Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro  dismissed reports that he was dead or near death in an article published in Cuba's state run press. He accused news agencies and enemies of Cuba of spreading stupidities about him, particularly a report from a Spanish newspaper last week that said he had suffered a massive heart stroke and was in a vegetative state. The article in Communist party newspaper Granma was accompanied by photographs showing him walking outside on a sunny day on what appeared to be a farm. He wore a straw hat and red plaid shirt, used a walking cane and, in one photo, held a copy of Granma from Friday. Social media has been alight in recent weeks with rumors about Castro, who is 86 and has been in declining health for several years. He ruled Cuba for 49 years before resigning in 2008, citing age and infirmity. Younger brother Raul Castro succeeded him as president. On blogs and Twitter, he has been declared dead or near dead numerous times, spurred by a long, unexplained absence from the public eye. Castro had not written one of his Reflections opinion columns for state press since June 19 or been seen publicly since March.