CUBA: Everything Under Control…?

No rumours had hinted at any bombshell, the army did not increase its presence in the streets, and Cuban President Fidel Castro did not seem any weaker than usual at his Jul. 26 speech. Indeed, his announcement that he would temporarily cede power took the world by surprise, bolstering speculation that Cuba's socialist government is preparing for the worst.

CUBA: Fidel Castro’s Succession Put to the Test

A statement by Cuban President Fidel Castro that was read on live TV late Monday announced that he was temporarily handing over power after a delicate surgical operation.

CUBA: Church Humanitarian Work to Feel Impact of US Plans

The latest plans by the U.S. government in its policy towards Cuba will have a heavy impact on the humanitarian efforts of religious organisations that work with needy sectors in this Caribbean island nation.

CUBA-U.S.: Faith Groups Tell Bush to “Love Thy Neighbour”

As the United States again toughens its sanctions against Cuba, in what the Fidel Castro government says amounts to a "declaration of war," another caravan organised by the inter-faith foundation Pastors for Peace arrived in the island nation's capital with 100 tonnes of humanitarian aid.

HUMAN RIGHTS-CUBA: Dissidents Predict Pre-Summit House-Cleaning

A decrease in the number of prisoners held for "political motives" in Cuba - down from 333 to 316 "documented" cases over the last six months - is "insignificant," says a local opposition organisation that issues weekly reports on human rights.

DEATH PENALTY-CUBA: Dissidents Call for Legal Moratorium

Moderate dissidents in Cuba urged the government of Fidel Castro to declare a legal moratorium on executions and announced that a campaign would be launched this year to raise public awareness on the issue.

U.S.-CUBA: Academics Decry Travel Restrictions

As the United States and Cuba fire accusations at each other in the latest tumultuous chapter in their conflictive relationship, some members of U.S. scientific and student communities are working to salvage exchanges between the two nations.

CUBA: Corruption Crack-Down Aims High

The "war on corruption" declared by President Fidel Castro late last year has shaken the uppermost reaches of the Cuban Communist Party (PCC), with a 12-year prison sentence recently handed down to a former member of the country's top government body.

CUBA-US: New Squeeze on Family Remittances

An increased tax on remittances sent to Cuba in dollars will bolster the flow of foreign exchange into state coffers, but will create further difficulties for the hundreds of thousands of families who are divided between Cuba and the United States.

CUBA-US: Forest of Flag Poles Ratchets Up ‘Billboard War’

"This is just more of the same," a man walking his dog along one of the streets that leads up to the U.S. Interests Section in the Cuban capital told IPS. He was referring to nearly 150 flag poles that now occupy what used to be part of the U.S. diplomatic mission's parking lot.

CUBA-US: Agricultural Trade Widens Wedge in Embargo

In spite of the pessimistic forecasts and turbulent political relations, trade between Cuba and the United States actually increased this year and projections for next year are favourable.

CUBA: All Shades of Blame for U.S. Embargo

Seven out of 10 Cubans were born under the four-decade U.S. trade embargo - voted down again this year by the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday - although not all of them see the impact of the sanctions in the same light.

SPECIAL REPORT: These Kings Leave No Heirs

Some ageing rulers seem destined to die among rumours of ill health and the nervous murmur of behind-the-scenes negotiations. From Portugal's Antonio de Oliveira Salazar to former U.S. president Woodrow Wilson, history is full of them.