President Raul Castro

The highest-level meeting of U.S. and Cuban officials in Havana in years was overshadowed Saturday by a flourish of recriminations reminiscent of the Cold War-era tensions that have long polarized the two nations. The talks Friday in Havana focused on immigration issues, including visas and repatriation, part of a dialogue resumed in July after a six-year suspension. Both governments labeled the talks as positive. But on Saturday, Cuba scolded the U.S. officials, who used their visit to meet with dissidents.

Restrictions on civil liberties in Cuba have continued to be harsh since President Raul Castro assumed power from his brother Fidel three years ago, Human Rights Watch said Wednesday. Authorities have jailed scores of dissidents, protesters and others, often through the use of a "dangerousness" provision that allows the detention of Cubans on suspicion that they might break the law in the future, the rights group said in a 123-page report. Human Rights Watch said its report, "New Castro, Same Cuba," is the first broad look at human rights conditions in Cuba since Fidel Castro handed power to his younger brother on a temporary basis in 2006.

Cuba has ordered all state enterprises to adopt "extreme measures" to cut energy use through the end of the year in hopes of avoiding the dreaded blackouts that plagued the country after the 1991 collapse of its then-leading ally, the Soviet Union. Government officials have been warned that the island is facing a "critical" energy shortage that requires the closing of nonessential factories and workshops and the shutting down of air conditioners and refrigerators not needed to preserve food and medicine, according to Reuters.

The U.S. and Cuba built sudden momentum Friday toward easing half a century of hostility as President Obama met Havana's willingness to discuss sensitive topics, including human rights, with a declaration that he was ready for a "new beginning" in relations. One official acknowledged that the Obama administration was caught off guard by Cuban President Raul Castro's willingness to discuss issues long considered off-limits by the communist leadership.

Russia's president met with ailing Fidel Castro in Havana, winding up a visit aimed at freshening relations with Cuba and raising Moscow's profile across Latin America. Dmitry Medvedev spent several hours with President Raul Castro before meeting with his 82-year-old brother. "Everything has gone very well," Cuba's Prensa Latina quoted Medvedev as saying just before he left. "We have defined what we are going to do next, we have cleared up everything regarding credits, and in Russia we will await President Raul Castro's visit."

President Raul Castro did not announce any more changes to Cuba's communist system during a major speech. There had been expectation that Castro would use the occasion to announce further economic reforms. Since taking office about five months ago, Castro has made economic and social changes eschewed by his older brother, Fidel, such as opening more unused state land to private farmers, legalizing cellphones for ordinary citizens and allowing some workers to seek title to their homes.

Fidel Castro said Wednesday that his brother President Raul Castro was right to adopt a "dignified silence" over a Moscow newspaper report that Russia may refuel nuclear bombers on the island, and said Cuba doesn't owe Washington any explanation about the report.