Cuba celebrates 59th anniversary of National Rebellion Day with Economic Growth
Cubans celebrate on Thursday the National Rebellion Day, as it is known the assault on two military barracks in the east in 1953, which marked the beginning of the Revolution
As part of the celebrations, residents in Guantanamo, the easternmost territory of Cuba, held a ceremony at 07:00 local time with the participation of thousands of people to honor the participants in those actions 59 years ago.
Over one hundred young people staged a military action on July 26, 1953 against the dictator Fulgencio Batista (1952-1959), whose government is responsible for the deaths of about 20,000 Cubans.
In an environment of global crisis, marked by the U.S. blockade and internal difficulties, the Cuban economy shows signs of recovery due to changes aimed at greater productivity and efficiency.
Several indicators in recent months showed improved economic performance on the island, where more than half a century of unilateral sanctions from Washington have left losses of more than $975 billion dollars.
According to data provided by the Minister of Economy and Planning, Adel Yzquierdo, to the National Assembly at its Ninth Regular Session, held in Havana on July 23, Cuba’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew 2.1 percent in the first half of 2012.
This exceeded by two tenths the growth reported in the same period last year, thanks to progress in almost all sectors.
In particular, Yzquierdo mentioned advances in trade, investment, commodity, commercial circulation and sale of building materials, which despite finishing under the plan were equivalent to those all over 2011.
In addition, the Minister of Finance and Prices, Lina Pedraza, informed the meeting of deputies that the fiscal deficit in 2011 closed at 1.7 percent of GDP, lower than that planned in the State Budget (3.8).
This is the lowest deficit since the early 1990s, and is a considerable achievement, considering that in 2008 it reached 6.9 percent.
At the closing ceremony of the Ninth Ordinary Period of Parliamentary Sessions, held at the Convention Center in Havana, President Raul Castro said the economy for the first half of the year had been favorable.
The statesman emphasized the behavior of productive activities, “although in agriculture the outcome is still modest, despite the increases in production of rice, milk and beans, which still did not meet the goals set by the plan.’
In addition to the aforementioned increase in GDP, Raul Castro said the results of sugar production, which while being hampered by lack of organization and poor preparation, continue a trend toward recovery, growing at 17.1 percent.
He also mentioned the trade balance marked by the growth of exports of goods and services at higher rates than imports.
For the Cuban president, another important step corresponds with the strict compliance with financial obligations for the Caribbean nation, in line with priorities set here to restore the credibility of the island’s economy.
Former Bankia Boss Faces Grilling in Spanish Parliament
The former chief of Bankia, Rodrigo Rato, defended his management while at the bank in the Spanish parliament on Thursday.
Rato, who faced the parliament’s economy committee, said the bank acted correctly and according to Spanish and European law during a merger between seven banks that formed Bankia in 2010.
Rato said the merger process was transparent as everything was “controlled by several authorities.”
Last month, Bankia was nationalized after asking the Spanish government for a loan of 23.4 billion euros (28.5 billion U.S. dollars). The bailout largely dented the country’s banking system as Bankia is the fourth largest bank in Spain.
Rato appeared in the Spanish parliament after Miguel Angel Fernandez Ordonez, former governor of the Bank of Spain, who said Wednesday the economic situation in Spain had worsened and that it was a mistake to force Rato to resign.
Rato was the chief of Bankia from September 2011 to May 2012. He was also the managing director of the International Monetary Fund between 2004 and 2007 and Spain’s minister of economy from 1996 to 2004.
Julio Fernandez Gayoso, the former chief of Caixa Nova, Elena Salgado, minister of economy from 2009 to 2011, and Narcis Serra, former chief of CatalunyaCaixa, are also due to face questioning in parliament.
Palestinian Woman Opens First Ballet Class in West Bank
As 24-year-old ballet dancer Shirin Zyada stood on her toes with lightness and agility and danced to the sound of a classic music in a hall in the West Bank city of Ramallah, little girls were following her moves and trying to learn how to dance ballet.
Zyada has recently opened a ballet training center in Ramallah, which is the first of its kind in the West Bank, and girls of all ages can come to be trained. She told Xinhua that she is trying to spread ballet dancing all over the West Bank, which lacks such kind of dancing and is dominated by conservative traditions.
“Ballet itself is a great art and has its fans, but unfortunately it is not spread in the Palestinian territories,” said Zyada, who has performed in several ballet shows, adding that “because there was no centers to train ballet (dancers), an idea came to my mind to open a center and train girls on ballet dancing. “
She slammed the conservative traditions in the Palestinian territories as she referred to people who like to go watching ballet dancing “but parents don’t like the idea of sending their daughters to ballet training centers or to join local and international ballet shows.”
“My parents didn’t like the idea of having ballet dancing as a job, and encouraged me to continue my higher education. They advised me to deal with ballet as a hobby and not more,” Zyada said.
“I liked ballet dancing since I was in the age of seven, and I was trained by professional trainers coming to Ramallah from various countries. Then I began to train schoolgirls in the city of Ramallah, where ballet is part of the non-curriculum activities, until I opened my private center,” she said.
Zyada said her parents, who opposed the idea first, are the ones who helped her to open her ballet training center. The center is now operating well and has many little girls coming for training.
As she stood in the middle and was surrounded by the young trainees, Zyada said, “Ballet is not just moving bodies. Through motions, you can send messages.”
Zyada has ambitions to form her own Palestinian ballet dancing team to join local, Arab and international groups. “I really dream of rising the flag of Palestine and send our message for peace in the world.”
As she looked at the girls and tried to correct their moves, Zyada said, “Ballet dancing begins with one step and then it expands to more steps and circles. Ballet teaches girls womanhood and the soft moves. It also helps spirit to grow up and build up a healthy body and pure mind.”
The dancer said she is still developing her skills by reading books and watching video clips on the internet. “In addition to ballet dancing, this also brings me training on ballet acting as well as ballet fashion.”
Zyada said ballet is one of the smartest kinds of dancing that express the feelings and emotions of human being, adding that she is extremely happy because she finally managed to establish her own ballet training center in the city of Ramallah.
“In order to be able to do light and graceful movements, ballet dancing would need several years of training, in addition to choosing the proper music which helps ballet dancers to be more creative, and better music would lead to faster moves and faster ideas,” said Zyada.
At one of the class, four-year-old girl Rahaf and her classmates in ballet skirts were trying to move their bodies to imitate butterflies. “I like very much this and I like what my teacher is trying to teach me… because I want to grow up and become a famous ballet dancer,” Rahaf said while she was staring at Zyada, “I want to train on all moves and dances that look like a butterfly.”
Rahaf’s mother, who was sitting on the side of the training hall and watching her daughter, said, “I never know before that ballet dancing is so beautiful. Right after the first class, I liked very much the idea and I decided to keep taking my daughter for ballet training.”
Via PL