Cuba to turn over US 'kidnap' parents
Cuba has said it will turn over a US couple from Florida who allegedly fled with their children that had been kidnapped from their grandparents, the Associated Press reports.
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Beyonce and Jay-Z could face fine for Cuba trip
Pop superstar Beyonce and her rapper husband Jay-Z could face a fine after a high-profile trip to Cuba to celebrate a wedding anniversary.
Two Republican members of Congress have asked the US Treasury Department for information on what type of licence the couple obtained before heading to Havana.
The long-standing US trade embargo against Cuba prevents most Americans from travelling to the island without a licence granted by the US government.
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Mario Diaz-Balart, who both represent districts in south Florida where there is a high Cuban-American population, said: "Despite the clear prohibition against tourism in Cuba, numerous press reports described the couple's trip as tourism."
"The Castro regime touted it as such in its propaganda," the letter said, adding: "We represent a community of many who have been deeply and personally harmed by the Castro regime's atrocities, including former political prisoners and the families of murdered innocents."
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Beyonce and Jay-Z mobbed on visit to Cuba
US pop singer Beyonce and her husband, rapper Jay-Z, were mobbed by ecstatic fans on a visit to Cuba.
The pair are celebrating their fifth wedding anniversary in the capital Havana.
Cuba: Right-wing group in US behind Chavez rumours
Venezuela's vice-president has accused a right-wing group in the US of being behind rumours about President Hugo Chavez's health as he continues battling for his life.
Speaking after a mass at a military hospital in honour of the president, Nicolas Maduro said:
"They're part of a wing of the imperial power of the United States that's the wing that has made more disasters and wars in our continent".
Mr Maduro also said Mr Chavez is receiving chemotherapy and radiation treatment.
Last week, after more than two months of in a Cuban hospital, Chavez returned to Caracas where he is being treated at a military hospital.
Cuban parliament names vice president and possible successor
In a surprise move, Cuba's new parliament has named a rising young star as Raul Castro's first vice president.
Miguel Diaz-Canel, 52, a member of the political bureau who rose through the party ranks in the provinces to become the most visible possible successor to Castro.
Diaz-Canel would succeed Castro if the 81-year-old cannot serve his full term.
Raul Castro: This will be my last term
Cuba's President Raul Castro has announced that he will stand down from office in 2018 bringing to an end almost 60 years of rule under the family dynasty.
Raul took over from his brother Fidel Castro in 2008, but has spoken about limiting the number of terms for senior government officials including the presidency.
Castro made the announcement in a nationally broadcast speech shortly after the Cuban National Assembly elected him to a second five-year term in the opening session of the new parliament.
He starts his second term immediately. In 2018, Castro will be 86.
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Raul Casto to step down in five years
The Cuban President Raul Casto says he will retire at the end of his next term.
He has just been sworn in for his second term as President which will expire in five years.
French 'Spiderman' scales famous Habana Libre hotel
A daredevil known as "the French Spiderman" scaled Cuba's famous Habana Libre hotel without ropes or a safety net on Monday.
Alain Robert - who has climbed some of the world's tallest buildings -reached the top floor of the 27-storey hotel as hundreds of spectators cheered from the streets below.
After the death-defying stunt, he said his main concern had not the height of the 413 feet tall hotel, but that a bit of the building's facade might break off.
"It can be rusty, the concrete can be damaged. So, I could break this or that so it's a bit scary".
The hotel is one of Havana's most iconic buildings, taken over after the 1959 Cuban Revolution and redubbed the "Habana Libre," or "Free Havana."
Fidel Castro briefly set up his personal offices in the hotel after his triumphant march into the capital.
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Ex-Cuban leader Fidel Castro makes rare public appearance
Retired Cuban leader Fidel Castro voted in Cuba's general election on Sunday and chatted with well wishers and Cuban reporters in Havana for more than an hour, in his first extended public appearance since 2010.
Castro had voted from his home in three previous elections since being taken ill in 2006 and giving up power to his brother Raul two years later.
Castro reportedly talked about efforts to reform the Cuban economy, Latin American integration, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and other matters.
He was heard in a weak voice praising popular participation in Sunday's election.
Fidel Castro in 'magnificent health' after rumours
Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro hit out at rumours of his death in an article published on the state run Caubadebate website this morning. The article is accompanied by several pictures of the 86-year-old revolutionary icon outside his home wearing a checked shirt and a cowboy hat.
He said he was releasing the images to show how "dishonest" the rumours of his demise have been. He said: "I don't even remember what a headache feels like".
On Sunday, visiting former Venezuelan vice president Elias Jaua released a photo of a meeting he said he had the previous day with Castro, and a hotel manager also present for part of the meeting claimed Castro's health was "magnificent."
Castro stepped down in 2006 following a severe illness, handing power to his brother Raul.
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