RAUL CASTRO -- THE President of CUBA

Cuba's parliament named Raul Castro President on Sunday, ending nearly 50 years of rule by his brother Fidel but leaving the island's communist system unshaken.

In a surprise move, officials bypassed younger candidates to name a 77-year-old revolutionary leader, Jose Ramon Machado, to Cuba's No 2 spot - apparently assuring the old guard that no significant political changes will be made soon.

The retirement of the ailing 81-year-old president caps a career in which he frustrated efforts by 10 US presidents to oust him.


Raul Castro, 76, stressed that his brother remains ''commander in chief'' even if he is not president and proposed to consult with Fidel on all major decisions of state - a motion approved by acclamation.

Though the succession was not likely to bring a major shift in the communist government policies that have put Cuba at odds with the United States, many Cubans were hoping it would open the door to modest economic reforms that might improve their daily lives.

Raul Castro indicated at least one change is being contemplated: the revaluation of the Cuban peso, the national currency most people use to pay for government services such as utilities, public transportation and the small amount charged for their monthly food ration.

Cubans complain that government salaries averaging a little more than $19 a month do not cover basic necessities - something Raul Castro acknowledged in a major speech last year. But he said any change would have to be gradual to ''prevent traumatic and incongruent effects.''


In his first speech as president, Raul Castro suggested that the Communist Party as a whole would take over the role long held by Fidel, who formally remains its leader. The new president said the nation's sole legal party ''is the directing and superior force of society and the state.''

''This conviction has particular importance when the founding and forging generation of the revolution is disappearing,'' he added.

The US has said the change from one Castro to another would not be significant, calling it a ''transfer of authority and power from dictator to dictator light.''

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Sunday Cubans have a right ''to choose their leaders in democratic elections'' and urged the government ''to begin a process of peaceful, democratic change by releasing all political prisoners, respecting human rights, and creating a clear pathway towards free and fair elections.''

Cuba's parliament chose a new 31-member ruling body known as the Council of State to lead the country. The council's president serves as the head of state and government.

The vote ended Castro's 49 years as head of the communist state in America's backyard. He retains his post as a lawmaker and as head of the Communist Party. But his power in government has eroded since July 31, 2006, when he announced he had undergone emergency intestinal surgery and was provisionally ceding his powers to Raul.

Mumbai sessions court - gag order - Raj Thackeray

A Mumbai sessions court has upheld a gag order against Raj Thackeray that prevents him from making provocative statements to the media or addressing public rallies.

The court has said that it's up to the state government to decide whether to extend the order.

Raj Thackeray had challenged the order saying he had not been given a chance to explain himself.

ZARDARI : MUSH can't be Removed.....?!?!

In an interview to the Wall Street Journal published on Monday, Zardari said he wants a working relationship with President Musharraf.

"We want to unify the country, which is facing some very serious challenges. We have to establish democracy and for that, we need unity and not confrontation. The ground reality is, we don't have the two-thirds majority," he said.

In a Parliament of 342 seats, the votes of 228 members are needed to get Musharraf out.

But right now, there are 66 votes of the PML-N, 88 of Zardari's PPP, 10 of the Awami National Party and 19 of the MQM, which take it to 193 — still 35 votes short of the a two-thirds majority.

The Senate, Parliament's Upper House, remains in the control of Musharraf's supporters.

Zardari's comments, the Journal noted, are among the most conciliatory to date from a senior official of the coalition regarding its intended approach to Musharraf.

Sharif, on the other hand, has been vocal in his determination to get Musharraf out. And it remains to be seen how he feels about a "working relationship with Musharraf" that Zardari is advocating.

"Musharraf is an unconstitutional and unlawful President," Sharif has gone on record as saying.

Zardari's word, if that is indeed the last word on the issue, could well influence the ANP and the MQM. It could also give a lifeline to the King's party, the PML-Q, which is widely anticipating mass defection of its members to the Nawaz Sharif camp.

Zardari wants Parliament to decide on Musharraf's fate and the contentious issue of restoration of the sacked judges. But many in Pakistan feel he is doing what America wants, which is extending a lifeline to beleaguered Musharraf.

The PPP leader, in fact, hinted at this in as many words. He said his government would increase cooperation with the US. "We are fighting our own war on terror, rather than the American war on terror," he said.

Zardari said Pakistan faces its own threat from the extremists and vowed that his government wouldn't talk to the militants. It would, however, reach out to the people living in the tribal areas, he said.