Havana  - Cuban President Raul Castro wished new US President Barack Obama luck as he takes the helm in Cuba's neighbour and declared enemy.

"He looks like a good man, I hope he is lucky," Castro said.

However, he declined to provide further details of his plans for new times in the difficult US-Cuban relations.

Havana - Cuban President Raul Castro received Argentina President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner in the first such meeting between the heads of state of both countries since 1986. The four-star general accorded Fernandez military honours in the Palace of the Revolution before the two witnessed the signing of several cooperation agreements on science, technology, energy and food.

Fernandez visited the Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology Centre outside Havana which produced vaccines, some of which are sold in Argentina.

Havana  -

Havana  - Collapsed political systems, presidents who came and went, wars and attacks, broken alliances, rebuilt countries - 50 years of history unrolled across Latin America.

Yet Cuba and its revolutionary tradition have survived all of this, standing by its socialist continuity in the face of historical change.

Havana  - Cuba plans to celebrate the 50th anniversary of its socialist revolution later Thursday in a somewhat subdued mood, in the face of the worldwide financial crisis and ongoing recovery from three consecutive hurricanes.

Havana  - Cuba's 2008 will probably be remembered as the year of hurricanes - in both meteorological and political terms.

Political change that seemed to anticipate reform happened just as the largest island in the West Indies was getting ready to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of a revolution that had previously seemed immovable.

After 19 months of uncertainty since Fidel Castro fell ill and disappeared from the public light in July 2006, the historic Cuban leader finally unveiled a mystery on February
19, when he announced that he would not be standing for re-election as Cuban president.