PAUL HAVEN

Associated Press
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Cuba criticizes Twitter for Fidel death rumor

State media on Wednesday accused the social networking site Twitter of helping spread a rumor that former Cuban leader Fidel Castro had died, and criticized anti-Castro expatriates it dubbed "necrophiliac counterrevolutionaries" for jumping on the story.

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Cubans celebrate Christmas ahead of pope's visit

Cuban faithful celebrating Christmas say they have plenty to cheer this year as they prepare for the arrival of Pope Benedict XVI, the first visit by a pontiff to the Communist-run island since John Paul II's historic tour nearly 14 years ago.

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Cuba wraps up dramatic year of economic change

A year at the vanguard of Cuba's economic revival has not brought Julio Cesar Hidalgo riches. The fledgling pizzeria owner has had his good months, but the restaurant he opened with his girlfriend often runs at a loss. At times, they can't afford to buy basic ingredients.

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Cuba says travel restrictions to remain in place

President Raul Castro on Friday put on ice highly-anticipated plans to ease travel restrictions on Cubans, telling lawmakers the nation would not be pressured into moving too fast and citing continued aggression from the United States as the reason for his cautious approach.

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Amid economic reforms, Cuba goes after corruption

Green-clad security agents swoop down on an upscale business complex to shutter the offices of a Canadian car dealership. Top executives at Cuba's famed cigar monopoly find themselves behind bars. A former government minister trades his seat in power for a jail cell and a 15-year term.

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Free-market reforms take hold in Cuban countryside

On sleepy streets plied by rickety horse-drawn carts and rusting 1950s automobiles, the sounds of commerce are once again being heard in Cuba's countryside.

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New law will let Cubans buy and sell real estate

For the first time in a half-century, Cubans will be allowed to buy and sell real estate openly, bequeath property to relatives without restriction and avoid forfeiting their homes if they abandon the country.

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Cuba legalizes general purchase and sale of cars

Cuba legalized the sale and purchase of automobiles for all citizens on Wednesday, another major step in the communist run island's economic transformation and one that the public has been clamoring for during decades.

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Cuba's opposition tries to plot fresh course

When dozens of Cuban intellectuals and commentators were jailed in a notorious crackdown on dissent, their wives united in 2003 to form the Ladies in White, a dissident group focused on a simple, compelling goal: freedom for their loved ones.

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Cuba hits back at Richardson over failed visit

Cuba accused former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson of "blackmail" and slander on Wednesday, denying his claims that he was invited to the island to negotiate the release of a jailed American government subcontractor.

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Cuban defense minister dies at 75

Gen. Julio Casas Regueiro, an accountant who fought in Cuba's revolution, then used his training to run the military's lucrative economic enterprises for two decades before becoming defense minister, has died, state television reported. He was 75.

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Fidel Castro silence sparks speculation on health

It's been more than a year since Fidel Castro burst back on the scene with a spate of public appearances and dire warnings of nuclear Armageddon. But after a flurry of activity that quieted speculation about his exit from the world stage, the Cuban revolutionary's revival tour seems to be over.

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In Cuba, free market proves easier said than done

Daily for the past five months, Yusdany Simpson has been at her street-side cafeteria under its gleaming white parasol, doing her part in Cuba's economic makeover by churning out mayonnaise sandwiches at 12 cents a pop.

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Cuba tries to drag shadow economy into the light)

Want some paprika-infused chorizo sausage? How about a bit of buffalo mozzarella? Or maybe you just need more cooking oil this month, or a homemade soft drink you can afford on paltry wages. Perhaps you are looking for something more precious, such as an imported air conditioner or some hand-rolled cigars at a fraction of the official price.

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Younger Castro brother turns 80 in aging regime

Cuban President Raul Castro is set to join elder sibling Fidel in the ranks of octogenarians this week, even as he spearheads efforts to rejuvenate the Communist-run island's tired economy.

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Cuba announces work force reduction in health care

Cuba says fewer employees are working in the island's vaunted health care system, led by a significant reduction in nonprofessional jobs.

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Cuba publishes awaited details of economic changes

Cuba made official on Monday what had been rumored for weeks: It is legalizing the sale of real estate and cars and expanding the ranks of private cooperatives that could serve as engines for the sputtering economy, among other major changes.

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Bin Laden took a path of fanaticism and terror

Osama bin Laden was born into one of Saudi Arabia's most prosperous families, but he left home in search of revolution, found a path of fanaticism, inspired a murderous organization that terrorized the West, and ultimately became the most wanted man in the world.

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Raul Castro: Be patient for generational change

Raul Castro has begged patience from those seeking a generational change in Cuba, saying the country still lacks young leaders with the experience to take the revolution forward 52 years after he and his brother came to power.

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New entrepreneurs in Cuba get mixed results

There was no colorful bunting to mark the grand opening, and no way to advertise in the local press. There was not even money to hand out fliers in this decaying Havana neighborhood of potholed streets and crumbling one-story homes.

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Reuters rejects Cuba's spy claim

The Reuters news agency on Tuesday vehemently denied an accusation made on Cuban state television that one of its journalists helped arrange a meeting between an undercover Cuban agent and a U.S. diplomat who the program described as a CIA operative.

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Cuba cuts hard currency peso to par with dollar

Cuba's central bank is devaluing the country's two types of peso by about 8 percent in relation to the dollar and other foreign currencies, hoping the move will spur exports and local production as the government seeks to overhaul a moribund economy.

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Still no layoffs in Cuba 5 months after announced

Yordan Rodriguez hasn't showed up for work in four months, but he still has a job — for now at least.

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Cuban union leader: Layoffs going slowly

Cuban government and union officials are acknowledging for the first time that a drive to fire half a million unneeded state workers has gotten off to a slow start, due to a lack of communication within the Labor Ministry and incompetence among the thousands of commissions set up to decide who gets the ax.

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Salvador president brought message to Cuba bomber

A Salvadoran man who spent years on death row in connection with a series of hotel bombings in Cuba says the man who later became his country's president brought him a reassuring message from Fidel Castro: The sentence will never be carried out.

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