Castro's son 'under arrest'

LONDON - One of the sons of Fidel Castro, the Cuban leader, is under house arrest in Havana on suspicion of embezzling dollars 5m ( pounds 2.6m) from the nuclear energy programme, a Russian newspaper claimed today, writes Phil Davison.

The paper, Nezavisimaya Gazeta, without naming its sources, said Fidel Castro Diaz- Balart, 42, faces a public trial and could get the death penalty.

Cuban officials in Havana would not comment on the report. Mr Castro Diaz-Balart was sacked as chief of Cuba's nuclear energy programme in June, a move that was published in the official press.

Asked to comment on his son's removal while he was recently in Spain, the Cuban leader said his son had been guilty of 'inefficency'.