Castro falls
The week's news at a glance.
Santa Clara, Cuba
Cuban leader Fidel Castro tripped as he stepped off a stage after a public appearance last week, slamming to the ground and breaking a kneecap and arm. Panicked aides rushed to his side, and Cuban exiles in the U.S. immediately began buzzing with talk of the 78-year-old communist leader’s demise. Yanisset Rivero, an activist in Miami, said the mishap helped dispel the myth that Castro, who has run the Caribbean island for more than four decades, is “some sort of god.” Castro quickly appeared on state television. “I’m all in one piece,” he said. When asked whether the Bush administration wished Castro a speedy recovery, a State Department spokesman said, “No.”
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
![https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516-320-80.jpg)
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
Why Roman epic Those About to Die has split the critics
Talking Point Sword and sandals miniseries starring Anthony Hopkins puts spectacle above story
By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK Published
-
Why is China stockpiling resources?
The Explainer The superpower has been amassing huge reserves of commodities at great cost despite its economic downturn
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published
-
Paraguay's dangerous dalliance with cryptocurrency
Under The Radar Overheating Paraguayans are pushing back over power outages caused by illegal miners
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published