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Cuba's Leader Fidel Castro Resigns
Cuba has a new president. The old president, Fidel Castro, resigned last week because he is 81 years old and in poor health. That was big news, because Fidel has ruled since 1959. His younger brother Raul, who has been running the country, was named to replace him. Raul is seen as more moderate than Fidel, so some small reforms may take place.
Fidel first gained control by leading a communist revolution. Although Castro resigned as president, he is still the leader of the Cuban Communist Party. So the longstanding feud between Castro and the United States will continue.
During his nearly 50 years as president, Castro's Cuba has been viewed as an enemy of the US. In 1961, the United States tried to overthrow his government, but the secret invasion at the Bay of Pigs failed. A year later, President John F. Kennedy blockaded the island country and forced the Soviet Union to remove nuclear missiles it was putting there.
The latest news from Cuba has been followed with great interest in south Florida which is only 100 miles away. After Castro seized power, many Cubans fled to the United States and settled in and around Miami, Florida. Cuban Americans are strongly opposed to Castro and communism, and hope that someday democracy will return to their homeland.
I'm Michelle and that's what happened in the world this week.
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