By DPA
Havana : Cuban President Fidel Castro turned 81 on Monday, more than a year after he “temporarily” transferred power to his brother Raul for health reasons.
Castro was last seen in public on July 26, 2006, and gave up power – for the first time since leading his revolution in 1959 – five days later in order to recover from an intestinal problem. He was initially to spend “weeks” away from the public eye, but his convalescence has stretched much longer.
In a speech in late July, Raul Castro said his brother – who frequently writes articles on topics of interest from the environment to US policy – “already carries out ever more intense activity”. But he gave no further details about Fidel Castro’s condition.
In 2006, the celebrations planned to mark Fidel Castro’s 80th birthday were postponed until Dec 2 due to his illness, but the Cuban leader did not join in the delayed events.