Today, May 17, Cubans celebrate Farmer  Worker's Day, a social sector that has played an important role in our history, culture, economy, and is growing in these times, when the country is aimed at achieving food independence based on the development of agriculture and ranching.

To mark the celebration, it is appropriated to highlight how the Cuban Radio reflects in its programming the interests of the men and women who work and / or live in rural areas, or work in activities related to the agricultural sector.

The Havana City Historian, Eusebio Leal, reported today to senior management of United Nations on the progress of the social work that takes place in the historic center of Havana.

Leal, who is also UN Goodwill Ambassador visited the UN headquarters in New York on Wednesday and held a courtesy meeting with the secretary general, Ban Ki-moon.

Cuba denounced at the World Trade Organization (WTO) that the U.S.-imposed blockade for over 50 years has hindered access to information and communications technologies.

The economic, trade and financial siege hampers the purchase and sale of those products and services on the global market, including electronic trade that is currently an important tool to support international economic relations.

The U.S. Treasury Department has tightened restrictions on trips to Cuba by non-Cuban Americans, saying any violation of such measures would be punishable by a fine of up to $65,000.

A statement from the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), had warned last March that the White House would retaliate against any attempt to make tourism under the U.S.-Cuba travel policy established in 2009 by president Barack Obama.

Achieving the return to Cuba of the five antiterrorists held in the United States since 1998 needs the consolidation of world solidarity and actions for their freedom inside US territory, said activists defending the cause of the Cuban heroes.

Gerardo Hernandez, Fernando González, Ramón Labañino, Antonio Guerrero and René González were arrested in 1998 after they monitored Miami-based organizations that design and carry out terrorist actions against Cuba. But a ten-year legal battle has not been enough to put an end to what is described as injustice by over 300 solidarity committees and 2 thousand association around the world.

 Fifteen days after the arson attack against a Florida company that arranges charter flights to Cuba, the counter-terrorism and FBI agents in charge of investigating the crime have neither arrested nor interrogated a single suspect.

A report by the local Coral Gables Fire Department concluded that the fire that last month destroyed the Miami offices of the travel agency Airline Brokers was 'deliberately set', but refused to use the term 'criminal act', which is far more suitable in this case.

A piece of news released by AP, the most important US news agency, dated today in Monterrey, Mexico, explains it with irrefutable clarity. This is not the first, and certainly it won´t be the last, about a reality that puts paid to the mountain of lies with which the United States intends to justify the inhuman destiny it reserves for the peoples of our America.

What does the news say?

"MONTERREY, Mexico (AP).- Forty-nine decapitated and mutilated corpses were found abandoned in a pool of blood in a highway connecting the Mexican metropolis of Monterrey to the US border in what seems to be the latest in an escalation war between drug cartels.

The 2012 Meteoro exercise, which is a yearly drill to enhance the island's readiness in case of natural disasters, will be held on May 19th and 20th with theoretical and practical activities. The activities will prepare the Defense Councils, managers of companies, local authorities and the population, in case of disasters.

According to a report from the weekly newspaper "Trabajadores," participants will update the procedures to be undertaken in order to reduce losses in case of natural disasters.

A group of news items from Cuban municipal and provincial radio stations participated in the seventh edition of the national competition of star news items from Cuban Radio, organized by Provincial Direction of Radio in Havana. Some 13 provinces throughout the country presented their news programs, from which 24 news items competed.

The jury adjudicated 9 journalistic genres to select the winners. They gave two mentions for journalism, one for Elsa Ramos's comment entitled "Producción de azucar," from the provincial news of central Sancti Spiritus, and Jesus Alvarez' commentary called "Vivas a la papa," from "Al Centro" news, located in Villa Clara central province. First prize was given to the work "Agricultura urbana" by Anabel Yanez, who works for "La Voz de Yaguajay" station of Sancti Spiritus province.

The President of the of Journalists of Belorrusia Anatoly Ivanovich Lemeshenok expressed the will of those professionals to keep supporting the world solidarity campaign with Cuba, promoted by that European country.

The declaration took place during the awards ceremony of the Zolotoe Piro National Journalism Contest, Cubaminrex web site reported.

Magda Resik Aguirre, a director, host and scriptwriter of TV and radio programs, won the José Antonio Fernández de Castro Cultural Journalism Prize, for the lifetime work in the press.

The Center for Development and Cultural Communication, the Institution granting the biennial award, reported that the jury agreed unanimously to grant Resik this recognition, which honors with its name one of the most outstanding Cuban intellectuals of the 20th century.

Just a few days after International Workers' Day, when popular demonstrations all over the world were brutally suppressed for demanding better working conditions and against public benefits cuts; World Press Freedom Day is held on May3rd, a date declared by the UN General Assembly in 1993, as a proposal of UNESCO.

Opposite to this commemoration is the manipulation or silence of the press reflected on May Day and the New Labor Law will favor millions of Venezuelans, but certainly affect the oligarchs and pro-imperialists of that country, since the measure is opposed to the neoliberal postulates.

The emblematic Cuban shortwave radio station –Radio Havana Cuba- is celebrating its 51 anniversary on May 1 with new challenges and a long history of successful broadcasts and an increasing audience.

Radio Havana Cuba began transmissions as an experimental shortwave station in February 1961. Its fire baptism took place during the mercenary Bay of Pigs Invasion the same year and its establishment was announced by Fidel Castro on April 16, 1961, during the Havana mass rally and funeral of the murdered victims of air attacks on airports in Havana, San Antonio de los Baños and Santiago de Cuba prior to the invasion.

Cuban radio programming includes daily shows dedicated to Mexican traditional music, which reflect during half an hour or more the mutual identification existing between the Cuban country folk and the Mexican charros.

Before the triumph of the Revolution, there were many radio stations that broadcast Mexican music not only in shows especially dedicated to this kind of music, but also within the general programming. The great success of the Mexican movie of that time was undoubtedly a decisive element in that context.

In April, 1948, a radio station called "Onda Musical del Circuito CMQ", now "CMBF Radio Musical Nacional" was created in Havana. Its programming was conceived to broadcast universal classic music. The first music heard by the listeners included: "La flauta magica" (The Magic Flaute) by Mozart, "La Gioconda" by Ponchieli and "Los cuentos de Hoffman" (The Tales of Hoffman) by Offenbach. Over six decades later, that kind of music remains the main part of the station programming.

CMBF, Radio Musical Nacional is the only Cuban station specialized in concert or classical music. It includes most genres: symphonic, choral, chamber, solo music, as well as operas, ballets and operettas, said director of the station Otto Breña, who gave an interview to mark its 64th anniversary.