Radio Havana Cuba-26 May 2000 14:00 Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit Radio Havana Cuba - News Update - 26 May 2000 14:00 *INFORMATICS '2000 CONTINUES IN HAVANA *FRENCH BUSINESS DELEGATION VISITS CUBA *INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON AIR QUALITY UNDERWAY IN HAVANA *AGELESS IN CUBA *INFORMATICS '2000 CONTINUES IN HAVANA Havana, May 25 (RHC)-- An international seminar on the impact of the Internet in developing nations was inaugurated Thursday morning by the Cuban Vice Minister of Science, Technology and the Environment, Daniel Codorniu. During the opening ceremony, Codorniu said that in 1993 there were 5,000,000 Internet users in the world, while today there are 350,000,000. He added that despite serious economic difficulties and the strengthening of Washington's economic blockade, Cuba has devoted important resources to the Internet. First, to guarantee full access to that important source of information, which happened in October 1996 and then, to expand its services and possibilities according to available resources and national priorities. Developed nations, with only 16 percent of the world's inhabitants, concentrate 88 percent of Internet users. In the United States, for example, with only 5 percent of the world population, there're more Internet users than in the rest of the world. In Africa, the number of Internet users is barely 0.7 percent. The high-ranking Cuban official warned that these are realities that we should be aware of and against which the world has to fight. One of the ways of doing so, he added, is by preparing human resources in Third World countries and exchanging our knowledge and experiences with other nations to find solutions that may help us face these inequalities. The Cuban vice minister of science, technology and the environment concluded his speech by saying that united developing nations can do a lot of things and advance much more than if they try to do it by themselves. Informatics '2000 is being attended by more than 1300 representatives of 160 companies from 15 nations. *FRENCH BUSINESS DELEGATION VISITS CUBA Havana, May 25 (RHC)-- A visiting delegation from the French company MEDEF continued on Thursday its bilateral contacts with Cuban authorities. The visitors received detailed information on the process of economic recovery and investment possibilities in Cuba. Headed by the President of the France-Cuba Committee of MEDEF, Jean Dominique Ciomolli, the delegation is made up of some 20 business executives representing sectors such as energy, insurance, transportation, tourism, trade and finance. The visit is aimed at strengthening bilateral trade and exploring opportunities for future joint projects with the island. Cuban First Deputy Minister for Foreign Trade, Orlando Hernandez Guillen, pointed to the existing Cuban-French joint enterprises in areas such as telecommunications and the sugar industry. France is also Cuba's second most important trade partner in Europe. *INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON AIR QUALITY UNDERWAY IN HAVANA Havana, 25 May 2000 (RHC) -The City of Havana is currently hosting a conference on the Quality of Air in the Americas and its direct effect on the health of the region's populations. The event in which specialists and environment authorities from around the world are participating was inaugurated earlier in the week by the organization's director, Reinaldo Diaz Veliz. Diaz Veliz stated that air pollution causes nearly 3,000,000 deaths worldwide every year, which is the result of indiscriminate exploitation of the environment. Cuba has been conscious of the dangers of air pollution since the 1970 creation of the National Network on Air Contamination, which is part of a greater regional network comprising neighboring countries. Dr. Gabriel Toledo, of the Cuban Society for Public Health, Hygiene and Epidemiology, explained that while the situation on the island is not anywhere near as serious as in other nations in the region, Havana in particular is beginning to show signs of significant pollution - the highest level being that of vehicle emissions. He identified 12 areas in the capital that due to their proximity to major traffic arteries represent important health problems for the surrounding inhabitants. While it is difficult to pinpoint exact causes, he said, the level of chronic bronchitis and lung disease in these zones of Havana are significantly higher than in areas with less vehicle traffic. In fact, he added, some 60 percent of the city is considered by authorities to contain unacceptable levels of air contaminants. While many people think that pollution has gone down due to decreased public transportation and thus fewer emissions, the level of pollution has actually increased since 1990 with the introduction of more private cars onto the city's streets. *AGELESS IN CUBA Havana, May 25 (RHC)-- A Cuban woman, Eufemia Rojas, turned 111 last March, after giving birth to 14 children, who in turn produced 84 grandchildren and 300 great and great-great-grandchildren. According to an editorial in the Cuban newspaper Juventud Rebelde, of Eufemia's 14 children, nine are still living; the youngest is 60 and the oldest, 90. Last year, the Cuban press reported on 114 year old Valentina Lopez Garcia, considered the oldest women on the Caribbean island. However, it now appears that this woman has a "competitor" in the guise of Benito Martinez, a 119 year-old man who migrated to Cuba in the early 1900s. Life expectancy in Cuba is 75 years and according to experts, those who turn 75 are likely to live another 10 years. This, together with a low infant mortality rate, 6.4 percent for every 1000 live births, places the island in a favorable position in comparison with industrialized nations. (c) 2000 Radio Habana Cuba. 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-5671 2000-May-28 04:04:12