Fidel Castro: I'm Not Sick

Contrary to recent reports, Fidel Castro is doing just fine, he writes in Cuban state media on the heels of his first public appearance in months. "I don't even remember what a headache feels like," he notes, calling the reports—which included claims the Cuban leader was hardly functional after a stroke—"dishonest." The online piece included pictures of Castro standing outdoors; in one image, he's reading the paper, the AP reports. He slams Western media for what he calls decades of misleading press.

The article follows a former Venezuelan vice-president's assertion yesterday that when he met with Castro this weekend, the ex-leader was in "magnificent" health. The former veep showed the AP photos of the meeting. As to why Castro stopped writing his frequent opinion pieces in June: "I stopped publishing 'Reflections' because it was really not my role to take up pages in our press which are needed for other work the country requires," he notes. (More Fidel Castro stories.)