[NYTr] Cuban Radar Newsbriefs - Sep 27, 2007 Date: Sun, 30 Sep 2007 22:47:08 -0500 (CDT) Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit Progreso Weekly - Sep 27, 2007 http://progreso-weekly.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=169&Itemid=1 Cuban Radar Newsbriefs - September 27, 2007 A service of Radio Progreso Alternativa Havana Bureau * Unusual announcement on Cuban TV * Slight improvement in Havanabs public transportation * New housing * Renewal of municipal assemblies * Cuba rejects speech by Bush * Unusual announcement on Cuban TV On Tuesday, September 25, Cuban TVbs CubavisiC3n broadcast an unusual spot. Just before the beginning of a highly rated Brazilian soap opera, an upcoming debate sponsored by Temas magazine which is being held every last Thursday of the month, was advertised. The announcement mentioned that on Thursday, September 27, the subject to be discussed would deal with the question: bAnd What About Chinab, focusing on the present reality of the Far Eastern country, its problems and perspectives, issues that are not frequently treated in depth in Cuban media. These public discussions that are held at the Cuban Institute of Cinematographic Art and Industry (ICAIC) has been calling together academics, scholars and the public in general in order to analyze different aspects of the transit to socialism, including the Cuban process. It is noteworthy that the announcement has been broadcast by national TV and just before one of the most popular programs. For some observers, this could be a consequence of the insistence by acting president RaC:l Castro that all citizens should debate matters of this kind. * Slight improvement in Havanabs public transportation Last year public transportation in the capital moved 487,580 passengers daily. In 2007, the average number of passengers is 617,500 per day. It certainly is an improvement, but not enough for a city of over 2 million people. According to the official daily Granma of September 21, an integral program is underway bthat contemplates the renovation and completion of the omnibus fleet, renovation of linesb and repair of roads, among other measures. The report says that new routes will not be created, but that there will be reorganization bfrom the existing 16 main lines that will join points of large circulation.b New buses have been bought in Germany, Russia, Belarus and China. * New housing The housing deficit and the sorry state of a good number of existing homes is one of Cubansb most crucial problems. In order to improve the situation, the national plan of construction set a goal of over 72,000 new homes. The weekly Trabajadores in its Monday, September 24, edition published that 40% of housing planned for 2007 has not begun in the five easternmost provinces and in Villa Clara. According to the publication, the official organ of the Cuban Workersb Central Union, the delays are caused because of difficulties in finding the appropriate land and lack of coordination among institutions involved in the construction. * Renewal of municipal assemblies According to the September 24 edition of Granma, TomC!s AmarC!n DC-az, Secretary of the National Electoral Commission, declared that among candidates already nominated for the elections to the Municipal Assemblies of Popular Power, only 23.5 percent are incumbents. The number is significant, for it indicates that 76.5 percent of the candidates nominated in over 44,000 meetings held until now are new proposals by voters, a clear tendency for renewal. Elections for municipal assemblies will be held on October 21. If in an electoral district no candidate receives more than half of the votes, a runoff election will be held on October 28. * Cuba rejects speech by Bush National media reported that on September 25 the Cuban delegation to the UNbs General Assembly, headed by Foreign Minister Felipe PC)rez Roque, left the room when U.S. President George W. Bush lashed out against Cuba, Iran, Zimbabwe and Myanmar for what he called the bsituation of freedom in those countries.b The declaration of the islandbs delegation explained that the action was a bsignal of the deepest rejection to President Bushbs arrogant and mediocre speech.b Cuba also holds Bush accountable for bthe murder of over 600,000 civilians in Iraqb and of authorizing torture to prisoners in GuantC!namo U.S. Naval Base, as well as giving the green light to kidnapping, clandestine flights and secret prisons.b * ================================================================= NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us Our main website: http://www.blythe.org List Archives: http://blythe-systems.com/pipermail/nytr/ Subscribe: http://blythe-systems.com/mailman/listinfo/nytr =================================================================