Castro less gaunt in new photo

HAVANA — A new photograph released Friday shows Fidel Castro looking less gaunt than in the previous image of him two months ago.

The photograph shows Castro wearing a blue track suit and holding the arm of Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner during a visit Wednesday. The time gap since the last photo was published had fueled rumors that Castro’s condition had worsened.

Castro, 82, hasn’t been seen in public since undergoing abdominal surgery in July 2006, and he turned over the presidency to his brother Raul last year. On Thursday, he instructed Cuban officials to start making decisions without taking him into account.

Despite stepping down from the presidency after nearly half a century as Cuba’s supreme leader, Castro’s periodic essays continue to carry weight.

They are diligently read in full at the top of midday and nightly radio and television newscasts before any other national or international story. At times, they have even appeared to contradict the words of his brother, the president, prompting speculation about who is really in charge.

The bulk of his latest column was devoted to praising President Obama, in part for his decision to close the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.