Via the BBC: Fidel Castro hints at retirement

In a letter read out on state TV, Mr Castro, Cuba’s leader since 1959, said he had a duty not to hold on to power or obstruct the rise of younger people.

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“My basic duty is not to cling to office, and even less to obstruct the path of younger people, but to pass on the experiences and ideas whose modest worth stems from the exceptional era in which I have lived,” Mr Castro’s letter said.

Really, it is hard to look at the last year and a half and not see it basically as retirement for Fidel in all but name. The approach of the Cuban government to Fidel’s ailments has been a super slow-motion move to his stepping down from power, which has largely been smart, as it allows for change without drama.