THE © YEAR V Nº 22 DIC, 17 2015 HAVANA, CUBA avana eporter ISSN 2224-5707 YOUR SOURCE OF NEWS & MORE H R Price: A Weekly Newspaper of the Prensa Latina News Agency 1.00 CUC, 1.00 USD, 1.20 CAN Tourism Cuba’s Hotel Nacional Celebrates its 85th Anniversary P. 2 Cuba U.S. Blockade on Cuba: A Story that Goes on P. 4 World’s Finest Health & Science Crafts at Cuba‘s Oxfam Forum Addresses Drought and Disaster Fiart 2015 Risk P. 5 P. 10 Spotlight On Geraldine Chaplin – Lover of Latin American Cinema P. 7 Entertainment & Listings/P. 8-9 International Greater Oil Venezuela, New Scenes Prospects /P.12 for Cuba Sports P. 3 Cuban Pole-Vaulter Aims Higher than Five Meters in 2016 /P.15 2 TOURISM Iberostar Gives a Helping Hand in Special Education By BenjamínMICERINOS The Spanish hotel chain Iberostar province of Santiago de Cuba. raises its bets on Cuba whilst it also According to what has been takes part in helping with education announced, the new project will help on the island through its foundation specialists and children in the provinces which works alongside the Spanish José Tito Meriño of Matanzas, Villa Clara, Guantánamo, organization Unicef. Ciego de Ávila, Las Tunas, Sancti Spíritus, With this intention in mind an PHOTO: Mayabeque, Cienfuegos, Camagüey, La agreement between the Iberostar executive co-vice-president of the its first collaboration agreement with Habana, Holguín and the special area of Foundation and the Spanish committee Iberostar group Gloria Fluxá and the the Spanish committee Unicef in 2012 Isla de la Juventud. of the United Nations Fund for Infants president of the Spanish committee and another of this type was signed The Iberostar foundation, which forms (unicef) was formed and within the next Unicef Carmelo Angulo facilitates the in 2014 which allowed more than part of the group with the same name three years it will donate 300,000 euros hotel chain’s collaboration in its efforts to 294, 000 euros to be donated to the created 87 years ago, was established in to special needs teachers, around 900 contribute to the development of Cuba, rehabilitation of 10 daycare centers 2004 with the objective of developing students from nine trade schools and a country where it has been running for damaged by natural disasters. projects which would improve the social more than 40, 000 disabled children. more than two decades. Both mentioned projects benefited at and educational situation of people in The document signed by the The Iberostar foundation signed least 2,000 children in the eastern Cuban need and their welfare. Cuba’s Hotel Nacional Celebrates its 85th Anniversary By Francisco MENÉNDEZ This month a varied program will accompany the celebrations for the 85th anniversary of Cuba’s Hotel Nacional, the most emblematic hotel of this archipelago and a symbol of its tourism said Antonio Martínez, general director of the venue. Carribbean sea, the Nacional counts on the Famous Lounge (Salón de la Fama) where photos of celebrities that have stayed at the hotel during the last more than eight decades of its existence are displayed. The program will include meetings from any age group and from any part of Named the National Monument of between young painters, postcard the world, those who are up and coming Cuba, this 5 star hotel is run by the Cuban editions and the promotion of the and those from the past too. group Gran Caribe and is considered to new version of the book Revelations Although the 85th Anniversary party be the country’s tourism flag. of a Legend which tells the story of the is planned for this coming December 30, With its 426 rooms, the majority with a historical Havana establishment. several weeks prior to this date, the hotel sea view, the administration department Manuel Muñoa Inaugurated with a magnificent party management have various activities and have recently begun a plan to rescue 90 in the Ball Room, known today as Cabaret exchanges planned, as well as promoting rooms where celebrities from all over the PHOTOs: PHOTOs: Parisién, the Nacional also has planned to the date among the foreign tourists who world stayed. Among the most outstanding of redesign this night-time hub, one of the visit the Nacional and handing over the 30 of these rooms already reveal the the activities we find the presentation most famous in the Cuban capital. commemorative plaque to institutions name of the celebrity who stayed there of the Nacional’s 1930s Rum and Meetings and concerts will go hand in and personnel from the tourist sector. on their doors like Johnny Weismuller, perfume, both linked to the date of the hand with the 85th edition of the Hotel Known for its gardens and its beautiful Ava Gadner, Buster Keaton, Errol Flyn, inauguration of the hotel on December Nacional’s photography competition view with bedrooms from which one Frank Sinatra, numerous politicians and a 30 of that same year. which will accept fans and professionals can indulge in the intense blue of the long list of celebrities of all types. 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E-mail: [email protected] CUBA 3 Greater Oil Prospects for Cuba By Cira RODRÍGUEZ Given that prospects for an oil find seismic tests and electromagnetic finding oil, this is an enormous within the Cuban Exclusive Zone in and aeromagnetic marine studies. challenge because of the complex the Gulf of Mexico(ZEE in Spanish) Company management geological profile and the extremely are by no means unlikely, Cuba will, and experts coincide that both deep waters of the zone. in conjunction with foreign partners, prospecting and exploring are very There are some 120 billion renew deep water exploration and complex and costly multi-dynamic (thousand million) recoverable drilling in this area, towards the end activities which is why an integral barrels of oil in the Gulf of Mexico, of 2016. body of research is required in meaning that it is one of the world’s This will be the second such order to promote scientifically greatest sources on a par with North campaign and follows confirmation based opportunities for inclusion America and the Middle East. by the Island in the middle of last in the list of businesses open to The research indicates that the year that the results of two and a half foreign investment. future of marine oil exploration years of prospecting and exploration Specialists also reiterated that in Cuba lies in the deep and very by Venezuelan and Cuban experts it is on the basis of all the available deep waters of both the ZEE indicate that there are potentially research compiled that interest has and territorial waters. There are vast reserves of oil in the ZEE. been renewed and decisions have presently 8 land blocks under Officials from the state-owned been taken, lending a degree of contract and a further three under CubaPetroleo (Cupet) highlighted scientific assurance to investors. negotiation with companies the validity of the positive scientific The decision to resume drilling from, Canada, Russia, Venezuela, position resulting from the drilling of wells, taking these new indicators Australia, Angola, Vietnam and four wells. and interpretations and how best to Colombia, among other countries. Based on this, an announcement exploit them into account, confirm Given that Cuba is an was made recently that in late 2016 the initial concept of 15 years ago economically blockaded and and early 2017 drilling to depths in regarding oil reserve potential underdeveloped nation, this joint excess of 2,500m will commence within the zone. venture production model offers with contracted partners PDVSA of Cupet is hoping to discover oil in a beneficial option for exploration Venezuela and Sonangol of Angolan, the 112,000km square ZEE, which is and drilling to which as of yet in the part of the Gulf of Mexico that divided into 59 blocks, 11 of which undiscovered wells, employment belongs to Cuba. are contracted for joint ventures by foreign companies, fresh capital, Vladimir Molina Experts from the Cupet company involving foreign capital. modern technology and best have since undertaken a series of Even with assurances about exploitation practices all contribute. PHOTO: PHOTO: 4 CUBA U.S. Blockade on Cuba: A Story that Goes on By JorgeHERNÁNDEZ HAVANA._ The U.S. economic blockade on Cuba remains WHAT CAN BE CHANGED intact despite its strong rejection by the international community and after the two countries opened a new As warned by the Cuban Foreign Ministry, even chapter for bilateral relations on December 17, 2014. when the U.S. Congress has the authority to revoke Hitting the headlines during the current period were the regulations that rule the blockade policy toward the announced reestablishment of diplomatic relations Cuba and to order its lifting, this act may be preceded and the recognition by U.S. President Barack Obama that by the elimination of most of its restrictions through the U.S. policy toward Cuba, including the blockade, is executive actions. obsolete and must be brought to an end.