Cubans Mark 50 Years of Fidel

Cuabn-American senator's parents didn't come to US as exiles

(NEWSER) - Marco Rubio has told many cheering crowds of Cuban Americans that he is the son of exiles forced off the island by Fidel Castro—but the Florida Republican is embellishing the facts, according to the Washington Post . The newspaper examined naturalization records and other documents, and found that Rubio's parents became permanent residents of the US more than two years before Castro's government came to power. Rubio—a rising Tea Party star considered to be a possible 2012 Republican vice presidential candidate—states that his parents "came to America following Fidel Castro’s takeover," in his official biography on his Senate website. More»

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 26-year-old Felice Gorordo, the co-founder of one youth organization, says that "for many of our generation, it’s just not an issue.” More»

(NEWSER) - Cuba is battling a toilet paper shortage, the Miami Herald reports. The country says the global financial crisis and recent hurricanes have forced it to shutter factories and cut down on electricity usage. The result: The cost of a four-pack of TP in Havana is the equivalent of 2 days' wages for the average worker. The government doesn't subsidize toilet paper as it does other staples, so needy citizens resort to using pages of the "soft paper" that makes up Chinese and North Korean magazines. More»

Court finds revolutionaries responsible for GM dealer's 1959 suicide

(NEWSER) - A Cuban-American who blames Fidel Castro and Che Guevara for his father's suicide has been awarded more than $1 billion by a US court, the Miami Herald reports. Gustavo Villoldo, whose father and his General Motors dealerships became prime targets for Castro and Guevara after the 1959 revolution, will attempt to obtain the cash from frozen Cuban government accounts worldwide. More»

Cuban president cuts worker subsidies to shore up struggling economy

(NEWSER) - Saying Cuba’s finances “don’t square up,” President Raul Castro called for belt-tightening measures in the wake of three hurricanes and a global recession that have hobbled the communist nation. The state plans to dole out fewer worker subsidies, halve the number of overseas trips, and halt costly programs that reward workers with free vacations. Cuba’s GDP experienced a slower-than-expected growth rate of 4.3% this year. More»