Fruits and vegetables

It's official: Fidel Castro is not a vegetable.

So says his friend Hugo Chavez, who told supporters over the weekend that he had recently received a letter from the seriously ill dictator.

And guess what? It seems those rumours about Castro lapsing into some sort of comma are untrue, if we believe the Venezuelan president.

"I received a letter and I want to make it public before the world because some say that Fidel is dying," Chavez said. "They say he is a vegetable. No."

Of course, this is not the first time Chavez has claimed to have important news from Havana. Only a few days ago he assured reporters that Castro was well on the road to recovery, already wearing the customary olive-green uniform and going out for night-time walks around Havana.