Cuba updates
Women in Cuba
Cuba received praise earlier this month from the United Nations for the great advances made by Cuban women since the triumph of the revolution in 1959. Angela King, undersecretary general for the UN, has been in Cuba meeting with the ministers of education and public health, justice, labour, science and technology.
King praised Cuba for the remarkable rates of inclusion of women in all sectors the economy and politics. Cuban women make up 27.6% of parliament and 65.5% of Cuba's professional and technical work force. She said Cuba will be an international example in the UN General Assembly for the Advancement of Women in the year 2000.
US drugs hypocrisy
Cuba has, once again, taken a stand against US hypocrisy, rejecting the US's unilateral certification process in the "fight against drugs", stating that such a process violates the sovereignty of nations.
The vice-president of the Cuban parliament's foreign relations commission, Ramon Pez Ferro, said it is time to stop blaming Third World countries for the consumption and production of narcotics.
Cuban authorities have captured more than 34 tonnes of drugs that have arrived off Cuban shores since 1994. The shipments, mainly marijuana and cocaine, have all been destined for the US market.
[These updates were compiled by Deepa Fernandes from information obtained from Radio Havana in Cuba, e-mail <rhc@radiohc.org> or visit <http://www.radiohc.org>.]