Who is #Raul #Castro, the Cuban leader facing a US indictment. Revolutionary beginnings and military career

Born in ​1931, Castro was a key leader alongside his older brother ⁠Fidel in the 1959 guerrilla war that toppled U.S.-backed dictator Fulgencio ​Batista and launched the country's communist revolution. Castro served as his brother's defense minister ​for decades, building a powerful base within the military and Cuban state.
Among his roles, Castro helped defeat the U.S.-organized Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961 and oversaw Cuba's overseas ​military interventions, particularly in Africa.

Political rise

Castro began his political ascent when ​Fidel fell ill in 2006, serving as acting president and then formally becoming president in ‌2008.
Following ⁠Fidel's death in 2016, Castro remained the country's dominant political figure, bucking expectations that Fidel's absence would destabilize the communist-run government.

A lasting power broker

Castro served as president until 2018. After stepping down, he retained the honorific title of "army ​general" and continued ​to wield significant ⁠influence within Cuba's Communist Party, armed forces and state institutions.
Current President Miguel Diaz-Canel is widely seen as relying ​on Castro's guidance for major decisions.
In December 2025, Castro proposed ​postponing ⁠the Communist Party congress scheduled to choose Diaz-Canel's successor, citing the country's deep economic crisis. The party's Central Committee unanimously approved the move.
Castro last appeared in ⁠public ​on May 1 for International Workers' Day. Wearing ​a military uniform, he marched alongside Diaz-Canel and other officials but appeared fatigued and had to ​sit down suddenly during the ceremony.

Reporting by Natalia Siniawski; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani

South Korea’s bond are set to extend this year’s rout as a #semiconductor boom supercharges the nation’s economic growth and adds to inflationary pressures, analysts say

Adnoc is continuing to load liquefied natural gas onto tankers masking their location in the Persian Gulf, as the energy producer pushes to get more fuel through the Strait of #Hormuz

#Iranian authorities are ready to guarantee safe passage through the Strait of #Hormuz for all commercial vessels once the war with the United States ends, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said.

"The only solution [to the issue of passage through the Strait of Hormuz] is a complete cessation of the aggressive war [waged by the US against Iran], after which we will guarantee safe passage for every vessel," he said in a comment to the Indian television channel Doordarshan.

On February 28, the United States and Israel launched military strikes against Iran. Major Iranian cities, including Tehran, came under attack. In response, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced a large-scale retaliatory operation and launched strikes on Israel. US military facilities in Bahrain, Jordan, Iraq, Qatar, Kuwait, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia were also targeted.

Iranian authorities subsequently announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz to vessels associated with the United States, Israel, and countries that supported the attacks against the Islamic Republic.

#Ottawa paying Lockheed Martin $1.5 billion to maintain Hercules transport #aircraft.

OTTAWA — The federal government says it will pay Lockheed Martin $1.5 billion through an updated contract to maintain and upgrade the Royal Canadian Air Force’s Hercules transport aircraft.

The Hercules aircraft provide logistics support to military operations within Canada and overseas, including disaster relief, by transporting passengers, supplies and equipment long distances.

Lockheed already had a contract to maintain the CC‑130J aircraft dating back more than a decade, and this will extend the partnership.

The new agreement consists of two contract amendments — one that extends in-service support for the fleet through to June 2029 and another that deals with fleet upgrades.

Canada ordered 17 of the CC‑130J aircraft from Lockheed in 2007 to replace its old Hercules E-models.

The Liberal government has yet to reach a decision on its order of F-35 fighter jets from Lockheed, which has been the subject of a political review for more than a year now.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 15, 2026.

#Gold headed for a weekly decline as a war-driven surge in #US inflation fuels expectations for higher interest rates

Pemex CEO Víctor Rodríguez Padilla is stepping down as head of the state oil company and will be replaced by Juan Carlos Carpio, Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum said in a video posted on X

U.S. law enforcement charges 13 in connection with gun trafficking into #Canada. “This tracking network allegedly exploited border geography and reservation corridors to move firearms into Canada while attempting to avoid law enforcement detection,” said U.S. Attorney for New Hampshire Erin Creegan at a news conference in Concord, N.H. on Thursday.

Court documents said members of the Akwesasne reservation in New York travelled to Vermont, where they enlisted Justin Jackson to purchase firearms on their behalf.

The documents allege that since Jackson was prohibited from purchasing firearms, he got Melissa Longe, Dustin Tuttle, Caleb Wilcott and Doug Mulligan to buy guns from licensed dealers in New Hampshire -- a scheme known as “straw” purchasing.

“The allegations paint a troubling picture of how straw purchasing fuels violent criminal networks across the northeast and into Canada,” Creegan said.

The firearm trafficking began in 2021 and ran until at least 2024, the documents said.

Jackson, Longe, Tuttle, Wilcott and Mulligan pleaded guilty to federal firearms offences earlier this year.

Eight others, all of whom are residents of the Akwesasne Mohawk Indian Reservation, were indicted by a federal grand jury in connection to international firearms trafficking earlier this month.

Four were brought into custody this week during a multi-agency takedown. U.S. law enforcement said Jonathan Hart, Io-Rateka Swamp and Blade Oakes are considered fugitives at large.

U.S. law enforcement tracked 51 firearms that may have been trafficked through the ring. Several were subsequently recovered in Canada at scenes of crimes -- including one kidnapping and one attempted murder.

Creegan said the takedown of the sophisticated trafficking network was possible because of co-ordination between U.S., Canadian and tribal law enforcement agencies.

Thomas Greco, a special agent with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, said the investigation shows the growing complexity of cross-border firearms trafficking.

Canadian authorities recover approximately 17,000 to 20,000 crime guns a year, Greco said, and up to half of them are smuggled into the country from the United States.

“In the major metropolitan areas of Canada, between 78 per cent and 90 per cent of handguns recovered are sourced and smuggled from the United States,” Greco said.

He said the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives expanded its partnerships with Canada in 2023, with an emphasis on Ontario and Quebec. That has led to a significant increase in the ability of Canadian authorities to trace guns used in crimes, Greco added.

Chief Supt. Mike Stoddart of the Ontario Provincial Police said the investigation shows the “value of integrated enforcement teams and strong international partnerships.”

“Our collective efforts help prevent firearms and drugs from reaching our communities and underscore the shared responsibility we have for border security,” Stoddart said in a news release.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 14, 2026.

Kelly Geraldine Malone, The Canadian Press

#Iran holds World Cup send-off for national #football team

President Ruto: Why we have not re-opened Kenya-Somalia border