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 Friday, August 28, 1998. Today's stories: 1.- LESTER RODRIGUEZ, VETERAN OF CUBAN REVOLUTION, DIES AT 71 2.- GOVERNMENT HELPS FIND JOBS FOR UNEMPLOYED 3.- CUBAN STATE COMPANIES WILL BE GRANTED MORE AUTONOMY 4.- ISLAND'S HEALTH BUDGET STANDS AT NEARLY TEN PERCENT OF GNP 5.- REAL, LIVE AMERICAN COWBOYS INVADE HAVANA RODEO LESTER RODRIGUEZ, VETERAN OF CUBAN REVOLUTION, DIES AT 71 Havana, August 28(RHC)-- Cuban Defense Minister Raul Castro presided over the funeral on Thursday of distinguished veteran of the Cuban Revolution, Lester Rodriguez. In l953, Rodriguez participated in the historic attack on the Moncada Barracks in eastern Santiago de Cuba -- the action that ignited the spark of revolution against the corrupt Batista regime. According to an obituary in Granma newspaper, Lester Rodriguez, from a very early age, participated in student strikes in his native Santiago de Cuba and later at Havana University. He was also an active participant in the November 30th uprising in l956, for which he was served six months in jail. A founder of the July 26 Movement, Rodriguez worked as coordinator for the province of Oriente and joined the Rebel Army in the Sierra Maestra mountains in 1958, rising to the rank of captain. The Vice President of Cuba's Council of Ministers Pedro Miret delivered the eulogy, stressing Lester Rodriguez's dedication to the Cuban Revolution and his simple, honest personality. After the triumph of the Revolution in l959, Rodriguez worked in the Armed Forces and later as Minister of the Metal Industry. He also served as ambassador to Syria, Jordan and other countries. Lester Rodriguez was 71-years-old. GOVERNMENT HELPS FIND JOBS FOR UNEMPLOYED Havana, August 28(RHC)-- Cuban Minister of Work and Social Security Salvador Valdes Mesa reports that the country's employment program is responsible for finding jobs for some 40,000 people so far this year. Valdes Mesa told Granma newspaper that the farming and animal husbandry industry currently offers the most opportunities for work, along with local industry, tourism and joint venture, foreign currency enterprises. The Work and Social Security Minister said that Cuba currently has an unemployment rate of seven percent -- but that it must be noted that to calculate the rate, Cuba factors in the entire working-age population and not just those who are looking for work, as is commonly done in other countries. Salvador Valdes Mesa also pointed out that the severe drought hitting Cuba's eastern region has negatively affected the creation of new jobs, because the money earmarked for job development has had to be used to counteract drought damage. CUBAN STATE COMPANIES WILL BE GRANTED MORE AUTONOMY Havana, August 28(RHC)-- Cuba has begun applying a system of improvements in its state enterprises with a series of seminars in the country's sugar industry, aimed at decentralizing companies and granting them more autonomy. Armando Perez, who heads the governmental group formed to evaluate and approve how the reforms will be applied, stressed that improvement of enterprises will preserve the principal of state control as fundamental. The measures, aimed at stimulating the Cuban economy, will be applied over periods of three to six months in the areas of Basic Industry, Agriculture, Metal, Construction, Transportation, Food and Fishing. Other state enterprises which will be granted more autonomy are Light Industry, the Ministries of Construction Materials, Foreign Trade, Culture, Communications, Public Health and the institutions of Civil Aeronautics, Water Resources and Radio and Television. ISLAND'S HEALTH BUDGET STANDS AT NEARLY TEN PERCENT OF GNP Camaguey, August 28(RHC)-- Cuban Public Health Minister Carlos Dotres reports that his ministry had a budget this year of one billion 4 million pesos, which represents a full 9% of the island's gross national product. Dr. Dotres, speaking with reporters in the eastern city of Camaguey, noted that Cuba has the most doctors per capita and is the only country in the world with 98% of its population covered by a free-of-charge, family doctor plan in their own neighborhoods. The island's Public Health Minister recalled that in the United States -- the most developed nation in the world -- millions have little or no access to medical services, while in Cuba, health care is considered a right and not a privilege. REAL, LIVE AMERICAN COWBOYS INVADE HAVANA RODEO Havana, August 28(RHC)-- For the first time in 40 years, U.S. cowboys are strutting their stuff in Cuba. Friday's Granma newspaper reports that Cuban lovers of American westerns will now have the chance to see authentic American cowboys from Texas and New Mexico as they participate in Havana's "The Complete Cowboy Rodeo," taking place as part of Cuba's Annual Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Fair. Invited by Cuba's Agriculture Ministry, eight U.S. cowboys are participating in the First Complete Cowboy Championship. The director of the organizing committee, Anadelio Gonzalez Herrera, said that it is an honor for Cubans to receive such distinguished representatives of the sport after 40 years without any exchanges between cowboys of the two countries. Among the eight men are ropers and bulldoggers of international renown. The competition ends on Sunday with an awards ceremony for the best cowboys in the categories of bull riding, calf-throwing and roping. The head of the American cowboy delegation, Richard Ashley, told reporters in Havana that the group has been impressed by the competition site and by the talent of their Cuban colleagues. [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. 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