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 Friday, January 22, 1999. Today's stories: 1.- CUBAN PRESIDENT HIGHLIGHTS PLURALISTIC CHARACTER OF HAVANA'S INTERNATIONAL GATHERING ON GLOBALIZATION 2.- PRIME MINISTER OF ST. LUCIA ARRIVES IN HAVANA SATURDAY 3.- PEDAGOGY '99 GEARS UP FOR FEBRUARY 1st OPENING 4.- CUBA IS PROUD OF ITS HEALTH PROFESSIONALS 5.- CUBA REPRESENTED AT INTERNATIONAL TOURISM FAIR IN MADRID 6.- ART EXHIBITION OF CUBAN PAINTERS IN SPAIN 7.- JAPANESE MUSICIANS PERFORM WITH CUBAN SALSA STAR ISAAC DELGADO CUBAN PRESIDENT HIGHLIGHTS PLURALISTIC CHARACTER OF HAVANA'S INTERNATIONAL GATHERING ON GLOBALIZATION Havana, January 22(RHC)-- Cuban President Fidel Castro has highlighted the pluralistic character of Havana's International Gathering of Economists on Globalization and Development. He expressed satisfaction over the participation of both apologists for and critics of free market neo-liberalism, pointing to the presence of Eduardo Lora -- the top economist of the Interamerican Development Bank. Lora, for his part, praised what he called "the event's good organization and the democracy with which debates were carried out." President Fidel Castro also commented on recent statements by well-known U.S. economist Milton Friedman -- father of the monetary school of economic thought. On Thursday, the Argentinean news daily "Pagina 12" published statements by Friedman in which he blasts the International Monetary Fund -- saying this credit institution should be abolished. He reportedly insisted that the IMF has done more damage than good and has in fact caused many of the recent financial crises. Jokingly, the Cuban leader said Friedman has deserted and joined the ranks of the left, while also insisting that -- in his words -- "I said it first". The Cuban leader said Friedman's statements demonstrate that among theoreticians, sometimes the gap between the left and the right is not so wide. In another intervention during the Havana gathering, representatives of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) called for the "globalization of solidarity," inviting rich countries to contribute to the development of the poorest nations. Alfredo Misail, UNICEF representative in Cuba, pointed out that one billion people -- mostly women -- will enter into the third millennium without being able to read a book or sign a document, marginalized from all technological and scientific advances. The five-day event winds up in Havana late Friday evening. The International Gathering of Economists on Globalization and Development attracted some 500 experts from 50 nations, along with the participation of 300 Cuban experts. PRIME MINISTER OF ST. LUCIA ARRIVES IN HAVANA SATURDAY Havana, January 22(RHC)-- The Prime Minister of St. Lucia, Kenny Anthony, is scheduled to arrive in Havana tomorrow, Saturday, to begin an official visit to the island. Invited by Cuban President Fidel Castro, the prime minister of St. Lucia is slated to sign important bilateral accords during his stay, including agreements in the areas of scientific and technical cooperation and sports. The official visit of Prime Minister Kenny Anthony of St. Lucia is being seen in the light of increased relations between Cuba and its Caribbean neighbors. Cuba and St. Lucia established diplomatic relations in August 1979 -- the same year the Caribbean island gained its independence from Britain. PEDAGOGY '99 GEARS UP FOR FEBRUARY 1st OPENING Havana, January 22(RHC)-- Over 5000 delegates from some 20 countries have confirmed their participation in the Pedagogy '99 Conference, scheduled to begin on February 1st at Havana's International Convention Center. According to the event's organizing committee, more than 900 papers have been submitted by Cuban participants and over one thousand from other nations, including Argentina, Brazil, Venezuela, Spain and Mexico. Among some of the special guests invited to the international event are the General Secretary of the Organization of Iberoamerican States for Education, Science and Culture, Francisco Pinon, and the Director of UNESCO's Regional Office for Latin America, Ana Luisa Machado. The main issues that will be discussed are natural sciences, language and the arts. Nearly 400 union leaders from the region will also participate in a round table discussion on the labor movement. Cuban Education Minister Luis Ignacio Gomez expressed his pleasure that so many Latin American educators could get together in Cuba for Pedagogy '99. CUBA IS PROUD OF ITS HEALTH PROFESSIONALS Holguin, January 22(RHC)-- Cuban Health Minister Carlos Dotres said that the island is proud of its trained health professionals, capable of enormous sacrifices for humanity. Dotres pointed to one example of their selfless work: the Cuban medical brigades that are currently offering their services in Central America and the Caribbean. During an exchange with professors and medical students in the eastern province of Holguin, Dotres added that the country is trying to arrange the technical conditions necessary to improve the health sector, despite Washington's nearly 40 year blockade against the island. The Cuban health official said that many letters and messages of gratitude have been received from the most humble sectors of Honduras, Nicaragua and Haiti for the selfless assistance given by Cuban doctors to those nations affected by Hurricane Mitch. CUBA REPRESENTED AT INTERNATIONAL TOURISM FAIR IN MADRID Havana, January 22(RHC)-- Cuba's Deputy Minister of Tourism Miguel Brugueras will head a delegation that will participate in the International Tourism Fair, scheduled to begin next Wednesday, the 27th, in Madrid, Spain. Brugueras will also represent the island in the Iberoamerican Conference of Tourism Ministers and Business Executives that will also take place during the Tourism Fair. The Fair, which will run through the 31st, will have the participation of over a dozen Cuban firms, among them: the Gran Caribe and Horizontes Hotel chains as well as Cubana Airlines. Some 7000 foreign companies from over 160 countries have confirmed their attendance at the Madrid tourism fair. ART EXHIBITION OF CUBAN PAINTERS IN SPAIN Madrid, January 22(RHC)-- Thirty-eight pieces of art work from Cuba's leading painters are on exhibit in the Spanish city of Gerona. The exhibition offers the first retrospective of Cuban painting during the 1990's. The display is entitled "Cuban Imaginations" and its objective is to portray Cuban reality through paintings, photographs, concerts and three conferences on present-day Cuban art and culture. The event includes graphics and paintings by 30 Cuban artists of all types and from different generations -- including the masters Alfredo Sosabravo, Adigio Benitez, Sandra Ceballos and Ernesto Pena. JAPANESE MUSICIANS PERFORM WITH CUBAN SALSA STAR ISAAC DELGADO Havana, January 22 (RHC)-- The hot Cuban salsa group lead by Issac Delgado is scheduled to perform together with Japanese salsa musicians tomorrow, Saturday, at Havana's Karl Marx Theater. Appearing as special guests will be salsa singer Nora and percussionist Yoshiro Suzuki, formally with Japan's popular salsa group, Orquesta de la Luz. The Japanese artists, members of Japan's All Stars lead by Ken Morimura, will give a benefit concert to collect funds for the Benny More International Festival of Popular Music. The festival is slated to take place next September in Cienfuegos and will coincide with the 80th anniversary of the birth of renowned Cuban singer Benny More. [c] 1999, 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