Raul Castro

Cuban leader Fidel Castro (right) and his brother Raúl Castro, the head of the military, at a 1964 event in Santiago, Cuba. New details of the first CIA attempt to kill the Castros — a 1960 plot against Raúl — have recently emerged.

In The CIA's 1st Plot Against The Castros, Fidel Wasn't The Target

12:32pm May 04, 2021

by Greg Myre

Exploding cigars. Poisoned pens. The CIA had lots of failed plots to kill Cuban leader Fidel Castro. But the first such plan was directed at his brother Raúl, who just retired at age 89.

Raúl Castro, first secretary of the Cuban Communist Party and the country's former president, clasps hands with Cuban President Miguel Mario Díaz-Canel Bermúdez during the closing session at the National Assembly of Popular Power in 2019 in Havana.

World News

Cuba Without A Castro: The Island's Old Guard Exits The Stage

4:33pm April 16, 2021

A generation of Cuban revolutionaries who seized power six decades ago is set to exit the stage, with Raúl Castro saying he will step down as head of the Cuban Communist Party.

The Cuban government announced plans to remove wording that would open the island to same-sex marriage from the latest draft of its new constitution. In October, Cubans who protested the controversial amendment hung posters saying, "I'm in favor of the or

Cuba Scraps Words Establishing Same-Sex Marriage From Drafted Constitution

7:21pm December 19, 2018

by Sasha Ingber

The amendment stirred controversy on the island. The National Assembly said this week that eliminating a definition of matrimony was "a way of respecting all opinions."

The man who now leads Cuba: Miguel Mario Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, 57. The Communist Party operative, seen here in Santa Clara last month, was elected president of the island nation Thursday.

World News

Cuba, Long Led By Castros, Hails A New President Outside The Family

2:59pm April 19, 2018

by Colin Dwyer

When Raúl Castro passed Miguel Mario Díaz-Canel Bermúdez the job, the Communist Party stalwart became Cuba's first president not named Castro in decades. But don't expect radical reforms.

Cuban President Raul Castro waves to the room as First Vice President Miguel Diaz-Canel, Castro's handpicked successor, claps at the National Assembly session Wednesday in Havana.

World News

With End Of Castro Era In Sight, Cuba Prepares To Pass Power To New Generation

4:11pm April 18, 2018

by Colin Dwyer

Raul Castro, who has ruled Cuba since his brother Fidel stepped down in 2008, will leave the presidency on Thursday. And he has a successor in mind: Miguel Díaz-Canel, who is 30 years his junior.

Obama To Visit Cuba Next Month

7:07am February 18, 2016

by Mark Katkov

The visit would be the first by a sitting U.S. president since Calvin Coolidge visited the island in 1928.

Pope John Paul II stands before worshipers gathered at the Mass in Santa Clara, Cuba, in January 1998. It was the first of four Masses to be celebrated by John Paul II during his five-day visit to the island.

Previous Papal Visits Changed Little, But Cubans Hopeful For Pope Francis

6:41am October 20, 2015

by Tom Gjelten

John Paul II urged openness during his 1998 tour of the island, but progress has been slow in the 17 years since. Pope Francis, who helped reopen U.S. relations, arrives next week.

Queue Listen Now

Cuban President Raul Castro and President Obama shake hands as they meet on the sidelines of the Summit of the Americas in Panama City, Panama, in April.

Obama, Castro To Meet At U.N. Next Week

12:48pm September 27, 2015

by Scott Neuman

The two leaders will have their second, informal, face-to-face meeting since April at the General Assembly meeting in New York.

Cuban President Raul Castro and President Obama shake hands as they meet on the sidelines of the Summit of the Americas in Panama City, Panama, on Saturday. It was the first substantive talk between leaders of the two countries in more than five decades.

Obama, Castro Sit For Historic Meeting At Americas Summit

6:07pm April 11, 2015

by Scott Neuman

The two leaders met on the sidelines of the gathering in Panama City. It was the first substantive meeting between leaders of the U.S. and Cuba in more than five decades.

President Obama talks with Cuban counterpart Raul Castro before Friday's inauguration of the VII Summit of the Americas in Panama City.

National

President Obama, Raul Castro Shake Hands, Chat At Summit Of The Americas

10:34pm April 10, 2015

by Bill Chappell

Earlier in the day the two leaders spoke by telephone. It's only the second time in the past 50 years that the heads of the U.S. and Cuba are known to have spoken.