Cuba declares official mourning for Kim

Cuba has declared three days of mourning for North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il, a reliable ally in a world in which Havana has become increasingly isolated since the end of the Cold War.

"Cuba's Council of State has declared official mourning due to the passing of comrade Kim Jong-Il," an official statement said on Monday, noting that Cuba's flag would be flown at half-mast on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Cuba and North Korea are among the world's five communist nations.

And Cuba is the only one-party communist regime in the Americas. On North Korean state television on Monday, a tearful announcer delivered the news of Kim's demise at 69 from a heart attack.

Pyongyang urged service personnel and citizens to rally behind Kim's youngest son Jong-Un, who is in his late 20s.

Last year, he was made a four-star general and given top ruling-party posts despite having had no public profile.