Cuba News in Brief 11/15/97 Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit ============================= Prensa Latina - Havana, Cuba ============================= CUBA SYNTHESIS SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 1997 (EXCLUSIVE SERVICE OF PRENSA LATINA) -FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY- HAVANA Cuban Army General and First Vice President of the Council of State and Ministers Raul Castro arrived in the People's Republic of China on official visit at the invitation of the Chinese government. Raul Castro's visit is part of the frequent and fruitful exchanges between leaders from both countries determined to continue fighting for improving their people's welfare the construction of Socialism. HANOI.- Japan and Cuba joined the group of nations that have responded to an international urgent call made by Vietnamese authorities to face a series of natural disasters in the country. The Japanese embassy in Hanoi reported that its government will donate 300,000 dollars plus medicines and goods worth 55,500 dollars. The Cuban embassy announced that Havana will contribute 100,000 dollars. Vietnam's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Nguyen Manh Cam thanked Cuban Ambassador Tania Maceira Delgado for the donation. On November 2, a strong typhoon hit Vietnam claiming the lives of over 4,000 people and causing damages for over $500 million. HAVANA.- Cuban Parliamentary President Ricardo Alarcon called to "strengthen unity in Latin America" during the opening of the sessions of seven Latin American Parliament (Parlatino) commissions. About 150 legislators and representatives of international and regional organizations are attending the Parlatino meeting. Workers' health care, solutions to unemployment in Latin America, the arms race and power supply will be some of issues being addressed by the Parlatino commissions. MADRID.- The Spanish Socialist Party (PSOE) will ask the government to inform Congress when it will appoint a a new ambassador to Cuba. The main opposition party will make the request through his Senate spokesman Deputy Juan Jose Laborda, who will Jose Maria Aznar's government about the appointment of the new ambassador to Havana. HAVANA.- The Parlatino permanent tourism commission agreed to hold a regional conference on tourism in Cuba in May next year. Sources close to the Parlatino tourism commission met at Havana's Hotel Nacional said that the event will be held from May 15-16 at Havana's International Conference Center. LONDON.- The London press reported yesterday that Great Britain donated a set of drug samples to Cuba to reinforce the fight against drug trafficking on the island. The donation is part of the bilateral cooperation on this field between the two countries. The head of the British Foreign Office's Americas Department, Peter Westmacott, delivered the donation to Cuban Justice Minister Roberto Sotolongo as part of his four-day visit to Cuba. Westmacott said the Havana-London cooperation in the drug fight has been very fruitful in the last two years. HAVANA.- Top bank executives from the countries making of the Latin American Economic System (SELA) will meet in Havana from Nov. 17-18 to exchange expertise and support the development of the recently- founded Central Bank of Cuba. Sources from the Cuban bank reported that event will be sponsored by the Venezuelan Central Bank and the SELA, together with the Cuban institute. Bank presidents and top executives from Chile, Ecuador, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Peru, the Dominican Republic, Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago, Uruguay, Venezuela and Curacao will attend the event. HAVANA.- The Cuba-Iraq parliamentary friendship group from Cuba's People's Power National Assembly voiced it deep concern about the situation created around the Arab country in a communique release on Friday in Havana. The text warns that the tense relations between Iraq and the U.N. commission might be used by the United States government to launch a new military operation against the Arab country. MEXICO CITY.- The Matehuala University, from San Luis Potosi, Mexico, and the Havana Medical Science Institute signed an agreement to open a medicine faculty in the Mexican university. According the Mexican press, the agreement was signed in Havana by university rectors Dr. Juan Carrizo Estevez and Alfonso Nava Diaz, who said that the agreement was very useful to strengthening bilateral cooperation. HAVANA.- With the title of "Che," Cuban filmmaker are shooting a movie on Argentine guerrilla Ernesto Che Guevara's life. The Cuban Institute of Cinematographic Arts (ICAIC) is producing the film directed by Miguel Torres. The film on Che is starred by young actor Julio Quesada as Che and journalist and anchorman Roberto Cavada as Fidel Castro. Also starring are Patricio Woods as Camilo Cienfuegos and Antonio Reyes as Juan Almeida. HAVANA.- Top Cuban specialists will meet on Nov. 24 at the Jose Marti National Library in Havana to discuss cultural relations between Cuba and the Caribbean. The meeting is part of the events celebrating the 25th anniversary of the establishment of relations between Cuba and the rest of the countries from the region on Dec. 28, 1972 in the city of Chaguaramas, Trinidad and Tobago. HAVANA.- The Cuban film industry, scarcely represented at the last Havana Film Festival, will compete with six long feature films on this year's festival scheduled for Dec. 6. Festival director Ivan Giroud said the list of Cuban films will be headed by Arturo Sotto's "Amor Vertical" (Vertical Love) which is starred by Jorge Perrugoria. OSAKA, JAPAN.- The Cuban women's volleyball team beat Brazil's 3-1 on the first day of the Super Cup tournament being held in Osaka, Japan. The Japanese team beat South Korea 3-1, while Russia beat China 3-0. HAVANA.- Current national baseball champion Pinar del Rio will play Industriales at the Captain San Luis Stadium on the opening day of the 37th National Baseball Series. Each of the 16 teams competing will have to play 90 games during the qualifying round. The first eight teams will qualified for the play offs. HAVANA.- Cuba will hold the Pan American Men's Handball Championship next year, said national handball commissioner Humberto Leon. The event will be held from Sept. 18-30 in Havana with teams from the United States, Brazil and Argentina, among others competing. The three teams finishing atop will qualify for the 1999 World Championship scheduled for Egypt. NM [c] 1997. Latin American News Agency Prensa Latina, S.A. (PL) All rights reserved May not be reproduced, reprinted or posted to any system without specific permission from PL. This limitation includes redistribution via Usenet News, bulletin board systems mailing lists, print media and broadcast. For information about cross-posting, send a message to prensal@prensa-latina.org. This is only a small sample of the daily news available at http://www.prensa-latina.org briefs-11.15.97-11:03:51-31962 ================================================================= 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 ================================================================= nytcari-11.15.97-14:39:01-3274