A sign that reads in Spanish "Congratulations on your 84th birthday Fidel" hangs on a tree in Sancti Spiritus, Cuba, Friday Aug. 13, 2010. Fidel Castro turns 84 on Friday. (AP Photo/Ismael Francisco, Prensa Latina)
Children in costume perform at an event celebrating the 84th birthday of Fidel Castro at the Ernesto "Che" Guevara Palace of Pioneers in Havana, Cuba, Friday Aug. 13, 2010. (AP Photo/Javier Galeano)
A cake decorated with a Cuban flag that reads in Spanish "Congratulations Commander" sits on display as children perform at an event honoring Fidel Castro's 84th birthday at the Ernesto "Che" Guevara Palace of Pioneers in Havana, Cuba, Friday Aug. 13, 2010. (AP Photo/Javier Galeano)
A girl in a bee costume waits to perform at an event celebrating Fidel Castro's 84th birthday at the Ernesto "Che" Guevara Palace of Pioneers in Havana, Cuba, Friday Aug. 13, 2010. (AP Photo/Javier Galeano)
In this photo of a sketch by courtroom artist Janet Hamlin and reviewed by a U.S. Department of Defense official, Ibrahim Ahmed Mahmoud al-Qosi, a 50-year-old al Qaeda cook from Sudan, attends his war crimes trial Wednesday at the Camp Justice compound on Guantanamo Bay U.S. Naval Base in Cuba. (Associated Press)
** FILE ** Canadian defendant Omar Khadr is shown at a hearing at the Camp Justice compound at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba in this April 28, 2010, photo of a sketch drawn by courtroom artist Janet Hamlin and reviewed by a U.S. Department of Defense official. (AP Photo/Janet Hamlin, Pool, File)
Low pay means low productivity in communist Cuba, where the state employs 95 percent of the official work force. Now, facing a severe budget deficit, President Raul Castro has hinted at restructuring or pruning the government payroll. (Associated Press)
ASSOCIATED PRESS President Obama signed an executive order upon taking office that sought to undo one of George W. Bush's most controversial policies. He ordered the closure of the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The step was hailed by civil liberties groups, but implementation has proved elusive as Congress has thwarted Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. from following through on the effort.
A worker sorts Chinese characters at Kwong Wah Po. The paper is edited and produced independently, which reflects the small yet unprecedented freedoms the Cuban government has granted Cuba's Chinese community to help preserve its dwindling cultural heritage. (Associated Press)
