Radio Havana Cuba-16 July 2001 Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit Radio Havana Cuba - News Update - 16 July 2001 . *AMERICAS' OLDEST COPPER MINE CLOSES DOWN IN CUBA *SANTIAGO DE CUBA GEARING UP FOR CARNIVAL *CUBA WILL NO LONGER REQUIRE THAT JOB APPLICANTS PROVIDE POLICE RECORDS *ECO-TOURISM CREATES NEW JOBS *A GLOOMY UN CONFERENCE ON GLOBAL WARMING BEGINS IN BONN *NY TIMES ON SERIOUS VOTING IRREGULARITIES IN US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION . *AMERICAS' OLDEST COPPER MINE CLOSES DOWN IN CUBA Havana, July 16 (RHC)--The continent's oldest copper mine closed down on Monday, signalling the end of copper production in Cuba. The El Cobre mine, located 20 kilometres from the eastern city of Santiago, began functioning in 1530, just 38 years after the arrival of Columbus in Cuba. Over the years Hispanics, indigenous peoples, English, German, French, Chinese and African slaves extracted copper from El Cobre. Experts explain that new, more durable materials are taking the place of copper in industry causing the price of the metal to plunge on the international market. Most of El Cobre's equipment will now be used to extract gold from local mines. *SANTIAGO DE CUBA GEARING UP FOR CARNIVAL Santiago de Cuba, July 16 (RHC)--The eastern city of Santiago, known for its hot, tropical atmosphere and colorful carnivals, is gearing up for its first gigantic street party of the Millennium which kicks off July 21. Santiago's carnivals are considered to the be among the island's most authentic and participatory. This year the city, known both as the cradle of the Revolution and the cradle of Afro-Cuban culture, is celebrating its 486th birthday and National Rebellion Day. More than a hundred places around the city have been turned into open-air night spots featuring live music, drinks and dancing. Also throughout the city, cafes and restaurants have been set up offering all types of meals and snacks to the merrymakers. Many of the island's top bands will be performing to keep the crowds dancing. Each night from July 21 through the 28th, a colorful parade of floats carrying some 7,000 costumed dancers, musicians and participants, will snake its way through Santiago's main thoroughfares. More than 300,000 crates of beer will be consumed by revellers. The capital, Havana, is also ready for its carnival, its beautiful seaside "Malecon" filled with typical booths featuring food, drink and music. The parades begin on July 20. *CUBA WILL NO LONGER REQUIRE THAT JOB APPLICANTS PROVIDE POLICE RECORDS Havana, July 16 (RHC)--Two Cuban ministries have issued a joint resolution loosening a requirement that job applicants provide prospective employers with a copy of their police records. "Certification of police records does not constitute a requirement of employment," says the resolution signed by Cuba's Work and Justice Ministries. The statement also announces that the agency which issues police records will refuse to do so to provide them for employment purposes. Henceforth, the the government will determine which jobs still require that information. According to official statistics, last year more than 400,000 requests were made for police records. *ECO-TOURISM CREATES NEW JOBS Havana, July 16 (RHC)--More than 200 new jobs have been created by ecology tourism in the mountain area of Las Terrazas, in the heart of the Sierra del Rosario in western Cuba. The breathtakingly beautiful area, an hour west of Havana, is a UNESCO biosphere reserve, one of six in Cuba. According to experts, local residents play an integral role in the project which embodies the idea that economic development and love of nature can go hand in hand. A group of researchers from Pinar del Rio province, working in the the Sierra del Rosario Ecological Station, announced the results of their studies on the role played by residents in the sustainable development of the area, which also promotes employment. In l985, Las Terrazas was the first Cuban area to be declared a UNESCO biosphere reserve because of its natural, historical and social value. The reserve houses four communities, the Soroa International Tourist Centre, the Moka Hotel and other nature installations open to the public. Five rivers run through the mountain area and it is home to 500 plant species, mostly tropical forest flora. There is also a wealth of indigenous fauna including 78 types of birds and seven kinds of lizards. *A GLOOMY UN CONFERENCE ON GLOBAL WARMING BEGINS IN BONN Havana, July 16 (RHC)--Pessimism has characterized the opening in Bonn, Germany, of the second part of the 6th United Nations Conference on Climate. Amid mutual accusations between Europeans and Americans, the first part of the conference in The Hague was aborted, and now Japan is threatening the success of an international agreement to reduce the emissions of contaminating gases causing the greenhouse effect. Over the weekend, Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said his country will not go along with the Kyoto Protocol on global warming without the United States, predicting that there will be no accord in the Bonn gathering, set to run through July 27. German Environment Minister Jurgen Trittin said Japan, the midwife of the protocol that emerged in a Japanese city, has become its grave digger. Besides the United States, Russia, Canada, Australia and New Zealand are refusing to ratify the Kyoto Protocol without amendments. To become effective the acord must be ratified by 55 countries, which produce 55% of the planet's contaminating gas emissions. More than 30 countries have already done so, but observers say that without the ratification of the world's major contaminator, the United States, it's hardly likely that the accord will take effect. The entire European Union produces 24.2% of contaminating gas emissions, while Japan is responsible for 8.5%. A group of 26 American university students have arrived in Bonn to call on Kyoto Protocol negotiators to not follow Washington's example. Some of the students, saying they represent thousands more in the United States, gathered in front of the hotel where the U.S. delegation is staying, displaying signs reading "Bush no, Kyoto yes." The initiative is one of many activities organized by environmental activists in the German city. Representatives of the World Wildlife Fund received negotiators and journalists in the guise of polar bears, one of the species most endangered due to global warming. And in Toronto, Canada, two Greepeace activists scaled the highest structure in the city, the CN Tower. After climbing 553 meters in 5 hours, the two activists displayed a giant poster accusing Canada and the United States of being the assassins of the climate. *NY TIMES ON SERIOUS VOTING IRREGULARITIES IN US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION Havana, July 16 (RHC)--An investigation by The New York Times has revealed that during last year's U.S. presidential election, authorities in the state of Florida were pressured to accept hundreds of votes from abroad that did not comply with US electoral law. The investigation states that Republican Party members applied tremendous pressure on election officials to accept ballots coming in from U.S. military installations abroad. Those districts that were declared wins for George W. Bush were also those that received large numbers of these illegal votes. The November presidential election hinged on who won Florida, which was finally awarded to Bush after a week in which his previous 1,784 vote lead was reduced to 537. The New York Times questioned 680 ballots that were validated, saying that some were mailed in envelopes that were postmarked after the election, some were unsigned and some were even duplicate votes. All would have been disqualified had federal and state election laws been correctly applied, said the newspaper. Gary King, who is an elections expert with Harvard University, said that given these new revelations the Bush margin would have been reduced to 245 votes. The Times produced as an example a military ballot for Democrat Al Gore that was rejected by election officials in Broward county because of its postmark. The paper also produced two ballots in favor of Bush, that were likewise postmarked after the election, but were nonetheless accepted. The New York Times said that this was not evidence of fraud, but that clear irregularities had been committed. (c) 2001 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-29214 2001-Jul-16 22:33:50