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October 13, 2008 11:49:18 AM CDT

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Stories related to: Raul Castro

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  • September 2008

    • Hurricanes Prompt Calls to Soften Restrictions on Cuba

      Washington Post  |  Sep 24, 08 10:28 AM CDT

      Hurricanes Prompt Calls to Soften Restrictions on Cuba

      (Newser) - The devastation Hurricanes Gustav and Ike wrought on Cuba has prompted the US to offer direct aid for the first time in the 47-year history of its embargo on the island, but even ardent anti-Castro Cuban Americans are pushing for more, the Washington Post reports. While not all favor lifting the embargo, there is a broad consensus that limits on travel and remittances from the US are oppressive, particularly in this time of crisis. More »

      Tags

      United States  • Cuba  • Hurricane Gustav  • Hurricane Ike  • Fidel Castro  • Raul Castro  • emergency aid  • Cuban embargo

  • August 2008

    • Cuba Jails Rocker for 'Geriatric Castro' Lyrics

      Guardian (UK)  |  Aug 29, 08 5:23 AM CDT

      Cuba Jails Rocker for 'Geriatric Castro' Lyrics

      (Newser) - A Cuban rock star has been jailed and will be charged with "subverting communist morality" because his lyrics scorn the revolution, and rip "geriatric" Fidel and Raul Castro, the Guardian reports. Gorki Aguila, front man for underground band Porno para Ricardo, could face up to four years in prison if convicted of the charges. More »

      Tags

      Cuba  • Fidel Castro  • Raul Castro  • Communist Party  • political protest

  • July 2008

    • Cuban Youth Prefer Facebook to Revolution

      Christian Science Monitor  |  Jul 26, 08 9:51 AM CDT

      Cuban Youth Prefer Facebook to Revolution

      (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 »

      Tags

      Cuba  • Fidel Castro  • Latin America  • Raul Castro  • Communism  • Cuban dissidents

  • June 2008

    • Europe Votes to Lift Cuba Sanctions

      Agence France Presse  |  Jun 20, 08 8:20 AM CDT

      Europe Votes to Lift Cuba Sanctions

      (Newser) - The European Union has agreed to lift sanctions against Cuba, much to the annoyance of the White House. "We see encouraging signs in Cuba and I think that we should show the population in Cuba that we are ready to work with them," an EU official tells the AFP. It's a largely symbolic victory for Cuba and Spain—which lobbied for the change—because sanctions have been suspended since 2005. More »

      Tags

      European Union  • Cuba  • Spain  • human rights  • Fidel Castro  • Raul Castro  • sanctions  • National Security Council

    • Hard Workers in Cuba Will Finally Get Their Due

      Miami Herald  |  Jun 12, 08 4:42 AM CDT

      Hard Workers in Cuba Will Finally Get Their Due

      (Newser) - Raul Castro has ordered employers to create new salary structures that include extra pay for increased productivity—a bold departure, by Cuban standards, from Socialist orthodoxy, the Miami Herald reports. Under the current system, workers get a flat fee based on their job descriptions with no hope for incentives. Low productivity is common, and Fidel's brother is anxious to kick-start the economy. More »

      Tags

      economy  • Cuba  • Fidel Castro  • Raul Castro  • Communism  • socialism

    • Cuban Prez OKs Sex Change Operations

      Reuters  |  Jun 6, 08 6:27 PM CDT

      Cuban Prez OKs Sex Change Operations

      (Newser) - Cubans can now have free sex change operations, Reuters reports. The latest legal change under President Raul Castro was pushed by his daughter, Mariela Castro, who heads a sex education center and says she has a 28-person waiting list. Cuba allowed a sex change 20 years ago, but sparked so much outcry that Havana canceled the program. More »

      Tags

      Cuba  • Raul Castro  • Havana  • sex change

  • May 2008

    • Miami Cubans Toe Softer Line on Embargo

      Time  |  May 23, 08 9:43 AM CDT

      Miami Cubans Toe Softer Line on Embargo

      (Newser) - In his speech in Miami this week, John McCain talked the familiar macho talk on Cuba, taking a hard line on the embargo and ridiculing Barack Obama for suggesting that he might open a dialogue with Raul Castro. That may still play with older exiles, Time notes, but a growing number of younger Cuban-Americans don't believe the embargo has any hope of toppling the regime and would like to see more openness in both diplomacy and borders. More »

      Tags

      Barack Obama  • John McCain  • Florida  • Cuba  • Fidel Castro  • foreign policy  • Raul Castro  • Cuban embargo  • Cuban Americans

    • McCain Blasts Obama for Saying He'd Talk to Cuba

      Chicago Tribune  |  May 20, 08 4:04 PM CDT

      McCain Blasts Obama for Saying He'd Talk to Cuba

      (Newser) - John McCain told Miami’s Cuban community today that Barack Obama would “give hope” to the Havana regime by sitting down with Raul Castro without preconditions, prompting a response from Bill Richardson that McCain was “afraid to talk to bad guys.” Speaking on Cuban Independence Day, the Republican kept up the argument that Obama would appease America's enemies, the Chicago Tribune reports. More »

      Tags

      Barack Obama  • John McCain  • Cuba  • Bill Richardson  • Raul Castro  • Chris Dodd  • embargo

  • April 2008

    • Raul Castro Empties Cuba's Death Row

      Reuters  |  Apr 29, 08 8:31 AM CDT

      Raul Castro Empties Cuba's Death Row

      (Newser) - New Cuban president Raul Castro has commuted all but three of the country's death sentences to prison terms of 30 years to life, reports Reuters. Castro, who also has been gradually easing the country's restrictions on daily life, said the death penalty would remain on the books to deter "imperialist mercenaries." The three prisoners remaining on death row are charged with terrorist offenses. More »

      Tags

      Cuba  • capital punishment  • Raul Castro  • death sentence  • Cuban Revolution

    • Cuba Loosens Limits on Home Ownership, Salaries

      Associated Press  |  Apr 12, 08 7:59 AM CDT

      Cuba Loosens Limits on Home Ownership, Salaries

      (Newser) - Raul Castro continues to lighten up on some of Cuba's least popular restrictions, ending salary caps and allowing retiring state workers to take title to the homes they live in. Government employees, including members of the military, sugar and construction workers, doctors, and teachers, will now be able keep their places after retirement, and legally pass them on to their children, the AP reports. More »

      Tags

      Cuba  • housing  • Raul Castro  • consumer electronics  • salary  • wages

  • March 2008

    • Castro Lifts Hotel Ban for Cubans

      Reuters  |  Mar 31, 08 3:03 PM CDT

      Castro Lifts Hotel Ban for Cubans

      (Newser) - Raul Castro has lifted a ban on Cubans staying at hotels designated for foreign tourists, Reuters reports. The prohibition, which had been criticized as "economic apartheid," had frustrated many Cubans since the country was opened up to tourism in 1990. "Cubans can now stay at our hotels," one hotel manager said. "Our doors are open to local tourism." More »

      Tags

      Cuba  • tourism  • Fidel Castro  • Raul Castro  • luxury hotels

    • Cuba Ends Cell Phone Ban

      BBC  |  Mar 28, 08 12:50 PM CDT

      Cuba Ends Cell Phone Ban

      (Newser) - The Cuban government said today it will lift restrictions on mobile phones for the first time, the BBC reports—a sign new leader Raul Castro is following through on reform pledges. Cell phone service will be made generally available next week; service fees will have to be paid in foreign currency, however, effectively narrowing access to richer Cubans. More »

      Tags

      cell phones  • Cuba  • Fidel Castro  • Raul Castro  • consumer electronics

  • February 2008

    • Cuba Signs Human Rights Pacts at UN

      BBC  |  Feb 29, 08 8:22 AM CST

      Cuba Signs Human Rights Pacts at UN

      (Newser) - Cuba yesterday signed a pair of legally binding human rights agreements, promising, among other things, to allow its citizens free speech, free association, and the right to travel, the BBC reports. Coming mere days after Raul Castro became president, the gesture could signal a shift in Cuba’s policy, though Cuba insists it is only “formalizing” rights Cubans have long held. More »