Raul Castro

Raul Castro to step down as Cuba's president in April 2018

Havana - Muslimchronicle

Cuban President Raul Castro will step down in April 2018 straight after his successor is chosen by a top governing council, according to a vote Thursday in the island state's National Assembly. The vote by lawmakers pushed back the date of general elections, which were initially to be held at the end of February. The delay was necessary due to disruption causedRead more

Cubans vote in municipal elections with eye

Havana - Muslimchronicle

Cubans choose municipal councilors Sunday in island-wide local elections that are the first step in a Communist Party-supervised process meant to culminate next year with the election of a successor to President Raul Castro. Castro, 86, cast his ballot at a voting station in western Havana, where he stopped to talk to neighbors and students who were guarding ballot boxes,Read more

Venezuela's Maduro makes surprise visit to Cuba

Havana - Muslimchronicle

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro paid tribute to the late leftist icon Fidel Castro during a surprise visit to Cuba, state media reported Wednesday. The daily Granma said Maduro traveled Tuesday to Castro's tomb in Santiago de Cuba. Maduro was accompanied by his wife Cilia Flores, Cuban President Raul Castro -- Fidel's brother -- and Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez, accordingRead more

Trump's tough Cuba line scores big

Miami - Muslimchronicle

President Donald Trump's new measures restricting some trade and travel with Cuba did not go very far in practical terms, but they made a big noise in the place most eager to hear it: Miami's Little Havana neighborhood. In return, the Cuban-Americans who turned out to welcome him to the symbolic heart of the exile community rewarded Trump with whatRead more

Cuba's Raul Castro leads march to commemorate national hero

Havana - ArabToday

Cuban President Raul Castro on Friday night led the traditional "March of Torches" to mark the 164th anniversary of the birth of the Caribbean island's national hero Jose Marti, and meanwhile to pay tribute to late revolutionary leader Fidel Castro. At the University of Havana, over 30,000 young Cubans gathered to remember the Cuban independence hero Marti as well asRead more

Cuba’s Castro warns Trump to respect country’s sovereignty

Havana - Arab Today

Cuban President Raul Castro on Wednesday said Cuba hoped to continue to normalize relations with the United States, but made clear the Trump administration should not expect concessions affecting the country’s sovereignty. President Donald Trump, before taking office, threatened to torpedo the still fragile detente between the former Cold War foes unless a “better deal” could be struck, without providingRead more

Cuba seeks to reverse economic slide in 2017

Havana - Xinhua

Judicious saving, efficient use of resources and increased foreign investments are needed to reverse economic slide when Cuba has begun 2017 with similarly tense economic challenges as it faced in early 2016. In 2016, the country recorded its first GDP contraction in over 20 years, with the government stating on Dec. 27 that the economy had shrunk by 0.9 percent.Read more

Big rally and military parade in Cuba to mark revolution

Havana - ArabToday

Thousands of Cubans participated in a military and civic rally on Monday in homage to the late leader Fidel Castro in Havana's Revolution Square. Jan. 2 also marks the 60th anniversary of the landing of the Granma yacht, considered the beginning of the guerrilla war against dictator Fulgencio Batista. The parade began at 7 a.m., chaired by President Raul Castro,Read more

Cuba passes law barring naming public sites after Fidel Castro

Havana - ArabToday

Cuba's National Assembly on Tuesday approved a law that bars naming streets, squares and any public monuments after Fidel Castro, in line with the wishes of the revolutionary leader who passed away in November. The law also bans erecting statues in his honor. Prior to his death on Nov. 25, Castro told his brother and successor, Raul Castro, he didRead more

Will a different Cuba emerge after death of Fidel Castro?

Havana - ArabToday

The death of Cuba's revolutionary leader Fidel Castro in late November has raised an inevitable question for the Caribbean island nation: what next? Some foresee inevitable changes stemming from this tragic loss while others reject any evolution, saying his legacy and ideas will continue to be built upon. So far, no answer has been given. But the current context ofRead more