In the course recently concluded in Cuba, 735 young people from 62 countries graduated. Photo: Dunia Álvarez Palacios

Cuba: An International School for Health & Hope! (3.9.2026)

At the end of this academic year, Cuban universities delivered 30,185 new professionals to the country and the world. Engineers, architects, pedagogues, scientists, nurses, technologists… Young people who have sweated in the classrooms, who have studied with just the right resources, who have overcome fatigue and adversity to become what this country needs to move forward.

Among those 30,185 there are 735 young people from 62 countries. Students who came from all continents – Africa, Latin America, Asia, Europe – who shared desks with Cubans, who learned our language, our medicine, our solidarity, our way of understanding life as service. Who return to their lands with a degree and, also, with a way of seeing the world that is not taught in any manual.

And among them, two figures should make the blindest pause: 23 new Palestinian doctors.

Young people who will return to their land – a land that burns under bombs and rubble – not with weapons in their hands, but with stethoscopes around their necks. With the knowledge to save lives in the place in the world where it is most needed. With the ethics that Cuban medicine instills: first the human being, then everything else.

The Estate Agents is Called "Progressive" in North Bergen!

UK: North Bergen – New Jersey [USA] – London Calling! (11.8.2026)

I suppose as I write predominantly in “English” it is inevitable that a US audience will be attracted – if not only out of curiously – rather than any great political engagement. Surely, it would be logical to think this (of course, I exclude my progressive US readership from this assessment). Imagine my surprise when I saw that around half of the 900 or so hits my blog attracts (each week) in the US is from a single city – namely “North Bergen” in New Jersey. The name is either Dutch or Scandinavian – but the British once ruled this area. I have been reading about ths place as quite frankly I am astonished that my output would be of any interest to the average American – let alone in a single city. It could be a fluke and I am reading too much into it – but I am grateful for every read and click my work attracts – whether the content is liked or not. So, to those people of “North Bergen” who I will never meet or personally know – I thank you for the “click” – even if it was in error. Thank you for giving me something “new” to research. Thank you for sharing this path through my words!

A Theravada Buddhist Monk in the Ruins of “Wat Phu (ວັດພູ)”!

Buddhist-Socialist Laos: “Wat Phu (ວັດພູ)” – An Example of a Khmer-Era Buddhist-Hindu Temple! (6.8.2026)

The stone walls are carved with mythological scenes such as (the Hindu) Hanuman monkey-god fighting demons and Gisna tearing apart the Dragon King. Inside the hall are numerous Buddha statues and a stone statue of King Phayakamata of Champasak. The site area preserves the foundations of two stone palaces, scattered stone figures and beasts, and a sacred lake measuring 300 metres by 200 metres. The lakeside pavilion in the centre connects with the ruins of the Western Hall. The temple is said to have been built in the 7th century, with most existing ruins dating back to the 10th-century – during the peak period of the Khmer Empire. Every year from late January to early February, the Wat Phu Festival is held, featuring various religious ceremonies and activities.

‘Buddha Boy’ Bomjan acquitted by court – Where did he go after release? https://english.nepalnews.com/s/nation/buddha-boy-bomjan-acquitted-by-court-where-did-he-go-after-release/

Nepal: The Curious Case of the “Buddha Boy” – His Paedophilic Conviction – Imprisonment – and High Court Acquittal! (18.7.2026)

What I do not understand is how one court can convict him premised upon the evidence pertaining to over a decade of complaints – and then a High Court “acquit” him of all charges. More to the point, nobody seems outraged by any of this. Either the “Buddha Boy” was set-up and falsely accused by an out of control Nepalese version of “metoo” – or he is a very dangerous sexual predator who has been “let-off” by an equally corrupt Nepalese justice system. So, which is it? Bear in mind that in countries outside of Europe – and not subject to religious indoctrination – the dichotomising Judeo-Christian sense of “good” and “evil” does not exist. Within Buddhist morality, there is the false path of following greed, hatred, and delusion – and the correct path of uprooting greed, hatred, and delusion. As there is no “god” concept punishing each of us for our actions – we are responsible for what we think, feel, and experience. As greed, hatred, and delusion are suffering inducing – it logically follows that non-greed, non-hatred, and non-delusion is the path that does not induce suffering. Of course, all this will be viewed in Nepal as being a product of “karma” – or a type of morally-enthused “cause and effect” pertaining to each individual. For us in the West, as debauched as we are, drunk on the fruits of hundreds of years of deluded imperialism, all this is something akin to a “fetish” form of gossip regarding the exotic “East” – and the strange behaviour of these odd little people!

Laos and Cuba have reaffirmed their long-standing partnership in sports and physical education by signing a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to expand cooperation and strengthen sports development in the Lao PDR.

Laos: Sports Partnership Renewed with Cuba to Boost Athletic Development! (30.6.2026)

The renewed MoU builds on the enduring friendship between Laos and Cuba and continues bilateral cooperation in sports, physical education and arts education. It also establishes a framework for the exchange of knowledge, technical expertise and consultations in other mutually agreed areas, further enhancing cooperation and mutual understanding between the two governments.

Cuba has been a longstanding partner in supporting Laos’ human resource development. Over the years, it has awarded scholarships to Lao students to study sports and physical education, as well as Spanish, medicine and law. These educational opportunities have helped strengthen the country’s professional capacity across a range of sectors.

Laos Special Forces in Russia!

Russia: Laos Special Forces Training in the Kommadam Military Academy! (6.6.2026)

Laos is a small country in South-East Asia that was one of the most bombed country in history as the the US believed that the North Vietnamese (and Vietcong) were receiving supplies via the Ho Chi Minh Trail – from China and the USSR. This satuation bombing was worse than any bombing experienced during WWII. The Laotian people are Buddhist and only became free (after a Socialist Revolution) in 1975 after the US Forces were defeated and withdrew from Vietnam (technically, the US left in 1973 – but the US-controlled puppet “Army of the Republic of Vietnam” (ARVN) – did not surrender until 1975). It is interesting that although modern Russia is capitalist, nationalist, and quite often racist in its rhetoric, the non-White Socialist countries are fully supportive. This just goes to show how complex the dialectical situation is in the world today. The rightwing bourgeoisie of the West is in conflict with the left-leaning bourgeoise in Russia (bizarrely, whilst generally denigrating the history of the USSR – many Russian intellectuals claim that there is “no bourgeosie” in Russia).

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