Radio Havana Cuba, August 3, 1999 Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit 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 3, 1999. Today's stories: 1.-CUBA BEATS US TEAM AND WINS PAN AM BASEBALL TITLE 2.-MATANZAS RESIDENTS CELEBRATE 46TH ANNIVERSARY JULY 26TH 3.-U.S. TO AUTHORIZE DIRECT FLIGHTS TO CUBA FROM AIRPORTS IN LOS ANGELES AND NEW YORK 4.-TOP CUBAN GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS WELCOME HOME TRIUMPHANT CUBAN BASEBALL FROM AT PAN AM GAMES 5.-LATIN AMERICAN AND CARIBBEAN WORK BRIGADE TO PARTICIPATE IN JULY 26 ACTIVITIES IN MATANZAS PROVINCE. 6.-HAVANA'S LENIN PARK GETS A FACE LIFT 7.-CUBA'S SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENT MINISTER SAYS THAT THE ISLAND WILL BE ONE OF THE FEW COUNTRIES TO COMPLY WITH AGENDA 21 IN THE NEXT CENTURY CUBA BEATS US TEAM AND WINS PAN AM BASEBALL TITLE Havana, August 3(RHC)--Euphoria is still reigning in Cuba after the island's hard won baseball victory last night over the United States inthe Pan American Games. Millions of Cubans watched the Winnipeg game on television and when huge Orestes Kindelan, Cuba's leading home run hitter, smashed one over the fence in the 4th inning to make Cuba's first run, and then another in the 7th, the cheers could be heard in every city, town and village no matter how remote. The spectacular win is Cuba's 8th consecutive Pan American championship. This year, Cuban baseball fans were concerned over two important losses suffered by the team in the Winnipeg semifinals, one to the United States, a humiliating 10-5 defeat and another to Canada. The Cuban players came back to beat Canada in a tight 3- 2 game and then they finished off the US squad 5-1 to take the gold. The heros of the game were right-handed pitcher Jose Ariel Contreras who struck out 8 straight in the first three innings and 11 in all and slugger, Orestes Kindelan. The entire team will be the special guests at tonight's celebrations in Matanzas of National Rebellion Day MATANZAS RESIDENTS CELEBRATE 46TH ANNIVERSARY JULY 26TH Matanzas, August 3(RHC)-- Hundreds of thousands of Matanzas residents are expected to join Cuban leaders this evening, in a national celebration to mark the 46th anniversary of the attack on the Moncada Barracks in Santiago de Cuba and the Carlos Manuel de Cespedes Barracks in Bayamo. The action, which took place on July 26th 1953, sparked the final struggle that led to the 1959 Revolution. Cuban President Fidel Castro will be the key-note speaker. For the first time in 40 years, Rebellion Day celebrations will have important rallies in two provinces on two different days. All the island's provinces compete to host the celebrations, and this year the central provinces of Matanzas and Cienfuegos were tied, with outstanding economic and social achievements. The first rally was held July 26th in Cienfuegos, and the Matanzas rally was originally scheduled for Monday, but was postponed until Tuesday, so that the entire nation could watch the bout for the Panamerican Gold medal in baseball, between Cuba and the United States. The Cuban baseball team, which arrived in Havana early this morning, will be special guests at the 8pm rally. U.S. TO AUTHORIZE DIRECT FLIGHTS TO CUBA FROM AIRPORTS IN LOS ANGELES AND NEW YORK Washington D.C., August 3(RHC)-- US Representative Charles Rangel says the US will authorize direct flights to Cuba from airports in New York and Los Angeles. Congressman Rangel made the announcement in Washington after conversations with State Department officials Monday. According to current blockade regulations, direct flights to the island are only allowed from Miami. "This is a commonsense decision that will make it easier and hopefully cheaper for more Americans to visit Cuba, said the representative from New York, ranking Democrat on the House Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee. Rangel is leading advocate of the lifting of Washington's economic sanctions against the island. Flights, which are expected to start sometime after October, would originate at J.F.K. International Airport in New York, and Los Angeles International Airport. TOP CUBAN GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS WELCOME HOME TRIUMPHANT CUBAN BASEBALL FROM AT PAN AM GAMES Havana, August 3 (RHC)-Cuban Defense Minister Raul Castro headed an official delegation to welcome home the Cuban baseball team that won the gold over a tough US team in the Pan American games in Winnipeg, Canada. Raul Castro told the athletes that he was sent by Cuban President Fidel Castro who was giving the finishing touches to his speech for Tuesday evening's activity commemorating the 26th of July in Matanzas province which along with with Cienfuegos was chosen to host this year's ceremonies . The Cuban Communist party postponed the July 26th activity in Matanzas province until Tuesday so that Cubans could watch the game on national television. Also present to welcome the triumphant team to Havana's Jose Marti International Airport, was the head Havana City's Communist Party, Esteban Lazo , who underscored the Cuban sports delegation's dignity and patriotism during the games in Winnipeg. Lazo noted that the athletes knew how to respond in the most difficult moments. LATIN AMERICAN AND CARIBBEAN WORK BRIGADE TO PARTICIPATE IN JULY 26 ACTIVITIES IN MATANZAS PROVINCE. Havana, August 3 (RHC)-The 6th Latin American and Caribbean Volunteer Work Brigade will be guests of honor at July 26th activities to be held on Tuesday night in Matanzas province. The 250 brigadistas arrived in Havana this past weekend at the invitation of the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples, ICAP. The Latin American and Caribbean Brigade will do voluntary work in the municipality of Caimito on the outskirts of Havana and visit the provinces of Havana, Matanzas, Villa Clara, Cienfuegos and Sancti Spiritus. The international work brigades were inaugurated by the Venceremos Brigade in 1969 , which brought Americans to Cuba to help bring in that year's sugar harvest. The Venceremos Brigade recently concluded its 30th anniversary work visit to the island. HAVANA'S LENIN PARK GETS A FACT LIFT Havana, August 3 (RHC)-Close to a million people have visited Havana's grandest park so far this summer. Sprawling Lenin Park has opened a series of new attractions for the 1999 summer season as well as refurbishing others. 60 restaurants and food stands are also doing a brisk business mostly in national currency. Visitors to the huge green park come from around the country to swim in its pools, to enjoy its amusement park, its art galleries, stables exhibition centers and its kilometers of grass and wooded areas. Set to open shortly is an ice cream factory and a bakery. Lenin Park director, Enrique Cordero said that a project for low income visitors is in the making, which will include a ride throughout the park's many installations, a snack and lunch. Another plan will offer honeymooners weekend accommodations. Park employees worked hundreds of volunteer hours to insure that Lenin park would be spruced up in time for the influx of summer vacationers. Those efforts, explained, director Cordero, were backed up by the ministries of construction, domestic trade and the armed forces. CUBA'S SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENT MINISTER SAYS THAT THE ISLAND WILL BE ONE OF THE FEW COUNTRIES TO COMPLY WITH AGENDA 21 IN THE NEXT CENTURY Havana, August 3 (RHC)-Cuba's Minister of Science, Technology and the Environment, Rosa Elena Simeon said in Havana on Monday that the island will be one of the few countries to comply with Agenda 21 agreed on during the 1982 Rio Earth Summit in an attempt to face the environmental problems and development in the coming century. The Cuban official added that the island has gained international recognition in the fields of education, health and environment and she pointed out that the role of national science in the next century will be an exception among the developing nations, because it responds to the country's economic problems and the needs of the population. [c] 1999, Radio Habana Cuba All rights reserved Articles cannot be reproduced, reprinted or published in any system without the consent of RHC. 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