Castro makes public appearance

Cuban President Fidel Castro has showed up for the presentation of a new book, making his first public appearance almost two weeks after a serious infection in his leg forced him to rest out of the spotlight.

Wearing his traditional olive green uniform, the 76-year-old leader was shown on state television, greeting several people as he walked without apparent trouble into a meeting room of the National Library.

He took a front row seat for the book presentation.

On December 21, Castro excused himself from a meeting of the unicameral parliament known as the National Assembly, later saying in a letter he had suffered an insect bite in his left leg that became seriously infected and that doctors had prescribed antibiotics and rest.