HAVANA (AP) — Thousands of Cubans were filing through a memorial in Havana’s Plaza of the Revolution on Monday as the nation plunged into a week of services bidding farewell to the man who ruled the country for nearly half a century. One of the first in line was Tania Jimenez, 53, a mathematician who … Continue reading
HAVANA (AP) — Elian Gonzalez, the center of an international custody battle waged by Fidel Castro nearly two decades ago, returned to the public eye Sunday to praise the leader who fought to return him to Cuba. Echoing the round-the-clock adulation on state media, Gonzalez said on government-run television that the Cuban leader’s legacy will … Continue reading
HAVANA (AP) — He overthrew a strongman, brought his country free health care and education, and enlisted Cubans in what he called fights for freedom from Central America to South Africa. Fidel Castro also maintained a steel grip at home, jailing dissidents and gays, controlling freedom of travel and expression and declaring virtually any activity … Continue reading
HAVANA (AP) — They came for salsa music and mojitos and ended up wandering through a city turned still and silent by nine days of national mourning for Fidel Castro. As Cuba prepares a massive commemoration for the leader of its socialist revolution, tens of thousands of high-season travelers have found themselves accidental witnesses to … Continue reading
HAVANA (AP) — Fidel Castro’s revolution was slowly dying — or so it seemed. Communism had collapsed in Europe, and Cuba’s Soviet lifeline was severed. Food was in short supply. Power outages silenced TV sets normally tuned to a nighttime soap opera. Factories rusted in the tropical heat. The title of an American book seemed … Continue reading
HAVANA (AP) — Fidel Castro’s rule of nearly five decades split many a Cuban family between exile and solidarity with the communist revolution — including his own. While brother Raul was his closest confidant and successor as president, sister Juana, exiled in south Florida, called Fidel a “monster” to whom she hadn’t spoken in more … Continue reading
HAVANA (AP) — Music fell silent, weddings were canceled and people wept in the streets Saturday as Cubans faced their first day without the leader who steered their island to both greater social equality and years of economic ruin. Across a hushed capital, dozens of Cubans said they felt genuine pain at the death of … Continue reading
HAVANA (AP) — A few months after President Barack Obama visited Cuba in March, a group of teenagers left the island for a month-long visit to the United States funded by the U.S. State Department. The 16- to 18-year-olds spent 10 days learning about community service, followed by two-week homestays with families in Virginia, Texas, … Continue reading
HAVANA (AP) — Lourdes Ortega spent nine years castrating cattle and ridding pigs of parasites until a chronic nerve disease forced her out of veterinary medicine, leaving her struggling for two decades to raise three sons as a single mother on disability. Then opportunity appeared in the form of a year-old Chihuahua named Macorina. A … Continue reading
Spartan Echo 