Yahoo! February 5, 2001
Visa Gold prepares for new expedition around the Isle of Youth
Monday February 5, 8:45 am Eastern Time. Press Release.
SOURCE: Visa Gold Explorations Inc.
TORONTO, Feb. 5 /PRNewswire/ - Visa Gold Explorations Inc. (CDNX: YVL -
news) is pleased to announce that it is preparing for an extensive underwater
exploration and excavation campaign off the southern coast of Cuba around the
Isle of Youth.
The Isle of Youth, previously named the Isle of Treasure and the Isle of
Pines, has been a focal point throughout Cuban history. As early as the 1500s,
the likes of Sebastian de Ocampo and Hernan Cortes had navigated through these
waters, and it was here in 1956 that Fidel Castro was imprisoned by the Batista
regime.
Visa Gold is in the final stage of readying both its dive vessels for the
beginning of what will be the first ever scientifically based expedition to
these storied waters. Backed by modern technology including a state-of-the-art
magnetometer and sub-bottom profiler, Visa Gold's exploration of the area will
commence the second week of February.
"The dive and excavation team is extremely eager to embark on this next
expedition and is preparing accordingly,'' says Operations Manager, Paramjit
Chhatwal. "We have gathered historical information and sketched out a basic
road map to help micro-localize our search efforts.''
Visa Gold is excited by the prospect of exploring this territory. It was
once a passageway for ships traveling between Europe and the New World. It is
estimated that hundreds of ships sank in these southern waters between 1515 and
1825. Difficult reefs, strong winds and ocean currents coupled with poor
navigational tools accounted for a large number of the wrecks. The strategic
location of the Isle of Youth also motivated warring nations and pirates to take
refuge on the island. Among the most famous nautical visitors who visited the
region are Sir Francis Drake, William Dampier and Henry Morgan.
In conjunction with the Isle of Youth expedition, the Company is in the
process of investigating different options for revenue generation, such as
Internet sales, exhibitions and licensing agreements. Over the next few months,
Visa Gold will also be compiling detailed historical information on individual
items recovered from the Palemon. "We're investing the time to piece
together the story behind each type of artifact - its origins, what it was used
for and how rare it was - in order to appreciate the full historical value,''
stated Paul Frustaglio, President.
"This year holds great promise. We're very focused on finding more
shipwrecks and artifacts, which will enhance the Company's value and ability to
generate income.''
ABOUT VISA GOLD EXPLORATIONS
Visa Gold Explorations Inc. is party to a joint venture agreement with
its Cuban partner, Geomar S.A., to search for shipwrecks in the coastal waters
of Cuba. Visa Gold has exclusive rights to prominent galleon wreck areas in the
northern and southern coasts of the island.
The Canadian Venture Exchange has not reviewed and does not
accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Pedroso, Szabo Win in Stuttgart
STUTTGART, Germany 4 (AP) - Olympic champions Ivan Pedroso of Cuba and
Gabriela Szabo of Romania captured their events Sunday with the year's best
performances at the $605,000 Stuttgart indoor track meet.
Pedroso leaped 26 feet, 93/4 inches in the long jump, while Szabo beat
Ethiopian Kutre Dulecha by .14 seconds to win the mile in 4 minutes, 23.19
seconds. The Romanian won the bronze in the 1,500 at the Sydney Olympics (news -
web sites) and gold in the 5,000.
Germany's Falk Balzer lunged into the tape in a photo finish to win the
60-meter hurdles in 7.55 seconds, shading Cuban Olympic champion Anier Garcia
and American Tony Dees by .01 seconds. Garcia won at Sydney in the 110 hurdles.
"I know I can run faster,'' Balzar said. "Today it was just about
winning - the Olympic champion was there.''
Germany's Heike Drechsler, the Olympic woman's long jump champion, finished
second with a leap of 22-11/2 behind a 22-51/4 jump by Russia's Ludmila Galkina.
The men's 1,500 Olympic champion, Kenya's Noah Ngeny, finished far back in
his first indoor race, with France's Mehdi Baala capturing his speciality in
3:36.90.
Another Olympic champion, Ethiopia's Million Wolde, took the 3,000 in
7:37.99. Russia's up-and-coming Yuri Borzakovsky swept the men's 800 with
another good time of 1:45.64.
No Deal in Cuba, Czech Meeting
By Vivian Sequera, Associated Press Writer
HAVANA, 3 (AP) - A six-hour meeting Saturday between President Fidel Castro
(news - web sites) and a top Czech Republic official ended with no agreement on
the case of two Czechs who met with Cuban dissidents and are now being held on
charges of inciting rebellion.
Petr Pithart, the president of the Czech senate, had come to Cuba on Monday
in hopes of freeing Ivan Pilip, a lawmaker and former finance minister, and Jan
Bubenik, a former student leader. However, he headed home Saturday night without
the two, who have been jailed for three weeks on charges of inciting and of
acting against the island nation's security. They could face up to 20 years in
prison.
Pithart, who came to the island at Castro's invitation, did not take
questions from reporters Saturday.
The meeting with Castro came just hours after a speech in which the Cuban
president insisted that the Czech Republic offer an official apology for the
activities of two men in Cuba.
Pilip, 37, and Bubenik, 32, were arrested Jan. 12 in the central Cuban
province of Ciego de Avila. Cuban authorities have claimed they were acting on
behalf of American interests, accusations U.S. officials have branded "ludicrous.''
Czech President Vaclav Havel refused to apologize last week after the Cuban
Foreign Ministry suggested such action would help solve the dispute between the
two countries.
Castro repeated the suggestion Saturday.
"Offer an apology to our country ... there must be an excuse,'' Castro
said during a speech.
The tension of recent weeks, however, persisted, with Castro calling the
Czech embassy in Havana "a cave of spies,'' which had "spent 10 years
spying.''
22 Cuban Migrants Missing
Alleged Smugglers Arrested
WPLG Click10.com. Monday February 05 09:15 AM EST
22 Cuban migrants are missing Monday morning, but the men accused of
smuggling them into the US are in custody.
Florida Marine Patrol officers spotted the boat Sunday morning.
They received reports of 22 people coming ashore on Rodriguez Key near lower
Key Largo and responded to the area. They weren't able to find the refugees, but
did find the alleged smugglers.
They arrested the men on board the boat, and confiscated the vessel.
Reno's Homecoming Marked By Protests
WPLG Click10.com. Monday February 05 07:16 AM EST
Her day job as the United States Attorney General is over, but Janet Reno is
still feeling the effects of some of her actions.
She's only been back in South Florida for a week now, and several
protesters showed up outside her Kendall home carrying signs and shouting over a
loud speaker.
They're expressing frustrations over her part in the INS raid last April
that removed Elian Gonzalez from his Miami relative's home. Protesters say that
Reno did not consider how detrimental it would be to Elian to have him returned
to Cuba.
"We're just here to remind her that she made a mistake. And we would
just love to hear her say, 'You know, when you make a mistake, you make a
mistake,'" said Anaysa Cuna, a demonstrator.
The protesters want Reno and the Clinton administration to explain their
actions.
Did The Government Handle The Elian Raid Properly?
Castro: No 'Little Wars' With Powell
By Vivian Sequera, Associated Press Writer
HAVANA, 3 (AP) - President Fidel Castro (news - web sites), saying he didn't
want any "little wars'' with the Bush administration, predicted that
Secretary of State Colin Powell (news - web sites) would in time learn the art
of diplomacy - despite some "little darts'' already fired at Havana.
"We don't want little private wars with Gen. Powell,'' Castro said in a
six-hour speech before international economists that wound up early Saturday.
Castro's comments were an apparent response to Powell's recent statement
that the Cuban president is "an aging starlet who will not change in this
lifetime.'' Commenting last week on the long-standing U.S. trade embargo, Powell
added: "It is President Bush (news - web sites)'s intention to keep the
sanctions in place.''
"He will be learning about diplomacy,'' Castro said in his address,
wrapping up a weeklong meeting examining economic globalization.
"We do not want to throw the first stone'' at Washington, he said, but
Powell "gratuitously has thrown some little darts'' at Havana. "We
have not known the absence of the Cold War for one minute,'' Castro added.
Castro said the Czech Republic, which he accuses of siding with the United
States against Cuba, should apologize for the actions of two prominent Czech
citizens arrested here three weeks ago after meeting with government opponents.
Lawmaker and former Czech finance minister Ivan Pilip, 37, and former
student leader Jan Bubenik, 32, were arrested Jan. 12 in the central Cuban
province of Ciego de Avila. They face up to 20 years in prison if convicted of
acting against the island nation's security and inciting a rebellion.
Cuban authorities claimed the two were acting on behalf of U.S. interests.
U.S. officials branded the accusations "ludicrous.''
The communist leader also used the speech to lash out at Argentina, which he
accused of "licking the boots of the Yankees'' for announcing recently that
it would vote in favor of a U.N. human rights resolution condemning Cuba.
Castro said the announcement, carried in recent days by the private Noticias
Argentinas news agency, evidently was prompted by South American nation's "fright''
over its current economic problems.
"If they take on this sad role, they will find great discontent''
inside Argentina, where "we have many friends,'' Castro said. No other
Latin American nation would dare condemn Cuba during the U.N. vote in Geneva in
April.
In his speech that began Friday night and ended in the wee hours of
Saturday, Castro said that he and the nation's citizens are prepared for any new
measure Washington takes against Havana.
"We have millions of arms and millions of trained men and women,'' he
said. "It will be impossible to make Cuba surrender.''
Nevertheless, Cuba will not rearm itself against other world nations should
Bush's proposal for a missile defense shield prevail, said Castro. "We will
not spend a cent on arms,'' he added.
Bush has expressed support for the four-decade U.S. trade embargo on Cuba,
and said he envisions no change in U.S. policy unless free elections are held
and political prisoners freed. | 