Revolutionary Cuban Leader Fidel Castro Has Died Aged 90

Fidel Castro, Cuba's former president and leader of the Communist revolution, has died aged 90, state TV announced on Saturday (26 November).

The revolutionary icon, one of the world's best-known and most controversial leaders, survived countless US assassination attempts and premature obituaries, but in the end proved mortal after suffering a long battle with illness.

Castro ruled Cuba as a one-party state for almost half a century before handing over the powers to his brother Raul in 2008.

Castro was a polarising figure. While his supporters praised him for having returned Cuba back to the people, his opponents accused him of suppressing opposition.

In April, Castro gave a rare speech on the final day of the country's Communist Party congress.

He acknowledged his advanced age but said Cuban communist concepts were still valid and the Cuban people "will be victorious".

"I'll soon be 90," the former president said, adding that this was "something I'd never imagined".

"Soon I'll be like all the others, to all our turn must come," Castro said.

With inputs from IANS