By 16 August Cuba had achieved 8 medals at the Olympic Games in Beijing – a gold in wrestling, three silvers in judo, three bronze medals in judo and one in shooting. Cuba stands 25th in the medals table and 14th on the basis of total medals, which for a population of 12 million is a huge achievement although there have been disappointments in boxing in particular. More medals are hoped for in baseball, volleyball, boxing and for world record holding athlete Dayron Roble. Pedro Roque, Cuba's boxing squad head trainer, said to the press this Friday in Beijing that they came not to gain experience but to win.
For details of medals see http://results.beijing2008.cn/WRM/ENG/INF/GL/92A/CUB_T.shtml

Bamboleo, one of Cuba's most popular bands right now will be bringing their Salsa, Timba and Reggaeton sound to The Forum, Kentish Town, London on Saturday 18 October. This is their first time in the UK, having toured worldwide and will be supported by Leo Duany y su Tumbao Tivoli.

Cuba's communist rebirth gave Tomas Gutiérrez Alea the freedom to make the films he wanted – then he started to show the cracks in Castro's dream. Alice O'Keeffe on a true iconoclast
http://film.guardian.co.uk/features/featurepages/0,,2287482,00.html

See The Guardian Peter Bradshaw's 5 star review of Tomas Gutierrez Alea's masterpiece of Cuban cinema.

Cuban Yargelis Savigne, World indoor and outdoor Triple Jump champion, leapt 15.20m to win the gold medal at the Vardinoyiannia 2008 athletics meeting held this Monday in Rethymno, Greece.

The Cuban master film-maker Tomás Gutiérrez Alea trod a fine line, supporting the revolution but insisting that artists should maintain their distance from those in power

Climate change and peak oil are on many people's minds today. The big question is how do we make the transition to a low energy society, and what would such a society be like? The way Cuba adapted to the Special Period when oil was in short supply is a model that many people are trying to learn and take inspiration from.

The recent finding in eastern Holguin province of decorated and rustic clay pottery, fish bones, remains of crustaceans, land and marine chelonians have enriched Cuban archeological heritage.

Authorities from the United Nations Organization for Education, Science, and Culture (UNESCO), praised in Havana the Cuban program to universalize education.

HAVANA, Cuba, July 7 (acn) Cuba returned to the top of its region by easily taking the 21st edition of Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Championships that ended at the "Estadio Pedro Grajales" in Cali on July 6, reports. According to the website of the International Association of Athletics Federations http://www.iaaf.org, the Caribbean nation collected a total of 17 gold medals – 9 in the final day – to top the table ahead of Trinidad & Tobago, which produced a remarkable second place – best ever – with 8 victories and a total of 13 medals. Colombia, the host, was third with 6 first places and a total of 24 medals.

Cuban and Mexican artists and intellectuals are sharing the Caribbean Festival program. The event opened its doors today and will be held in the eastern provinces of Santiago de Cuba and Guantanamo until July 9, according to the festival's Organizing Committee, reports the EFE news agency.

The Cuban Union of Journalists (UPEC) is holding its 8th National Congress July 4 and 5 under the slogan "Learning, Reflecting and Informing," which emphasizes three major concepts of Cuban journalistic practice.

On 24 September 2008 Manchester Cuba Solidarity Campaign will, with Permaculture Network, be jointly hosting a visit from Roberto Pérez and Roberto Sánchez from the Antonio Núñez Jiménez Foundation for Nature and Humanity in Havana (www.fanj.org/indexe.htm).

In 2006, Assis Carreiro of DanceEast, travelled to Havana, to visit Danza Contemporanea de Cuba to discuss the possibility of a project with the help of Visiting Arts.

HAVANA, Cuba, Jun 24 (acn)