Fidel Castro

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Fidel Sorry for 'Gay Injustice'

'I blame myself,' says aging leader

(Newser) - A contrite Fidel Castro has acknowledged Cuba's "great injustice" against gays and lesbians, who were sent to labor camps and prisons throughout the 1960s and '70s. "They were moments of great injustice, great injustice," Castro said in an interview with a Mexican newspaper. "If someone is...

Castro Addresses Parliament After 4-Year Absence

He appears to be in fine form after illness

(Newser) - Fidel Castro continued his gradual re-emergence into Cuban politics today by giving his first speech to parliament in 4 years. It "was a solid, polished performance, Mr Castro's voice stronger than at any point since he re-emerged into public life," observes the BBC . In the speech—it lasted...

Surprisingly Spry Fidel Appears on Cuban TV

Former leader looks healthy, blasts US

(Newser) - Fidel Castro is back, and looking pretty spry for an 83-year-old. A relaxed, healthy-looking Castro appeared for an extended hour and 15-minute conversation on Cuba’s Mesa Redonda (“Round Table”) nightly talk show yesterday. He spent much of the time reading essays by other people, or having his...

Castro Makes Rare Public Appearance

Cuban leader 'thin' but 'looks good'

(Newser) - New photographs of a smiling, tracksuit-clad Fidel Castro greeting workers at a scientific think tank were posted on the blogs of two Cuban journalists and a media website yesterday, offering a rare glimpse of the reclusive revolutionary leader in a public forum. Castro, 83, appears slightly stooped but otherwise healthy...

Oil Spill Brings US, Cuba Together
Oil Spill Brings US, Cuba Together

Oil Spill Brings US, Cuba Together

Good thing, writes analyst: Havana is looking for wells, too

(Newser) - As the oil spill spreads toward Florida and Cuba, the State Department has begun briefing Havana on efforts to control it. "We also communicated US desire to maintain a clear line of communication with the Cuban government on developments,” one official tells ABC . The rare talks between diplomatic...

Cuba Liberates Its Hair Salons
 Cuba Liberates Its Hair Salons 

Cuba Liberates Its Hair Salons

Lucky barbers and beauticians will be able to work for themselves

(Newser) - Raul Castro has decided to get the Cuban government out of its citizens' hair. Barber shops and beauty salons with three or fewer seats will now be allowed to be owner-operated rather than run by the state. Cuba-watchers see the tentative loosening as the start of a long-anticipated—or at...

Fidel Castro Again Calling the Shots
 Fidel Castro Again 
 Calling the Shots 
analysis

Fidel Castro Again Calling the Shots

He's been gradually reasserting his authority in the last year

(Newser) - Fidel Castro may have turned over the presidency to his brother when he was seriously ill, but he's been gradually regaining his health and reasserting his authority in Cuba over the past year, writes Arian Camp-Flores. The Newsweek writer talks to several Havana experts who see unmistakable signs that Fidel...

Castro: Obama's Out to Destabilize Cuba
 Castro: Obama's Out 
 to Destabilize Cuba 
HONEYMOON'S OVER

Castro: Obama's Out to Destabilize Cuba

Cuban prez slams US over arrested contractor

(Newser) - Raul Castro signaled that his honeymoon with the Obama administration is over in an angry speech yesterday accusing the US of stepping up its effort to topple the country's Communist government. "The enemy is as active as always," said Castro, pointing to the Cuba's recent detention of an...

Cuba Detains US Contractor Distributing Laptops

It's unclear what he's been charged with

(Newser) - Cuba has arrested a US government contract worker who was distributing laptops and cell phones in the country. The man works for a company in Bethesda, Md., that does work for various development agencies. It's not clear what he's been charged with—cell phones and laptops are legal, if rare,...

Watchdog: Raúl Just as Bad as Fidel

He shares his brother's disregard for human rights

(Newser) - The perception that Cuba is less repressive under Raúl Castro than Fidel is false, Human Rights Watch says. Dissidents are still harassed by the state, subject to arbitrary detention—532 such cases in the first half of 2009 alone—fired. or denied work. The government also continues to pressure...

Castro Sister: I Worked With CIA

New book reveals Juanita Castro's involvement with US intelligence

(Newser) - The sister of Fidel and Raúl Castro worked with the CIA in the 1960s, while the agency was planning to assassinate Fidel and overthrow the revolutionary government. In a new book, Juanita Castro, who now lives in Miami, reveals that she hid opponents of her brothers' regime in her...

Maybe Obama's 'Half-White Side' Is Racist: Limbaugh

Also, president's media 'lust' is Castroesque

(Newser) - Rush Limbaugh yesterday capped off a free-wheeling show on the scourge of racism in America by suggesting that Obama’s white half is racist because he hasn’t thrown a bone to his Kenyan relatives, Media Matters reports. “I'm just going on Newsweek, that we're all born racists, and...

Early Castro Compatriot Almeida Dead at 82

Rebel leader coined revolutionary slogan 'Here, nobody surrenders!'

(Newser) - One of the original leaders of the Cuban Revolution and a general in Fidel Castro’s military has died, the BBC reports. Juan Almeida Bosque, 82, was the third most senior member in Raul Castro’s Council of State and the only black member of the Cuban leadership. Almeida met...

Miami Cubans Feud Over Havana Peace Concert

Cuban regime using Juanes, critics say

(Newser) - Juan Esteban Aristizábal, the Colombian pop star better known as Juanes, has sparked a generational spat among Cuban-Americans by agreeing to sing at a “peace concert” in Havana, the Economist reports. Many elders view the event as the Cuban regime’s latest attempt to manipulate public opinion, but...

Cuba Unveils Pic of 'Healthy' Fidel Castro

(Newser) - Fidel Castro is dressed sharply and looking healthier in a photo released by a state-run newspaper today, the BBC reports. Dressed in a white shirt instead of his trademark tracksuit, with his nearly white hair combed back, the nation's ailing former leader is seen chatting with Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa....

Worst-Dressed World Leaders
 Worst-Dressed 
 World Leaders 

Worst-Dressed World Leaders

Time lampoons the decadent, inept or just plain weird fashion decisions of the powerful

(Newser) - Not all world leaders are world fashion leaders. Time pokes fun at the most inept:
  1. Kim Jong-Il. He mainly wears khaki suits that call attention to his paunch and “Kanye West-sized” sunglasses.
  2. Vladimir Putin. Not a bad dresser—when he wears clothes. Unfortunately, he's often snapped shirtless to keep
...

E For Embargo, F For Fidel: Castro Dictionary Published

(Newser) - Fidel Castro usually likes to express his political views in rambling essays and hours-long speeches, but a new book now breaks down El Comandante's philosophy into a handy-dandy A-to-Z format. The Castro dictionary, containing entries such as "Unemployment" and "History," is targeted at Cuban academics, reports AP....

Cuba's Black Market Hits the Internet

(Newser) - The Internet has lured Cuba's black marketeers online, GlobalPost reports. In a nation that bans most private commerce, a Craigslist-style website has emerged offering everything from American razor blades to True Blood DVDs. Buyers with fatter wallets can pick up computer equipment, a $6,000 illegal Internet hookup, or a...

Castro Purges Party on Video
 Castro Purges Party on Video 

Castro Purges Party on Video

(Newser) - Raul Castro firmly ratchets up his grip on power in a three-hour video being shown to Cuba's Communist Party members, the Financial Times reports. The video features scenes from a March politburo meeting during which Castro fired most of Fidel's cabinet, along with testimony from security officials. Those who have...

Castro: Restore Honduran Prez, or Expect More Coups

Other Latin American coups will follow from US-trained forces

(Newser) - President Obama and Fidel Castro finally agree on something: Both think Honduran President Manuel Zelaya should be returned to power, Reuters reports. Writing on the website of a state-run newspaper, Castro warned that if Zelaya’s ouster isn’t overturned, “a wave of coups threatens to sweep many Latin...

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