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Fidel Castro dead: World leaders pay tribute to former Cuban president Fidel Castro dead: World leaders pay tribute to former Cuban president
(about 5 hours later)
World leaders have begun to pay tribute to the former Cuban leader and revolutionary Fidel Castro who has died aged 90.  World leaders have paid tribute to the former Cuban leader and revolutionary Fidel Castro who has died aged 90. 
The incumbent Cuban President Raul Castro announced his brother had died at 10:29pm on state television late on Friday night. He ended the announcement by shouting the revolutionary slogan: “Toward victory, always!” The incumbent Cuban President Raul Castro announced his brother's death at 10:29pm on state television on Friday. He ended the announcement by shouting the revolutionary slogan: “Toward victory, always!”
Mr Castro stepped aside 10 years ago after suffering a severe gastrointestinal illness, and before his 90th birthday in August he told supporters he expected to die soon. Castro stepped aside as leader 10 years ago after suffering a severe gastrointestinal illness, and before his 90th birthday in August he told supporters he expected to die soon.
Leaders and politicians from across the world have reacted to the death of the firebrand leader who headed a rebel army to unlikely victory in Cuba, embraced Soviet-style communism and defied the power of 10 US presidents during his near 50-year rule. Leaders and politicians from across the world have reacted to the death of the firebrand leader who headed a rebel army to unlikely victory in Cuba, embraced Soviet-style communism and defied the power of 10 US presidents during his near 50-year rule. 
French President Francois Hollande said in a statement on Saturday that Mr Castro embodied Cuba's revolution in both its "hopes" and its later "disappointments".  Mikhail Gorbachev, the former Soviet Union leader, which acted as an economic and political prop for Cuba, praised Castro for "strengthening" his island nation.
"An actor of the Cold War...he represented, for Cubans, pride in rejecting external domination. France, which denounced human rights violations, has always contested the embargo imposed on Cuba by the US."
Russian President Vladimir Putin hailed Mr Castro as the "symbol of an era". In a telegram to the Cuban President cited by the Kremlin, he said: "The name of this distinguished statesman is rightly considered the symbol of an era in modern world history... Fidel Castro was a sincere and reliable friend of Russia."
Enrique Pena Nieto the President of Mexico, where Mr Castro fled and organised a rebel band that returned to Cuba 1956, said: "Fidel Castro was a friend of Mexico, promoter of a bilateral relationship based on respect, dialogue and solidarity."
Salvador Sanchez Ceren, President of El Salvador, tweeted: "With deep sorrow we received news of the death of my dear friend and eternal companion, Commander Fidel Castro Ruz."
Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro echoed Mr Castro’s victory slogan in his tribute over Twitter, which referenced the yacht Fidel and Raul Castro sailed in to Cuba to begin their revolution.
Mr Maduro wrote: “Sixty years after the Granma sailed from Mexico, Fidel sails towards the immortality of all those who fight their whole lives… Onwards to victory, always!” 
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said: "Fidel Castro was one of the most iconic personalities of the 20th century. India mourns the loss of a great friend. I extend my deepest condolences to the Government and people of Cuba on the sad demise of Fidel Castro. May his soul rest in peace."
Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev praised Mr Castro for "strengthening" his island nation.
"Fidel stood up and strengthened his country during the harshest American blockade, when there was colossal pressure on him and he still took his country out of this blockade to a path of independent development," Interfax news agency quoted Mr Gorbachev as saying."Fidel stood up and strengthened his country during the harshest American blockade, when there was colossal pressure on him and he still took his country out of this blockade to a path of independent development," Interfax news agency quoted Mr Gorbachev as saying.
Former Labour Cabinet minister and anti-apartheid leader Lord Peter Hain said: "Although responsible for indefensible human rights and free speech abuses, Castro created a society of unparalleled access to free health, education and equal opportunity despite an economically throttling USA siege. In a telegram of condolences to the Cuban President, Russia's Vladimir Putin hailed Castro as the "symbol of an era". "The name of this distinguished statesman is rightly considered the symbol of an era in modern world history... Fidel Castro was a sincere and reliable friend of Russia," the Kremlin is quoted as saying. 
"His troops inflicted the first defeat on South Africa's troops in Angola in 1988, a vital turning point in the struggle against apartheid." In the US, President Barack Obama, who improved relations between the US and Cuba with a historic visit  in March this year, said the United States is extending "a hand of friendship to the Cuban people" in the wake of Castro's death. 
Former London mayor Ken Livingstone called Mr Castro an "absolute giant of the 20th century", and blamed the US for the restrictions on civil liberties under his leadership. He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that Cuba could reform now it was not under the threat of American invasion "even if Trump goes a little bit bonkers".  In statement Mr Obama said that "history will record and judge the enormous impact of this singular figure on the people and world around him," and noted that "discord and profound political disagreements" marked the relationship between the United States and Cuba for nearly six decades, adding he "worked hard to put the past behind us." 
Former Labour trade minister Brian Wilson, who led efforts to normalise trade links with Cuba and said he shared an Old Havana whiskey with the president at one meeting, said said Mr Castro had sent out a "beacon of hope" to Latin America. Meanwhile, President-elect Donald Trump, meanwhile offered a curt response to Castro's death, writing on Twitter merely that "Fidel Castro is dead!"
"He educated his people and he gave them healthcare they had never had before, and you can admire all of that without being an uncritical supporter, believe me, but do not lose the bigger picture - that Fidel Castro, for his region and for oppressed people throughout the world, sent out a message of hope," he told the Today programme In the UK, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson described Castro as a "historic if controversial figure" and his death marked "the end of an era for Cuba and the start of a new one for Cuba's people".
The former Pakistan presidential election candidate and ex-cricketer Imran Khan described Mr Castro as an "iconic revolutionary" over Twitter who "liberated his nation from all vestiges of imperialism". "Castro reasserted the Cuban nation's dignity and self worth that withstood US aggression and became a global leader for anti-colonial struggles."  
Prominent figures from the left of British politics responded to the death, including Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn who told the Press Association: "Fidel Castro was a massive figure in the history of the whole planet."
Former London mayor Ken Livingstone called Castro an "absolute giant of the 20th century", and blamed the US for the restrictions on civil liberties under his leadership. He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that Cuba could reform now it was not under the threat of American invasion "even if Trump goes a little bit bonkers". 
In a more reserved statement, French President Francois Hollande said Castro embodied Cuba's revolution in both its "hopes" and its later "disappointments". 
"An actor of the Cold War...he represented, for Cubans, pride in rejecting external domination. France, which denounced human rights violations, has always contested the embargo imposed on Cuba by the US," he said. 
Enrique Pena Nieto the President of Mexico, where Castro fled and organised a rebel band that returned to Cuba 1956, said: "Fidel Castro was a friend of Mexico, promoter of a bilateral relationship based on respect, dialogue and solidarity."
Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian President, has sent his condolences to Raul Castro and praised his brother's legacy. A statement said he received the news of  his death with great "sadness and sorrow". 
"Castro's name will remain immortal and inspire generations of people aspiring for genuine independence and freedom from colonialism and hegemony," said Mr Assad. 
Chinese President Xi Jinping said Castro "made immortal historical contributions to the development of socialism around the world." 
"With his death, the Chinese people have lost a close comrade and a sincere friend. His glorious image and great achievements will be recorded in history forever," Xi said in a telegram to Raul Castro, state broadcaster CCTV said. 
Pope Francis offered "my sense of grief to your excellency and family" in a telegram to Raul Castro. In a sign of his personal esteem, the Pope signed the telegram, breaking from the Vatican's usual practice of having the secretary of state send such messages. Francis met Castro during the papal visit to Cuba in September 2015. 
A statement from the Spanish government hailed Castro as "a figure of enormous historical importance" as a small crowd of both pro- and anti-Castro supporters met in front of the Cuban embassy in Madrid. 
"As a son of Spaniards, former president Castro always maintained close relations with Spain and showed great affection for his family and cultural ties. For this reason Spain especially shares the grief of Cuba's government and authorities," the government statement said. 
 
Lebanon's militant Hezbollah group described Mr Castro as a great leader. Ammar al-Moussawi, who is in charge of the group's international relations, lauded Castro as "a historic symbol whose life was a lighthouse to all revolutionaries around the world." 
Castro will be cremated this afternoon in Cuba, where nine days of national mourning have been declared. 
That Castro lived until 90, having survived multiple attempts on his life, was something he said he “never imagined“ when he briefly emerged from seclusion earlier this year to deliver a farewell speech. “Soon I’ll be like all the others,” Castro said. "To all our turn must come.
Additional reporting by agencies