Why Raul Castro is sinking Cuba into an even deeper hole

In recent weeks the regime of General RaAol Castro has "spooked," and is now galloping in the wrong direction, in defiance of time and history. The economic crisis is compounded daily, and the dictator and his military junta, far from taking steps to unshackle Cuba's productive forces, are restricting and choking them more and more.

Cuba a year from getting new, non-Castro president

If all goes as expected, in exactly one year President Raul Castro will hand responsibility for Cuba's faltering economy and aging, disaffected population to a little-known, 57-year-old Communist Party official. It will be the first time since its founding in 1959 that the Cuban state has not been led by a member of the Castro family.

Reports from Cuba: The two Marielas

Cubanet, Martha Beatriz Roque Cabello, Havana, 14 February 2017 - The story I want to relate has two parts, one is true and the other is fiction. The real one is an event I was involved in at the Carlos III market while in line to buy yogurt, one of the products in shortest supply in this country - despite the fact that it is sold in hard currency - and in this case with a price of 0.70 Cuban convertible pesos , although there are other yogurts sold in different containers for as much as 5 CUC .

Meet the new Rick Scott, Cuba guru

First, there was the post-presidential election, post-Fidel death letter to RaAol Castro in December asking the Cuban leader to "allow a new era of freedom and opportunity for Cuba" or continue "down a path of poverty." Rick Scott, Governor of Florida, comments on ports in Florida doing business with the "ruthless dictator" Raul Castro".

US, Cuban Interior Ministry sign law-enforcement deal

The Obama administration and Cuba's Interior Ministry have agreed to share information on international criminal activity such as terrorism, human trafficking and money laundering despite Republican objections to U.S. law-enforcement cooperation with President Raul Castro's government. The State Department signed the memorandum of understanding Monday with the Cuban Interior Ministry, which is responsible for internal security in Cuba, including crackdowns on political dissidents.

Obama making changes to Cuban immigration policy

President Barack Obama is ending a longstanding immigration policy that allows any Cuban who makes it to U.S. soil to stay and become a legal resident, a senior administration official said Thursday. The repeal of the "wet foot, dry foot" policy is effective immediately, according the official.

Cuba’s cult of personality dictatorship passes anti-‘cult of personality’ law

For nearly six decades, Cuba has been ruthlessly and mercilessly ruled by Fidel Castro and his cult of personality. The island is plastered from end to end with thousands of signs and murals depicting the image of Fidel and quoting his Marxist exhortations to do more for less.

Cuban President Raul Castro faces deep problems in 2017

In this March 21, 2016 file photo, Cuban President Raul Castro, right, lifts up the arm of U.S. President Barack Obama, at the conclusion of their joint news conference at the Palace of the Revolution, in Havana, Cuba. Next year will likely be Castro's toughest year in office since he took power in 2006, as the 85-year-old general faces a possible economic recession alongside a hostile new U.S. administration promising to undo measures that gave many Cubans expectations of a better future.

White House says Obama to press Trump to preserve Cuba detente

President Barack Obama meets with President-elect Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House on Nov. 10. WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama will make his case directly to President-elect Donald Trump not to derail the recent U.S.-Cuba detente, the White House said on Tuesday, insisting that "turning back the clock" would be damaging to ... (more)

Flights land in Havana as country mourns

Passengers erupted into applause as the first commercial flight from the United States to Havana in more than 50 years landed in Cuba, arriving as the island begins week-long memorial services for revolutionary leader Fidel Castro. Cubans saluted the packed American Airlines flight by spraying water from firetrucks above the plane as it taxied along the runway at Jose Marti International Airport in honor of the inaugural voyage.

First commercial US-Havana flight lands as country mourns

Passengers erupted into applause as the first commercial flight from the United States to Havana in more than 50 years landed in Cuba, arriving as the island begins week-long memorial services for revolutionary leader Fidel Castro. Cubans saluted the packed American Airlines flight by spraying water from firetrucks above the plane as it taxed along the runway at Jose Marti International Airport in honor of the inaugural voyage.

Cubans fret over life after Castro with Trump next door

A woman walks past a photograph of former President Fidel Castro after the announcement of his death, in Havana, Cuba, November 27, 2016. Photo: Reuters From the Bay of Pigs invasion to a historic visit by President Barack Obama to Havana, Cubans have known for generations that whenever the United States turns its face to Cuba, Fidel Castro would be staring right back.

Trump on Castro

Fidel Castro's legacy is one of firing squads, theft, unimaginable suffering, poverty and the denial of fundamental human rights. While Cuba remains a totalitarian island, it is my hope that today marks a move away from the horrors endured for too long, and toward a future in which the wonderful Cuban people finally live in the freedom they so richly deserve.

Trump aides say Cuban government will have to change

A person wearing a Donald Trump mask holds a sign in Spanish that reads the Rat Dies as he celebrates the death of Fidel Castro Saturday, Nov. 26, 2016, in the Little Havana area in Miami. Castro died eight years after ill health forced him to formally hand power over to his younger brother Raul, who announced his death late Friday, Nov. 25, on state television.

Canada’s Trudeau Chided for Castro Praise

The reactions of world leaders to the death of Fidel Catro included sorrow and sometimes criticism for the former Cuban leader. But Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's praise for the revolutionary and dictator's "dedication and love for the Cuban people" was swiftly rebuked by some Canadian and U.S. politicians.

Pope Francis Grieves Over The Death Of Excommunicated Atheist Dictator Fidel Castro

Pope Francis waves as he arrives, accompanied by Cuba's President Raul Castro, at the Havana airport September 19, 2015. REUTERS/Tony Gentile "I express to you my sentiments of grief," said Francis in a message to Castro's brother , President Raul Castro.

With Fidel gone, questions arise about what the Ra l Castro will do

For half a century, as Fidel Castro transformed Cuba into a communist state and sparred with the U.S., his brother Ral worked in his shadow, the authoritarian leader's disciplined, junior partner. But by the time the elder Castro died Friday night, Ral Castro, who assumed presidential powers in 2006 before getting the official title in 2008, had transformed Cuba into country that was unrecognizable in many ways - and yet remarkably the same.