Radio Havana Cuba-24 August 2000 22:00 Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit Radio Havana Cuba - News Update - 24 August 2000 22:00 *CUBAN PRESIDENT AWARDS OUTSTANDING CUBAN WOMEN *ROUNDTABLE: WOMEN AND THE CUBAN REVOLUTION *GUANTANAMO ENDS HURRICANE WATCH, REMAINS ALERT FOR HEAVY RAINS *MEXICAN GOVERNOR OF QUINTANA ROO ENDS VISIT TO CUBA *PARTAGAS HABANO HOUSE REACHES SALES OF $2 MILLION *CUBAN HIGH JUMPER SOTOMAYOR TO COMPETE IN SYDNEY *Viewpoint: CHILD PROSTITUTION A GROWING INTERNATIONAL PROBLEM *CUBAN PRESIDENT AWARDS OUTSTANDING CUBAN WOMEN Havana, August 24 (RHC)--In Havana, Cuban President Fidel Castro Wednesday attended an activity on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the Federation of Cuban Women, FMC. In a solemn ceremony held at Havana's Revolution Palace, the Cuban leader awarded 44 outstanding FMC members the Mariana Grajales and Ana Betancourt Medals. The Cuban Council of State awards the Mariana Grajales and Ana Betancourt Medals to women who have made significant contributions to the development of the country. During the activity the President of the Federation of Cuban Women, Vilma Espin, recalled the participation of Cuban women during the years of struggle for Cuba’s independence against Spanish colonialism and the fight against the Batista dictatorship which led to the triumph of the Cuban Revolution in 1959. *ROUNDTABLE: WOMEN AND THE CUBAN REVOLUTION Havana, August 24 (RHC)-Wednesday evening's roundtable, aired live on Cuban TV and transmitted internationally on the airwaves of Radio Havana Cuba, centered on the theme of the role of women in the Cuban Revolution. The roundtable, composed of women representing various key sectors of Cuban society, analyzed the integral part women play in socio-economic development. The panel opened the session by celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Federation of Cuban Women - with its president Vilma Espin present - delineating its involvement in the incorporation of women politically, economically, and socially in all spheres of Revolutionary society. Achievements were highlighted in the areas of health care in which a significant percentage of women not only work as doctors and nurses in Cuba, but also participate in medical internationalism abroad in Africa and Latin America. In sports, Cuban women have come away with gold medals in the Olympic Games. In the educational arena, women have participated in pedagogical development at all levels, fostering levels of academic preparation unparalleled in the Third World and even many industrial countries. Women comprise over 60 percent of the professional work force in Cuba. Panelists pointed out that female participation in the Cuban national assembly and social services is at a high percent, and has served to consolidate and preserve equality and social justice in defending the rights of women. The roundtable concluded with a round of congratulations for Vilma Espin, the and all women participating in the revolutionary struggle for a better society and a more just and equitable world. *GUANTANAMO ENDS HURRICANE WATCH, REMAINS ALERT FOR HEAVY RAINS Havana, August 24 (RHC)--Cuba's National Civil Defense Agency Thursday morning announced that the eastern provinces are back to normal following the threat of what is left of Hurricane Debby. According to Cuban authorities the eastern provinces of Guantanamo, Santiago de Cuba and Granma were advised to be on the lookout for intense tropical storms, especially in mountainous regions. The Cuban Civil Defense Agency added that strict security measures must be taken while returning previously evacuated populations to their homes in light of storms affecting various parts of the Caribbean. *MEXICAN GOVERNOR OF QUINTANA ROO ENDS VISIT TO CUBA Havana, August 24 (RHC)--The Governor of the Mexican state of Quintana Roo, Joaquin Ernesto Hendricks, has wound up an official visit to Cuba. The Mexican official signed various agreements with Cuban tourism, education and foreign investment sectors. The delegation from Quintana Roo arrived last Sunday in Havana and extended its stay on the island due to the threat of Hurricane Debby. Cuba and the Mexican state have put together a joint commission on multi-destination tourism in the region, which will facilitate tourism between the two nations, including the participation of both the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. *PARTAGAS HABANO HOUSE REACHES SALES OF $2 MILLION Havana, August 24 (RHC)--The Partagas Habano House has sold two million dollars worth of cigars so far this year. The Partagas Habano House celebrates its 7th anniversary in November which coincides with the 155th anniversary of the Partagas Royal Cigar Factory of the world famous Habanos, including over 30 different brands of cigars. Habano Houses have been created in a number of countries, managed by a Cuban-Spanish-French Conglomerate. *CUBAN HIGH JUMPER SOTOMAYOR TO COMPETE IN SYDNEY Sotomayor, presently taking a week off from intensive training, will be present for the Sydney Olympic Games accompanied by 20 Cuban trainers, it was announced today. Sotomayor, who two days ago suffered an injury during an international competition in Italy, is taking a week of doctor ordered rest. Doctors at the Pisa University Clinic conducted a thorough medical check of his left leg, determining that the high jumper's injury was minor. Sotomayor was slightly injured when he hit the bar while jumping over the 2.28 meter mark whilst practicing. This was his third official presentation after the IAAF lifted a two year sanction related to alleged doping charges. His first appearance was in Montauban, France, on August 15th and three days later in Monaco with 2.28 and 2.30 meter marks. Sotomayor will remain in Viarregio a couple of extra days before continuing his training for the Olympic Games. Close to 20 Cuban sports trainers will be training and advising athletes from other nations taking part at the Sydney Olympic games as part of the island's internationalist work. Currently, some 500 sports specialists offer their services in 46 countries while more than nine thousand of them have rendered their services in roughly 100 countries since 1970, when Cuba first initiated sports solidarity work. *Viewpoint: CHILD PROSTITUTION A GROWING INTERNATIONAL PROBLEM >From Bangkok to Lima, from San Salvador all the way to the southern Italian >town of Andria - we are seeing increasing cases of sexual abuse of children >and child prostitution. This sad situation is almost always the result of >the growing poverty that is sweeping the Third World. Sex tourism is on the rise in Asia - which is now the continent hardest hit by this trade. According to analysts, the plague of child prostitution reached epidemic proportions following the financial crisis that hit Asia in 1997. During a recent regional conference on the issue of child prostitution and sexual abuse, organized by the United Nations in Bangkok, participants heard from experts who showed that the number of young people leaving school and working the streets to survive has risen astronomically. It was also revealed that pedophiles - those who have an abnormal sexual attraction to children - are paying less for a night with a small child, given that the increasing supply and demand have driven down the prices of little boys and girls. For example, in Asia alone, it is estimated that nearly one million children sell their bodies to foreign visitors - an illicit industry that is generating more than five billion dollars a year. Statistics show that the two Asian countries that are leading the world in child prostitution are India -- where half a million children are victims of sexual abuse -- and Thailand -- with nearly a quarter of a million children forced into prostitution. Unfortunately, weak legislation and/or corrupt government officials have allowed the dramatic situation to continue. Many pedophiles - some actually caught in the act - have been released only hours after being arrested due to legal loopholes or financial bribes. Twenty British citizens were recently charged with sexual abuse of children in Thailand, but they were allowed to leave jail - and fly out of the country - after they were able to post bond. But Asia isn't the only area of the world that is experiencing this growing social problem. In Lima, the Peruvian capital, newspaper ads announce that children can be purchased for anywhere between 25 to 200 dollars a night. In El Salvador child abuse has dramatically risen in the first quarter of this year, with many of the children murdered afterwards. And in Italy a recent case involving the murder of two little girls has horrified a nation which is one of the safest nations in Europe for children. The exploitation of children is perhaps one of the most decadent consequences of the principle of putting profits before people. A principle that controls the majority of the world's economies today. (c) 2000 Radio Habana Cuba, NY Transfer News. All rights reserved. ================================================================= NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us 339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012 http://www.blythe.org e-mail: nyt@blythe.org ================================================================= rhc-eng-13767 2000-Aug-24 22:14:39