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CUBA
NEWS
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Cuban gymnast defects after team competition
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) -- One of Cuba's male gymnasts
defected at the World Gymnastics Championships
after the team competition finished Sunday night.
Michel Brito Ferrer reportedly plans to stay
in the United States. Details of how and where
he defected were not immediately available.
Cuba was 15th in the men's preliminaries, missing
a spot in the Athens Olympics by 1.3 points. The
15th-place finish allows the Cubans to send two
gymnasts to Athens.
Ferrer competed on all six events for the Cubans,
finishing 112th overall.
Security
Heightened at U.S.-Cuba Game
Castro Draws a Crowd in Paraguay
By Pedro Servin, Associated Press
Writer.
ASUNCION, Paraguay, 16 (AP) - Cuban leader Fidel
Castro drew 10,000 people to a Paraguayan stadium
Saturday for a speech blasting the United States.
"Fidel! Fidel!" a young and raucous
crowd chanted, including admirers and others who
simply wanted to see the hemisphere's lone communist
leader.
Castro attended Friday's inauguration of Paraguayan
President Nicanor Duarte and made his speech just
before he was to return to Cuba.
Castro, who turned 77 on Wednesday, at times
looked weary and seemed to struggle for words
as he attacked U.S. government policies and sought
South American support for his communist state.
Many cheered at the mere sight of the gray-bearded
leader and chanted "Ole! Ole! Fidel! Ole!"
and "A people united will never be defeated!"
It was Castro's first visit to Paraguay.
The communist leader was long considered persona
non grata here during the right-wing military
dictatorship of Gen. Alfredo Stroessner, who ruled
from 1954 until 1989.
Professing a deep aversion to communism, Stroessner
long considered the Soviet Union and Cuba top
enemies.
On Saturday, Castro seemed more the object of
celebrity adulation by leftist sympathizers and
others in post-dictatorship Paraguay.
Turning to the crowd, Castro likened the United
States to the "Rome of antiquity" and
outlined arguments defending his communist state.
At one point, many in the crowd sang "Happy
Birthday" to the Cuban leader - and he appeared
touched, shedding a few tears.
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