Radio Havana Cuba-11 February 2002 Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit Radio Havana Cuba - News Update - 11 Febuary 2002 . *NEW BOOK EXAMINES WASHINGTON'S CULTURAL DOMINATION *MORE THAN 100,000 HAVE SO FAR VISITED HAVANA'S INTERNATIONAL BOOK FAIR *MEETING ON ECONOMY, GLOBALIZATION AND DEVELOPMENT UNDER WAY *AFGHAN VILLAGERS WRONGLY ARRESTED WERE BEATEN BY US MILITARY FORCES *FORMER ENRON CHAIRMAN KENNETH LAY WILL TAKE THE 5TH BEFORE CONGRESS *VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT ACCUSES MAINSTREAM MEDIA OF DISTORTIONS AND MANIPULATION *ON ANNIVERSAY OF REVOLUTION, HUGE ANTI-US STREET DEMONSTRATIONS IN IRAN *US VICE PRESIDENT'S MID-EAST TOUR SEEN AS PRELUDE TO MILITARY STRIKE ON IRAQ *GLARING JUDICIAL ERRORS IN IMPOSITION OF DEATH PENALTY IN US - STUDY *Viewpoint: AFTER A YEAR OF SHARON'S GOVERNMENT, THE CRISIS CONTINUES UNABATED . *NEW BOOK EXAMINES WASHINGTON'S CULTURAL DOMINATION Havana, February 11 (RHC)--Cuban President Fidel Castro attended the launching of a new book on Sunday by Spanish intellectual and journalist Ignacio Ramonet. The book, "Propagandas Silenciosas" (Silent Propaganda), was launched at Havana's Karl Marx Theater -- as part of celebrations of the 11th Annual Book Fair, underway in the Cuban capital. Some 5000 guests -- including invited personalities, professors and students -- listened as the author talked about his latest book, which has been described as an analysis of the seductive manipulation of cultural imperialism. Referring to U.S. control of the media, Ignacio Ramonet said that the master dominates better if the subjects don't realize they're being dominated. Following the presentation, Fidel Castro briefly addressed the audience. The leader of the Cuban Revolution said he was convinced that the "Battle of Ideas" will help to educate the oppressed of their situation and that the new book "will enrich our arsenal of ideas." Fidel Castro predicted that "a new world will emerge" from the current international crisis and noted that since the tragic events of September 11th, imperialism has no longer been content with imposing its rule by way of seduction, but instead through brute force. Cuban Parliament President Ricardo Alarcon also spoke at the Karl Marx Theater during the book launching Sunday afternoon. Alarcon said that "Propagandas Silenciosas" contributes to an understanding of the world in which we live -- pointing to the way in which television and the film industry are used to influence people and as instruments of domination. *MORE THAN 100,000 HAVE SO FAR VISITED HAVANA'S INTERNATIONAL BOOK FAIR Havana, February 11 (RHC)--More than 100,000 people have visited Havana's International Book Fair so far. The event, which opened on Thursday the 7th at the San Carlos de La Cabaņa Fortress, was perhaps one of the most popular family attractions in the Cuban capital this past weekend. Children, accompanied by their parents, enjoyed cultural presentations by actors dressed up as clowns -- with the aim of promoting the importance of reading. The little ones could be seen scurrying from one booth to another, with children's books tucked under their arms. According to organizers of the Book Fair, following last year's successful event, people asked that the Fair travel to other cities across the island. The Cuban Book Institute and the Ministry of Culture plan to take the event to 18 cities throughout the country, with a total of five million books available for purchase. Many of the books are being offered in national currency at very inexpensive prices. Some books that would easily sell for 15 or 20 dollars in any other country of the world can be purchased for as little as 50 cents or one dollar in Cuba. *MEETING ON ECONOMY, GLOBALIZATION AND DEVELOPMENT UNDER WAY Havana, February 11 (RHC)--The Fourth International Meeting of Economists on Globalization and the Problems of Development got underway in Havana on Monday with the participation of more than 400 delegates from around the world. According to organizers of the event -- which runs through Friday, the 15th -- among of the major topics of discussion during the meeting will be the current economic crisis in Argentina and Washington's plan to impose the Free Trade Area of the Americas. Three Nobel prizewinners are attending the economic forum -- Robert Mundell from Canada, 1999 winner of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Science; Joseph Stiglitz, a U.S. economist and the winner of last year's Nobel Prize; and Adolfo Perez Esquivel, an Argentinean activist and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1980. For the first time in the four years of the annual event, a representative of the International Monetary Fund has accepted the invitation to take part in the discussions. Claudio Loser, the director of the IMF's Western Hemisphere Department, will present a lecture entitled "Perspectives for Latin America and the Caribbean in the New International Context." It was also announced that a representative of the World Bank is attending the economic forum this week in Havana. For the second time in as many years, Guillermo Perry, vice president of the World Bank, is in the Cuban capital to offer his views on neo-liberal economic theories. *AFGHAN VILLAGERS WRONGLY ARRESTED WERE BEATEN BY US MILITARY FORCES Uruzgan, Afghanistan, February 10 (RHC)--Afghan villagers wrongly arrested by U.S. military forces have affirmed that they were beaten and kicked by their captors and imprisoned in a wooden-barred cage at a U.S. base in Kandahar. The 27 former prisoners, who were released last Wednesday when the Pentagon admitted that they weren't Al Qaida or Taliban fighters, said U.S. soldiers treated them so harshly that two men lost consciousness during the beatings, while others suffered fractured ribs, loosened teeth and swollen noses. A 40-year-old Afghan farmer and policeman for the new government told western media outlets that he suffered two fractured ribs at the military base where the men were imprisoned as American soldiers punched and kicked them while accusing them of being terrorists. In the early morning January 24 attack against a local school and district government office that Pentagon officials described as an outpost for Al Qaida and Taliban hold-outs, 21 villagers were killed and one U.S. soldier wounded. Though U.S. officials in Washington acknowledge that something went wrong, and the CIA is distributing financial compensation to the families of those killed, the U.S. Central Command has steadfastly refused to acknowledge error, saying an investigation is still underway. Two of the men killed in the attack were heading a local disarmament drive to collect weapons from former Taliban sympathizers and other Afghan citizens, while one of the prisoners was the new district police chief. The police chief said he also lost nine family members during an earlier U.S. bombing raid when American pilots mistook his family's tractor-trailer for a fleeing Al Qaida vehicle. Survivors of the attack said they saw as many as eight bullet-riddled bodies of Afghan villagers whose hands had been tied behind their backs with plastic handcuffs stenciled with the words "Made in USA." *FORMER ENRON CHAIRMAN KENNETH LAY WILL TAKE THE 5TH BEFORE CONGRESS Washington, February 11 (RHC)--As expected, former Enron chairman Kenneth Lay has decided to refuse to answer questions at his subpoenaed appearance before Congress on Tuesday. After Lay backed out of a voluntary appearance a week ago, two congressional committees issued subpoenas compelling his presence, though lawmakers expected him to assert his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. The former Enron executive and George W. Bush campaign contributor and close friend now joins four other current and former top Enron executives who are refusing to talk. Senator Byron Dorgan, chairman of the Senate Commerce subcommittee on consumer affairs noted that Lay has been saying for quite a while that he wants to tell his side of the story to the American people, while asserting that lawmakers will get to the bottom of the scandal with or without his cooperation. Following an intense week of hearings last week, leaders of some of the congressional investigations say they have strong evidence of illegal activity surrounding the failure of the big energy trading company and the rip-off of thousands of employees, investors and creditors. Meanwhile, several members of Congress have suggested that another Enron executive who did testify, Jeffrey Skilling, could face formal accusations of perjury. Skilling claimed he had no knowledge of the firm's pending collapse, though on Sunday the CNN revealed that some 500 Enron executives were paid bonuses of up to five million dollars shortly before it became the biggest bankruptcy in corporate history. The size of the awards is expected to further outrage thousands of Enron workers who lost their jobs and in many cases their life savings as a result of the collapse. The bonuses awarded to the Enron executives are in addition to the millions of dollars made by senior executives from share options. During the past few years, 29 executives together cashed in shares worth more than one billion dollars. *VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT ACCUSES MAINSTREAM MEDIA OF DISTORTIONS AND MANIPULATION Caracas, February 11 (RHC)--Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has vowed to expose the mainstream media's role in efforts to organize opposition to his government, accusing the press and survey firms of defending the interests of the rich. Chavez said Venezuela is a prime example of how media outlets can use their resources to distort, manipulate and misrepresent reality. Ruling party legislators have promised to expose media organizations they blame for provoking street protests by having a military officer publicly demand President Chavez's resignation. The Venezuelan president said his government knew beforehand that the conservative-led opposition and news media were planning to have a military officer criticize the government, but that they didn't know whom the officer would be. He called Air Force Colonel Pedro Soto a traitor whose dissent was motivated by a grudge over being passed over for promotion to general. House Deputy Nicolas Maduro, of the ruling Fifth Republic Movement party, said legislators soon would reveal which media organizations planned what he called a "spectacle." Soto turned himself over to military authorities on Monday, along with another so-called military dissident, National Guard Captain Pedro Flores. The opposition's efforts to galvanize around the military officers last week sent thousands of Venezuelans into the streets of Caracas to express support for Chavez. *ON ANNIVERSAY OF REVOLUTION, HUGE ANTI-US STREET DEMONSTRATIONS IN IRAN Tehran, February 11 (RHC)--Hundreds of thousands Monday took to the streets of Tehran, Iran, in what is being called a massive show of defiance against the United States, marking the anniversary of the Iranian revolution. Leaders from across the political spectrum called on people to turn out and demonstrate their opposition to the US following President George W. Bush's denunciation of Iran as part of an "axis of evil." Iranian President Mohammad Khatami described U.S. leaders as "immature." There were reportedly some innovative slogans in English at the rally, such as "Bush is Dracula," while a gold coin was offered as the prize for the best of the effigies of Bush and Uncle Sam that were paraded and then burnt. News correspondents present at the rally called it the largest and most militant in recent years. Suggesting that the United States brought the September 11 terror attacks upon itself, President Khatami said the American people have every right to ask their leaders how long they should pay the price for their faulty polices. *US VICE PRESIDENT'S MID-EAST TOUR SEEN AS PRELUDE TO MILITARY STRIKE ON IRAQ Washington, February 11 (RHC)--U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney's upcoming Middle East tour is being interpreted by observers as a prelude to military strikes against Iraq, despite the opposition of most of America's allies. Cheney is to visit the region next month, including four neighbors of Iraq, in an effort to drum up support for the "axis of evil" policy that has received scathing criticism from top European leaders. According to the Sunday edition of the "Los Angeles Times," Secretary of State Colin Powell - considered the most cautious member of the Bush administration - is now said to be on the bandwagon. In an interview published over the weekend by "The Wall Street Journal," Russian President Vladimir Putin warned the United States against undertaking any unilateral military action against Iraq, saying that his administration also opposes the drawing up of blacklists. Putin said that while Russia and other nations gave the United States a pass in Afghanistan, the international community would not do so in Iraq or elsewhere where there is no ground to violate internationally recognized procedures. *GLARING JUDICIAL ERRORS IN IMPOSITION OF DEATH PENALTY IN US - STUDY New York, February 11 (RHC)--A new academic study released Monday has warned that "serious, reversible errors" in cases involving capital punishment are crippling the U.S.'s legal system. A group of Columbia University law professors updated a report issued two years ago asserting that more than seven in every 10 death penalty cases filed between 1973 and 1995 were reversed because of errors made by judges, juries and prosecutors. The report cites race and the quality of local law enforcement agencies as some of the factors that can affect the outcome of capital cases, noting also that state courts are overworked and under funded to the point where they can no longer monitor the quality of cases passing through the system. Saying the U.S. legal system is collapsing under the weight of error-filled death penalty cases, the study recommends the burden of proof in capital cases be increased to eliminate any doubt of guilt. The current standard only requires no reasonable doubt. The Columbia University study revealed that the state of Florida is among those that most impose the death penalty and that, therefore, commit most errors in doing so. It noted that in the 22-year period studied, Florida imposed 889 death sentences, of which 75 percent were annulled following review by state and federal courts. *Viewpoint: AFTER A YEAR OF SHARON'S GOVERNMENT, THE CRISIS CONTINUES UNABATED There is little chance that current Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, a man with a strange conception of peace and a veteran of regional wars, will be a positive element in finding a negotiated solution. In fact, after a year at the helm of the Israeli government, Sharon has whipped up the war against the Palestinian people to new heights, recalling the terrifying days of the massacres in the South Lebanon Palestinian refugee camps of Sabra and Shatila. It is important to recall how Sharon rose again to power after he seemed destined for the garbage dump of bad memories. In a moment of extreme weakness affecting the labor party government of Ehud Barak, who the most reactionary Israeli sectors accused of wanting to exchange Jerusalem for peace, Sharon shrewdly made his provocative armed visit to the sacred Palestinian Al Aqsa shrine. He knew full well that the Palestinian's reaction of outrage would then justify the claim that a powerful military response was necessary to put down the situation, and that is exactly what happened. Once he was heading the government, Sharon implemented a politically repressive policy against the discontented Palestinians, sparking more than a thousand deaths. He openly proclaimed a policy of "selective assassination" and has virtually confined Palestine Authority president, Yasser Arafat to house arrest. And after all this, he has the gall to claim that his victims are violence-prone aggressors. All of this goes on under the watchful eyes of Washington, Israel's principal economic and military supporter. The rest of the world also looks on, unable or unwilling to put an end to the brutal actions, though even the powerful European Union has issued complaints about the U.S.'s oppressive methods. Just in the last few hours, F-16 fighter jets and Apache helicopters made in the U.S. A., and armored vehicles and tanks, were used to bomb and then occupy various areas of Gaza and the West Bank, wounding at least 80 people and destroying hundreds of homes. All of that was in reprisal for the launching into Israeli territory on Sunday of two Kasem Two short-range missiles. How far will Sharon be allowed to take his hatred for the Palestinians? How long will the White House continue to apply its hypocritical conception of terrorism and support this gang of killers? All decent people know the answer, because in the Mid East, as in every other part of the world where innocent people are killed with impunity, everyone must share the blame. (c) 2002 Radio Habana Cuba, NY Transfer News. 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