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News Summary from Radio Havana Cuba - December 30, 2004

(There was no news summary on December 29, 2004)

* 46th Anniversary of the Cuban Revolution: Celebration Begins
* Cayo Coco Tourist Center to Become Protected Area
* Cuban Sports Delegation Returns from Venezuela
* Solidarity with Cuba Grows in Mexico

* Asia: More than 5 Million Homeless; Death Toll Surpasses 120,000
* US Aid to South Asia Increased after Bush Criticized
* US Businesses Abroad Threatened by Rising Anti-Americanism
* Wal-Mart Elected "Grinch of the Year" for 2004

46th Anniversary of the Cuban Revolution: Celebration Begins

Havana, December 30 (RHC)- Cubans are celebrating the 46th anniversary
of the triumph of the Cuban Revolution with a wide range of cultural
and recreational activities. Popular musical figures are participating
in a giant celebration which got underway on Thursday. Among the
performers will be the Mahler Chamber Orchestra under the direction of
Italian, Claudio Abbado.

The acclaimed group will perform on January 2nd in Havana's Amadeo
Roldan Concert Hall. This evening, popular Cuban "trovador", Santiago
Feliu will give a concert at the Cuban capital's Karl Marx Theater. He
will share the stage with the National Symphony Orchestra.

On January 1st, festivities continue with a gala performance in the
beautiful Garcia Lorca theater by the Cuban National Ballet dedicated
to the 46th anniversary of the Cuban Revolution with the debut
performance of "El Combate" and excerpts from the classic
"Nutcracker". Those who want to see the entire "Nutcracker" ballet
performed by the Prodanza company, can go to Havana's Mella Theater on
Thursday night.

Cuban children will also celebrate the victory of the Cuban Revolution
with a huge concert where 700 children will sing and perform. On
Saturday evening the island's most popular bands will get people
dancing in outdoor performances in practically all of Havana's
municpalities.

And, it's not just Havana that will host renowned dance bands like Los
Van Van and Adalberto Alvarez, among others. In other provinces people
are also preparing festivities to welcome another anniversary of the
Cuban Revolution.

Cayo Coco Tourist Center to Become Protected Area

Ciego de Avila, December 30 (AIN)-Scientific monitoring and coastal
integrated management in the central region of the Cayo Coco
ecological reserve have provided a high level of preservation in
Cuba's northern ecosystem.

The area, which is located off the coast of the central province of
Ciego de Avila, is part the Sabana Camaguey Archipelago Biodiversity
Conservation Project which is supported by the United Nations
Development Fund, UNDP.

Among the tasks completed over the last four years in the area is
research on land and marine flora and fauna, as well as on soil, water
and beaches.

Other outstanding work has been done by forest rangers who implemented
projects encompassing reforestation, environmental education and
expanding knowledge of the ecological reserve.

Cayo Coco is being considered for protected status because of its
regional significance, including its mangroves, coral reefs and marine
life.

The area boasts a rich and varied fauna with over 170 species and the
Loma del Puerto dunes, the country's second highest measuring between
10 to 14 meters.

Cuban Sports Delegation Returns from Venezuela

Havana, December 30 (RHC)-A Cuban sports delegation has returned from
a visit to Caracas where it exchanged experiences with Cuban
volunteers offering their services in Venezuela.

The President of the Cuban Sports Institute, Humberto Rodriguez,
headed the delegation which met with Venezuelan Deputy Sports
Minister, Eduardo Alvarez.

While in Venezuela, the sports experts learned about the work being
done by Cuban sports technicians in Venezuela and presented the
island's cooperation workers with a special greetings card signed by
Cuban President Fidel Castro.

The Venezuelan Sports Minister stressed that his country is committed
to strengthening its sports capacities.

Solidarity with Cuba Grows in Mexico

Havana, December 30 (RHC)-Cuba solidarity organizations in Mexico are
increasing pro-Cuba activities, according to an activist from that
country's Solidarity with Cuba Movement, Jesus Escamilla.

Visiting Cuba at the invitation of the Cuban Friendship Institute,
Escamilla said that Mexicans will always side with the Cuban people.

He noted that the purpose of his visit to the island is to get a first
hand look at the people's reality and to meet with Cuban officials.

Asia: More than 5 Million Homeless; Death Toll Surpasses 120,000

Colombo, December 30 (RHC)-- More than five million people are
homeless in South Asia as a result of the earthquake and tidal waves
that killed some 120,000 people. According to the World Health
Organization (WHO), between one and three million of those affected
were in Indonesia, with another one million in Sri Lanka. The WHO says
the rest were spread between India, the Maldives and other nations.

The estimate came as a government warning that high waves could strike
again from aftershocks rattling Indonesia sent thousands fleeing in
panic from the coastline of southern India. The latest quake,
measuring 5.2 on the Richter scale, hit northwest of Indonesia's
Sumatra island city of Medan shortly after 4:00 a.m. local time
Thursday, after two quakes measuring 5.1 and 5.2 the previous evening,
but experts said they were not big enough to cause tidal waves.

Sunday's killer tsunamis were unleashed by a gigantic 9.0 magnitude
tectonic shift 150 kilometers off Sumatra, rolling on across the
Indian Ocean to wreak havoc in 11 countries. In addition to the more
than 120,000 confirmed dead, tens of thousands are missing and the
toll is expected to rise sharply with disease threatening the lives of
survivors.

Indonesia's President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono pushed Thursday for a
UN-sponsored international conference to discuss relief operations for
affected nations. Yudhoyono said he had already received support for
the proposal from UN Secretary General Kofi Annan.

US Aid to South Asia Increased after Bush Criticized

Washington, December 30 (RHC)-- The White House has decided to more
than double its financial commitment to provide relief to nations
suffering from the Indian Ocean tsunami, amid complaints that the
vacationing President George W. Bush has been insensitive to a
humanitarian catastrophe of epic proportions.

As the death toll continued to rise on Wednesday, the US Agency for
International Development added $20 million to an earlier pledge of
$15 million to provide relief, and the Pentagon dispatched an aircraft
carrier and other military assets to the region. Outgoing Secretary of
State Colin Powell took aim at a top UN aid official's comment that
wealthy countries were being stingy with aid. Powell told reporters
that "the United States is not stingy."

Although UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Jan Egeland withdrew his
earlier comment, domestic criticism of Bush continued to rise.
Skeptics said the initial aid sums -- as well as Bush's decision at
first to remain cloistered on his Texas ranch for the Christmas
holiday rather than speak in person about the tragedy -- showed scant
appreciation for the magnitude of suffering and for the rescue and
rebuilding work facing such nations as Sri Lanka, India, Thailand and
Indonesia.

After a day of repeated inquiries from reporters about his public
absence, Bush finally announced plans to hold a National Security
Council meeting by teleconference to discuss several issues, including
the tsunami, followed by a short public statement. In Washington,
White House spokesman Trent Duffy said the US president was confident
he could monitor events effectively without returning to the White
House or making public statements from his ranch in Crawford, Texas
where he spent part of the day clearing brush and bicycling.

Some foreign policy experts said Bush's initial reaction -- or lack of
reaction -- and decision to donate merely 15 million dollars showed
his insensitivity about a horrible natural disaster that has claimed
over 100,000 lives. A number of political analysts expressed their
surprise that Bush had not appeared personally to comment on the
tragedy given its significance and the message a strong response would
convey.

Jan Egeland, the UN emergency relief coordinator, complained that each
of the richest nations gives less than one percent of its gross
national product for foreign assistance, and many give 0.1 percent.
Egeland told reporters: "It is beyond me why we are so stingy."

Among the world's two dozen wealthiest countries, the United States
often is among the lowest in donors per capita for official
development assistance worldwide, even though the totals are larger.
According to the Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and
Development of 30 wealthy nations, the United States gives the least
-- at 0.14 percent of its gross national product, compared with
Norway, which gives the most at 0.92 percent.

As a way of comparison, one Web site published figures to show exactly
where the Indian Ocean relief pledge weighs in. Showing that
Washington has promised 35 million dollars for the tens of thousands
of victims and millions affected by the natural disaster, the cost of
Bush's upcoming inauguration celebration in January -- complete with
caviar, champagne and limousines -- will be more than 40 million
dollars.

US Businesses Abroad Threatened by Rising Anti-Americanism

Washington, December 30 (RHC)-- Washington's foreign policy may be
depriving US corporations of overseas profits, according to a new
survey of 8,000 international consumers released this week by the
Seattle-based Global Market Insite (GMI) Inc.

The opinion survey shows that brands closely identified with the
United States such as Marlboro cigarettes, America Online (AOL),
McDonald's, American Airlines, General Motors and Starbucks are
particularly at risk. GMI, an independent market research company,
conducted the survey in eight countries December 10th through the
12th, contacting consumers over the Internet.

One-third of all consumers in Canada, China, France, Germany, Japan,
Russia and the United Kingdom said that US foreign policy, especially
its so-called "war on terror" and the occupation of Iraq, constituted
their strongest negative impression of the United States.

Twenty percent of respondents in Europe and Canada said they
consciously avoided buying US products as a protest against those
policies. That finding was consistent with a similar poll carried out
by GMI three weeks after Bush's November re-election victory.

Whether US foreign policy under Bush is affecting the sales of US
corporations overseas is being hotly debated by advertising and public
relations firms, as well as the companies themselves. Last month,
Kevin Roberts, chief executive of advertising giant Saatchi & Saatchi,
told the Financial Times of London that he believed consumers in
Europe and Asia were becoming increasingly resistant to having "brand
America rammed down their throats."

Simon Anholt, author of 'Brand America' has also predicted a consumer
backlash against US foreign policy. He recently told the British trade
magazine, 'Marketing Week', that four more years of Bush's foreign
policy could have grave consequences for US companies' international
market share. He told the weekly magazine that there are already been
casual protest brands, such as Mecca Cola, which are primarily
political -- but that there are new situations on the horizon. He said
that German restaurants, for instance, are beginning to refuse
American Express cards.

Allyson Stewart-Allen, co-author of the book 'Working with Americans,'
said: "American companies are accused of aggressiveness and arrogance
because they insist on imposing the American way of doing things on
their international markets; they are inflexible." She argued that the
more US companies distance themselves from their American identity,
the better they will survive in the international marketplace.

The latest poll found that more than two-thirds of European and
Canadian consumers have had a negative change in their view of the
United States as a result of US foreign policy over the last three
years. Nearly half believe that the war in Iraq was motivated by a
desire to control oil supplies, while only 15 percent believed it was
related to terrorism.

Nearly two-thirds of European and Canadian consumers also said they
believe US foreign policy is guided primarily by self-interest and
empire-building, while only 17 percent believe that the defense of
freedom and democracy is its guiding principle.

Half of the entire sample said they distrusted US companies, at least
in part because of US foreign policy. Seventy-nine percent said they
distrusted the US government for the same reason, while 39 percent
said they don't trust the American people.

Wal-Mart Elected "Grinch of the Year" for 2004

Washington, December 30 (RHC)-- The retail giant Wal-Mart has been
named "Grinch of the Year" in a national on-line poll held between
December 6th and December 22rd by Jobs with Justice -- a national
network of more than 40 local coalitions of unions, community groups,
faith-based organizations and student groups working together to fight
for social and economic justice in the United States.

According to Jobs with Justice, Wal-Mart is a fitting recipient of the
Grinch title. As the United States' largest retailer and largest
employer, Wal-Mart is a driving force in setting wage standards
wherever its stores are located. Despite nearly $9 billion in profits,
its wages are so low that many employees are eligible for food stamps.
Even so, local taxpayers often finance Wal-Mart's expansion through
tax breaks and development incentives.

Wal-Mart has created such high barriers to qualify for its health care
benefits that many workers are left dependent on publicly financed
medical services, a largely hidden taxpayer subsidy. According to a
research study in California, Wal-Mart workers seek $86 million a year
in state aid because of inadequate wages and benefits. In effect,
Wal-mart cleverly shifts a portion of its labor costs to the public.

Jobs with Justice reports that earlier this year, Wal-Mart admitted
that it routinely locked overnight workers in its stores. Wal-Mart was
also sued this year in the largest sex-discrimination case in history,
brought on behalf of about 1.6 million current and former employees.

Around the country, Jobs with Justice coalitions have been in the
middle of many community-based campaigns calling attention to the
impact of Wal-Mart by demanding agreements from this giant corporation
to improve its hiring and employment practices. Local coalitions have
held rallies and hearings on Wal-Mart, published reports about its
potential impact on communities and pushed for comprehensive 'Big Box'
store ordinances to help communities gain more leverage in the
development process.

Fred Azcarate, executive director of Jobs with Justice, said: "The
overwhelming vote to name Wal-Mart "Grinch of the Year" reflects the
growing concern that working families have with this
mega-corporation."

He pointed out that more than 60 percent of the 2,300 votes cast in
this year's election were for Wal-Mart.

Wal-Mart has more than 3500 stores and 1.3 million employees. The
company is based in Bentonville, Arkansas. Learn more about how
Wal-Mart is harming working families at www.walmartwatch.com.

Cintas, the largest uniform provider and industrial launderer in the
nation, was runner-up in the Grinch contest. Cintas workers have been
injured and killed on the job as a result of illegal and unsafe
working conditions. The company has been charged with over 100
violations of health and safety standards, many for repeated
violations that could lead to "death or serious physical harm." Cintas
workers have routinely been disciplined or fired after reporting their
injuries or filing worker's compensation claims, a serious violation
of workers' rights.

Jobs with Justice reports that despite lucrative profits, Cintas has
pushed increased health insurance costs onto its employees, making it
impossible for many workers to afford insurance. To make matters
worse, many employees of Cintas are being paid below the federal
poverty line.

Cintas operates 351 facilities in the US and Canada, including 15
manufacturing plants and seven distribution centers that employ more
than 28,000 people. The company is headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Learn more about how Cintas is harming workers at
www.uniformjustice.org.

Comcast, the nation's largest cable TV and broadband Internet company,
won third place in the poll. Earlier this year, Jobs with Justice's
National Workers' Rights Board released a report "This is Comcast:
Silencing Our Voice at Work" -- documenting its widespread pattern of
abuse of workers' rights and illustrating why the United States' 75
year-old labor laws need to be modernized.

Comcast is headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and employs
68,000 people in 4000 communities. Learn more about how Comcast is
harming workers at www.comcastwatch.com.

compiled by NY Transfer from http://www.radiohc.cu

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