The US Confirms a Private Meeting With Raúl Castro’s Grandson in Havana

The Council for the Democratic Transition in Cuba demands its “own seat” at the negotiating table 14ymedio, Madrid, 21 April 2026 — The US State Department has officially confirmed that one of its senior officials had a private meeting with Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, grandson of Raúl Castro and known as El Cangrejo [The Crab], on the sidelines … Continue reading “The US Confirms a Private Meeting With Raúl Castro’s Grandson in Havana”

U.S. Officials Met With Castro’s Grandson at the Caricom Summit, According to the Miami Herald

Rubio made it clear that the talks with the Cuban Government were very advanced and that they did not want to do anything that would prolong the regime. 14ymedio, Madrid, February 26, 2026 – U.S. officials close to Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, known as El Cangrejo (the Crab), … Continue reading “U.S. Officials Met With Castro’s Grandson at the Caricom Summit, According to the Miami Herald”

The Castro Regime’s Deck of Cards Reveals Who Really Pulls the Strings in Havana

Among the 56 key figures of the Cuban regime, there is no one similar to the Venezuelan Delcy Rodríguez. 14ymedio, Havana, 21 February 2026 — A recurring question among those seeking to understand the power structure in Cuba is: who really runs things here? The recently released “Baraja Castrista” [Castroite Deck of Cards] attempts to answer … Continue reading “The Castro Regime’s Deck of Cards Reveals Who Really Pulls the Strings in Havana”

Three Sources Confirm to Axios Talks Between Marco Rubio and Raúl Castro’s Grandson

According to the U.S. outlet, the relationship between the two has been positive: “There are no political diatribes about the past. It’s about the future.” 14ymedio, Madrid, February 18, 2026 – Secretary of State Marco Rubio has held secret conversations with Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, known on the Island as “El Cangrejo,” the favored grandson … Continue reading “Three Sources Confirm to Axios Talks Between Marco Rubio and Raúl Castro’s Grandson”

A Former Cuban Official Close to Raúl Castro’s Grandson Has Been Arrested in the US

Owner of a successful business in Las Vegas, Jorge Javier Rodríguez Cabrera is in deportation proceedings. 14ymedio, Havana, 22 July 2025 — Jorge Javier Rodríguez Cabrera was arrested this Monday in Las Vegas by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). He is a former Cuban official with close ties to the regime’s elite, particularly Raúl … Continue reading “A Former Cuban Official Close to Raúl Castro’s Grandson Has Been Arrested in the US”

Sandro, Grandson of Fidel Castro: Condemn Me, Instagram Will Absolve Me

The hardliners (Taliban) of the Cuban regime cannot stand that the young man displays the contradictions of the system 14ymedio, Yunior García Aguilera, Madrid, July 5, 2025 — The orthodoxy of Castroism has unleashed a strong offensive against the most viral grandson of Fidel Castro, founder of the oldest dictatorship in Latin America. Sandro Castro … Continue reading “Sandro, Grandson of Fidel Castro: Condemn Me, Instagram Will Absolve Me”

Raúl Castro Multiplies His Public Appearances To Show He’s Still Alive

Rumors about Raúl Castro’s death usually coincide with moments of high national tension 14ymedio, Juan Izquierdo, Havana, 1 October 2024 — Raúl Castro’s appearances on Cuban Television, after the increasingly frequent flood of rumors about his death, have become a kind of State ritual. At the beginning of the year, it was an official media … Continue reading “Raúl Castro Multiplies His Public Appearances To Show He’s Still Alive”

April Rumors: Raúl Castro’s ‘Chemical’ Grandson, Death of Ramiro Valdés, Dog Meat

14ymedio/Yucabyte, Havana, 22 May 2024 — El químico (the chemical), the fashionable synthetic drug in Havana, slowly takes over the Cuban underworld. The possibility that Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, El Cangrejo (The Crab), grandson and bodyguard of Raúl Castro, is the man behind its manufacture and traffic – in increasingly vast networks – was one … Continue reading “April Rumors: Raúl Castro’s ‘Chemical’ Grandson, Death of Ramiro Valdés, Dog Meat”

Pope Francis Confesses: ‘I Have a Human Relationship with Raul Castro’

14ymedio, Havana, 12 July 2022 — Pope Francis avoided referring to the protests of July 11, 2021 in Cuba this Monday, when the first anniversary of that historic day was celebrated. Journalists María Antonieta Collins, from Univisión, and Valentina Alazraki, from Televisa, specifically asked him about this in an interview. However, the pontiff did not want to … Continue reading “Pope Francis Confesses: ‘I Have a Human Relationship with Raul Castro’”

Luis Alberto Rodriguez Lopez-Calleja Dies, the Powerful Former Son-in-Law of Raul Castro

14ymedio, Havana, 1 July 2022  — Luis Alberto Rodríguez López-Calleja, executive president of the Armed Forces Business Administration Group (Gaesa), died in Havana this Friday of “cardiorespiratory arrest,” according to the official press. A former division general, born in 1960, he was considered the true “strong man” of Cuba, the power behind the throne. He was … Continue reading “Luis Alberto Rodriguez Lopez-Calleja Dies, the Powerful Former Son-in-Law of Raul Castro”

Cuban Brigadier General Humberto Francis Pardo, in Charge of Fidel Castro’s Security, Dies

14ymedio, Luz Escobar / Natalia López Moya, Havana, 28 December 2021 — Reserve Brigadier General Humberto Omar Francis Pardo died this Monday in Havana, as 14ymedio confirmed on Tuesday. His body, which will be cremated, is at the Calzada y K funeral home, located at Calzada number 52, in El Vedado. A source close to the … Continue reading “Cuban Brigadier General Humberto Francis Pardo, in Charge of Fidel Castro’s Security, Dies”

In Cuba Marino Murillo Falls, Raul Castro’s Ex-Son-in-Law Rises

14ymedio, Reinaldo Escobar, Havana, April 19, 2021 — The most striking development of the Eighth Communist Party Congress, which concludes on Monday after a four-day meeting with hardly any news, will be the retirement, at least officially, of the old guard. For the first time, no one with the last name Castro will hold a … Continue reading “In Cuba Marino Murillo Falls, Raul Castro’s Ex-Son-in-Law Rises”

Raulito’s Plan to Inherit Power from His Grandfather / Juan Juan Almeida

Juan Juan Almeida, 19 December 2016 —  With 2018 approaching, alarm bells are already sounding over fissures in what was once the monolithic unity of the Communist Party and weaknesses in the supposed cohesiveness of Cuba’s royal family. The long-awaited announcement of Raul Castro’s retirement has unleashed an “every man for himself” and “looking out … Continue reading “Raulito’s Plan to Inherit Power from His Grandfather / Juan Juan Almeida”

Guillermo Fariñas Returns Home After Hospital Visit For Fainting / 14ymedio

14ymedio, Havana, 6 September 2016 — Cuban dissident Guillermo Farinas, after 47 days on a hunger and thirst strike, was transferred on Monday afternoon to Arnaldo Milian Castro Provincial Hospital. The dissident was discharged hours later because doctors felt that he did not meet the “entry criteria for intensive care,” he told 14ymedio activist Jorge Luis Artiles Montiel. … Continue reading “Guillermo Fariñas Returns Home After Hospital Visit For Fainting / 14ymedio”

General Francis is Out of the Game and Raul’s Grandson Ascends / Juan Juan Almeida

Juan Juan Almeida, 29 August 2016 — The most powerful of all the Cuban generals, Division General Humberto Omar Francis Pardo, was replaced in his job as Head of the General Direction of Personal Security (DGSP). The position is now filled by Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, who is known by various nicknames, like “The Crab,” “Grandson-in-Chief,” … Continue reading “General Francis is Out of the Game and Raul’s Grandson Ascends / Juan Juan Almeida”