Cuba's parliament named Raul Castro president to replace his brother Fidel, prompting a guarded response yesterday from countries looking for signs of reform.
After years in Fidel's charismatic shadow as Cuba's No. 2 and defense minister, Raul Castro faces massive challenges, including preparing the transition of power to a newer generation and reforming the economy.
"Fidel is irreplaceable; the people will continue his work when he is no longer with us physically, though his ideas always will be here," Raul Castro, 76, told lawmakers in his acceptance speech late on Sunday.
PHOTO: AP
In the 19 months since he took over as temporary leader, Raul Castro has made some minor adjustments in the economy, while promising bigger changes.
But he has made it clear that everything will take place "within socialism" and that solutions to the country's problems will come "little by little."
People in the street voiced hopes that the new president would usher in long-sought economic reforms to improve their daily lives.
"This is the best that could have happened to Cuba," Carlos Muguercia, a 78-year-old craftsman said. "Raul already knows the situation. He knows how to solve problems, in any case the most serious ones."
Others were less enthusiastic at the dynastic succession.
"Raul is Fidel without a beard," argued one young man enjoying a beer at a bar in Havana.
In a sign that change may take time, Raul Castro said he would consult with his brother on major issues. And he vowed to be on guard against the US.
"We have taken note of the offensive and openly-meddling declarations by the Empire [as Cuba refers to Washington] and some of its closest allies," he said.
In defiance of US-led calls for democratic reform, Fidel Castro had ruled out any betrayal of the Cuban revolution ahead of Sunday's vote.
In Washington, the top US diplomat for Latin America, Tom Shannon, stressed the "possibility and potential" for change in Cuba, but said it had to come internally.
Shannon also ruled out a lifting of the US embargo imposed on Cuba in 1962 until there was a transition to democracy.
In Brussels, The EU said it was willing to engage in a "constructive political dialogue" with Raul Castro.
Shortly after being named president, Raul Castro named General Julio Casas Regueiro, 72, to replace him as head of the armed forces.
The 614-member assembly also chose the country's first vice president, five other vice presidents, a party secretary and the 23 members of the Council of State.
And in a sign the older generation remained in control, Jose Ramon Machado, another "old guard" Cuban leader, was selected for Cuba's No. 2 spot.
Also see: Raul Castro's lack of magnetism may not be an issue
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
LANDSLIDES POSSIBLE: The agency advised the public to avoid visiting mountainous regions due to more expected aftershocks and rainfall from a series of weather fronts A series of earthquakes over the past few days were likely aftershocks of the April 3 earthquake in Hualien County, with further aftershocks to be expected for up to a year, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Based on the nation’s experience after the quake on Sept. 21, 1999, more aftershocks are possible over the next six months to a year, the agency said. A total of 103 earthquakes of magnitude 4 on the local magnitude scale or higher hit Hualien County from 5:08pm on Monday to 10:27am yesterday, with 27 of them exceeding magnitude 5. They included two, of magnitude
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique