Cuban Interests Section in Washington Reestablishes Consular Services up to February 17

The Cuban Interests Section in Washington announced the reestablishment of consular services until February 17th. According to Granma newspaper, on December 6th, the M and T Bank informed the Interests Section its decision to extend until March 1, 2014 the deadline of the definitive closing of the banking account of the Cuban office, explaining that the bank will process deposits until February 17, 2014. The Cuban Interests Section continues to look for a new bank to definitively normalize its consular services. The office has expressed its regret for any inconveniences brought about by the suspension of consular services on November 26, 2013 either for both Cuban and US citizens.

Cuban Interest Section in Washington Closes Consular Services

The Cuban Interest Section in Washington announced the interruption of consular services beginning November 26 and till further notice, amidst the impossibility to have a financial institution willing to keep its bank accounts as a consequence of the US economic, commercial and financial blockade of Cuba. A statement by the Cuban Interest Section in the US capital, cited by Cubadebate webpage, explains that despite countless contacts with the US Department of State and numerous banks, the office has been forced to close consular services. The Cuban office explains that on July 12, the M & T Bank notified that it would not continue to offer its services to foreign diplomatic missions. The Bank gave the Cuban Interest Section and the island’s permanent mission at the United Nations a limited period of time to finish relations and find a new bank. But due to current restrictions derived from the US blockade against Cuba, the office has not been able to find another bank that keeps the bank accounts of the two diplomatic missions. For this reason, the Cuban Interest Section in Washington has been forced to suspend consular services as of November 26 till further notice, the statement explains and adds that the office will only attend to humanitarian issues and of other nature in a limited way. The Cuban office has reiterated the US Department of State that the US government has the legal obligation to meet international conventions on services to be granted to diplomatic missions and consular offices to facilitate their appropriate work. The statement recalls the accord dated May 30, 1977, which set up the two interest sections both in Washington and Havana, in which both parties affirmed their commitment to international treaties that rule diplomatic and consular relations. The Cuban office in Washington particularly regrets the inconveniences that this situation will have for Cuban and US citizens, due to the impossibility of the Consular Section to keep offering its services, which include the issuance of passports, visas, legalization of documents and others. The statement concludes by saying that such inconveniences will have a negative impact on family visits, academic, cultural, educational, scientific and sports exchange between Cuba and the United States. / With Information from ACN

Young Farm Lad with the Will of a Creator

"Tired of suffering from pain in my feet, one day, while I was preparing to help my dad to plant some grain in La Lucy farm, I got the idea of that invention, to which I can already name: agricultural implement, made from waste material,"says Carlos Rafael Heres Pérez , the son and grandson of farmers. “Farmers at the José Martí and Antonio Maceo agricultural cooperatives, in the municipality of Calixto Garcia, welcomed the initiative,” said the 22-year-old young man, whose main pastime since he was a child was creation. On many occasions he was surrounded by other children, whose astonished eyes, watched as from his hands came a small miniature bicycle or a figure carved in wood, hobbies that gradually turned him into an innovative self-taught person, with that undeniable and irreplaceable practical reason. The truth is that today they are solid criteria to substantiate the advantages of the new "equipment”. As expressed by Rafael Vega Avila, president of the José Martí farmer cooperative: " This invention replaces approximately 12 men’s work and performs several tasks, with a single movement : it plows, fertilizes, plants various types of grains, covers, earths up planting and allows seeding uniformity, both in space and depth in the seed set." So far, the economic results are important as it has contributed to saving fuel, lessening expenses for labourers. The larger number of hectares planted in a day, the seed deposited has the same moisture, a factor that greatly helps germination and saves about $ 460.00 Cuban pesos per hectare. After meeting the practical operation of this agricultural implement, which makes the work easier of the labourers, we need to think big to the possible generalization, which is usually the " Cinderella" of Science and Technology. But the same need to replace imports and untie the knots that bind the productive forces it is well worth looking for solutions like this, one of the thousands of practical innovations from our people, to make the land of this region produce. With Information from Radio Juvenil

I really enjoyed the place

This is a pleasant place in one of the many beaches of our country, a corner where every summer we go to relax and enjoy the warm sun and white sand.

Over 300 delegates to attend Ibero-American Festival

Some 300 delegates from 20 countries have so far confirmed their attendance at the Ibero-American Culture Festival, to take place October 24-30 in Holguin city. Participants include International Artistic brigades, which were set up after the ravaging passage here of hurricane Ike, back in 2008. The Festival’s agenda includes theoretical activities on Ibero-American thinking, a crafts exhibit, a campesino feast and a solidarity encounter, along with visual and performing arts sessions and music concerts. The annual event invites intellectuals from different parts of the world who are interested in sharing with their Cuban counterparts their experiences in the world of culture.

La Ceiba river, a beautiful glass-like stream

La Ceiba River, which rises in the north-west slope of Sierra del Cristal, is a beautiful glass-like stream flowing out of the mountain to about 600 meters above the sea level. Its course flows through serpentinized ultrabasic rock areas with different degrees of alteration and purple ferritic soils. It flows towards the bottom of these elevations, flattened area, dissected, with embedded background valley where terraces are not observed, allowing the river running through its floodplain. The area flooded by La Ceiba river belongs to the Nipe and Cristal districts, where vegetation consists mainly of pine and evergreen forests. These forests are populated by birds like the tocororo, cartacuba, the hummingbird and reptiles, including the mountain Bayoya and lizards of the genus Anolis, among others. There is scarcity of vegetation along the river's course, resulting from the intense mining and forestry activities carried out in the area. La ceiba river, currently threatened by erosion, took its name of the once abundant ceiba trees in the middle and lower course of the river, where there are just a few trees, next to Royal Palms. With information from www.ahora.cu

Piedra Pescuezo, Guardalavaca, damaged by the action of time

Guardalavaca Beach is the largest natural resort in Holguin province and one of the most important in Cuba. It is located on the northern coast of the municipality of Banes, about 30 kilometers from the capital city of the same name. Piedra Pescuezo (Stone Neck) was a symbol on this beach in the 40's, 50's and early 60's and was in itself one of the key attractions for vacationers who came to this beach to enjoy a healthy life. From this stone swimmers used to dive into the warm waters of the Atlantic. It was ideal for the way it was located, as it was used as a natural springboard to launch into the sea. It had the shape of a human neck (hence the name) which emerged from the shore of the beach and jutted out several meters into the sea with its large size.

Today, vacationers visiting Guardalavaca cannot really appreciate this natural element that a long time ago was one of the natural beauties of this beach. The passage of time has allowed the north coast beach to gradually emerge, until it left behind the huge rock buried in the sand. Only photos taken in the 40's show the full extent of the majesty of Piedra Pescuezo. Current images show the changing appearance of the beach. With Information from www.radiobanes.icrt.cu