Cuban leader Fidel Castro appeared in his first television interview in more than three months last night, ending speculation that the ailing revolutionary had died or suffered a major relapse.
A TV grab taken last night of Cuban leader Fidel Castro
Castro (81), spoke slowly about world affairs, the Cold War and the global economy, but appeared little changed from the last time he was shown in a state television interview on June 5.
"Here I am," Castro said, rebuffing those who have speculated that he was at death's door, already dead or about to die. "Nobody knows when he is going to die."
Dressed in what has become a customary red, blue and white athletic jacket, sitting in an armchair and showing his age through the gray in his beard and bags under his eyes, Castro answered questions about an essay he published this week and attacked the United States, his longtime ideological foe.
"Yesterday the euro was at $1.41. Oil I think about $84 a barrel," Castro said at one point, indicating that he was up to date on current affairs and signaling that the interview was very recent.
He also held up a copy of a book by former US Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan, "The Age of Turbulence: Adventures in a New World," which was published this week, and read excerpts in Spanish from the dust jacket.
Castro, who took power on the Caribbean island in a 1959 revolution, handed over control to his younger brother, Raul Castro, on July 31st, 2006, after emergency intestinal surgery. He has not appeared in public since then.
Instead, he has been seen in occasional photographs and videos with visiting foreign leaders and has published a steady stream of columns and essays in state media over the past six months