Chávez in Havana

A service by the Radio Progreso Alternativa Havana Bureau.

"Raúl at the helm and Fidel alive and well, thinking, writing and advising on strategic guidelines that are very important for Cuba and Our America," said Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez upon his arrival at Havana's International Airport on June 16.

The Venezuelan leader is in Havana on a working visit to evaluate the existing relations and agreements between both nations. He will also discuss with Raúl and Fidel Castro -- the latter labeled as the "father of all revolutionaries” by him -- the international situation marked by high oil prices, and the food and environmental crises.

In his declarations to the press, President Chávez said that Cuban and Venezuelan leaders are part of the same team, but stressed that each process "has its own characteristics."

Fidel and Raúl with Chávez

Cuban TV showed a video of the second meeting of Fidel Castro with presidents Raúl Castro and Hugo Chávez. In the audio-less footing, Fidel is shown standing in a garden while holding a lively conversation with Chávez and brother Raúl.

In its Wednesday, June 18 edition, the daily Granma reported that during the meeting, on June 17, which lasted an hour and a half, the three leaders "exchanged ideas on several issues, particularly about the impact of the crisis of food prices and the manner in which our countries should deal with it. They consider the issue of strategic importance and a problem of national security. The three agreed that the main battle will be to increase food production and determined that one way to achieve it is to boost joint projects in that field."

Previously, President Chávez had said that "A few days ago I received a note from Fidel in which he wrote about the worsening of the energy, food and financial crises the world is in, besides the increase of poverty, famine and other critical situations due to climate change and other threats."

According to Chávez, "Fidel calls the present situation the mother of all crises, and in short it is a crisis of ideas, of governments, of the capitalist model in general."

President Chávez returned to Venezuela on Tuesday, June 17, and was seen off by Cuban President Raúl Castro at Havana's International Airport.

Cuba sends U.S. citizen back to the U.S.

A press release by the Cuban Foreign Ministry reported that the Cuban government decided on June 13 to deliver Leonard B. Auerbach to the U.S. after a request by the United States government.

Auerbach, a U.S. citizen, is wanted in his country for a sexual crime against a minor and for possession of child pornography.

The Cuban press release said that "Auerbach was arrested in Cuba on May 7 after receiving information supplied by U.S. authorities. During the subsequent investigation by Cuban authorities it was found that Auerbach entered Cuba on April 8 by way of Mexico in order to --according to his declaration -- escape from U.S. justice. He had in his possession photographs of a pornographic character.

“Since it was found that during his stay in Cuban territory Auerbach did not commit any crime, and since the crimes for which he is accused in the United States are of a felonious nature and severely persecuted in our country, including the collaboration with other countries, it was decided to deliver the aforementioned citizen to his country of origin."

Sentences were of a political nature

Speaker of Cuban Parliament Ricardo Alarcón harshly criticized the U.S. government in Cuba’s TV program "The Round Table.” Alarcón said that the "unfair and harsh sentences" to five Cuban antiterrorists who have been jailed for ten years in U.S. prisons are the result of demands by the Executive branch.

As proof of his claim, Alarcón stressed the existence of several people sentenced in the U.S. for espionage and terrorism who were given, at most, 12 years in prison. For the Cuban parliamentary leader this is evidence of the malice of the Bush administration against Cuba.

Alarcón showed a letter that over half a million Canadian students sent President Bush demanding the liberation of René González, Antonio Guerrero, Gerardo Hernández, Ramón Labañino and Fernando González. The letter has been ignored by the mainstream media.

"It is our duty to keep on fighting for the liberation of these five fellow countrymen," Alarcón said.

The Cuban Five, as they are known internationally, were judged in Miami and given sentences that range from 15 years to life imprisonment for informing the Cuban government about the terrorist plots that counterrevolutionary exile organizations based in the U.S. execute with total impunity.

Light bulbs in exchange for food

World Data Service (WDS) reported that "Cuba will sell Argentina four million energy saving light bulbs and will buy wheat, corn, oats, barley, beef, poultry, fish, oil, flour, fruit, dairy products and pasta."

According to WDS, after the agreement was signed between Argentinean President Cristina Fernández and Cuban Ambassador Aramís Fuentes, Fernández said, "We are trading the technological ability that Cuba supplies in relation to the rational use of light bulbs for food, where we Argentineans have a very important role as world exporters."

Nickel: Number one money earner

With a production of 76,000 tons of nickel plus cobalt, the industry displaced tourism as the country's biggest money earner.

The figure, in dollars and cents, was not revealed, but according to the National Statistics Office (ONE), tourism revenues in 2007 amounted to $2.2 billion.

At the eastern region of the island, particularly in the province of Holguín, Cuba has the second largest nickel reserve in the world. Cubaníquel, the state owned enterprise, plans investments that in the short term would raise production to 100,000 tons a year.

Operation against Illegal Manufacturing

A June 17 report by the National Information Agency (AIN) said that as part of an offensive against "social indiscipline in City of Havana, 13 clandestine workshops and 10 warehouses were closed down through the action of the provincial government, the National Revolutionary Police, and the support of the people."

According to AIN, Guillermo Pérez, an official of the Council of Provincial Management, said that in the operation large quantities of plates, dishes and hair pins were found, as well as machinery for the manufacturing of plastic and aluminum products.

Pérez also said that the 50 persons involved were fined between 500 and 2,000 pesos, and "10 were indicted for 'illicit economic activity'."

The actions were carried out by the Ministry of the Interior's Operative Group against Social Indiscipline which has received popular support.