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Cuba denounced the United States to the World Trade Organization for usurpation of Cuban labels of acknowledged international prestige.

The protest referred to the systematic disregard by the US government over decisions made with the WTO and the serious consequences of incompliance of agreements on intellectual property.

Cuban representatives referred to the denial of the US Office of Patents and Labels to grant a license to renew the Havana Club label, arguing political reasons.

Six other delegations, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Brazil, India, China and Argentina supported Cuban concerns and demands while the United States has continued twiddling its thumbs for five years claiming it is trying to solve the problem.

Meanwhile projects introduced in the Senate by Florida intend to introduce cosmetic changes to laws and continue usurping Cuban labels.

The Venezuelan delegation, for its part, supported the Island s demands and said that a refusal to renew the registration of Havana Club sends an inappropriate and disturbing message since ownership of intellectual property cannot be subject to political considerations.

Finally the Nicaraguan mission stated that US incompliance risks the balance between rights and obligations by WTO members.

Cuba presented at the International Labor Organization (ILO) its achievements in occupation and qualification of labor force.

Addressing the Administration Council from that institution on the issue Global Employment Program, Cuban delegates Gretel Hernandez stated that parallel the number of unemployed people in the world register the highest level of all times.

World unemployment rate is 6.3 percent and it confirms that although the economic increase is important for the social development, people need will to implement policies, raise education and programs and foster productive employment, said Hernandez.

Hernandez explained that her country, in the framework of the 122nd Agreement on employment policy, ratified by the government, can join it to the State’s social and economic policy for several years.

Cuba’s unemployment rate in 2006 was 1.9 percent and a fundamental measure was to identify localities, municipalities and provinces with larger rates and apply specific programs for each segment of the population.

The ILO Administration Council is expected to continue taking place in this Swiss city until March 30, with the participation of delegates from 56 countries.

Cuba is due to open three ophthalmologic hospitals in Nicaragua, to provide free surgery to patients with cataracts, a project to start in this capital.

According to statements by the island’s new ambassador to this Central American country Luis Hernandez the first four Cuban physicians will open the first ophthalmologic center in the outskirts of Managua, and are expected to arrive in next days.

Hernandez, who presented their credentials on Tuesday, said that the other two clinics, with a capacity for 80 patients daily, are located in the main cities from both autonomous regions of North and South Atlantic, Puerto Cabezas and Bluefields.

These eye centers will avoid to transfer Nicaraguan patients to Havana and Caracas, as part of the Operation Miracle, which has benefited so far over 2,000 people since its beginning in the Central American nation in June.

As part of the strengthening of bilateral relations after the arrival of the Sandinista government to power, Cuba also collaborates in eliminating illiteracy, with the “Yo Si Puedo” (Yes, I Can), recalled the ambassador.

Over 4,300 activities for the release of five Cuban anti-terrorist fighters unfairly imprisoned eight years ago in the US have been carried out by Cuban youth, it was reported in this capital on Tuesday.
Cuban 5 Unfairly Tried, Lawyer Says

Cuba”s Young Communist League (UJC) first secretary Julio Martinez told local press that since the juvenile campaign for the freedom of the Five was convened; over 174,000 youth have attended those meetings.

Other 151 activities have been held in 41 countries and 34 organizations have confirmed their participation, along with the UJC, in the international meeting of solidarity with the Cuban Five, to be run in the island on April 29-30.

The Five, as Antonio Guerrero, Fernando Gonzalez, Ramon Labañino, Rene Gonzalez and Gerardo Hernandez are universally known, are serving long and harsh sentences in United States for monitoring terrorist groups responsible of violent actions against Cuba.

Several criminal actions organized in the US against Cuba have killed about 3,500 people and wounded over 2,000.

On Sunday, March 25, said Martinez, the island”s young people will carry out a day for voluntary work throughout the country, coinciding with the 104th anniversary of the birth of outstanding Cuban revolutionary Julio Antonio Mella.

The same day, there will be a cultural event to reveal results of a contest to elect the song that will celebrate the 45th anniversary of that young organization.

The occasion will be used to honor those who lost their life for the Revolution and the whole people, said Martinez.

Signs of notable interest in over 15 French cities, repercusión in Belgium and several colloquiums which close tonight in Paris, are witness to the red carpet treatment given to the book on President Fidel Castro written by Ignacio Ramonet.

Biographie á deux voix, French edition of “100 Hours with Fidel”, attracted over 100 persons today to the Cuban embassy here to meet with Ramonet and talk about the book.

“I am really impressed on how the book is arousing more interest every day. I have already talked in 15 French cities that invited me to talk about the book and there are still several more invitations to attend”, he commented to Prensa Latina.

Very impressive was the launching of the book in Brussels and shortly I´ll do the same in Switzerland, where I will tour the French-speaking part of the country to promote a volume which as I have stressed “allows the defense lawyer of the Cuban Revolution to take the floor”, he added.

Claimed by the friendship association CUBA SI, France and the Newspaper Trade Union of Paris, member of the General Central of Workers (CGT in French), the Hispanic-French writer stressed his book´s attraction.

It will have the virtue of becoming an essential reference and balance about the Cuban reality, he said.

In an unusually full house in the Hall Alejo Carpentier, the director of Le Monde Diplomatique explained that before starting on the project of interviewing the Cuban leader, he had three great motivations.

The first was to give President Fidel Castro the floor, the best witness to the evolution of the Revolution, when I was intensely shocked by the ill-intended version of Cuba published by big French media, repeating baseless reports, fabricated and without support, he explained.

“Then I thought it transcendent that the new generations knew first hand of Fidel´s personality, the truth about his work, in a Latin American surrounding where the leftwing movement offers a ray of hope”, he underlined.

We see Hugo Chavez in Venezuela, Evo Morales in Bolivia and Daniel Ortega in Nicaragua, inside a political map that begins to answer to the expectations of those peoples and there are a lot of interesting realities told by Fidel Castro, he added.

Born in Redondela, Pontevedra, Spain and a long career in France, Ramonet pointed he also made it a goal to spread the personality of a human being, his family origins and his evolution.

Also in the book are revealed several passages not only of Fidel Castro´s life but also of the Cuban Revolution and his collaboration to other processes “unpublished until now.”