The Cuban News Agency (acn) has announced the opening of a paid ad space, both on tabloid and on-line, in which cooperatives, state companies, private workers and people in general can now post ads to advertize products and services.

The Cuban Workers´ Confederation (CTC), the union gathering over 3 million Cubans, was excluded from the Civil Society Forum called by the Summit of the Americas in Panama next week.

Nearly 117 Cuban medical professionals are currently assisting the Namibian people in 13 out of 14 regions of that African nation, said doctor Aniuska Palacios, who heads Medical Collaboration Services in Namibia.

Cuban Foreign Trade Minister Rodrigo Malmierca said that the island will show at the Summit of the Americas´ Business Forum its opportunities to develop international economic relations based on the new Foreign Investment Law and the setting up of the Special Development Zone at the western Mariel Harbor.

The Cuban Academy of Sciences (ACC) has a new Corresponding Member, Doctor of Sciences Mark Rasenick, distinguished Professor of Physiology, Biophysics and Psychiatry at the University of Illinois, Chicago, U.S.A.

A total of 177 companies from 28 countries, 35 of them Cuban, have confirmed their participation in the 13th edition of Havana's Health for All Trade Fair, which will run from April 20th to the 24 th at PABEXPO Pavilion.

More than 1,500 academicians and researchers will meet in Havana for the 15th Meeting of Geographers of Latin America, to be held on April 6-9 at the capital's Convention Center.

A 52-year old ration card that guarantees a limited amount of staples for the peoples' basic food basket at highly subsidized prices is still considered as necessary given unstable presence of certain products at the offer-and-demand domestic market and their very high prices, which most pockets cannot afford.

Fifty three years ago, the Organization of American States (OAS) expelled Cuba under the pressure of Washington, and although in 2009 the organization changed its decision, Cuba maintains its firm stance not to return to the OAS, an issue that now surfaces with the approach of the Summit of the Americas.

The president of a Cuban Taxi cab cooperative, Martin Jose Betancourt will participate at the Entrepreneurial Forum of the 7th Summit of the Americas, in Panama, as an actor of the new changes taking place in Cuban economy.

In the presence of over 400 rectors of Latin America and the United States, Gustavo Cobreiro, rector of the University of Havana, will present Cuba's vision of how to achieve access to free, quality higher education that has an impact in the development of the region.

More than 300 foreign companies are interested in investing at the Mariel Special Development Zone, whose requests are being under registering process and will be announced once they are settled at the place.

The Ranger Corps of Cuba (CGC by its Spanish acronym) warned in this city on the extreme danger of the fourth month of the year for forest fires.

Ulises Guilarte de Nacimiento, member of the Central Committee of the Cuban Communist Party and secretary general of the Cuban Workers Confederation (CTC), was received on Wednesday in Vietnam by the President of that Asian nation, Truong Tan Sang, the Prensa Latina news agency reported.

Havana will host an international forum on Industrial property and technology transfer, April 22-24 in collaboration with the World Intellectual Property Organization.