The first photos of Fidel Castro since his emergency surgery two weeks ago were published today, his 80th birthday, by Cuba’s Communist Youth newspaper in their online edition Juventud Rebelde.

In the first of the four photos, shown above, Castro holds a copy of the Saturday August 12, 2006 edition of Granma, the Cuban Communist Party newspaper. The headline reads “Absolved by history.” The photos were picked up this morning by the Associated Press wire surface, and offered with this statement:

“The Associated Press cannot verify the authenticity or the date when these photographs were shot”.

And so, the first question of the day is whether the photos truly show Fidel Castro recuperating from his illness, or whether they were photoshopped or are deceptive in some other way.

The second question is why AP is so hesitant in identifying them definitely as authentic post-surgery Fidel Castro photos (fall-out from the photo scandals hitting them, Reuters, and other media? Or something more specific that gives them pause?)

The third question is exactly how serious the situation is in Cuba behind the shield of military mobilization and total news blackout of the past few days if it is necessary to publish a picture of Fidel Castro holding up a newspaper in a hostage-like attempt to show that he was alive as of yesterday.

Prior to these photographs published today and purportedly taken yesterday, Castro was last photographed on July 26, 2006, at the 53rd anniversary of his barracks assault that launched the Cuban revolution.

A photo from that event is shown for comparison of the Cuban leader’s appearance then and in the latest photos.

No matter what the ultimate answer to that question may be, one thing is certain. Change has come to Cuba and nothing will be the same as it was before the Communist dictator ceded power for the first time in nearly a half century.

Cuba, and the world, are now seriously contemplating the reality of life post-Fidel.

More on this latest development, and more photos, below the fold.

I will have more information will follow on developments in Cuba later today.

For now, let me say that the military has shown some chinks in the supposed solid support of Raul Castro that has been the official line since Castro’s surgery. If I am aware of that, I am certain that AP is aware of it as well.

Also, a close examination at 1000% magnification of Fidel’s right hand in the first photo, where he is holding the newspaper at the bottom, shows a perfectly straight line of vertical pixels where his thumb and fingers meet the newspaper. This type of artifact is usually a sign of photo manipulation, although that is not definite.

One possibility is that the front page of Granma, shown in the photo and displaying yesterday’s headline, was photoshopped in over a blank page of newsprint originally held up by Fidel as preparation for a staged photo. Further examination of the photo should yield more specific information.

More from Anita Snow, of AP:

On his 80th birthday, Fidel Castro cautioned Cubans he faced a long recovery from surgery but urged them to stay optimistic, while the Communist Youth newspaper published the first photographs of the Cuban leader since his illness.

Castro, whose illness forced him to step aside as president two weeks ago, said his health had improved, but warned he still faced risks.

“I feel very happy,” said a statement attributed to Castro in the Juventud Rebelde newspaper. “For all those who care about my health, I promise to fight for it.”

“To say that the objective stability has considerably improved is not making up a lie,” the statement read. “To affirm that the recovery period will take a short time and that there is no risk would be absolutely incorrect.

“I ask you all to be optimistic, and at the same time to be ready to face any adverse news,” it added.

“To the people of Cuba, infinite gratitude for your loving support. The country is marching on and will continue marching on perfectly well.”

The online edition of the newspaper also published the four photographs shown here of Castro wearing what looked like a white and red running suit. In two of them he is talking on the telephone and in another is showing a copy of the Saturday edition of Granma, the Communist Party newspaper.

On Saturday, Granma carried a report saying that Castro was walking and talking again, and even working a bit in the most optimistic report yet since intestinal surgery forced him to cede power temporarily.

Meanwhile, his close friend and political ally, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, said Saturday that he would visit the Cuban leader.

“Tomorrow I will be with Fidel celebrating his 80th birthday,” Chavez said at a news conference in Caracas after declaring his candidacy for re-election in December.

“I’ll take him a nice gift, a good cake, and we’ll be celebrating the 80 years of this great figure of America and our history,” Chavez said.

Chavez also visited Castro in October 2004, two weeks after a fall that shattered the Cuban leader’s kneecap and broke his right arm. A picture of the pair on the front page of Granma newspaper was the first image published of Castro after the accident.

Saturday’s article in the Granma newspaper — though brief — was the most detailed statement Cuba’s government has issued since Castro announced July 31 that he was temporarily ceding his powers to his younger brother Raul, No. 2 in the government.

Fidel Castro said his condition during his recovery would be treated as a “state secret,” so as not to give any advantage to his enemies in the United States.

“Firm Like a Caguairan,” the Granma headline read, comparing Castro to a hardwood tropical tree native to eastern Cuba.

“A friend tells us that just a few hours ago, upon visiting the Comandante who was briefly dispatching some business, he witnessed some good news that he enthusiastically summed up in one sentence: ‘The Caguairan has risen,’” the paper said in a three-paragraph report.

“He said that he could appreciate how the Chief of the Revolution, after receiving a little physical therapy, took some steps in his room and then, seated in a chair, conversed animatedly,” the report said, without identifying the friend.

While the news of Castro’s progress will surely be embraced by his supporters, South Florida’s Cuban exile community used it to criticize the island’s government.

“Sadly, Granma’s optimism of Fidel Castro’s health is in sharp contrast to political prisoners who are rotting in Cuban prisons for simply disagreeing (with him),” said Alfredo Mesa, spokesman for the Cuban American National Foundation. “Dead or alive, change in Cuba must come now. The era of Fidel Castro must end.”

Despite the optimistic assessment of Castro’s progress, few believed that he would be making a public appearance on his 80th birthday Sunday.

No official events had been announced for Sunday, although Cuban musicians were staging a Saturday night concert in support of Castro and his government.

Latin American intellectuals had planned several days of parties, concerts and conferences on the legacy of Cuba’s “Maximum Leader.” But Castro was expected to spend the weekend in recovery. Celebrations have been postponed until Dec. 2, the 50th anniversary of the Revolutionary Armed Forces.

Cubans have cultivated a myth over the last half-century that Castro is invincible, but in recent days have had to face the reality that their leader is an elderly man who will someday die.

The Cuban president blamed an unspecified intestinal problem brought on by a heavy work schedule. He recently traveled to Argentina for a summit of the trade group Mercosur and gave two long speeches in eastern Cuba on July 26, the last time he was seen in public.