Castro Comes Out on Venezuelan Radio

Cuban President Fidel Castro spoke Tuesday on a Venezuelan radio show, the first time the ailing leader made a live address since falling ill in July.

Speaking on the morning program of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, Castro said he was recovering well and had lots of energy, Venezuela’s Globovision TV reported.

The 80-year-old Cuban president stepped down in late July — supposedly temporarily — and appointed his brother Raul Castro as the communist island’s interim leader.

There has been much speculation regarding Castro’s illness, which the Cuban government considers a state secret. At the time of his stepping down, Cuban officials said he was suffering from a gastro-intestinal illness that required surgery.

U.S. officials have openly speculated that Castro is suffering from terminal cancer, a notion that Havana denies.