Amid health rumors, Fidel Castro appears in public In this Feb. 10, 2012 file photo released by the state media website Cubadebate, Cuba's leader Fidel Castro speaks during a meeting with intellectuals and writers at the International Book Fair in Havana, Cuba. / Roberto Chile/AP Photo/Cubadebate HAVANA A top executive at Havana's Hotel Nacional says that Fidel Castro made a public appearance there, challenging rumors that he is in ailing health. The hotel's commercial director Yamila Fuster told The Associated Press on Sunday that the 86-year-old Castro arrived there in a car Saturday afternoon to drop off a "distinguished Venezuelan guest," then stayed to chat with hotel employees. Several recent rounds of rumors have suggested that Castro has been gravely ill, even near death.