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On Monday, the leader of the Cuban revolution, Fidel Castro Ruz, published an article denying that his health is deteriorating. The 86-year-old Castro said in an ironically titled article, “Fidel Castro’s Agony”, published in the government-run newspaper Granma, “I don’t even remember what a headache is. To prove this a lie, I presented the photographs accompanying this article”. Castro denied rumours that his health had worsened and that his “state is very close to neurovegetative”.
The four photographs of Fidel, made by his son Alex and published on the website Cubadebate, show the legendary revolutionary walking around in a peasant straw hat, blue sports pants, and red-checked shirt. In one of the photos, he has a new issue of Granma. Castro said that he stopped writing his “Reflections” columns because “it isn’t my role to occupy the pages of our media, they have other aims. I like writing, and I write; I like studying, and I study”.
Last Thursday, the Spanish newspaper ABC quoted Venezuelan doctor José Marquina as saying that Castro suffered a massive stroke and was dying. Marquina made similar claims in the past concerning Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez‘s health, but turned out to be false. In April, Marquina said that Chávez, who battled an undisclosed form of cancer, was in his “last days” and would be dead in less than a year. However, within days of Marquina’s pronouncement, Chávez said that he’d beaten cancer and appeared stronger in public.
22 October 2012
RIA-Novosti
Voices from Russia 
Lavrov Sez Moscow Would Block Any Initiative Calling for Force Against Iran
Tags: 2008 South Ossetia war, diplomacy, diplomatic relations, Iran, Israel, Lavrov, Libya, Likud, political commentary, politics, poster, Rossiyskaya Gazeta, Russia, Russian, Russian diplomacy, Sergei Lavrov, Sergey Lavrov, UN, UN Security Council, United Nations, United Nations Security Council, United States, USA
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On Tuesday, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Russia would scuttle any UN Security Council resolution that could be interpreted as allowing military action against Iran. In an interview with Rossiiskaya Gazeta, he was asked whether Israel or the USA could start military operations in Iran, and he replied, “As the Libyan experience has shown, sadly, a military scenario is possible”. Therefore, Russia will exercise an extremely cautious approach at the UN Security Council. Lavrov noted, “We won’t allow any more such disingenuous interpretations. We’ll see to it that no resolution is open to interpretation like the one on Libya”. The West, led by the USA, suspects Iran of pursuing a secret nuclear weapons programme, but the Iran says it needs nuclear power solely for civilian uses. Lavrov observed that there’s “absolutely no evidence” that Iran decided to include a military component in its nuclear programme.
23 October 2012
RIA-Novosti
http://en.ria.ru/russia/20121023/176857678.html
Editor’s Note:
All of Wet Willy’s bellicose dribbling on Iran is sheer bullshit and moonshine. Lavrov appeared in public with Salehi a month ago, and that signalled a Russian guarantee to Iran. China’s behind that move, so, any military operation against Iran isn’t going to happen any time soon (or later). To put it bluntly, the USA is in “check” and it can’t move. All that it (and its amen corner in Israel’s Likud) can do is to make loud toothless growls. Israel lacks the means and the USA lacks the money and human military resources to attack a state such as Iran. It’s not Panama, Grenada, Iraq, Kosovo, or Lebanon. It’s a large and cohesive nation-state with one of the longest histories of any human society. The last time that the USA tried messing with a near-peer, it failed miserably (South Ossetia in ’08… Saakashvili was just Foggy Bottom’s stooge). Also, remember what the PLA did to the USA in Korea… the Chinese infantry wiped up the floor with the Americans (the only thing that ensured a stalemate there was American firepower compensated for lacklustre American boots on the ground… that’s still true today). The same would happen here… but worse.
Do you really want to vote for a liar on 6 November? Willy knows all that I’ve written is true, yet he still makes irresponsible and vacuous threats. Is that what you want in a president? President Obama isn’t perfect by a long shot, but he won’t attack Iran just to prove his machismo… Willy would. That should scare you…
BMD