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| Fidel Castro death: Cuba declares nine days of national mourning – live updates | Fidel Castro death: Cuba declares nine days of national mourning – live updates |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| 2.13pm GMT | |
| 14:13 | |
| This Guardian story from 2006 details all of the CIA’s “outlandish plots to bump off the Cuban dictator”, including the use of poison pills, toxic cigars and exploding molluscs. Once, he even offered to shoot himself. | |
| 1.57pm GMT | |
| 13:57 | |
| The Economist concludes that Castro’s death means the island nation will now shake off any vestiges of communism. | |
| The transition to a post-communist Cuba will now begin in earnest https://t.co/iq7wPJOumE | |
| 1.46pm GMT | |
| 13:46 | |
| Observer columnist Nick Cohen has a pop at Jeremy Corbyn’s response to Castro’s passing: | |
| Can anyone explain how Corbyn's praise of Castro is different from Thatcher's praise of Pinochet? Thought not.https://t.co/VGR7Q4BpoS | |
| Absolute state of this pic.twitter.com/hTD8re5Cqv | |
| Updated | |
| at 1.47pm GMT | |
| 1.26pm GMT | 1.26pm GMT |
| 13:26 | 13:26 |
| Pope Francis is the latest public figure to respond to the death of Fidel Castro. | Pope Francis is the latest public figure to respond to the death of Fidel Castro. |
| The leader of the Catholic church, who met Castro when he visited Cuba last year, described it as “sad news”, adding in a message to Raul Castro: “I express to you my sentiments of grief.” | The leader of the Catholic church, who met Castro when he visited Cuba last year, described it as “sad news”, adding in a message to Raul Castro: “I express to you my sentiments of grief.” |
| Castro, a professed atheist, was baptised as a Catholic and educated in schools run by the Jesuits, the religious order of which the pope is a member. | Castro, a professed atheist, was baptised as a Catholic and educated in schools run by the Jesuits, the religious order of which the pope is a member. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 1.28pm GMT | at 1.28pm GMT |
| 1.09pm GMT | 1.09pm GMT |
| 13:09 | 13:09 |
| Always first with the news, the president-elect tweets: | Always first with the news, the president-elect tweets: |
| Fidel Castro is dead! | Fidel Castro is dead! |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 1.10pm GMT | at 1.10pm GMT |
| 12.54pm GMT | 12.54pm GMT |
| 12:54 | 12:54 |
| The European Union’s foreign affairs chief, Federica Mogherini, has hailed the historical importance of Castro and said the bloc’s relations with Cuba would continue to improve. | The European Union’s foreign affairs chief, Federica Mogherini, has hailed the historical importance of Castro and said the bloc’s relations with Cuba would continue to improve. |
| Mogherini said Castro was “a man of determination and an historical figure,” adding that his death came as Cuba faced “great changes” and at times of global uncertainty. | Mogherini said Castro was “a man of determination and an historical figure,” adding that his death came as Cuba faced “great changes” and at times of global uncertainty. |
| EU-Cuba relations were relaunched with an agreement on political dialogue and cooperation last spring. | EU-Cuba relations were relaunched with an agreement on political dialogue and cooperation last spring. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 1.15pm GMT | at 1.15pm GMT |
| 12.45pm GMT | 12.45pm GMT |
| 12:45 | 12:45 |
| British foreign office expresses condolences | British foreign office expresses condolences |
| The British foreign office has released a statement from the foreign secretary, Boris Johnson. | The British foreign office has released a statement from the foreign secretary, Boris Johnson. |
| The UK expresses its condolences to the government and people of Cuba, and to the former president’s family. Fidel Castro’s death marks the end of an era for Cuba and the start of a new one for Cuba’s people. | The UK expresses its condolences to the government and people of Cuba, and to the former president’s family. Fidel Castro’s death marks the end of an era for Cuba and the start of a new one for Cuba’s people. |
| Fidel Castro’s leadership of the 1959 Cuban Revolution marked him out as an historic if controversial figure. The UK will continue to work with the government of Cuba on a wide range of foreign policy priorities, including on human rights. | Fidel Castro’s leadership of the 1959 Cuban Revolution marked him out as an historic if controversial figure. The UK will continue to work with the government of Cuba on a wide range of foreign policy priorities, including on human rights. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 12.51pm GMT | at 12.51pm GMT |
| 12.42pm GMT | 12.42pm GMT |
| 12:42 | 12:42 |
| Jeremy Corbyn has visited Cuba several times and been critical of US policy towards it. | Jeremy Corbyn has visited Cuba several times and been critical of US policy towards it. |
| Here’s more of what he said during a visit to Oxford, where he has travelled to launch the Labour party’s national campaign day for the NHS, he said: | Here’s more of what he said during a visit to Oxford, where he has travelled to launch the Labour party’s national campaign day for the NHS, he said: |
| Fidel Castro was a massive figure in the history of the whole planet, ever since the revolution in 1959. | Fidel Castro was a massive figure in the history of the whole planet, ever since the revolution in 1959. |
| There are stories of his heroism while living in Mexico in exile and then the boat to Cuba, the march to Havana and the revolution in 1959. | There are stories of his heroism while living in Mexico in exile and then the boat to Cuba, the march to Havana and the revolution in 1959. |
| He managed to bring good quality health services to all the people of Cuba, good quality education to all the people of Cuba and, of course, he had a foreign policy which was global, but particularly important in southern Africa in supporting Angola against the apartheid regime. | He managed to bring good quality health services to all the people of Cuba, good quality education to all the people of Cuba and, of course, he had a foreign policy which was global, but particularly important in southern Africa in supporting Angola against the apartheid regime. |
| Corbyn also lauded progress the country had made in recent years in opposing the death penalty and accepting LGBT rights, as well as the mending of relations with America under Barack Obama, which he called “historic”. | Corbyn also lauded progress the country had made in recent years in opposing the death penalty and accepting LGBT rights, as well as the mending of relations with America under Barack Obama, which he called “historic”. |
| History will show that Fidel was somebody who stood up for something very, very different in the Caribbean and many independent people would say how good health care and education are in Cuba compared to many other places in the world. | History will show that Fidel was somebody who stood up for something very, very different in the Caribbean and many independent people would say how good health care and education are in Cuba compared to many other places in the world. |
| Addressing concerns that he was overlooking allegations that the Castro regime was involved in suppressing basic human freedoms, Corbyn said: | Addressing concerns that he was overlooking allegations that the Castro regime was involved in suppressing basic human freedoms, Corbyn said: |
| I have constantly raised the issues of human rights abuses everywhere in the world and if LGBT people are wrongly and badly treated and people are denied the freedom of speech, then that is wrong. | I have constantly raised the issues of human rights abuses everywhere in the world and if LGBT people are wrongly and badly treated and people are denied the freedom of speech, then that is wrong. |
| I have never shied away from raising human rights concerns in any country in the world in any circumstances and I never will. | I have never shied away from raising human rights concerns in any country in the world in any circumstances and I never will. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 12.54pm GMT | at 12.54pm GMT |
| 12.38pm GMT | 12.38pm GMT |
| 12:38 | 12:38 |
| “Sad,” says Martin McGuinness, deputy first minister of Northern Ireland, in a somewhat Trumpean manner. | “Sad,” says Martin McGuinness, deputy first minister of Northern Ireland, in a somewhat Trumpean manner. |
| #Cuba - End of an Era. #FidelCastro RIP #Sad pic.twitter.com/DRxGl2iBrA | #Cuba - End of an Era. #FidelCastro RIP #Sad pic.twitter.com/DRxGl2iBrA |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 12.43pm GMT | at 12.43pm GMT |
| 12.29pm GMT | 12.29pm GMT |
| 12:29 | 12:29 |
| “Fidel Castro, who has died at the age of 90, was one of the more extraordinary political figures of the 20th century” writes Richard Gott in a Guardian obituary. | “Fidel Castro, who has died at the age of 90, was one of the more extraordinary political figures of the 20th century” writes Richard Gott in a Guardian obituary. |
| “After leading a successful revolution on a Caribbean island in 1959, he became a player on the global stage, dealing on equal terms with successive leaders of the two nuclear superpowers during the cold war. | “After leading a successful revolution on a Caribbean island in 1959, he became a player on the global stage, dealing on equal terms with successive leaders of the two nuclear superpowers during the cold war. |
| “A charismatic figure from the developing world, his influence was felt far beyond the shores of Cuba. Known as Fidel to friends and enemies alike, his life story is inevitably that of his people and their revolution. Even in old age, he still exercised a magnetic attraction wherever he went, his audience as fascinated by the dinosaur from history as they had once been by the revolutionary firebrand of earlier times.” | “A charismatic figure from the developing world, his influence was felt far beyond the shores of Cuba. Known as Fidel to friends and enemies alike, his life story is inevitably that of his people and their revolution. Even in old age, he still exercised a magnetic attraction wherever he went, his audience as fascinated by the dinosaur from history as they had once been by the revolutionary firebrand of earlier times.” |
| 12.26pm GMT | 12.26pm GMT |
| 12:26 | 12:26 |
| Xi Jinping says Castro will 'live forever' | Xi Jinping says Castro will 'live forever' |
| The Chinese president, Xi Jinping, has said in a message read out on China’s main TV channel: | The Chinese president, Xi Jinping, has said in a message read out on China’s main TV channel: |
| The Chinese people have lost a good and true comrade. Comrade Castro will live forever. | The Chinese people have lost a good and true comrade. Comrade Castro will live forever. |
| Xi added Castro was “a great man of our time” and that “history and people will remember him”. He said relations between the two communist nations grew quickly thanks to Castro’s efforts after diplomatic ties were established in 1960. | Xi added Castro was “a great man of our time” and that “history and people will remember him”. He said relations between the two communist nations grew quickly thanks to Castro’s efforts after diplomatic ties were established in 1960. |
| In a documentary aired shortly after Castro’s death was announced, CCTV said Fidel Castro admired Mao Zedong and “regretted not being able to get to know him”. | In a documentary aired shortly after Castro’s death was announced, CCTV said Fidel Castro admired Mao Zedong and “regretted not being able to get to know him”. |
| Even though the two countries shared an ideology, they remained distant due to Cuba’s closeness to the Soviet Union, China’s rival from the 1960s, until Mao’s death in 1976. | Even though the two countries shared an ideology, they remained distant due to Cuba’s closeness to the Soviet Union, China’s rival from the 1960s, until Mao’s death in 1976. |
| There was a rapprochement after the fall of the Soviet Union, with Chinese leaders visiting Cuba several times. Xi “visited his old friend Fidel Castro” in July 2014. | There was a rapprochement after the fall of the Soviet Union, with Chinese leaders visiting Cuba several times. Xi “visited his old friend Fidel Castro” in July 2014. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 12.48pm GMT | at 12.48pm GMT |
| 12.07pm GMT | 12.07pm GMT |
| 12:07 | 12:07 |
| Jon Lee Anderson, writer at the New Yorker and biographer of Che Guevara, has said: | Jon Lee Anderson, writer at the New Yorker and biographer of Che Guevara, has said: |
| With the death of #Fidel Castro, at 90, one of modern world's most epic lives has ended, & w/it, an era of revolution that shaped our world. | With the death of #Fidel Castro, at 90, one of modern world's most epic lives has ended, & w/it, an era of revolution that shaped our world. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 12.09pm GMT | at 12.09pm GMT |
| 12.06pm GMT | 12.06pm GMT |
| 12:06 | 12:06 |
| The Cuban embassy in the US has tweeted: | The Cuban embassy in the US has tweeted: |
| Until forever, Commander! This No. 25, at 10:29 p.m. the Commander in Chief of the Cuban Revolution Fidel Castro Ruz passed away #Cuba pic.twitter.com/5SDdyDyEY1 | Until forever, Commander! This No. 25, at 10:29 p.m. the Commander in Chief of the Cuban Revolution Fidel Castro Ruz passed away #Cuba pic.twitter.com/5SDdyDyEY1 |
| 12.03pm GMT | 12.03pm GMT |
| 12:03 | 12:03 |
| Anti-Castro activists are toasting his death outside the Cuban embassy in Madrid. | Anti-Castro activists are toasting his death outside the Cuban embassy in Madrid. |
| Anticastristas brindan por la muerte de Fidel Castro ante la Embajada Cuba en España pic.twitter.com/cZ3ikSU0EO | Anticastristas brindan por la muerte de Fidel Castro ante la Embajada Cuba en España pic.twitter.com/cZ3ikSU0EO |
| 12.01pm GMT | 12.01pm GMT |
| 12:01 | 12:01 |
| China and Vietnam respond to Castro's death | China and Vietnam respond to Castro's death |
| China and Vietnam, two of the few remaining Communist states, have lamented the death of Castro. | China and Vietnam, two of the few remaining Communist states, have lamented the death of Castro. |
| Hanoi’s state media led tributes to the loss of a “great friend and comrade”. | Hanoi’s state media led tributes to the loss of a “great friend and comrade”. |
| Castro’s Cuba showed solidarity with Vietnam in its war against US invaders. | Castro’s Cuba showed solidarity with Vietnam in its war against US invaders. |
| The revolutionary figurhead first visited Vietnam in 1973 as a sign of communist kinship two years before the north drove out the US army. | The revolutionary figurhead first visited Vietnam in 1973 as a sign of communist kinship two years before the north drove out the US army. |
| As a sign of enduring ties, Vietnam’s President Tran Dai Quang was among the last heads of state to visit Castro, on November 16. | As a sign of enduring ties, Vietnam’s President Tran Dai Quang was among the last heads of state to visit Castro, on November 16. |
| AFP reports the Vietnam News Agency as saying: “For all Vietnamese, Fidel was a great friend, a comrade and a very close brother”. It added that he had been “a pure symbol of true internationalism in the fight for independence of nations.” | AFP reports the Vietnam News Agency as saying: “For all Vietnamese, Fidel was a great friend, a comrade and a very close brother”. It added that he had been “a pure symbol of true internationalism in the fight for independence of nations.” |
| Ties between communist China and Cuba warmed especially following the collapse of Soviet Russia, the Castro government’s biggest sponsor. | Ties between communist China and Cuba warmed especially following the collapse of Soviet Russia, the Castro government’s biggest sponsor. |
| China Central Television (CCTV) ran a commentary explaining that Cuba was “the first country in the Western hemisphere” to establish diplomatic ties with Beijing. | China Central Television (CCTV) ran a commentary explaining that Cuba was “the first country in the Western hemisphere” to establish diplomatic ties with Beijing. |
| “Fidel Castro admired Mao Zedong and... regretted not being able to get to know him,” added the commentary, describing the two nations as “good comrades”. | “Fidel Castro admired Mao Zedong and... regretted not being able to get to know him,” added the commentary, describing the two nations as “good comrades”. |
| Castro visited China for the first time in 1995. | Castro visited China for the first time in 1995. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 12.04pm GMT | at 12.04pm GMT |