Raúl Castro Reappears Amid Health Rumors

Raúl Castro, 95, appeared in public at a Cuban military ceremony marking the 65th anniversary of the Directorate of Personal Security, the agency responsible for protecting the country’s top leaders. Cuban state television showed him walking, standing and greeting officials while wearing his customary olive-green uniform and accompanied by his grandson, Col. Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro. The appearance followed unconfirmed reports from Miami-based media and analysts that Castro had been hospitalized in critical condition or suffered a stroke. Castro no longer holds Cuba’s top formal leadership posts, but remains a powerful military and political figure and retains the rank of general of the army.