Raul Castro Ousts Top Fidel Loyalists

Alberto Granado lived out his days teaching in Cuba

(NEWSER) - Alberto Granado, the man whose motorcycle adventures with Che Guevara would ultimately alter the course of Latin America, has died today in Cuba at the age of 88. The epic journey undertaken in 1952 by the two Argentine med students formed the political convictions that turned Guevara into an icon, and ultimately brought Fidel Castro to power. Both Granado and Guevara kept diaries on the journey, which served as the basis of the film, The Motorcycle Diaries. More»

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 home and that their mother frequently interceded with Raúl to help political prisoners. "The CIA wanted to talk with me," Castro says. "I was left half-shocked, but in any case I told them yes." More»

(NEWSER) - Cuba appears to be serious about trying to normalize relations with the US. A day after Raul Castro met with a delegation of US congressional representatives, the big man himself did the same, Reuters reports. Fidel, replaced by his brother 14 months ago as head of state when his health began to fail, met today with three members of the Congressional Black Caucus at his home for two hours. More»

Fidel's younger brother raises country's global profile, begins reform

(NEWSER) - Today marks the first anniversary of Raúl Castro's rise to the top of Cuban politics, and as the Miami Herald reports, he has lots to celebrate. Latin America's continuing leftward shift has seen regional leaders cozy up to Fidel's brother, and Russia has used Cuba to expand its presence in the western hemisphere. Castro might be in for even greater rewards if, as expected, Barack Obama overhauls American policy toward the island nation. More»

They're resigned to small freedoms, not sweeping change

(NEWSER) - Cuba's youth are restless, but many are more concerned about access to Facebook, flat-screen TVs, and trips abroad than political change, reports the Christian Science Monitor. Young people say that they pressured Raul Castro to allow cell phone and computer ownership, but they remain disillusioned about the prospects for greater change. More»