CASTRO

HAVANA (AP):

Fidel Castro sent Cubans a sober greeting on his 80th birthday yesterday, saying he faces a long recovery from surgery - and warning they should be prepared for "adverse news." But he encouraged them to be optimistic, saying Cuba "will continue marching on perfectly well."

Meanwhile, Castro's younger brother Raul Castro made his first public appearance as Cuba's interim president, receiving Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez at the Havana airport yesterday. Chavez arrived to celebrate the elder Castro's birthday.

According to the Saturday edition of Cuba's official Communist Party newspaper Granma, Castro is sitting up, walking and even working a bit.