVEN CUBAN-AMERICANS FOR CONSPIRING TO ASSASSINATE CUBAN PRESIDENT FIDEL CASTRO 3.- NO HEALTH PROBLEMS IN DROUGHT-STRICKEN AREAS 4.- NEW RATES FOR TELEPHONE SERVICE 5.- ERNESTO CHE GUEVARA MEMORIAL CLOSES DURING SEPTEMBER FOR REMODELING 6.- INTERNATIONAL HOTEL CHAIN CONFIDENTLY PLACES ITS BETS ON CUBA'S GROWING TOURIST INDUSTRY 7.- GROUND-BREAKING CUBAN EXHIBITION IN ARIZONA 8.- AND FROM THE SPORTS DESK... CUBAN PRESIDENT FIDEL CASTRO RETURNS HOME FOLLOWING OFFICIAL VISIT TO THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC Havana, August 25(RHC)-- Cuban President Fidel Castro wrapped up his five-day visit to the Dominican Republic Monday evening, following an address at the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo. The Cuban leader addressed the crowd of nearly one thousand Dominicans, who cheered "Viva Cuba con Fidel" -- "Long Live Cuba with Fidel." Blasting the neo-liberal economic policies prevalent in today's world, the leader of the Cuban Revolution said that while globalization is inevitable, neo-liberal globalization is unsustainable. Cuban President Fidel Castro said that there are many different schools of thought among economists, but that all of them agree that the future of neo-liberalism is uncertain. The Cuban leader also attacked the U.S. economic blockade of the island, which has been in effect for nearly four decades. Stating that Cuba had lived through almost 40 years of a brutal blockade, Fidel Castro told the crowd that Cuba would survive. The leader of the Cuban Revolution pointed to the fact that he has been the target of numerous attempts against his life and predictions that he would soon die. He strongly criticized those who claim that the social gains won by the Cuban people will disappear when he eventually DOES die, saying those who think that one person makes a revolution are terribly mistaken. Delivering a five-hour lecture at the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo, the Cuban leader joked that he might miss his flight if he kept going much longer. President Fidel Castro left the Dominican capital Monday evening and was seen off at the airport by his Dominican counterpart, Leonel Fernandez. He arrived on the neighboring Caribbean island last Thursday and participated in the CARIFORUM Summit on Friday and Saturday, during which participants accepted Cuba as a full-member of the regional organization. As part of his official visit to the Dominican Republic, the Cuban president visited the birthplace of Maximo Gomez, the Dominican-born Cuban independence leader in the struggle against Spanish colonial rule. Throughout his stay, Cuban President Fidel Castro was welcomed by enthusiastic crowds and received the support of Caribbean leaders for Cuba's full integration into the region. U.S. FEDERAL GRAND JURY INDICTS SEVEN CUBAN-AMERICANS FOR CONSPIRING TO ASSASSINATE CUBAN PRESIDENT FIDEL CASTRO San Juan, August 25(RHC)-- A U.S. federal grand jury in Puerto Rico today indicted seven Cuban-Americans and a business firm on charges of conspiring to assassinate Cuban President Fidel Castro. The indictment was issued against Jose Antonio Llamas, a member of the Executive Committee of the ultra right-wing Miami-based Cuban-American National Foundation and owner of a vessel impounded by the U.S. Coast Guard with two high-powered rifles. Also indicted was Alfredo Domingo Otero, a retired businessman and member of the Foundation, who took the Fifth Amendment earlier this month when asked to testify before the grand jury, as well as Jose Rodriguez Sosa and the Nautical Sport Corporation. These three indictments join those of Angel Manuel Alfonso, Angel Hernandez Rojo, Juan Bautista Marquez and Francisco Secuindino Cordova -- all four arrested last October after their vessel -- "La Esperanza" -- was impounded along with the rifles. The computerized navigation instruments on board the vessel were set for Venezuela's Margarita Island, where the Cuban leader was to attend an Iberoamerican Summit. The president of the Cuban-American National Foundation, Francisco "Pepe" Hernandez, has not been indicted -- despite being the owner of one of the high-powered, 50 caliber rifles. The owner of the other rifle, Cuban-American Evelio Pou -- a veteran of the U.S. Bay of Pigs invasion against Cuba -- was also not indicted, although he was questioned by the FBI. Nevertheless, the U.S. Justice Department announced today that the investigation was still open. The Cuban government has long insisted that the Cuban-American National Foundation has supported terrorist attacks against Cuba. Recent articles in the U.S. news dailies The Miami Herald and The New York Times have given credence to those charges. Tuesday's indictments mark the first time that U.S. authorities have taken legal action against the Foundation, which has a powerful lobby on Capitol Hill. NO HEALTH PROBLEMS IN DROUGHT-STRICKEN AREAS Havana, August 25(RHC)-- Cuban health authorities say the drought affecting the island's five eastern provinces have caused no health problems among the population. Speaking to reporters in Havana on Tuesday, Public Health Deputy Minister Jorge Delgado Bustillo reported on a fact-finding mission to the area. >From August 18th through 21st, a team of experts made on- site evaluations of the epidemiologic-hygienic situation of approximately four million inhabitants, which are suffering from an acute water shortage. In such circumstances, Bustillo stated, digestive'tract illnesses are likely to occur. However, swift action by the island's authorities to the climatic difficulty has avoided an epidemic outbreak. According to the public health official, water chloride is guaranteed and a special shipment of anti-diarrhea medications has been delivered to the provinces. So far, there has been no need to resort to the medications. Meteorologists say that Holguin province is the most affected by the drought, followed by Las Tunas, Guantanamo, Granma and Santiago de Cuba. NEW RATES FOR TELEPHONE SERVICE Havana, August 25(RHC)-- The Cuban Telecommunications Company ETECSA has announced that it is changing its rates as of September 1st. Customers in the private sector already hooked up to digital exchanges will be able to make five hours of calls monthly without any additional cost to the more than four decade-old tariff of 6 pesos and 25 cents a month. Any extra minute will cost 3 cents on weekdays and 2 cents on Sundays and national holidays. State customers using digital telephone lines will pay a rate of 9 pesos 95 cents a month. The limit applies only to outgoing calls. Customers still connected to analogue telephone exchanges will see no changes in their rates. The adoption of this measure was discussed and approved during the July ordinary session of the National Parliament. According to telephone company Executive Rafael Marrero, the measure does not seek to reduce excess liquidity or cut down telephone use, but is adopted as a way to more rationally use telephone services. Investment in the sector between the Cuban company and its foreign partners between 1997 and 2004 is expected to reach 900 million dollars. It will be used for the full digitalization of the island's telephone services and the addition of some 40,000 telephone lines. ERNESTO CHE GUEVARA MEMORIAL CLOSES DURING SEPTEMBER FOR REMODELING Santa Clara, August 25(RHC)-- The Ernesto Che Guevara Memorial in the central Cuban city of Santa Clara will be closed to the public for remodeling during the month of September. The final phase of work on the Memorial, where the remains of Che and those who fought and died with him in Bolivia are enshrined, is expected to be completed by the end of next month. The Memorial, which also contains personal belongings and documents related to the life and work of Ernesto Che Guevara and the other internationalist fighters, will be temporarily closed on August 31st -- and will be re-opened to the public on October 10th. Since October of last year, when the Memorial was dedicated, more than 250 thousand Cuban and foreign visitors have paid tribute to the Heroic Guerrilla and those who, along with Che, gave their lives in Bolivia in 1967. INTERNATIONAL HOTEL CHAIN CONFIDENTLY PLACES ITS BETS ON CUBA'S GROWING TOURIST INDUSTRY Varadero, August 25(RHC)-- International hotel chains continue to confidently place their bets on Cuba's growing tourist industry. The latest management and marketing contract was signed in Varadero Beach Resort on Tuesday by Germany's LTI International Hotels and Cuba's Gaviota Tourist Group. The contract includes the management of two hotels in Cuba. The first facility -- which will be a four-star hotel and have 309 rooms -- is already under construction at Pisquero Beach in the Province of Holguin. The second hotel will have 300 rooms and will be located at Varadero Beach. Both facilities will start up operations in October 1999 and July 2000, respectively. GROUND-BREAKING CUBAN EXHIBITION IN ARIZONA Tempe, August 25(RHC)-- "Contemporary Art from Cuba" is the name of an exhibition opening at the Arizona State University Arts Museum in September. The event, being described by its organizers as a "ground-breaking exhibition," will be dedicated entirely to the work of the new generation of Cuban artists. The exhibit -- organized by the National Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba (UNEAC) and Arizona State University, will present work by nearly 20 artists working on the island today. The organizers in Arizona say they hope that many of the artists will be able to receive U.S. permission to attend the opening of the exhibition, slated to start September 27th and run until December 13th. AND FROM THE SPORTS DESK... Havana, August 25(RHC)-- The South African city of Johannesburg will serve as the site for the Track and Field World Cup September 10th through the 13th. Traditionally, eight teams take part in the competition, including athletes with the best results during the season. Africa, Asia and Oceania will be represented with one team each, Europe will have three and the Americas will have two teams -- one from the United States and another representing the rest of the continent. In that second team, there are 11 Cubans that will take part. Athletes that participated in the 18th Central American and Caribbean games, held in Maracaibo, Venezuela this month and who received gold medals in track and field are automatically classified. Regarding the Cuban athletes, the list is headed by high jumper Javier Sotomayor, and includes long jumper Ivan Pedroso, triple jumper Yoelvis Quesada for men's, and triple jumper Yamile Aldama in women's competitions. Unfortunately, runner Ana Fidelia Quirot is not included on the list because she finished fourth at the recent games in Maracaibo. The Johannesburg Cup was to be her last competition of the season before taking a rest, but she was unable to win in women's 800 meters in Maracaibo. In other sports news, the 26th Central American and Caribbean Badminton Championship is underway in the Cuban capital. On Monday, the opening day, Cuba won three games -- two in the senior and one in the junior category. The president of the International Badminton Federation, Chinese Lu Shen Grong and Vice President Justian Suhandinata from Indonesia were present at the first day of competitions. 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