Fidel Meets With US Lawmakers

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»

Holds 'constructive dialogue' with six congresspeople

(NEWSER) - Raul Castro met with six visiting members of the Congressional Black Caucus for more than four hours yesterday in his first face-to-face discussions with US leaders since he became Cuba's president last year, the AP reports. Castro spoke with Rep. Barbara Lee, a California Democrat, and other members of the delegation behind closed doors. "I'm convinced Raul Castro wants a normal relationship with the United States," Lee said after the meeting adjourned around midnight. "He's serious.” More»

(AP) - President Raul Castro abruptly ousted some of Cuba's most powerful officials today, remaking the government in the biggest shakeup since he took over from his ailing brother Fidel Castro a year ago, the AP reports. The changes replaced some key Fidel loyalists, including the longtime foreign minister, with men closer to Raul. They also reduced the enormous powers of a vice president credited with saving Cuba's economy after the fall of the Soviet Union. 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»