On hearing the news of the release of three Cuban antiterrorism fighters imprisoned in the United States, the deputies of the National Assembly of People's Power, and guests gathered today in the Conventions Palace in Havana could not contain their excitement.

Cuban President Raul Castro addressed the nation this Wednesday broadcast on radio and television on the recent developments in the Cuba-US relations.

For the second time this year, Washington imposed a multi-million fine on a European bank under the extraterritorial economic, commercial and financial blockade of Cuba. This time, Germany´s Commerzbank will have to pay one billion dollars for maintaining financial operations with the island.

HAVANA, Cuba, Dec 16 (acn) For the second time this year, Washington imposed a multi-million fine on a European bank under the extraterritorial economic, commercial and financial blockade of Cuba. This time, Germany´s Commerzbank will have to pay one billion dollars for maintaining financial operations with the island.

The unilateral and extraterritorial measure is part of the US Department of the Treasury´s policy that hunts any bank that does transactions with Cuba through US subsidiaries.

According to an article recently published by the Financial Times, cited by Cuba´s Trabajadores newspaper, in September, the German bank agreed to pay 650 million dollars after being accused of doing financial transactions with Cuba, Iran, Sudan and other countries under US sanctions.

However, the Department of Justice and the Fiscal Office in New York, the city where the bank´s subsidiary is based, decided to take the fine up to one billion dollars.

On June 30, Washington imposed a record 8.9 billion dollar fine on France´s Paribas Bank for violating US unilateral sanctions against several countries, particularly Cuba.

According to experts, these multi-million sanctions violate International Law and respond to the enforcement of an extraterritorial and illegal US measures against foreign entities.

Other European banks like Germany´s Deutche Bank, France´s Société Générale and Crédit Agricole, and Italy´s UniCredit SpA are under the magnifying glass of an investigation by US authorities.

Germany´s Commerzbank, founded in 1870, has its headquarters in Frankfurt and at present it is considered the country´s second largest financial institution after the Deutsche Bank. It is also the fifth most powerful bank in the world with subsidiaries in London, Paris, Madrid, Barcelona, Brussels and New York.

Cuban lawmakers are gathering in working commissions on Tuesday to consider crucial issues for the country, including the performance of Cuban economy in 2014 and a draft economic plan for next year, as part of the 4th Session of the Parliament´s 8th Legislature, whose plenary session will take place on Friday.

Notwithstanding Cuba's efforts to improve public transportation, this remains one of the main dissatisfaction of the population due essentially to the poor state of roads and few resources available in the country.

We cannot talk about improving education, without including art and sport teaching, First Vice-President Miguel Díaz-Canel, during the first day of discussions of Cuban lawmakers.

Cuban President Raul Castro received Monday afternoon his Bolivian counterpart Evo Morales, who participated in the ALBA Summit held in Havana this Sunday.

Cuba will progressively open nursing homes in 2015 to assist senior citizens suffering from Alzheimer, while one of those institutions is already experimentally operating in Havana.

With a political-cultural gala in which the success of the 13th ALBA-TCP Summit was ratified and the legacy of its founders -Commanders Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez- acknowledged once more, the 10th anniversary of that mechanism of integration was celebrated on Sunday.

The President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, sent on Sunday a message to Army General Raul Castro, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Cuban Communist Party and President of the councils of State and Ministers, in which he wished success to the ALBA-TCP Summit.

Nicolas Maduro, President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, send on Sunday in this capital a warm embrace to Revolution leader Fidel Castro, on the date in which 20 years ago he received Commander Hugo Chavez.

The Prime Minister of Dominica, Roosevelt Skerrit, demanded the cessation of the economic, financial and commercial blockade of the United States against Cuba, while speaking at the 13th Summit of ALBA- TCP under way on Sunday at t his capital's Revolution Building.

For the first time we have a movement of integration, solidarity and cooperation, asserted on Sunday in this capital the Prime Minister of Saint Lucia, Kenny Anthony, at the 13th Summit of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas-Trade Treaty of the Peoples (ALBA-TCP), on the occasion of its 10th anniversary.

Army General Raul Castro, President of the Cuban councils of State and Ministers, highlighted on Sunday in this capital the close friendship that developed between Commanders Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez.

HAVANA, Cuba, Dec 12 (acn) The massive access to Information Technology by Cuban society is a priority of the revolutionary government, according to an editorial published on Granma newspaper on Friday.