Fidel Castro, at 80, may be the next comeback kid

HAVANA: Cuban leader Fidel Castro, sidelined by intestinal surgery almost eight months ago, is now recovering at a faster pace, taking part in daily government affairs, and fueling talk he may return to the helm of Cuba's communist government soon.

"The pace of his recovery process has picked up. We are all expecting it to be completed shortly," Vice President Jose Ramon Fernandez told reporters.

Still, Fernandez said, "It is clear that after a lengthy illness one has to rest and take precautions and factor in the absolutely overwhelming dedication he always gives his work, hours and hours, and days without rest; and we have to protect him from that".

Castro, 80, underwent intestinal surgery and then on July 31 temporarily handed the reins of government to his brother Raul Castro, 75, the defence chief and regime's number two.

The Cuban government has given very little detail on Fidel Castro's health, which it considers a state secret.

For a few months Cuban officials sounded cautiously optimistic; then for a few months, less-than-optimistic.

US intelligence officials from Cuba's arch-enemy the United States said it looked as if he would not be long for this world.

Now, Cuban authorities again sound convinced that the man who has led Cuba for more than four decades may well make it back on the job. And signs of the old Fidel have been starting to emerge.