Update 11pm: Junior Minister John Halligan has defended President Michael D Higgins over his praise for the regime of Fidel Castro.

There has been a call for President Michael D Higgins to apologise for remarks he made in a statement following the death of Fidel Castro.

Tourists who went to Havana for salsa music and mojitos ended up wandering through a city turned silent by nine days of national mourning for Fidel Castro.

President Michael D Higgins has hit back at criticism of his tribute to Fidel Castro, saying it is “unsustainable and unwarranted”.

Independent Alliance Minister Finian McGrath has described the death of Fidel Castro as a “very sad day” and claimed many of the human rights abuses spoken of were “exaggerated”.

Fidel Castro was ‘the great master of political seduction’ and survived over 100 assassination attempts to build his revolutionary state, write Reuters journalists Daniel Trotta and Sarah Marsh

Independent Alliance Minister Finian McGrath has described the death of Fidel Castro as a “very sad day” and claimed many of the human rights abuses spoken of were “exaggerated”, writes Daniel McConnell, Political Editor.

"Any suggestion that the President neglected human rights concerns is both unsustainable and unwarranted."

President Michael D Higgins is being criticised for issuing a statement describing Fidel Castro as a giant among global leaders.

The son of a wealthy landowner, Fidel Castro turned his back on a life of privilege to lead a left-wing revolution in Cuba that endured for decades and was shaped by his political cunning, keen sense of destiny and boundless ego.

World leaders have paid tribute to Fidel Castro who has died at the age of 90.

Former president Fidel Castro, who led a rebel army to improbable victory in Cuba, embraced Soviet-style communism and defied the power of 10 US presidents during his half century rule, has died aged 90.

Fidel Castro greeted his 80th birthday from his sickbed, gripping a newspaper to show he was alive two weeks after stepping down as president.

Fidel Castro responded to President Barack Obama's historic trip to Cuba with a long, bristling letter recounting the history of US aggression against Cuba, writing that "we don't need the empire to give us any presents".

Fidel Castro's older brother Ramon, a life-long rancher and farmer who bore a strong physical resemblance to the former Cuban leader, has died at 91.

French president Francois Hollande called for the ending of the US trade embargo on Cuba during a brief visit to the island.

IT would have been unthinkable for Cold War warriors such as George W Bush and Fidel Castro to sit down together at the table of brotherhood. 

Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro has criticised rumour-mongers who claim he is on his death bed.

Rumours are growing about the health of former Cuban leader Fidel Castro after a Venezuelan doctor claimed the 86-year-old had suffered a massive stroke.

One of Fidel Castro’s sons has said his father is in good shape despite a long public silence that has again fuelled speculation about the 86-year-old former Cuban president’s health.

A lively and healthy-looking Fidel Castro appealed to US president Barack Obama to stave off global nuclear war in an 11-minute address to parliament – his first official government appearance since emergency surgery four years ago.

Fidel Castro will attend a special session of Cuba’s parliament, his first appearance in official government proceedings or in front of MPs since falling seriously ill four years ago.

Fidel Castro is “exceptionally well” and appears recovered from a health crisis that has kept him out of the public eye for more than three and a half years, Brazil’s president said, according to reports by his country’s news media.

Nearly 50 years of rule by Fidel Castro ended in Cuba tonight as parliament chose his brother Raul to replace him – a transition that leaves the island’s communist system unshaken.

Fidel Castro's brother Raul could be named as the new Cuban president as early as today.

Ailing Cuban leader Fidel Castro is running for re-election to parliament today.

Ailing Cuban leader Fidel Castro said in a letter read on state television that he does not intend to cling to power forever or stand in the way of a younger generation.

Fidel Castro's surprise call to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's radio talk show has fuelled expectations that he could recover enough to reappear in public.

Cuban leader Fidel Castro’s health has improved following a post-intestinal surgery period in which the ageing revolutionary icon temporarily stopped eating, Venezuela’s ambassador to Cuba said today.

Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez said that Cuba’s Fidel Castro has visibly improved, describing how the ailing Cuban leader has gained weight and is walking around and studying.

Fidel Castro himself told surgeons not to perform a colostomy, opting instead for a course of surgery that produced complication which left him in far worse condition, according to new details published in a Spanish newspaper today.

Ailing Cuban leader Fidel Castro is in a “very grave” condition after three failed operations and complications from an intestinal infection known as diverticulitis, it was reported today.

Ailing leader Fidel Castro saluted Cubans on the eve of the revolution’s 48th anniversary, thanking them for their support during his illness and telling them he had not lost his battle to recover.

Spanish surgeon Jose Luis Garcia Sabrido said today that Fidel Castro does not have cancer and that the Cuban leader is recovering slowly from a serious operation.

Cuban provisional leader Raul Castro said today he will delegate more duties and give fewer speeches than his “irreplaceable” brother Fidel, signalling a new leadership style that encourages more public debate on the communist-run island.

Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez has denied that Fidel Castro has cancer and said the ailing Cuban leader was eating and felt well enough to make an anti-Bush joke.

Ailing Cuban strongman Fidel Castro told hundreds of admirers in Havana for his delayed 80th birthday celebrations today that he was not well enough to meet them.

Troops are massing for a huge parade and guests are arriving from around the world to celebrate Fidel Castro’s delayed 80th birthday party. The only question is whether the ailing guest of honour will appear after four months out of the public eye.

Fidel Castro has appeared tired yet alert in a video with his younger brother and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, the first footage of the bedridden Cuban leader since he stepped aside as president two weeks ago.

On his 80th birthday, Fidel Castro cautioned Cubans he faced a long recovery from surgery and advised them to prepare for “adverse news”, but urged them to stay optimistic, while a newspaper published the first photographs of the Cuban leader since his illness.