Raul Castro – News Stories About Raul Castro - Page 5

Jun 6, 2008 6:27 PM CDT

Cuban Prez OKs Sex Change Operations

Daughter Mariela, who heads sex ed center, pushed for change

(Newser) - Cubans can now have free sex change operations, Reuters reports. The latest legal change under President Raul Castro was pushed by his daughter, Mariela Castro, who heads a sex education center and says she has a 28-person waiting list. Cuba allowed a sex change 20 years ago, but sparked so...

Miami Cubans
Toe Softer Line
on Embargo

analysis

May 23, 2008 9:43 AM CDT

Miami Cubans Toe Softer Line on Embargo

'Waving the bloody shirt of anti-Castro politics' may be out of date

(Newser) - In his speech in Miami this week, John McCain talked the familiar macho talk on Cuba, taking a hard line on the embargo and ridiculing Barack Obama for suggesting that he might open a dialogue with Raul Castro. That may still play with older exiles, Time notes, but a growing...

McCain Blasts Obama for Saying He'd Talk to Cuba

May 20, 2008 4:04 PM CDT

McCain Blasts Obama for Saying He'd Talk to Cuba

Dodd, Richardson strike back, criticize Republicans' hard-line approach

(Newser) - John McCain told Miami’s Cuban community today that Barack Obama would “give hope” to the Havana regime by sitting down with Raul Castro without preconditions, prompting a response from Bill Richardson that McCain was “afraid to talk to bad guys.” Speaking on Cuban Independence Day, the...

Raul Castro Empties Cuba's Death Row

Apr 29, 2008 8:31 AM CDT

Raul Castro Empties Cuba's Death Row

New president commutes all but 3 capital sentences

(Newser) - New Cuban president Raul Castro has commuted all but three of the country's death sentences to prison terms of 30 years to life, reports Reuters. Castro, who also has been gradually easing the country's restrictions on daily life, said the death penalty would remain on the books to deter "...

Cuba Loosens Limits on Home Ownership, Salaries

Apr 12, 2008 7:59 AM CDT

Cuba Loosens Limits on Home Ownership, Salaries

State workers can now own houses; salary cap is gone

(Newser) - Raul Castro continues to lighten up on some of Cuba's least popular restrictions, ending salary caps and allowing retiring state workers to take title to the homes they live in. Government employees, including members of the military, sugar and construction workers, doctors, and teachers, will now be able keep their...

Castro Lifts Hotel Ban for Cubans

Mar 31, 2008 3:03 PM CDT

Castro Lifts Hotel Ban for Cubans

Keeping tourist digs off-limits blasted as 'economic apartheid'

(Newser) - Raul Castro has lifted a ban on Cubans staying at hotels designated for foreign tourists, Reuters reports. The prohibition, which had been criticized as "economic apartheid," had frustrated many Cubans since the country was opened up to tourism in 1990. "Cubans can now stay at our hotels,...

Cuba Ends Cell Phone Ban

Mar 28, 2008 12:50 PM CDT

Cuba Ends Cell Phone Ban

Still-pricey service is signal of new president Castro's promised reforms

(Newser) - The Cuban government said today it will lift restrictions on mobile phones for the first time, the BBC reports—a sign new leader Raul Castro is following through on reform pledges. Cell phone service will be made generally available next week; service fees will have to be paid in foreign...

Cuba Signs Human Rights Pacts at UN

Feb 29, 2008 8:22 AM CST

Cuba Signs Human Rights Pacts at UN

But critics say the nation's dissidents must be released

(Newser) - Cuba yesterday signed a pair of legally binding human rights agreements, promising, among other things, to allow its citizens free speech, free association, and the right to travel, the BBC reports. Coming mere days after Raul Castro became president, the gesture could signal a shift in Cuba’s policy, though...

Don't Expect Another Cuban Revolution

Feb 25, 2008 2:45 PM CST

Don't Expect Another Cuban Revolution

Raul is no Fidel, but is expected to stay on brother's course

(Newser) - You won't see him wearing fatigues and making fiery speeches, but Raul Castro is expected to hew closely to brother Fidel's line. Cuba's new president is a pragmatic military man who lacks his brother's charisma and ego, the New York Times reports. Fidel is still party leader, and 31 Castro...

Raul Castro Is New Cuban Prez

UPDATED

Feb 24, 2008 1:33 PM CST

Raul Castro Is New Cuban Prez

But brother Fidel won't be far away

(Newser) - Raul Castro will succeed long-ruling brother Fidel as the president of Cuba, reports the Miami Herald, after members of the National Assembly voted today. The current defense minister and first VP of the national committee, 76, was the only candidate endorsed by a nominating committee, and his ascent is expected...

Cuba Takes a Swing at Golf

Feb 23, 2008 12:17 PM CST

Cuba Takes a Swing at Golf

The tiny Communist nation hopes tourists will come back to the island

(Newser) - Nearly a dozen tony golf-resort projects funded by Spanish, British, and Canadian consortiums are under way in Cuba as acting President Raul Castro tries to lure foreign tourists—and their cash—back to the struggling island nation by creating a new Caribbean golf destination, reports the Wall Street Journal. Castro...

Fidel Looking Forward
to 'Vacation'

Feb 22, 2008 2:48 PM CST

Fidel Looking Forward to 'Vacation'

Former leader mocks US in post-presidential newspaper column

(Newser) - Fidel can't wait to retire. The soon-to-be-former dictator published a new newspaper column today, telling Cuba he was relieved to be rid of his exhausting presidential duties. “The night before, I slept better than ever,” Castro wrote. But he couldn’t give up his newspaper gig because, “...

Steely Raúl's Time Is Now

Feb 20, 2008 9:37 AM CST

Steely Raúl's Time Is Now

Low-profile No. 2, Fidel's 'organizational glue,' steps into Cuba's top job

(Newser) - The Castro brothers overthrew a dictatorship and won a revolution together, but while charismatic Fidel was the public face giving passionate seven-hour speeches, steely Raúl quietly got it done—ruthlessly sending dissenters to the firing squad, earning him the nickname "the Prussian." As Fidel fades, writes the...

Fidel Faithful Likely to
Keep Power

Feb 20, 2008 7:19 AM CST

Fidel Faithful Likely to Keep Power

Cubans unsure if leader's resignation will change anything

(Newser) - Life went on as normal in Havana after Fidel Castro announced his resignation yesterday, and Cuba experts aren't sure how much real impact his decision will have, the New York Times reports. Cuba's National Assembly is due to choose a new Council of State on Sunday and power is expected...

South Florida Quiet After Castro Resigns

Feb 19, 2008 5:16 PM CST

South Florida Quiet After Castro Resigns

Exile leaders stress need for democracy on island nation

(Newser) - Few South Florida Cubans bothered to celebrate Fidel Castro's retirement today, the Miami Herald reports. Exile leaders dismissed the power shift to Castro's brother Raul as politics as usual for the island nation. "Just because he has given up a title, doesn't mean he has given up power,''...

Fidel Steps Down After 50 Years

Feb 19, 2008 4:07 AM CST

Fidel Steps Down After 50 Years

Cuban leader announces retirement

(Newser) - Fidel Castro has resigned after nearly 50 years as Cuba's leader, the AP reports. "I neither will aspire to, nor will I accept, the position of president of the council of state and commander in chief," the 81-year-old wrote in a letter published in the Communist Party's online...

Brazil Prez: Fidel 'Healthy, Lucid'

Jan 16, 2008 9:07 AM CST

Brazil Prez: Fidel 'Healthy, Lucid'

Lula signs economic pacts to help Cuba through transition

(Newser) - After meeting with Fidel Castro, Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said yesterday the 81-year-old leader was "incredibly lucid," healthy, and "ready to assume his political role in Cuba and the role he has in history." Lula met earlier with Raul Castro, who has been...

Fidel Flirts
With Retiring —Again

Dec 29, 2007 8:26 AM CST

Fidel Flirts With Retiring —Again

Says he once longed to 'cling to power,' but life has changed him

(Newser) - Fidel Castro is hinting at retirement again, this time in a letter read aloud to Cuba's parliament yesterday by his brother Raul, the BBC reports. The letter expanded on a much-discussed comment he made last week about not "clinging to power." This time he admits that he...

Fidel's Fit
to Run for Re-election

Dec 25, 2007 8:20 AM CST

Fidel's Fit to Run for Re-election

Forget retirement: Raul says big brother is good to go

(Newser) - Fidel Castro is gaining weight, exercising regularly, has "full use of his mental faculties," and is running for re-election, says his brother Raúl. Raúl was stumping for Fidel yesterday in his electoral district of Santiago de Cuba, where he needs to be reelected to the National...

Fidel Hints He's Ready to Retire

Dec 18, 2007 5:01 AM CST

Fidel Hints He's Ready to Retire

Talks of elder statesman role

(Newser) - Ailing Cuban leader Fidel Castro has clearly hinted at retirement for the first time since he fell ill 16 months ago, Reuters reports. He handed over power to his brother Raul last year on a temporary basis. "My elemental duty is not to hold on to positions and less...