The president of the Venezuelan Consortium of Aeronautical Industries and Air Services (Conviasa), Ramón Celestino Velásquez, reported through his Twitter account that the company will link Havana with the state of Falcón, in the northwest of the South American country.

He indicated that these commercial flights will allow “to consolidate integration, cultural, commercial and tourist exchange between two sister peoples. Let’s keep moving forward!” he pointed out.

According to the audiovisual that accompanies the tweet, Conviasa will leave Falcón every Saturday at 11:00 a.m., local time, with scheduled arrival in the Cuban capital at 2:00 p.m.

The return will be with departure from the José Martí international airport in Havana at 10:00 local time, and arrival in Venezuela at 1:00 p.m.

(Taken from Latin Press)

The National Office of Statistics and Information (ONEI) reported this Friday that between January and August 2022 Cuba received 1,396,921 travelers, representing a 556.1% year-on-year increase.

According to the ONEI, the Island received 1,145,743 more travelers than in the same period of 2021, understanding as such any person who travels between two or more different countries.

Of the total number of travelers, 971,456 were international visitors, which represents 807,732 (593.3%) more than in the period between January and August of the previous year.

In an analysis by country, 298,410 visitors arrived from Canada, from the United States (60,885), Spain (55,102) and from the Russian Federation, 38,488.

Meanwhile, 212,485 travelers are part of the Cuban community abroad.

In accordance with the attached methodological notes, international visitors are considered to be all those who visit a country other than the one in which they have their usual place of residence for a period not exceeding one year.

“The main reason will be for the purpose of leisure, recreation, business or another personal reason, and is not to carry out a paid activity in the visited country,” the text specifies.

The figures offer indications of the gradual recovery of the tourism sector in the Caribbean nation after the collapse of visitors in 2021, when it received a total of 573,944 international travelers, 60% less than the previous year.

According to statements by the Minister of Tourism, Juan Carlos García, Cuba has not given up on achieving its goal of welcoming 2.5 million tourists in 2022.

(With information from Prensa Latina)

As of November, Blue Diamond will begin to manage this facility, located a few meters from the National Capitol, the Alicia Alonso Grand Theater of Havana and the Paseo del Prado.

The Director of Communication of Blue Diamond in Cuba, Miguel García, showed his satisfaction for the task this Saturday. In this regard, he commented that the Inglaterra was inaugurated on December 23, 1875, and welcomed important guests on its way, such as the actresses Sarah Bernhardt and María Félix, the dancer Anna Pavlova, the poets Rubén Darío and Julián del Casal, or the singers Enrico Caruso, Argentine Empire and José Mujica.

The playwrights Federico García Lorca and Jacinto Benavente, the athletes José Raúl Capablanca (famous Cuban chess player), the British politician Winston Churchill and the bullfighter Luis Mazzantini also stayed at that establishment.

Its famous Acera del Louvre has been transformed over the decades into the ideal place to observe the hustle and bustle of this Havana area, while enjoying a cocktail to the beat of Cuban music. Due to its architectural, cultural and historical values, it is classified as a National Monument of Cuba.

García also recalled that the hotel company has been managing the Royalton Habana Paseo del Prado hotel since this month, and by September -after a capital repair process- the Regis will also begin operating, under the Mystique brand, aimed at the Adults Only segment.

He also referred to the resort of Cayo Largo, where Blue Diamond will exclusively operate several hotels and villas owned by the Cuban group Gran Caribe, as well as the network of shops and gastronomic services.

On October 31, Cayo Largo will receive the first international flight after the COVID-19 restrictions, with passengers from Italy.

With marked growth in products and services in recent years, Blue Diamond also has accommodations in Varadero, Cayo Coco, Cayo Guillermo, Cayo Santa María, Jibacoa and Trinidad.

(With information from Prensa Latina)

Díaz-Canel insisted that the ideas, concepts and guidelines approved at the Congress, in April, must produce concrete results and recalled in Pinar del Rio that the epidemiological situation caused by COVID-19 prevented public debate before the paramount gathering of Party members.

He specified that the 8th Congress was distinguished by two themes: continuity and unity. In this regard, he noted that in order to continue strengthening unity, maintaining the moral authority of the Party is key.

“This authority was built by the historical generation on the basis of its merits. No one can deny the role that the Party plays in society, but now it is up to us to maintain and enrich this based on the prestige we earn with our work, confronting the country’s problems alongside the people”, he emphasized.

He stressed the need for the Party to be increasingly democratic, encouraging the participation of Cuban men and women, members and non-members.

“How do we defend this unity? By eliminating dogma, fighting prejudice, confronting any vestige of discrimination,” he said, reiterating the will to “advance by resisting” based on our own efforts, consolidating socialism to develop a prosperous society.

(Taken from Granma)

In a tweet, the President reported that authorities in the Isle of Youth had explained steps taken to maintain stability in the municipality’s economic and social life, despite the fuel shortage.

To check on local government efforts to mitigate the exceptional situation the country is facing, the President and other authorities have also made working visits to the provinces ofSancti Spíritus, Villa Clara, and Cienfuegos.

(Granma)

Local authorities presented an overview of the main organizational steps taken in key areas, including transportation, food production and distribution, community hygiene, water supply, education, health care, and electrical service.

Alternatives are being implemented to address food distribution and milk collection; increased fish catches in the Zaza reservoir, currently with a very low water level; activation of firewood ovens; the readjustment of service provider schedules; and guarantees for prioritized health care services.The meeting was attended by provincial political and governmental cadres, including Deivy Pérez Martín, first secretary of the Party in Sancti Spíritus, and Teresita Romero Rodríguez, president of the Provincial Assembly of People’s Power.This Tuesday, the 24th, the U.S. Treasury Department announced new sanctions on ships and shipping companies for the “crime” of transporting Venezuelan oil to Cuba, pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13850. “The United States continues to take strong action against the former illegitimate Maduro regime and the malign foreign actors who support it. Maduro’s Cuban benefactors provide a lifeline to the regime and enable its repressive security and intelligence apparatus,” stated Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, in a press release.

(Granma)

The Vice President was accompanied by Gladys Martínez, first secretary of the Party in the province, and Juan Domínguez Miranda, President of the Provincial Assembly of People’s Power.

A number of issues including food sovereignty, produce sent to the Capital, municipal food self-sufficiency, savings, the effectiveness of planning, as well as discipline and control in implementation of plans, were addressed in a meeting of the Provincial Administrative Council.

Valdés Mesa, according to Presidential website, said that he will not renounce efforts to build socialism but it is necessary to

As part of his visit to Artemisa, the Vice President visited the San Juan “El Brujo” far,, affiliated with the Antero Regalado Credit and Services Cooperative (CCS), and the “Dos Amigos” associated with the Frank País CCS in the municipality of Alquízar, as well as the Waldo Díaz Agricultural Production Cooperative in Güira de Melena.

(Granma)

The vital importance of applying science and technology in national industry investments, to ensure present and future progress, was reiterated by the President of Cuba’s Councils of State and Ministers, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, during meetings to review the implementation of the national packaging and industrial development plans.

Once again, the President insisted on the necessity of strengthening collaboration between industry, universities, and research centers.

During the meeting, Comandante de la Revolución Ramiro Valdés Menéndez and the ministers of Industry and Food Industry, Alfredo López and Iris Quiñones, respectively, participated to analyze progress made on the directives emphasized by the President in previous reviews.

Among the issues evaluated in the context of the packaging policy was the comprehensive proposal to strengthen the national center dedicated to these productions, as well as the investment plan with a view to gradually replacing containers for products exported that are now imported, as explained on the Presidential website.

The magnitude of the task is made clear by the fact that the 480 exportable items identified require 2,782 types of packaging, of which 1,642 are made in Cuba and 1,140 imported.It was reported that in the last five years investments for more than 170 million pesos were made in the packaging industry, especially in plants based on the use of paper, plastic, and wood. The perspective through 2025 is to allocate an additional 280 million pesos.Notable growth in the reuse of glass, plastic, and metal containers was noted, and Díaz-Canel highlighted efforts made to learn about international trends in packaging, which have included exchanges between foreign experts and students at the José Antonio Echevarría University of Technology and the Industrial Design Institute.

The country we want, he said, must be based on balanced, sustainable development, on prosperity in harmony with the environment, a fair distribution of wealth, and quality services for the entire people, according to the official Presidential website.

Also participating were the president of the National Assembly of People’s Power, Esteban Lazo Hernández, and First Vice President of the Councils of State and Ministers Salvador Valdés Mesa, as the President spoke of practicing solidarity; rejecting self-interest; repudiating discrimination; and defending the rights of all Cubans, not exclusive or privileged segments.

After discussing difficulties facing the nation with the regional cadres, Díaz-Canel reiterated the government’s two priorities: preparation for defense and the economic battle, both afforded the same level of importance.

Regardless of the circumstances, he stressed, we will not renounce the principles that have defined the Cuban Revolution since its inception, such as the worker-campesino alliance, the right to land for those who work it, universal and free access to education and health, as well as state ownership of the basic means of production.

During the meeting cardinal issues for the development of the country were analyzed, such as meeting commercial circulation plans, conserving energy, housing programs, and municipal food self-sufficiency.

Likewise, proposals from deputies to the National Assembly of People’s Power must be heeded, including those related to housing construction and subsidies; preventing fuel theft; and the production of food.

Among the unavoidable tasks in developing a better economy, Díaz-Canel mentioned the strengthening of socialist state enterprises; the ordering of non-state economic activity, without affecting its performance negatively; integrating all actors, forms of ownership and management involved in Cuba’s economic environment; making the investment process more efficient; boosting foreign investment; exporting more and replacing imports with domestic products.

He urged the efficient use of valuable human resources, and the skilled scientific workforce trained by the Revolution, to defend national production and encourage local development programs in all territories.

In this first exchange of this kind, the vice presidents of Administration Councils presented their experiences in each of the analyzed programs.

WITH LITTLE STEPS, GREAT THINGS ARE ACCOMPLISHED

We face the challenge of ensuring the comprehensive training of our athletes, to be young revolutionaries, true patriots and with extensive development as athletes, commented the President of Cuba’s Councils of State and Ministers, Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermúdez, to close the XXXI National Seminar to prepare of the coming school year in the Cuban sports system.

After outlining aspects of increasing threats by the United States government in the region, and the resurgence of the economic, commercial, and financial blockade on our country, the President insisted on the need to put an end to “the import mentality that sometimes delays initiative and proposals to overcome problems.

”This is a school year in which we must continue confronting, from a socialist position, banality, ignorance and vulgarity, elements that imperialism attempts to cultivate. And we must help our young athletes understand that the construction of socialism is challenging, because it is based on sacrifice, on collectivism, on the defense of all and for all,” he stressed.

Referring to Physical Education classes, he said that this is where values ​​are shaped, personalities molded, collectivism and solidarity forged.

Let us work toward developing beauty and the culture of detail as daily practices in sports, as well, he said, with little steps, great things are accomplished.

BATOS: AN INDUSTRY IS REBORN

While touring the Batos Sports Company, affiliated with the Light Industry Enterprise Group, President Díaz-Canel was able to appreciate the exquisite cleanliness and organization that reigns in the workshops, in which 256 types of sporting goods were manufactured last year.

Batos, founded in June 1965, produces and distributes sports implements and equipment, textile garments, supplies and services for the Cuban sports system, and in 2018 its more than 700 workers produced some 600,000 items, a figure that had not been reached since the years prior to the Special Period.

Accompanied by Osvaldo Vento Montiller, president of the National Institute of Sports, Physical Education, and Recreation, and Andrés Alberdi Valero, Batos director, the Cuban leader toured areas involved in leatherworks, woodworking, and the fabrication of balls for different sports, where he asked about stability of the workforce and the quality of productions, among other issues.

Walking through the textile workshop, he recognized the new uniform models being crafted, with unique designs, high quality, and patriotic symbols standing out. (Info from www.presidencia.gob.cu)

The U.S. State Department has announced that, beginning in June, anyone requesting a visa must submit their social media profiles, their email addresses, and telephone numbers they have used in the last five years. Obviously, passwords are not requested, since the government doesn’t need them, having free, back door access to the servers of the U.S. companies involved.

So, if you’re thinking about traveling to the U.S. – wherever you live, wherever you were born, whatever you think, you are obliged to hand over the U.S. government everything you have done and said on the Internet in the last five years. Of course, this information will be processed by powerful computers with algorithms to determine not only if you are likely to throw a Molotov cocktail at the White House, but to know all about your family history, friends, and personal life.

But there’s more! What’s worse is that a good portion of the planet’s inhabitants are going to think twice about expressing themselves. At least those among the 4.4 billion who use the Internet, who are in fact those who tend to travel, vote in elections, make purchases and socialize online. Those thinking about entering U.S. territory are going to consider limiting their political expression on the Internet, and some, millions, may be tempted to forego criticism and concentrate on praise.

Political expression in general is not being limited, but rather any type that may irritate the government issuing visas; the government whose policies are in fact the most universally denounced; the government of the country which with its economic power and extraordinarily influential cultural industry attracts the most immigrants and visitors.

It is a shame that an ideal space for the exchange of knowledge, for political participation as equals, for the facilitation of economic transactions and social interaction, could become history’s most far reaching instrument of censure, given its increasing concentration in few hands.

It has not been enough for the United States to access the servers of the principal Internet companies; to attack its adversaries’ key infrastructures using global electronic networks, as is the case with Venezuela and Iran; violate the rules of free trade, as with the Chinese company Huawei; to incite subversive behavior on social media to overthrow governments not of its liking; in addition to constructing false leaders, converting the most obvious lies into truths by repeating them endlessly; and viciously persecuting those who use the Internet to disseminate uncomfortable information – remember Snowden and Assange – and even provoke suicide in those who, like Aaron Swartz, advocate a truly democratic internet, at the service of all.

And let us not only blame Trump. Remember that Hillary Clinton’s innovation director at the State Department, Alec Ross, jokingly said that the Internet was the 21st century’s Che Guevara, while his boss used Twitter to provoke a rebellion in Iran, where, according to Business Week, only 1% of the protesters participating in the events were tweeting from inside the country, and “a gay girl in Damascus,” later known to be a student from the United States in Scotland, used her blog to amplify the happenings in the corporate media to help create a climate conducive to unleashing the humanitarian crisis that Syria has faced in the name of freedom of expression.

Today we know that Ross, according to the magazine Foreign Policy, trained Libyan and Syrian “rebels” in the use of information technology and telecommunications.

If Hitler’s propagandist Joseph Goebbels said that a lie repeated many times can become true, let us consider how many times BBC has repeated lines like those saying that Cubans are practically killing each other to buy a pig’s tongue and that police are supervising lines with “high-caliber” weapons.

It has not been enough to have droves of paid trolls – plus the fools who join them voluntarily – filling social media with bald-faced lies. They are also busy lynching poets, musicians, and actors – as in Hitler’s era – who oppose U.S. attacks on Cuba and Venezuela. The machine that feeds virtual harassment and extremism has managed to send Venezuelan youth into the streets capable of burning someone alive for the crime of “appearing” to be a Chavista, and encouraging inhumane behavior in Cuba, like filming the agony of accident victims, to be posted later on the Internet.

If not with repeated lies and the promotion of conditioned reflexes, how was it possible to convert a significant portion of the German people – one of the world’s most literate populations, heir to humanist geniuses like Beethoven and Goethe – into fanatic supporters of the extermination of other peoples?“Lying affects knowledge; conditioned reflexes affect the ability to think. And it is not the same to be misinformed, as to have lost the ability to think, because in your mind, reflexes predominate: Socialism is bad, socialism is bad,” Fidel noted in his celebrated dialogue with Ignacio Ramonet, before Donald Trump would illustrate from the podium of the UN General Assembly and in the White House, what the Comandante was explaining.

While it is true that silence, and delays in reporting, make the dissemination of lies easier, also responsible is our predisposition to react more emotionally than rationally to the first person repeating a piece of fake news, since conditioned responses can outweigh an analysis of how, by whom, and why something is being said, and whose interests are being advanced. Critical thinking, and a culture of resisting efforts to deceive us, are key to separating the chaff from the wheat, in the face of a massive tangle of confusing messages.

It is interesting to note that, beyond political systems, all countries that have long resisted U.S. hegemony, with the exception of Cuba, all have their own language, a critical mass demographically, and a millenary culture. It is usually attributed to Goebbels, precisely, and to another fascist, Herman Goering, a phrase that actually has its origin in a theatrical work applauded by Hitler himself: “When I hear the word culture, I reach for a gun”.

Fidel expressed the exact opposite when he said, “Without culture, no freedom is possible,” and he promoted all means to expand knowledge and democratize access to culture in the broadest sense.

Digital totalitarianism, to which the owners of our internet footprints seek to lead the world, with the United States in the lead, requires a process meant to maintain massive ignorance, to cultivate insensitivity and absolute de-politicization. Only with the fostering of a culture of solidarity, humanism, and knowledge of how these mechanisms operate, that allows us to use these technologies without being used by them, can we young and small peoples survive, at the gates of the new Reich.

IN CONTEXT:

Via videoconference from Moscow, the former U.S. systems analyst Edward Snowden denounced U.S. government efforts to monopolize and militarize innovations in the field of telecommunications, taking advantage of the natural human desire to communicate and exploiting it to attain unlimited power.”It’s through the use of new platforms and algorithms that are built on and around these capabilities that they are able to shift our behavior. In some cases, they are able to predict our decisions and also nudge them to different outcomes,” Snowden said, arguing that modern militarized technology, with the help of social media and corporate giants, is allowing governments to become “almighty” given the magnitude of their ability to monitor, analyze and influence the behavior of people.Snowden believes that the human need to feel part of a social group is being exploited, as Internet users voluntarily consent to provide their private personal data, signing carefully written agreements that almost no one reads.

(Granma)