Cuban Prez OKs Sex Change Operations

Waiter earning $15 a month can sell 30-year-old Moskvich for $5K

(NEWSER) - Now that Cuba is allowing people to buy and sell cars , classic automobiles are going up for sale—creating a bubble that allows the wealthy to buy them, and poverty-stricken sellers to suddenly strike it rich, the New York Times reports. One waiter who earns $15 a month is looking forward to selling his decrepit, 30-year-old Moskvich for at least $5,500. “This car has been bleeding me dry,” he says. “Now it’s an asset that I can sell, and do something else with the money.” More»

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 is rolling back some of Raul's relatively progressive reforms and keeping his brother in line. More»

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 American citizen for distributing communications equipment to opposition groups. More»

(NEWSER) - Raúl Castro has warned the US not to expect any changes to Cuba's communist system, saying that while Barack Obama's administration was less "aggressive," he was not prepared to make peace. His comments came after Hillary Clinton made several remarks suggesting better relations if Cuba changed its ways, Reuters reports. "With all due respect to Mrs. Clinton, they didn't elect me president to restore capitalism in Cuba, nor to hand over the revolution," said the Cuban president. More»

Residents see frail Comadante in public for first time in years

(NEWSER) - Residents of Havana say they’ve spotted the unmistakable figure of El Comadante shuffling around the city in recent weeks, the New York Times reports. Fidel Castro hasn’t been seen in public since undergoing emergency surgery in 2006, and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez hailed the jaunts as "a miracle," though experts believe the former Cuban president is still gravely ill. More»