Havana  - For the second time in little over a week, retired iconicCuban leader Fidel Castro met with a high-level dignitary visiting the Caribbean island, keeping is meeting with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Friday under wraps.

Medvedev had already finished the official portion of his visit with Cuban President Raul Castro, Fidel's brother who took over as president earlier this year.

Medvedev's official visit of less than 24 hours was the first by a Russian president to Cuba in eight years. With the dissolution of the Soviet Union in the 1990s, Russia stopped pouring financial aid into Cuba.

Havana  - Cuban President Raul Castro on Friday described as "magnificent" the visit of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, who also met Cuban leader Fidel Castro.

"It has been a magnificent visit," Raul Castro told reporters, after he and Medvedev laid a wreath at the Mausoleum of the Soviet Internationalist Soldier, which honours 68 soldiers who died in Cuba in 1962-1966, either while taking part in disaster relief work or as a result of accidents.

Medvedev and Fidel had an hour-long meeting during which they discussed the future of Russian-Cuban cooperation and international political issues.

Medvedev's official visit of less than 24 hours, is the first by a Russian president to Cuba in eight years.

Havana - Russia and Cuba are to revive their historically close ties, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and his Cuban counterpart Raul Castro said after talks in Havana late Thursday.

Medvedev and Castro met for several hours and, in a demonstration of friendship, Castro also joined the Russian president in visiting a recently opened Russian Orthodox church in the capital of the communist country.

Moscow plans to step up cooperation with Havana in the area of nuclear energy as well as oil and gas exploration in the Gulf of Mexico, Medvedev announced.

Moscow, Nov. 28 : Not so long ago, Vladimir Putin was adamant about changing Russia’s Constitution to allow a president to extend his or her four-year term thrice consecutively.

"The terms of presidential authority will not be changed under the current president," Putin had said unequivocally in 2001.

Now, months after leaving office and becoming prime minister, Putin is helping current President Dmitry Medvedev to rewrite the Constitution to extend the presidential term.

CARACAS, Venezuela, Nov. 27 -- The presidents of Russia and Venezuela have signed bilateral agreements, including construction of a nuclear power plant in the South American country.

The BBC reported the two leaders signed the nuclear power agreement Wednesday night.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin said President Dmitry Medvedev, the first Russian head of state to visit Caracas in 150 years, and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez signed a 25-year plan to cooperate with oil, gas and power generation, RIA Novosti reported Thursday.

Monte Carlo -