Fidel Castro celebrated his 83rd birthday with a bleak warning over US handling of the global economic crisis, as photos emerged apparently showing the former Cuban leader in better health.
The two images surfaced as Cuba's government-run newspapers ran a signed opinion article calling on Cubans to "continue forward" in the face of world economic turmoil and misguided US policies.
"The quite general tendency of North American politicians is to believe that as soon as the banks free-up enough dollars to grease the machinery of the productive apparatus, everything will march on to an idyllic and not-yet- dreamed-of world," Castro said.
"Some people talk about the economic crisis being the end of imperialism, maybe one could ask whether it does not mean something worse for our species," he added.
"In my opinion, the best will always be to have a just cause to defend and the hope to continue forward."
The article featured few of the bombastic denunciations of the United States normally seen in his frequent "reflections" carried by the Cuban press.
Amid swirling rumors of ill health Castro formally handed power to his brother Raul, aged 78, in early 2008.
Fidel Castro, once famous for his epic hours-long speeches, has not been seen in public since July 2006, prompting a spew of rumors that he has died.
In the latest in a series of pictures published to dispel such claims, two seemingly recent images emerged showing Castro flanked by a group of US clerics belonging to the Pastors for Peace organization.
Wearing a white track suit, dark t-shirt and a blue cap, Castro seemed to have gained weight since previous pictures.
Although the photos are undated, a Pastors for Peace team was in Cuba from July 24 to August 3 to deliver humanitarian aid to the island, in defiance of the US trade embargo on Cuba, in place since 1962.
One of the group, Reverend Lucius Walker, who has long campaigned for an end to the embargo against the island, said that during the multi-hour meeting, Castro appeared "strong" and "healthy."
"He was standing tall and strong, looking as healthily as I hope is portrayed in the pictures," Walker told AFP.
According to Walker, Castro and his wife hosted the group at their home in Havana on August 2, with the former leader boasting about a long walk taken the day before and detailing his healthy new diet based on fruit and vegetables.
"He still loves yogurt," said Walker, adding that the veteran leader declared he had trouble walking on grass because of its unevenness, and preferred flat surfaces.
Walker said Castro, speaking through a translator, called for a "new day in US-Cuba relations" but "noted that he knows Obama has his hands full right now," referring to the American leader's heavy legislative agenda.
Although Fidel is no longer in office, the authorities pulled out the stops ahead of his birthday, opening an exhibit of 83 Castro pictures including recent frames.
The exhibit centerpiece is a one meter (3.2 feet) high print of a photo that Castro's son Alex, 46, told AFP he took a month and a half ago.
Other pictures also taken by Alex Castro show the ex-Cuban leader with leftist Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez, and Vietnamese leader Nong Duc Manh.