Cuban President Fidel Castro waved a Cuban flag during a May Day rally in Havana on May 1, 2002. (Adalberto Roque/AFP/Getty Images)

Chávez says reports on Castro's illness are exaggerated

QUITO, Ecuador -- Fidel Castro's recovery from surgery is slow and has risks, his close ally President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela said yesterday, but he denied a newspaper report the Cuban leader's condition was serious. Chávez said the United States was behind false reports exaggerating the illness. ()

Multimedia:

Fidel Castro through the years

YOUR VIEW: What is Castro's legacy?

TIMELINE: Castro's Cuba

PHOTO GALLERY: Fidel and Raul Castro

Castro gives up power to brother
On July 31, 2006, Cuban leader Fidel Castro ceded his presidential power to brother Raul due to "an intestinal crisis" that required "complicated surgery."

From the Globe archives:

Hoping for Castro's exit, exiles plan transition (By Indira A.R. Lakshmanan, Globe Staff, 8/6/06)

Few expect change under Raúl Castro (By Indira A.R. Lakshmanan, Globe Staff, 8/2/06)

About Raúl Castro Ruz (Boston Globe, 8/2/06)

Have a little faith, Castro implores (By Indira A.R. Lakshmanan, Globe Staff, 7/28/05)

Cubans say US remittance policy unfair (By Indira A.R. Lakshmanan, Globe Staff, 10/2/04)

Kidnapped children found in Cuba returned to mother (By Thanassis Cambanis and John Ellement, Globe Staff, 6/26/03)

The Inside Story of the Cuban Missile Crisis (By Sheldon M. Stern, Boston Globe, 10/6/02)

Carter criticizes Cuba, calls on US to lift embargo (By Marion Lloyd, Globe Correspondent, 5/15/02)

Castro continues economic reforms - on his terms (By Philip Bennett and Steve Fainaru, Globe Staff, 1/21/96)

Guantanamo: Isolated pawn in power game (By Philip Bennett, Globe Staff, 4/2/89)

From Cuba, an exile looks homeward (By Philip Bennett, Globe Staff, 2/27/89)

Cuba's youth growing restless (By Philip Bennett, Globe Staff, 2/19/89)

Globe opinion:

JEFF JACOBY: Castro's true legacy is a bloody trail (By Jeff Jacoby, Globe Columnist, 1/1/07)

GONZALO BARR: The identity crisis of being Cuban (By Gonzalo Barr, Boston Globe, 8/16/06)

GLOBE EDITORIAL: On Cuba, try kindness (Boston Globe, 8/3/06)

JIM MCGOVERN: Transition to nowhere (By Jim McGovern, Boston Globe, 8/3/06)

JEFF JACOBY: 9,240 victims, and counting (By Jeff Jacoby, Globe Columnist, 1/4/06)

GLOBE EDITORIAL: Containing Castro (Boston Globe, 5/15/04)

GLOBE EDITORIAL: Cuba's needless isolation (Boston Globe, 10/20/03)

JEFF JACOBY: Castro's cheerleaders (By Jeff Jacoby, Globe Columnist, 5/8/03)

THOMAS OLIPHANT: Cracking the isolation of Cuba (By Thomas Oliphant, Boston Globe, 4/15/03)

JEFF JACOBY: A wave of repression in Cuba (By Jeff Jacoby, Boston Globe, 4/9/03)

GLOBE EDITORIAL: Castro's game (Boston Globe, 4/7/03)