Castro appears in first new video in months

HAVANA, Cuba (CNN) -- Looking gaunt -- but appearing lucid -- ailing Cuban leader Fidel Castro spoke about a variety of issues in a taped interview that aired on Cuban state television Friday.

The first video footage of Castro, 81, in three months shows him commenting on topics including global warming, Cuba's role in the Cold War and the economy.

Castro also referred to current events such as the price of oil hitting $80 a barrel, which happened last week, and the recently released book by former U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan.

The book's $35 price tag probably made Greenspan "a millionaire," Castro said. He read aloud a few passages, saying, "I tried to understand the essence of this new world. How did we get here?"

The television appearance likely is a response to often-circulated rumors of Castro's impending death, CNN's Morgan Neill reported. Watch Neill describe the 'rambling interview' »

The leader ceded power to a provisional government headed by his brother Raul on July 31, 2006, after undergoing intestinal surgery.

The interview was punctuated by long pauses, and at times Castro appeared to be having problems with his voice, Neill said.

Castro was wearing a red, white and blue track suit with the Cuban flag on it -- the same one he wore in June when a similar interview aired, his first since his surgery.

Both interviews were conducted by Randy Alonso, host of the government's nightly "Roundtable" program. The hourlong interview was taped Friday, Alonso said after the broadcast.

When he turned his presidential powers over to his brother, Castro called the move temporary. But the switch touched off a flurry of speculation that the Communist leader, who came to power in 1959, might be dying.

Although Raul Castro is still the acting president, "we're at the point now to where Cubans themselves are not sure who is running the country," Neill said.

Cuban officials have said Fidel Castro is getting better and is involved in state matters.

"Fidel is recovering with discipline and I think that he's having a productive work period -- reading, studying, writing and keeping up with and participating in the country's principal decisions," Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque told reporters Friday, according to The Associated Press.

In May, Castro discussed details of his health problems, telling Cubans in a written message published in newspapers that he underwent several operations, some of which were unsuccessful, but that his condition had stabilized.

He also revealed that during his illness, he received nutrition intravenously, but he said he was no longer doing so. E-mail to a friend

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