Cuba Removed From List of State Sponsors of Terrorism
29 May 2015 (Prensa Latina)
A Press Statement by U.S. State Department spokesman, Jeff
Rathke, informed of Cuba’s official removal from the list of state
sponsors of terrorism.
In the official statement, the State Department spokesman noted
that “The 45-day Congressional pre-notification period has
expired, and the Secretary of State has made the final decision
to rescind Cuba’s designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism,
effective today, May 29, 2015.”
Cuba has been included on the unilateral list drawn up by
Washington since 1982.
In the statement he also noted that the “While the United States
has significant concerns and disagreements with a wide range of
Cuba’s policies and actions, these fall outside the criteria relevant
to the rescission of a State Sponsor of Terrorism designation.”
In order to come into effect, the decision must be published
in the Federal Register (the daily newspaper of the Federal
government), although the diplomatic office has assured that the
decision is effective immediately.
Venezuela Increases Teacher Salaries by 50%
20 May 2015 (TeleSUR English)
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro announced a 50 percent
salary increase for public school teachers across the country.
The Venezuelan leader said Tuesday that that the salary increase,
which were proposed earlier this month, is part of a series of
economic measures aimed to combat an “economic war" being
carried out by right-wing sectors of society.
Maduro went on to note that the Venezuelan education system
is designed to protect teachers in exchange for their contribution
and service to society.
“Teachers are the treasure of the country because they are
responsible for teaching the children of the future,” Maduro said.
Venezuelan Education Minister Hector Rodriguez praised the
measure and promised to provide all retired teachers with pension
benefits by the end of this year.
As part of the Venezuelan social welfare program, 39,000 of 85,000 retired teachers and school personnel received pension benefits
in 2014; the rest will receive them in 2015.In recent years, the Venezuelan government has made domestic education a key priority
within the country’s national development plan.
In 2014, the Venezuelan State invested 6.9 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) in education and technology.
The United Nations Organization for Education, Sciences and Culture (UNESCO) ranked Venezuela as the country with second
highest university student enrollment in Latin America.
Cuban Medical Brigade in
Nepal Attended More Than Two
Thousands Patients
25 May 2015 (Granma News)
One month has passed since the devastating April 25
earthquake in Nepal, Cities lie in ruin and the number of
victims has surpassed 8,600. Anxiety remains fixed on faces,
since the country continues to experience aftershocks.
On the night of May 12, the same night a severe aftershock
hit the nation, 49 members of the Henry Reeve International
Contingent Specialized in Disasters and Large Epidemics
Brigade No.41 arrived in Katmandu.
The landscape was disheartening, Dantesque, I would say. The
country didn’t need nature to punish it this way. Those who
managed to save their lives in the most affected areas have lost
practically everything, including their most cherished loved
ones,” Dr. Luis Orlando Oliveros Serrano, head of the Brigade,
told Granma.
The day after setting foot in Nepal, the Cuban medical brigade
moved quickly to the area occupied by the National Center for
the Study of Ayurvedic Medicine, as directed by the country’s
Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization, in
accordance with plans made by the Cuban Ministry of Foreign
Affairs’ advance team.
The brigade immediately set up a field hospital, which Dr.
Oliveros described, “This center adjacent to a hospital has a
capacity of 20 beds and excellent anti-seismic properties. We
have installed all the equipment we brought from Cuba. Since
the 18th, we have been offering all of the services for which
the brigade is prepared: an operating room, an intensive care
ward, x-rays, ultra-sound, a laboratory, sterilization facilities, a
pharmacy, rehabilitation and out-patient consultations.”
Additionally, he reported, the brigade is offering primary care
in areas severely damaged around Katmandu, Lalitpur and
Bhaktapur, with teams of comprehensive family doctors and
specialists traveling to communities where they have treated
more than 2,000 patients.
While tragedy continues to walk the streets in, hope is also
present, in many cases in the form of a white coat. Dr. Oliberos
comments, “Everyday we very humbly receive demonstrations of
gratitude, as shown by the very behavior of our brigade.”
