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| Fidel Castro: world reacts to death of Cuban leader – live updates | Fidel Castro: world reacts to death of Cuban leader – live updates |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| 6.39am GMT | |
| 06:39 | |
| Imran Khan, former cricketer turned leader of Pakistan’s Tehreek-e-Insaf party, has tweeted a tribute to Castro: | |
| 1. Today the world lost an iconic revolutionary leader Fidel Castro who liberated his nation from all vestiges of imperialism. | |
| 2. Castro reasserted the Cuban nation's dignity & self worth that withstood US aggression & became a global ldr for anti colonial struggles | |
| 3. We in Pakistan will always remember with gratitude Cuba's support on the ground in the aftermath of the 2005 earthquake | |
| Updated | |
| at 6.44am GMT | |
| 6.33am GMT | |
| 06:33 | |
| As news of Castro’s death broke late on Friday night in the Americas, reactions from across the globe are expected to roll in over the coming hours. | |
| But verdicts on the man who ruled Cuba as a one-party state for almost half a century have long been sharply divided. | |
| Here are just a sample of what other world leaders have said about him over the years: | |
| John F Kennedy, 1962 | |
| Castro is not just another Latin American dictator, a petty tyrant bent merely on personal power and gain. His ambitions extend far beyond his own shores. | |
| Hugo Chavez, 2007 | |
| Fidel, for me, is a grand master. A wise man should never die; a man like Fidel will never die, because he will always be part of the people. | |
| Nelson Mandela, 2001 | |
| From its earliest days, the Cuban revolution has been a source of inspiration for all those who value freedom. We admire the sacrifices of the Cuban people in maintaining their independence and sovereignty in the face of the vicious imperialist and orchestrated campaign to destroy the awesome force of the Cuban revolution. | |
| Long live the Cuban Revolution! Long live comrade Fidel Castro! | |
| Ronald Reagan, 1986 | |
| I remember Herbert Matthews’ reports on Castro before he came to power, calling him a democrat and the hope of Cuba. And to some of you who are really too young to remember this, even people around our country were calling him the George Washington of Cuba, and George rolled over in his grave. | |
| General Augusto Pinochet | |
| A man of great charisma. He’s brave, Fidel Castro. A politician, with an iron fist. He stays strong. He put his close friend [General Arnaldo Ochoa, executed for treason in July 1989] in front of the firing squad. | |
| I would have given him a life sentence or expelled him from the country, but he had him shot. | |
| 6.26am GMT | |
| 06:26 | |
| Rory Carroll | |
| The man who famously declared “history will absolve me” leaves a divided legacy. Older Cubans who remember brutal times under Batista tend to emphasise the revolution’s accomplishments. Younger Cubans are more likely to rail against gerontocracy, repression and lost opportunity. But even they refer to Castro by the more intimate name of Fidel. | |
| Since largely vanishing from public view he has been a spectral presence, occasionally surfacing in what became a trademark tracksuit, to urge faith in the revolution. It was a long goodbye which accustomed Cubans to his mortality. | |
| Exiles in Florida, the heart of the diaspora which fled communist rule, are expected to celebrate. Previous false reports of Castro’s death triggered cavalcades of cheering, flag-waving revellers. | |
| Latin America’s leftist leaders, in contrast, will mourn the passing of a figure who was perceived less as a communist and more as a nationalist symbol of regional pride and defiance against the gringo superpower. | |
| 6.20am GMT | |
| 06:20 | |
| Here is video of that announcement on Cuban TV of the death of Fidel Castro. | |
| His brother, President Raúl Castro, said the former revolutionary leader had died at 10.29pm on Friday. | |
| Información de Raúl Castro sobre el fallecimiento del líder de la Revolución Cubana #FidelCastro #Cuba pic.twitter.com/vSwWY3gdiH | |
| 6.15am GMT | |
| 06:15 | |
| AFP reports that Castro’s body will be cremated on Saturday, citing Raúl Castro. | |
| This image shows Raúl Castro – who succeeded his brother as Cuba’s president in 2008 – announcing news of the death on national TV: | |
| Raúl Castro announces the death of his brother #FidelCastro on Cuban national TV (via @franceinfo) pic.twitter.com/I3zOuu0A12 | |
| 6.08am GMT | 6.08am GMT |
| 06:08 | 06:08 |
| Some reaction from Florida, home of many Cubans in exile. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, senior Republican representative for the state, tweeted: | Some reaction from Florida, home of many Cubans in exile. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, senior Republican representative for the state, tweeted: |
| We must seize the moment and help write a new chapter in the history of #Cuba; that of a Cuba that is free, democratic, and prosperous. | We must seize the moment and help write a new chapter in the history of #Cuba; that of a Cuba that is free, democratic, and prosperous. |
| While Castro’s brother remains in charge in Cuba, little can change, she added: | While Castro’s brother remains in charge in Cuba, little can change, she added: |
| Un día tenía q pasar. Pero la muerte de un dictador mientras que su hermano mantiene la misma opresión contra el pueblo cubano no es cambio | Un día tenía q pasar. Pero la muerte de un dictador mientras que su hermano mantiene la misma opresión contra el pueblo cubano no es cambio |
| And Cuban-born former baseball player José Canseco tweeted: | And Cuban-born former baseball player José Canseco tweeted: |
| I was born in Cuba and Fidel Castro was our leader. Came to the USA because of him. | I was born in Cuba and Fidel Castro was our leader. Came to the USA because of him. |
| 6.02am GMT | 6.02am GMT |
| 06:02 | 06:02 |
| No further details were given on Cuban state TV, beyond the news that Fidel Castro – for so long the country’s defining figure – had died on Friday evening. | No further details were given on Cuban state TV, beyond the news that Fidel Castro – for so long the country’s defining figure – had died on Friday evening. |
| In April this year, Castro appeared at the close of the Communist party congress in Havana and alluded to the fact he would not be around for ever: | In April this year, Castro appeared at the close of the Communist party congress in Havana and alluded to the fact he would not be around for ever: |
| I’ll be 90 years old soon. Soon I’ll be like all the others. | I’ll be 90 years old soon. Soon I’ll be like all the others. |
| The time will come for all of us, but the ideas of the Cuban communists will remain as proof on this planet that if they are worked at with fervour and dignity, they can produce the material and cultural goods that human beings need, and we need to fight without truce to obtain them. | The time will come for all of us, but the ideas of the Cuban communists will remain as proof on this planet that if they are worked at with fervour and dignity, they can produce the material and cultural goods that human beings need, and we need to fight without truce to obtain them. |
| 5.53am GMT | 5.53am GMT |
| 05:53 | 05:53 |
| Rory Carroll | Rory Carroll |
| The announcement was long expected, given the former president’s age and health problems, but when it came it was still a shock: the comandante – a figurehead for armed struggle across the developing world – was no more. It was news that friends and foes had long dreaded and yearned for respectively. | The announcement was long expected, given the former president’s age and health problems, but when it came it was still a shock: the comandante – a figurehead for armed struggle across the developing world – was no more. It was news that friends and foes had long dreaded and yearned for respectively. |
| The Communist party and state apparatus has prepared for this moment since July 2006 when Castro underwent emergency intestinal surgery and ceded power to his brother, Raúl, who remains in charge. | The Communist party and state apparatus has prepared for this moment since July 2006 when Castro underwent emergency intestinal surgery and ceded power to his brother, Raúl, who remains in charge. |
| Fidel wrote occasional columns for the party paper, Granma, and made very occasional public appearances – most recently at the 2016 Communist party congress – but otherwise remained invisible. | Fidel wrote occasional columns for the party paper, Granma, and made very occasional public appearances – most recently at the 2016 Communist party congress – but otherwise remained invisible. |
| Confirmation of his death will trigger celebrations in Miami, the centre of Cuba’s exile community, and mourning among leftwing admirers around the world. For many Cubans on the island who grew up in his shadow, simultaneously respecting and resenting him, it will be a moment of profound ambivalence. | Confirmation of his death will trigger celebrations in Miami, the centre of Cuba’s exile community, and mourning among leftwing admirers around the world. For many Cubans on the island who grew up in his shadow, simultaneously respecting and resenting him, it will be a moment of profound ambivalence. |
| 5.50am GMT | 5.50am GMT |
| 05:50 | 05:50 |
| Castro died on Friday evening, his brother Raúl announced on national television. | Castro died on Friday evening, his brother Raúl announced on national television. |
| The commander in chief of the Cuban revolution died 10.29pm tonight. | The commander in chief of the Cuban revolution died 10.29pm tonight. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 5.53am GMT | at 5.53am GMT |
| 5.37am GMT | 5.37am GMT |
| 05:37 | 05:37 |
| Fidel Castro has died at the age of 90, Cuban state television has announced, ending an era for the country. | Fidel Castro has died at the age of 90, Cuban state television has announced, ending an era for the country. |
| We will have all the reaction and fallout as Cuba, Latin America and the wider world learns of the death of a revolutionary and controversial figure. | We will have all the reaction and fallout as Cuba, Latin America and the wider world learns of the death of a revolutionary and controversial figure. |