The group waiting included university students; teachers; farmers; health workers, service workers… and also self-employed, with representation not only of young people from the capital, but from all of Cuba.

This is how they were introduced by the first secretary of the National Committee of the Young Communist League, Aylín Álvarez García, beginning of the meeting, when she expressed her certainty that “we are who must contribute, transform, support, participate…”

The meeting provided an encouraging display of sincerity and commitment, as the President of the Republic conversed for almost four hours with those present, taking notes on the comments and proposals made by a variety of participants.

Concluding the dialogue, the President commented, “For me it is clear that there are a number of challenges in society, in life today, challenges to what we want to do… Those who have the strength, the energy and the capacity (to overcome the challenges) are young people – without denying anyone’s contribution, because here everyone must participate and we must give all generations their space – but the future lies in our youth.

“I am convinced of this… I believe in our youth,” and there is always a task for the young, there is a task calling them, engaging them, because we know that if it is in your hands, it will be stronger, it will be more developed and it also engages you and provides you a space to participate, he said.

(Taken from Granma)

- Long live free Cuba! Free from foreign interference and free from the hatred incited by those who for 60 years have attempted to asphyxiate the nation and provoke a social explosion, and now presenting themselves as our saviors,” Díaz-Canel stated, during the massive event on the city’s waterfront, insisting, “Cuba is totally allergic to hate and will never be a land of hate!”
- He noted that, over the weeks prior to the disturbances, an intense political-communication operation was mounted by articulated platform of media poison, financed by the U.S. government and by the state of Florida’s political machinery. Its objective was to encourage unrest and instability in the country, taking advantage of the difficult conditions caused by the pandemic, the tightened blockade and the Trump administration’s 243 additional measures.
- “We are under fire from sophisticated cyberwarfare that includes cyber-terrorism and media terrorism in its aggressive toolkit,” he said.
- “It is not uncommon that, under such a media barrage, some doubt and make statements assuming division that does not exist,” he added. “I do not judge, I do not condemn. I understand that the adversary’s weapons are overwhelming, but on the side of the people, with the people and for the people, the Revolution continues to stand!
-Let us put our hearts into our common work. A heart as big as of our difficulties! Together we can!” he exclaimed.

(Taken fron Granma)

On his Twitter account, the president congratulated teachers, workers and students of this education and recalled the years when he worked in that body.

That period of work there brought me closer to universities, the Head of State wrote on the social network, adding that this stage allowed him to reaffirm the conviction that the country’s future also lies in them.

According to the Minister of Higher Education, José Ramón Saborido, the Caribbean nation has a powerful educational system created by the Revolution, which is steered towards the development of the country.

The island has a network of universities and science and technological innovation entities committed to the Cuban social project, within which 50 higher education centers with 113 specialties.

Most institutions of this level in Cuba were created after 1959, and since then they have undergone various transformations seeking greater quality and efficiency in the training of new professionals.

MES was founded on July 19, 1976, due to the growth and strategic importance of university development.

Currently its work is focused on finding solutions to the main problems of the country, students and professors are in the front line of work in tasks of social impact, such as fighting Covid-19-

(Taken from Prensa Latina)

On his official Twitter account, the president recalled a phrase from National Hero Jose Marti: ‘Men go on two sides: those who love and found, and those who hate and undo,’ and assured that Cuba ‘will continue founding.’

In another tweet, Diaz-Canel pointed out that when the people have come so far in the realization of their dreams, they cannot be stopped by violence or hatred.

‘Next to the people, with the people and for the people, the Revolution continues. Not with statements, but with facts!’ he wrote, and accompanied his message with the hashtag #PonleCorazón.

The day before, thousands of people took to the streets in Havana and other provinces to reaffirm their rejection of the attempts to interfere in the internal affairs of the Caribbean island and condemn the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the United States, considered the main obstacle to Cuba’s development.

(Taken from Prensa Latina)

This is what Fidel said in 1992, on the occasion of the 39th anniversary of the September 5th uprising against the Batista dictatorship:
“Difficult times are difficult times. In difficult times the number of those who waver increases; in difficult times – and this is a law of history – there are those who become confused, there are those who become discouraged, there are those who are intimidated, there are those who become soft, there are those who betray, there are those who desert. This happens in all times and in all revolutions.

“But it is also in difficult times that men and women are really tested; it is in difficult times that those who are worth something are really tested.

“Difficult times are the best measure of all, of the character of each individual, of the courage and valor of each individual, of the consciousness of each individual, of the virtues of each individual and, above all, of the virtues of a people; and this people never lacked patriotic or revolutionary virtues, nor will they ever be lacking in this people.

“Revolutionaries, however, must be very conscious of the problems, of the difficulties.
“There are people who are not conscious, there are people who do not understand; there are people who will never understand. There are people who do not understand what the homeland is or what independence is; there are people who do not understand what history is, what the roots of a people are; there are people who do not understand what patriotic and revolutionary dignity means; there are people who do not understand political processes or what the objective problems are.

“There are those who do not understand and we must struggle against these people; they can confuse some, it is always a struggle.”
Party First Secretary and President of the Republic Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez recently quoted an excerpt of this categorical speech, and reaffirmed the intransigence of Cubans in the defense of their Revolution, stating, “Our people are worth something; our people are worth a great deal and will act accordingly – fearlessly, with courage and valor. This is a people that will never lack patriotic virtues.”

(Taken from Granma)

-Communist Party of Cuba First Secretary and President of the Republic, Miguel Díaz-Canel, appeared on Cuban television, yesterday evening, and stated, “Peace and citizen tranquility, respect and solidarity among compatriots and others in need around the world, saving Cuba to continue building, growing, dreaming and achieving the greatest possible prosperity. This is our message to our people.”
- If they remove the blockade, if they leave us alone and allow us to act with our own talent, we can achieve prosperity and expand the Revolution’s immense work for social justice, he insisted.
- We have not been able to address many of the people’s dissatisfactions, because of the blockade, among other factors, he said.
- In the midst of fake news reports and perverse manipulation regarding Cuba, he noted that Army General Raúl Castro Ruz is present, ready to support the Revolution, with his boots on and a foot in the stirrup.
- He added that the way social networks are being used to attack Cuba constitutes media terrorism.
- We cannot allow them to disunite us, to divide us, he said.
- The First Secretary referred to Fidel’s words in 1992: Difficult times are difficult times; in difficult times the number of people wavering increases. In difficult times – and this is a law of history – there are those who become confused, there are those who become discouraged, there are those who are intimidated, there are those who become soft, there are those who betray, there are those who desert. We cannot allow those who do not want the best for our land to disunite us, to divide us. But it is also in difficult times that men and women are tested; it is in difficult times that those who are worth something are really tested,” and Diaz-Canel added: “Our people are worth something; they are worth a lot and will act in this way, fearlessly, with courage and determination. This people will never lack patriotic virtues.
- We are calling for peace, understanding and harmony, the President reiterated.
- We are going to defend the Revolution, whatever the cost, we are calling for harmony and for no one to allow hatred to be introduced. Let us not allow anyone to divide us. Our problems will be solved by Cubans. We call for the unity of the entire Cuban family, our institutions and the people… This is a country of security and tranquility, Díaz-Canel insisted.

(Taken from Granma)

La combinaison de deux doses du candidat-vaccin Soberana 02 et d’une dose de Soberana Plus dans le schéma de 0-28-56 jours a démontré une efficacité de 91,2 %, a annoncé le Docteur en sciences Vicente Vérez Bencomo, directeur de l’Institut Finlay des vaccins (IFV), lors de la réunion de jeudi Groupe temporaire de travail du gouvernement pour la prévention et le contrôle de la COVID-19.

Le Premier secrétaire du Parti communiste de Cuba et président de la République, Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez, a félicité l’IFV et les autres institutions qui ont participé à la mise au point de Soberana, « un résultat qui témoigne de l’effort de nos scientifiques ».

Vérez Bencomo a rappelé que l’annonce de l’efficacité du schéma Soberana 02 et Soberana Plus intervient exactement 415 jours (ou 59 semaines) après la rencontre du président de la République, au Centre des neurosciences de Cuba (Cneuro), avec un groupe de scientifiques et de chercheurs, où il leur avait demandé de travailler à l’obtention d’obtenir un vaccin cubain contre le virus SARS-CoV-2.

À propos de cette réunion, il y a quelques semaines, au Centre de génie génétique et de biotechnologie (lorsque l’efficacité de 92,28 % du candidat-vaccin Abdala avait été annoncée à son personnel), le Premier secrétaire du Parti lui-même avait révélé qu’il avait formulé cette demande avec la conviction que les scientifiques cubains était capables de réaliser cet exploit.

Il était indispensable pour nous – avait souligné Diaz-Canel à l’époque – de disposer de nos propres vaccins pour être souverains dans la lutte contre la COVID-19, car « les pays pauvres n’allaient pas pouvoir disposer en peu de temps des vaccins que le monde riche produisait pour donner la priorité aux plus riches ».

Vérez Bencomo a précisé que l’efficacité de 91,2 % du schéma Soberana fait référence à sa capacité à prévenir la maladie symptomatique de la COVID-19 chez les personnes immunisées.

Il a rappelé que le résultat a été validé lors de la phase 3 de l’essai clinique mené dans huit municipalités de La Havane, précisément au moment où la souche initialement détectée en Afrique du Sud (la Beta), « considérée comme ‘la bête’ en termes de contournement des vaccins contre le SRAS-CoV-2 » circulait massivement dans la capitale.

Toutefois, les caractéristiques de la souche Beta ne sont toutefois pas les mêmes que celles de la souche détectée en Inde (la souche Delta) qui, selon le responsable de l’IFV, est hautement transmissible, mais beaucoup plus sensible aux vaccins.
Jeudi après-midi, les dirigeants et personnel de l’Institut du vaccin Finlay se sont réunis dans les locaux du centre pour célébrer ces résultats qui font la fierté du pays.
Photo: Studios Revolution

Comme l’a souligné le Dr Vérez Bencomo lors de la précédente réunion avec les dirigeants du pays, les scientifiques de l’IFV sont à mi-chemin ; « nous avons encore un long chemin à parcourir et nous n’aurons de cesse de travailler tant que toute la population ne sera pas immunisée par des vaccins cubains », a-t-il souligné.

La réunion du Groupe temporaire de travail du gouvernement pour la prévention et le contrôle de la COVID-19, s’est déroulée en présence du Premier ministre, Manuel Marrero Cruz, du Vice-président de la République, Salvador Valdés Mesa, et de Roberto Morales Ojeda, Secrétaire de l’Organisation et de la Politique des cadres du Comité Central du Parti Communiste de Cuba.

The combination of two doses of the candidate vaccine Soberana 02 and one of Soberana Plus administered in a 0-28-56 day regimen, was found to have an efficacy of 91.2 percent, in preventing symptomatic cases of COVID-19, reported Dr. Vicente Vérez Bencomo, director of the Finlay Vaccine Institute (IFV), at Thursday’s meeting of the Cuban government’s COVID-19 prevention and control task force.

The First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba and President of the Republic, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, congratulated the IFV and other institutions that participated in the creation of Soberana, “a result,” he said, “that is an indication of how hard our scientists have worked.”

Dr. Vérez recalled that the announcement comes exactly 415 days (59 weeks) after the President of the Republic met with a group of scientists at the Cuban Neurosciences Center (Cneuro) and requested that they develop a Cuban vaccine against the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Referring to the meeting at the Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, a few weeks ago, when the 92.28 percent efficacy of the Abdala vaccine candidate was announced to workers there, Diaz-Canel recalled that he made the request with the conviction that Cuban scientists would succeed.

It was necessary, he pointed out, at the time, to have our own vaccines to achieve sovereignty in the COVID-19 battle, convinced that “Poor countries are not going to be able to have, on short order, the available vaccines that the rich world is producing to prioritize the rich.”

The characteristics of the Beta strain, however, are not the same as those of the Delta strain detected in India, which, the IFV leader noted, is highly contagious, but much more susceptible to vaccines.

On Thursday afternoon, the Institute’s staff gathered to celebrate the successful results welcomed by all of Cuba.

As Dr. Vérez Bencomo pointed out in a previous meeting with the country’s leadership, IFV scientists are only halfway there; “We still have a lot to do, and we will not rest until the entire population is immunized with Cuban vaccines.”

Also leading the government task force meeting were Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz, Vice President of the Republic Salvador Valdés Mesa and Roberto Morales Ojeda, Communist Party of Cuba secretary for Organization and Cadre Policy.

(Taken from Granma)

“We deeply regret the death of the President of the Republic of Haiti, Jovenel Moïse. We strongly condemn the violent act that caused his death, and convey our condolences to family members and the sister people of Haiti. We call for peace,” the Cuban President stated in a message on Twitter.

Haitian President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated between midnight and dawn in an armed attack. The country’s interim Prime Minister, Claude Joseph, confirmed the news in a statement.

Around one o’clock in the morning, a group of individuals attacked the President’s private residence and mortally wounded him, Joseph’s statement indicates.

(Taken from Granma)

Aucun territoire n’est seul dans ce combat qui concerne tout le monde, a écrit le 6 juillet sur son compte Twitter, le Premier secrétaire du Comité central du Parti et président de la République, Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez, en annonçant l’envoi de l’aide professionnelle à cette province, qui s’efforce d’étendre ses capacités hospitalières et à réorganiser les services de santé.

Lors d’une réunion présidée par le Premier ministre Manuel Marrero Cruz, il a été signalé que le groupe est composé de 18 médecins et d’un nombre égal de personnel infirmier, qui soutiendront le travail dans la municipalité de Cardenas.

José Angel Portal Miranda, ministre de la Santé publique, a déclaré que, dans le cadre de l’assistance, un contingent de 200 médecins et infirmiers d’autres provinces du pays, ayant l’expérience du travail dans des conditions difficiles dans diverses régions de la planète, rejoindra le groupe le 7 juillet.

Par ailleurs, 300 jeunes, qui ont terminé leur sixième année de sciences médicales, ont accepté d’avancer leur incorporation au travail, afin de renforcer le service médical. « Nous devons accompagner ces jeunes et prendre bien soin d’eux, car ils synthétisent la grandeur de notre jeunesse », a déclaré Marrero Cruz.

En outre, une équipe de 27 cadres et spécialistes, coordonnée par Joel Queipo Ruiz, membre du Secrétariat du Comité central du Parti et Jorge Luis Tapia Fonseca, vice-premier ministre, se trouve dans la province pour apporter leur aide.

Portal Miranda a rappelé que la situation sanitaire à Matanzas reste tendue, avec 1 289 suspects en moyenne chaque jour, 5 600 cas actifs et le taux d’incidence le plus élevé du pays.

« Nous sommes conscients du travail soutenu qui s’effectue ici, mais nous devons faire plus d’efforts et prendre des mesures fermes pour ne pas reculer dans la lutte contre la COVID-19 », a conclu le Premier ministre.

(Source: Granma)