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Cuba's Fidel Castro Dead at 90

Leader of the country's Communist Revolution

Fidel Castro, leader of the Communist Revolution in Cuba and the country's Cuba's former president, has died aged 90, state TV has announced.

There were no further details.

Castro ruled Cuba as a one-party state for nearly 50 years before handing over the powers to his brother Raul in 2008.

His supporters said he had given Cuba back to the people, but opponents accused him of brutally suppressing opposition.

Castro gave a rare speech in April, on the final day of the country's Communist Party congress.

He said Cuban communist concepts were still valid and the Cuban people "will be victorious".

"I'll soon be 90," the former president said, saying that this was something he'd never imagined would happen.

"To all our turn must come," he added, perhaps anticipating his own death.

Fidel Castro's key dates

1926: Born in the south-eastern Oriente Province of Cuba

1953: Imprisoned after leading an unsuccessful rising against Batista's regime

1955: Released from prison under an amnesty deal

1956: With Che Guevara, begins a guerrilla war against the government

1959: Defeats Batista, sworn in as prime minister of Cuba

1960: Fights off CIA-sponsored Bay of Pigs invasion by Cuban exiles

1962: Sparks Cuban missile crisis by agreeing that USSR can deploy nuclear missiles in Cuba

1976: Elected president by Cuba's National Assembly

1992: Reaches an agreement with US over Cuban refugees

2008: Stands down as president of Cuba due to health issues

2016: Death on November 25

 

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