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Post by artemis on Dec 29, 2011 5:29:54 GMT -5
"Chavez: Is U.S. behind bout of cancer?
Caracas, Venezuela (CNN) -- A day after officials announced the cancer diagnosis of Argentina's president, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez wondered Wednesday if the United States could be infecting the region's leaders with the illness.
Five current or former Latin American presidents have battled cancer in the past few years, including Chavez himself, who claims to have beaten an unspecified cancer.
Chavez prefaced his remarks at a military event in Caracas by saying, "I don't want to make any reckless accusations," but the Venezuelan president said he was concerned by something he finds "very, very, very strange."
"Would it be strange if (the United States) had developed a technology to induce cancer, and for no one to know it?" he asked.
Chavez cited the revelation this year that the United States, between 1946 and 1948, had carried out human experiments in Guatemala where subjects were exposed to sexually transmitted diseases.
That was 50 years ago, Chavez said. Will it be discovered 50 years from now that the United States was infecting presidents with cancer, he posited?
"I don't know. I'm just putting the thought out there," Chavez said.
The Venezuelan president, who has a firm anti-U.S. stance, frequently hurls accusations at his political enemies, domestic and foreign. He has repeatedly said the United States is trying to destabilize his government.
A spokesman for Argentinian President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner said Tuesday that doctors had diagnosed her with thyroid cancer. She is scheduled to undergo surgery next week.
Paraguayan President Fernando Lugo was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2010.
Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff overcame cancer while she was a candidate for the office, and former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is undergoing treatment for throat cancer.
Chavez said his ally Fidel Castro had repeatedly warned him to beware of what he eats, as foods are potential vehicles for an illness.
Chavez gets tests in Cuba
The Venezuelan leader questioned the timing of the diagnoses -- Rousseff during her campaign, and Chavez himself right before an election year.
"I repeat: I am not accusing anyone. I am just using my freedom to reflect and give commentary on very strange occurrences that are hard to explain," he said."
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Post by artemis on Jan 9, 2012 7:51:30 GMT -5
"Chavez resumes program after cancer treatment
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez resumed his weekly television and radio program Sunday after a hiatus of seven months due to his cancer treatment.
Chavez launched the program "Hello, President" in typical style, attacking his political opponents and the U.S. government while visiting an oil project in eastern Venezuela.
Referring to his political opponents, Chavez said: "It seems there's confusion, divisions in their ranks."
The leftist leader has used the program during his 13-year-old presidency to make announcements, chide critics and entertain his supporters, singing and telling stories in monologues often lasting four to five hours. Sunday's program lasted about five hours.
"I'm just starting my training," said Chavez, who is running for re-election in October.
The 57-year-old president had a tumor removed from his pelvic region in June and underwent four rounds of chemotherapy from July to September in both Cuba and Venezuela. He has repeatedly said he is now cancer-free, although he hasn't revealed what type of cancer he was diagnosed with.
Chavez's program on Sunday was episode No. 376 of his presidency. The last edition occurred June 5 before he underwent cancer surgery in Cuba.
Sipping coffee, Chavez said, "They still say I'm dying" and added, "With the grace of God ... I will be here with you for a long time."
He called for a round of applause for his new defense minister, Gen. Henry Rangel Silva. The U.S. has accused Rangel of aiding drug traffickers and Colombian rebels, and political opponents have highlighted what they say are antidemocratic tendencies for suggesting in a 2010 newspaper interview that neither the military nor the public would accept an opposition victory in the upcoming presidential vote.
Rangel, a former intelligence chief, stood and smiled in the audience while Chavez praised him and referred to government opponents as "squalid ones."
"Give thanks to God that the squalid ones attack you," Chavez said. "I'd be very worried if they applauded you."
Rangel's appointment was one of several recent changes in Chavez's inner circle as the president prepares his re-election campaign.
Diosdado Cabello, a former army officer who participated in a 1992 coup attempt led by Chavez, took over last week as National Assembly president, showing Chavez expects to count on him in the coming year after Cabello also assumed a top party post.
Cabello, a former vice president who is thought to have close ties to the military, has long been a close ally of Chavez, but his standing appeared diminished after he lost a 2008 state governor re-election bid to an opposition leader.
Chavez has also said another close ally, Vice President Elias Jaua, will run for state governor in the key state of Miranda, which includes part of Caracas and surrounding areas.
Chavez spoke against a backdrop of oil processing machinery, and the camera cut to a live conversations with oil workers wearing hard hats and Iranian engineers at a cement plant.
He spoke on the program several hours before Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad arrived in Venezuela's capital to begin a four-nation Latin American tour. Chavez rebuffed critical comments by U.S. officials, who have urged countries to insist that Iran stop defying international efforts to assess its nuclear program.
"What the empire does is make you laugh, in its desperation to do something they won't be able to do: dominate this world," Chavez said."
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Post by artemis on Feb 22, 2012 4:20:35 GMT -5
"Chavez faces surgery, says lesion likely malignant CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — President Hugo Chavez announced Tuesday that doctors in Cuba found a new lesion in the same place where a cancerous tumor was removed last year and said he will shortly return to the island to have it surgically removed. He told Venezuelans he did not know if the lesion is malignant but that the probability is high, adding that they should not expect to see him in coming weeks as he will likely need localized radiation therapy. "I'm not going to be able to continue with the same rhythm," Chavez told state TV via telephone Tuesday night, adding that he would need to "rethink my personal agenda and take care of myself, confront what must be confronted." The announcement thrust Venezuelan politics into new uncertainty because the socialist leader is seeking re-election this year, hoping to extend his more than 13 years in power with a new six-year term. Initialy announcing the lesion in an afternoon state TV appearance from his home state of Barinas, Chavez said the lesion was about "two centimeters (less than one inch) in diameter, very clearly visible." He said it would be removed by the same surgeons who excised a tumor from his pelvic region last June, and expected the new operation would be less complicated. Chavez, 57, did not say when he would depart for Cuba. He said he would attend to government business Wednesday, including signing papers, meeting with the Cabinet and armed forces leaders. He said he would head for Havana "without haste. All in good time." A leading Colombian oncologist, Dr. Carlos Castro, said that if Chavez undergoes radiation therapy that typically means a minimum of 10 daily sessions, which means Chavez would need to name a temporary replacement while undergoing treatment. From July to September, Chavez received four rounds of chemotherapy, both in Cuba and in Venezuela, and subsequently said tests showed he was cancer-free. On Tuesday, Chavez denied rumors that the cancer had spread aggressively. "I completely deny what's going around that I have metastasis in the liver or I don't know where, that the cancer has spread all over my body and that I'm already dying," he said. He has never specified the cancer's exact nature or location, and critics have repeatedly accused Chavez of a lack of transparency. Analyst Cynthia Arnson of the Woodrow Wilson International Center in Washington said Tuesday's announcement seriously complicates Chavez's prospects for re-election on Oct. 7. "It's now clear that Chavez's cancer is far from cured. Chavez's illness — his ability to campaign as well as to govern — is a major factor in the race. It erodes the aura of invincibility as well as inevitability that Chavez has always tried to create," she said. The governing party will also be vexed as it lacks an alternative with Chavez's charisma and popular following, Arnson said. She predicted "a tight race (will get) even tighter" against opposition candidate Henrique Capriles, a 39-year-old state governor. He said rumors, including that the cancer has been spreading, prompted him to go public. He had been out of public sight since Friday, not announcing his trip to Cuba. His government's handling of unconfirmed reports that he spent the weekend there undergoing medical tests turned out to be ham-fisted. On Monday, repeated attempts by The Associated Press to confirm the reports went unanswered, and Communications Minister Andres Izarra vehemently denied them online. "Regarding the rumors, dirty war from the gutter," Izarra tweeted. Also Monday, an employee of the Venezuela Embassy in Havana said there was no indication Chavez had gone to Cuba or planned to do so. The person did say that some members of the presidential family were in Cuba but had already left. The employee spoke on condition of anonymity, lacking authorization to discuss the matter publicly. Chavez, whose approval ratings have topped 50 percent in recent polls, has in recent weeks recovered the hair he shaved off during chemotherapy and appeared vigorous, albeit puffy around the face and neck. He had returned to a full schedule of activities including marathon television appearances. "I am in good physical shape to confront this new battle," Chavez said on Tuesday afternoon. He later choked up, reflecting on mortality in the phone call. "I ask for life," he said. "I want to live with you and fight with you until the last moment of this life that God gave me." He called on his backers to "accelerate the (electoral) battle." Doctors consulted by the AP said it was difficult to assess Chavez's prognosis. But Dr. Javier Cebrian, a colorectal specialist and chief surgeon at University Hospital in Caracas, said news that the lesion was in the very place the initial tumor was removed was not good. "A local recurrence is a bad symptom because it means the illness is growing again," he said. "It's an ominous sign," said Dr. Michael Pishvaian, a Georgetown University oncologist. He said doctors often use the term lesion to refer to a new tumor, which appears to fit Chavez's description. He said such a reappearance, particularly when a patient has undergone surgery then chemotherapy, suggests cancerous cells have resisted the treatments. Many Venezuelans have been impressed by Chavez's fortitude. "It's already established that Chavez is a superman because he was sick and he didn't delegate to anyone," said Luis Montilla, a 51-year-old lawyer. Capriles' campaign coordinator, Armando Briquet, said he and his team wish Chavez "a complete recovery" and "a long life although we have always been critical about the lack of real information about the president's health." Capriles claims Chavez has exploited his lengthy rule to balance the scales against a fair election, taking advantage of government money and slanted coverage in state media. He is a strident critic of Chavez's expropriations of hundreds of businesses, apartment buildings and farms over the past decade. The government's generous spending has made Chavez a hero to many of his supporters, which make up a large segment of Venezuela's poor. Opponents say Chavez has done nothing to combat Venezuela's rampant violent crime and blame him for 26 percent inflation. His opponents also criticize the former paratroop commander for his strident anti-U.S. rhetoric and defense of Iran and its nuclear program. The U.S. Embassy in Caracas has been without an ambassador since July 2010." The way he looks now
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Post by artemis on Feb 23, 2012 15:43:48 GMT -5
Going to CUBA again?
"Chavez goes to Cuba on Friday for cancer surgery
CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela's ailing socialist leader, Hugo Chavez, will fly to Cuba on Friday for an unknown period to undergo new cancer surgery that has shaken the South American nation before an October presidential election.
"Once more into battle!" said Chavez, 57, in typically militaristic language at a televised Cabinet meeting on Thursday.
After two operations in Cuba last year, Chavez said he would fly back on Friday for more surgery early next week to remove a "lesion" in the same pelvic area where a baseball-sized tumor was found during the original treatment.
Chavez had declared himself cured, but the downturn has thrown into doubt his campaign for re-election on October 7. Questions are also being asked about his capacity to rule OPEC member Venezuela for another six-year term should he win.
Venezuela's National Assembly, where Chavez has a majority, gave him "indefinite permission" to be in Cuba - raising the specter of another possible lengthy absence after he spent weeks being treated in Havana last year.
"I will return as always, with more energy, more enthusiasm, more joy and determination to take my place in the vanguard," Chavez said in a letter requesting permission to travel abroad for more than five days, as required by the constitution.
"I am completely sure we will win this new battle," he wrote.
Chavez's new lesion was discovered during a weekend trip to Cuba. He is a friend of Cuba's former president, Fidel Castro, and is guaranteed discreet treatment there.
Chavez said he did not know how long he would be away, though "they it will not be many days, I'm sure." The government was "in order" in the hands of Vice President Elias Jaua, other ministers and "the people," he added.
Opposition politicians - who see the presidential vote as their best chance to end Chavez's 13-year rule - have called for him to name a temporary replacement.
But that looks unlikely, as last year he ran affairs of state from his hospital bed.
"You cannot govern from anywhere that is not in national territory," opposition legislator Alfonso Marquina said. "We demand that the constitution be respected."
Since storming to power in a 1998 election, the sports-loving former soldier has thrived on an image of physical strength and is clearly shaken by his health problems.
SYMPATHY?
While his latest operation is likely to evoke sympathy, analysts say that could be offset by concerns over his fitness to rule. By contrast, opposition candidate Henrique Capriles, 39, projects an image of youth and energy.
"On one hand, it seems unlikely that Venezuelans want to vote for a weak president," said Gabriel Sanchez Zinny, a Latin American expert with U.S-based Blue Star Strategies consultancy.
"On the other hand, it is possible that he is using his condition to portray himself as a victim, thereby attempting to garner sympathy from voters."
Chavez, who has dominated Venezuela since taking office in 1999 and whose fierce anti-U.S. rhetoric has turned him into one of the world's best-known leaders, said the 2-centimeter lesion is probably malignant.
Cancer experts say that sounds ominous, although Chavez has presented the imminent operation as straightforward.
The government has given no more medical details, meaning Venezuela's rumor mill is in overdrive, with theories ranging from his imminent death to the whole thing being a hoax.
Pro-opposition journalist Nelson Bocaranda, who broke the news of Chavez's latest condition, said on Thursday Chavez was paying the price for ignoring doctor's orders to rest. In his latest column, Bocaranda said he may have metastasis - although the president denied the cancer had spread.
"It is not an encouraging panorama for the man who ignored recommendations with the sole objective of winning the presidency in October," Bocaranda said.
Venezuela's widely traded bonds, buoyed by market hopes for a more business-friendly government in the South American OPEC nation, have jumped in recent days.
On Thursday, the Global 2027 bond rose to its highest price in almost two years, climbing 1.875 percent to bid at 83.313.
Before the latest cancer news, polls gave Chavez an edge over Capriles, the governor of Miranda state, for October.
While critics highlight Chavez's authoritarian tendencies to portray him as a dictator bent on imposing Cuban-style communism on Venezuela, he remains immensely popular among the poor, who have benefited from his big spending on welfare policies."
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Post by artemis on Feb 28, 2012 15:08:31 GMT -5
"Venezuela says Chavez's lesion "completely" removed
CARACAS (Reuters) - Surgeons "completely" removed a lesion from Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's pelvis and the socialist leader is in good physical condition after the operation in Cuba, Venezuela's vice president said on Tuesday.
"President Chavez is in good physical condition ... The diagnosed pelvic lesion was extracted completely along with the surrounding tissue. There were no complications relating to his local organs," Vice President Elias Jaua told parliament.
"The immediate post-operative period was clinically stable, without systemic complications. He is recovering correctly," he said, prompting cheers and chants of "Chavez will not leave!" from the president's supporters in the National Assembly.
The 57-year-old leader returned to Havana last week for more surgery despite repeatedly saying he was cured after two procedures last year. That fueled doubts about his ability to campaign for re-election in October, or to govern if he won.
One medical source close to the team that had been treating the president in Venezuela said the surgery at Havana's Cimeq Hospital on Monday night had lasted 90 minutes.
Before he left on Friday, Chavez said he would need surgery on a probably malignant lesion found in his pelvis where a large cancerous tumor was removed in June. He has also said he might need radiation treatment following the latest operation, raising the prospect of another lengthy convalescence.
Jaua did not mention any possible follow-up treatment, and did not say when Chavez would return home.
Chavez's health situation could hobble his re-election campaign, when he normally would want to crisscross the South American country during the run-up to an October 7 vote that will pit him against opposition candidate Henrique Capriles, a 39-year-old state governor.
Before the announcement that he would need more surgery, opinion polls showed Venezuelans broadly split - a third pro-Chavez, a third pro-opposition and a third undecided.
But the polls indicate Chavez might have a slight edge in voter enthusiasm - attributed to his popularity among the poor and an increase in welfare spending for the most needy.
While the president may get a "sympathy bump" in the polls in the weeks ahead, voter perceptions of weakness in Chavez - particularly in contrast with Capriles' youthful image - could offset that.
Chavez's latest health problems have pushed the OPEC nation's widely traded bonds higher on investor hopes for a more market-friendly government in the future.
Chavez has avoided grooming a successor and has dominated the political stage himself since his first election win in 1998, so rumors abound as to who from his inner circle could take over if he were to be incapacitated.
None of his closest supporters share his man-of-the-people charisma, or the political and rhetorical talents that have forged his close connection with Venezuela's poor majority."
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Post by artemis on Mar 1, 2012 5:16:16 GMT -5
"Venezuela's Chavez: I'm recovering like a condor CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez broke his silence on Wednesday after surgery in Cuba for a suspected recurrence of cancer to insist he was recovering well and "soaring like the condor". "I send you all my supreme love. We will live and we will recover!" the 57-year-old socialist leader enthused via Twitter from Havana where he was operated on earlier in the week. "Here I go, soaring like the condor." Despite an upbeat official assessment of the latest procedure in Cuba, some sources including a prominent pro-opposition Venezuelan journalist suggested Chavez may face a life-threatening spread of the disease discovered last year. The health saga has raised questions over Chavez's ability to campaign for re-election in October and to rule the South American OPEC member afterward should he win. His condition also has huge implications around a region where Cuba and other leftist governments in the Caribbean and Central America count on his oil-financed largesse. The government blames Venezuela's "ultra-right" for fomenting malicious speculation. "Our people should not pay attention to these rumors. We are going through a very emotional time," said Isis Ochoa, the minister for social protection. Having exuded strength since storming to power as an election outsider in 1998, Chavez's public image and personal ebullience suffered a big blow last year when doctors discovered a cancerous tumor in his pelvis. MEDIA HATE FIGURES Although he said he was fully recovered toward the end of 2011, the president returned to Cuba for new surgery last weekend on a probably malignant "lesion" in the same area. The government said the lesion was completely removed, with test results due soon on the extracted tissue. Vice President Elias Jaua told state television Chavez was in good spirits when he spoke to him by telephone on Wednesday evening. "He is in a full process of recovery," he said. "With a firm, energetic and victorious voice, he sent a fraternal greeting to the people, his love and thanks." There has been no word on when Chavez will return, prompting opposition calls for a replacement to be named. Nelson Bocaranda, an anti-Chavez Venezuelan journalist who broke the news of his return to Cuba, and Merval Pereira, a well-known commentator for Brazil's O Globo network, have been quoting medical sources to suggest the Venezuelan leader's situation is much more serious than the official version. The pair have been heavily criticized by Chavez allies. In an increasingly vitriolic atmosphere, state TV was crammed with mockery of foreign and opposition media, while anti-Chavez activists have sarcastically dubbed Bocaranda the country's only reliable "information minister". Experts say the pathology results from Chavez's operation on Monday may take up to five days, while a normal recuperation period from that type of surgery would be a week to 10 days. Former Cuban President Fidel Castro has long been Chavez's mentor, and the Venezuelan leader prefers receiving treatment in Havana where there is high security and a lower chance of his medical details being leaked on the tightly controlled island. In his latest online posting, Bocaranda said on Wednesday there was an atmosphere of "great paranoia" at the Cimeq hospital in Havana where Chavez was presumably being treated. A Brazilian doctor helping assess Chavez had concluded the use of steroids to give him strength since last year's operation had hastened the recurrence of a new tumor, he said. "If the decision is to give him more chemotherapy from April, as we said last week, the use of steroids will be forbidden," Bocaranda added on his closely watched www.runrun.es site. "That is a big worry for the patient because his physical deterioration, with such a strong cocktail of chemicals, would become evident very quickly." VOTE LOOMS Cuba has a lot at stake in Chavez's future. It receives about 100,000 barrels per day of cheap oil from Caracas in return for supplying doctors, nurses, teachers and others to work in Venezuelan social projects. Chavez's rival for the October 7 poll is Henrique Capriles, a 39-year-old state governor who hopes to woo former Chavez voters with a promise of a Brazilian-style "modern left" government. He repeatedly wishes Chavez a speedy recovery "so he can see the changes coming to Venezuela." Before the announcement that he would need more surgery, opinion polls showed Venezuelans broadly split - a third pro-Chavez, a third pro-opposition and a third undecided. But the polls indicate Chavez has the edge in voter enthusiasm due to his popularity among Venezuela's poor and a big increase in welfare spending for the most needy. While the president may get a "sympathy bump" in opinion polls from his latest health setback, analysts say perceptions of weakness - particularly in contrast with Capriles' youthful image - could offset that. The OPEC nation's widely traded bonds have jumped on investor perceptions of a more market-friendly opposition's enhanced chance of winning the presidential poll in October. Chavez has avoided grooming a successor, so rumors abound as to who could take over if he were incapacitated. Two heavyweight allies, vice president Jaua and Congress head Diosdado Cabello, are widely rumored to be at odds. Yet they made a public show of friendship in parliament on Tuesday, smiling and pledging unity. Neither man, nor any other of Chavez's closest allies, have his man-of-the-people charisma or the political talents that have enabled him to thwart the opposition for 13 years."
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Post by artemis on Mar 17, 2012 18:48:22 GMT -5
"Chavez back in Venezuela after cancer surgery
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — President Hugo Chavez returned home to Venezuela looking haggard but expressing optimism he will survive after undergoing cancer surgery in Cuba.
Chavez said he has been praying and is confident he will triumph in his re-election bid this year. He smiled and waved as he stepped off the plane Friday night, but his expression turned sober as he referred to his unfinished struggle with cancer.
"I lift up a prayer ... in this battle for life," Chavez said in a televised speech on the tarmac. "I'm going to live. We're going to live, and we're going to keep on overcoming. And in that commitment I will give everything, all the spiritual and physical strength that fits in my heart."
Then, he added: "Or rather, that doesn't fit. ... It's a force much bigger than the Caribbean."
Chavez arrived after three weeks in Cuba as many Venezuelans are wondering about his long-term prospects and about how his health will evolve ahead of the country's Oct. 7 presidential election. Chavez has kept secret some details of his illness, such as the type of cancer, spurring speculation about how his cancer might affect the country's political landscape.
His close allies have assured Venezuelans that there is no Plan B and that Chavez is the only leader of his movement heading into the elections.
Chavez invited his supporters to the presidential palace on Saturday, saying he would address them.
"We will live and we will win," Chavez said, adding later: "United, we will be invincible."
Chavez was greeted by his vice president and Cabinet ministers, and soldiers standing at attention.
He stepped down the stairs from the plane hand-in-hand with his mother and one of his daughters. He walked gingerly and seemed less energetic than in previous appearances.
At times, Chavez's mother and another of his daughters seemed on the verge of tears. His mother raised a hand to his head to bless him.
Chavez, whose eyes appeared a bit puffy, said he had prayed with his family in the morning before leaving Cuba.
"This new return comes converted into a prayer, a song, a commitment, a prayer to God," Chavez said. "A new prayer of hope in this battle that it's been up to us to fight."
Turning to politics, he said his opponents represent "the agenda of the right."
He accused opposition-aligned Venezuelan news media of trying to provoke fear and uncertainty. "I call on the country to stay calm," he said.
The 57-year-old leader is seeking another six-year term in the October presidential vote. His rival, 39-year-old state governor Henrique Capriles, has criticized Chavez's handling of his cancer, saying that if he were president his health would "be a matter of public knowledge."
Before Chavez's return, his last appearance on Venezuelan television had come Monday night in a video showing him walking with two of his daughters in a garden in Havana. Chavez appeared in prerecorded video footage during his stay in Cuba, but Friday was the first time state television showed him in live video since he left for Havana on Feb. 24.
The president has said his Feb. 26 surgery in Cuba removed a tumor from the same location in the pelvic region where another tumor was removed in June.
After he was diagnosed with cancer, Chavez underwent an initial surgery in June that removed a tumor the size of a baseball.
He then had four rounds of chemotherapy and said tests showed no signs of any cancerous cells. But last month, he announced he was returning to Cuba for surgery to have a lesion removed.
Chavez has described the most recent tumor as measuring about 2 centimeters (0.8 inches). He has declined to identify the precise location where the tumors appeared.
He next plans to undergo radiation therapy, although it's unclear how soon that will begin.
"I feel very recovered," Chavez said at the airport. He said he had regained weight and "I'm stepping up the rhythm little by little again."
He also said that as his mentor Fidel Castro saw him off at the airport in Havana, Castro told him: "Chavez, I know you. Tell your people that you have to be disciplined. They're going to understand, and nobody should think that everything has passed already."
"No," Chavez added, "We're overcoming, but we should continue being rigorously disciplined."
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Post by artemis on Apr 5, 2012 5:15:47 GMT -5
"Chavez back in Venezuela after more cancer treatment
CARACAS (Reuters) - President Hugo Chavez returned home to Venezuela on Wednesday after his latest session of cancer treatment in Cuba, as he aims to fight off the illness and win a new six-year term in an October election.
The 57-year-old socialist leader walking unaided from his plane after it landed in his home state of Barinas and he was greeted on the runway by relatives, the vice president and several government ministers.
"The socialist revolution is irreversible ... I continue recuperating," he said in a brief speech on state TV, wishing Venezuelans a happy Easter weekend and saying he was "now more Christian than ever."
His second session of radiation treatment had gone well, he said, and the results of all his medical tests were positive. He is expected to return to Cuba for a third session soon.
Flying back and forth to Havana for the radiation therapy, Chavez has been running a kind of "virtual" election campaign via Twitter and appearances on state television, while his opposition rival tours the South American country.
Very little is known about Chavez's condition - he has had three cancer operations in less than a year - so doubts remain about the future of the man who has dominated politics in the continent's biggest oil exporter for the last 13 years.
The opposition sees its candidate, Miranda state Governor Henrique Capriles, as its best hope of unseating Chavez at the October 7 vote. In the latest opinion poll released last month, the president had a solid 13-percentage point lead, but many Venezuelans remained undecided."
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Post by artemis on Apr 8, 2012 15:06:57 GMT -5
The visits to Cuba got more and more frequent...
"Venezuelan president to get more therapy in Cuba
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said he will be traveling to Cuba again Saturday to undergo a third round of radiotherapy in the hope of beating his cancer diagnosed last year.
"Tomorrow night I will again fly to Cuba to continue my battle for my life and health," the Venezuelan leader told state television Friday.
Chavez made the announcement after spending some time with family members in his native state of Barinas in the west of the country.
He said he will meet with Vice President Elias Jaua, Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro and other members of the cabinet before the departure.
Chavez, 57, who is facing a tough re-election fight this year, is expected to complete five weeks of radiation treatment in Havana, but return home for brief periods during that time.
He completed the first two rounds of treatment in Havana, where he had surgery last month to remove a malignant tumor in the same area where another tumor was excised in June 2011.
Officials in Caracas have never specified the type of cancer the president has, but insist it has not spread to other organs.
However, Chavez broke into tears Thursday when he went to church in Barinas accompanied by his parents, children and other family members. He explained later that emotions caused by the proximity of his loved ones had overwhelmed him and he could not hold back tears.
"It was a spontaneous, sentimental thing," Chavez said on Friday. "My father and mother stood next to me. And suddenly we took each other's hands. My mom gave me her hand with such tenderness, and dad gave me his ... And because of this tears rolled down my face."
His prior stay in Havana lasted exactly five days, allowing him to head off criticism that he had left Venezuela without permission from the National Assembly, which must authorize a president's absence if it exceeds that length of time.
The cancer comes at an awkward time for Chavez, who is in the thick of what is expected to be a tough reelection campaign. He has ruled out the possibility of a replacement candidate.
Chavez faces a stiff challenge from 39-year-old state governor Henrique Capriles, who was chosen to represent a unified opposition in primaries earlier this year.
Some 18 million Venezuelans will be eligible to vote in the October ballots."
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Post by artemis on Apr 23, 2012 15:05:42 GMT -5
"Venezuela's Chavez calls TV, refutes rumors
CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez telephoned state TV on Monday, ending a virtual silence of nine days that had triggered rumors that he had died while undergoing cancer treatment in Cuba.
"It seems we will have to become accustomed to live with these rumors, because it is part of the laboratories of psychological war, of dirty war," the 57-year-old socialist leader said in the phone call from Havana where he is undergoing radiation therapy."
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Post by artemis on Apr 25, 2012 4:42:35 GMT -5
Venezuelans are taken for the foolest of the fool:
"Venezuela's Chavez sends video postcard from Cuba
CARACAS (Reuters) - The Venezuelan government on Tuesday broadcast a video of President Hugo Chavez playing the European bowling game of bocce in Cuba in a new effort to quash rumors that he was dying of cancer while out of the country.
The video showed a jovial and chirpy Chavez strolling in a garden and playing the bowling game with his brother and two ministers on Monday in Havana where he is having radiation treatment for an undisclosed cancer.
"We are continuing the treatment, facing the difficulties, governing and taking political decisions ... for the benefit of the Venezuelan people," Chavez said in the 13-minute video.
His unusually long silence since leaving for Cuba on April 14 stirred speculation about his health and raised doubts about his political future as he seeks re-election in an October 7 vote.
The rumors forced Chavez to call state television on Monday to tell Venezuelans he was all right and still able to govern the South American oil producing nation.
During his nine-day silence he had only shown signs of life in brief messages on Twitter that led his opponents to criticize him for running the country remotely by tweets.
Chavez, wearing a track suit, appeared in the video with his brother Adan, Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro and Science Minister Jorge Arreaza, who is Chavez's son-in-law, his daughter Maria Gabriela and a grandson.
Chavez said he was working on a new labor law that is expected to cut the work week and extend labor benefits. He said on Monday that he would return to Caracas on Thursday to sign the labor legislation, which is due to go into effect on May 1.
"I have great faith in what we are doing to fight this illness that ambushed me last year. I have faith in Christ," Chavez said, kissing a crucifix.
He vowed to recover from his bout with cancer so that he can continue advancing Venezuela's socialist "revolution."
Chavez's opponents have criticized him for keeping the country in the dark about the extent of his illness, raising suspicions that his cancer may have spread from an initial baseball-sized tumor that was removed from his pelvis.
The 57-year-old leader remains very popular among poorer Venezuelans who have benefited from his social programs, which redistribute some of the country's vast oil wealth.
Recent opinion polls have given Chavez a comfortable double-digit lead over opposition candidate Henrique Capriles six months before the election, and his trips to Cuba for treatment appear not to have changed that.
"We will continue consolidating that advantage," Chavez said from Havana."
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Post by artemis on May 12, 2012 6:08:32 GMT -5
"Chavez shows strength after Cuba cancer treatment
CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez strode, sang and gave a rousing speech on Friday in a careful show of vigor after his latest cancer treatment in Cuba fanned rumors he was dying five months before an election.
The socialist Chavez, who had only been seen live in public once in the previous month, addressed the nation after flying back from Havana where he has completed six rounds of radiation therapy.
With Venezuelans watching on live TV for any sign of his condition, Chavez walked with relative ease from his plane, hugged ministers, inspected a military guard and improvised a song at the end of a 20-minute speech.
"I can tell you that in the last few days we successfully completed the radiation cycle, as planned by the medical team," Chavez said in a strong voice.
"I come with great optimism that this treatment will have the effects we hope for, always asking God to help us and give us the miracle of life to keep serving."
The official line in recent weeks has been that Chavez was out of the public limelight due to the effects of radiation treatment, but is on the road to recovery and will soon begin his re-election campaign ahead of the October 7 vote.
But there is speculation, stoked by leaks from pro-opposition journalists citing sources in Chavez's medical team, that his condition may have turned grave.
HIGH STAKES
The implications of that would be enormous for the South American OPEC member nation that Chavez has dominated for the last 13 years without grooming a successor.
Rumors have been flying of a nascent succession struggle among his closest allies. Meanwhile, opposition presidential candidate Henrique Capriles is struggling to win public attention amid the national obsession over Chavez's condition.
Without giving any clues as to the details of his cancer, Chavez said he must continue "rigorously" following medical instructions in coming days.
"But as the hours and days pass, I'm sure that with God's favor, medical science and this soldier's body, I will get back to where I must be, in the front line of the battle, alongside the Venezuelan people, promoting the socialist revolution."
Such stirring language has helped underpin Chavez's strong connection with Venezuela's poor majority, though critics see it as evidence of his demagogy masking a dictatorial rule.
Opposition politicians say Chavez, who has spent about 100 days of the last year in Cuba since being diagnosed with cancer, has left Venezuela in paralysis.
"He is a president who never delegates anything. Even the most mundane, daily decision in a ministry, people don't dare take decisions if they think they don't have the president's blessing," Capriles ally Maria Corina Machado told Reuters.
"This is a country that is practically paralyzed."
Chavez's condition remains a state secret, with few details divulged beyond the fact he has had three operations in a year to remove two malignant tumors in his pelvic region.
The Venezuelan president declared himself "completely cured" at the end of 2011, only to acknowledge a recurrence of cancer early this year. That has fed skepticism and speculation among Venezuelans over Chavez's future.
The wider region is also watching the saga closely.
Communist-run Cuba depends on subsidized Venezuelan oil to keep its ailing economy afloat, while the United States has long viewed Chavez as its principal foe in the region."
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Post by artemis on May 18, 2012 16:10:41 GMT -5
"Venezuela's Chavez unseen for week but follows riot
CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez has not been seen or heard in public since returning a week ago from his latest cancer treatment in Cuba but was well enough to monitor a jail riot in Caracas, an ally said on Friday.
The usually garrulous and attention-seeking Chavez's disappearances from public view have become longer and more frequent this year. That has fueled speculation his condition has worsened and may complicate a re-election bid in October.
Allies in the ruling Socialist Party, however, insist Chavez, 57, remains on top of government affairs, is recovering and is not mulling a succession.
"The 'comandante' has been in constant communication with us, he calls all the time," Diosdado Cabello, head of the National Assembly and a leader of the Socialist Party, told reporters outside La Planta prison in Caracas, where troops quelled a riot on Thursday.
"The president has been tracking what's been going on here ... His eye is constantly on (state broadcaster) VTV, checking what's happening."
Chavez has been seen only twice in public since mid-April. That included a half-hour appearance last Friday when he returned from Cuba after completing radiotherapy sessions.
Despite rumors he was wheelchair-bound, Chavez walked without help down the airplane stairs and then inspected a military guard of honor. He spoke with a firm voice and even sang a song in honor of Venezuela's mothers.
DOCTOR'S ORDERS
Since then, Chavez has again gone to ground, presumably under strict doctor's orders in his presidential palace.
Even on Twitter, where he is usually prolific and has a following of nearly 3 million people, Chavez has been silent since Sunday when he sent greetings for Mother's Day and celebrated a Venezuelan driver's Formula One victory.
The official line is that he is recovering from tough treatment and will soon be launching his campaign for the October 7 election in which he is being challenged by state governor Henrique Capriles.
Chavez wrongly claimed to be "completely cured" at the end of 2011 so many Venezuelans are skeptical about his condition, especially given the plethora of rumors and leaks from pro-opposition media citing medical sources.
With the details of his health a state secret, all that is officially known is that Chavez has had three operations and two malignant tumors removed from his pelvic area.
The second one was removed after what he called a recurrence of cancer this year.
The implications of a downturn in his health are enormous less than five months away from an election, where Chavez wants to extend his 13-year rule of the OPEC member.
The wider region also is watching closely - nowhere more so than in communist-run Cuba, which depends on subsidized Venezuelan oil to keep its economy afloat.
U.S. President Barack Obama's government is staying largely quiet about Chavez but is highly interested in the fate of a man who has been Washington's main critic in the region yet has also kept oil exports flowing north."
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Post by artemis on May 30, 2012 15:36:36 GMT -5
"Report: Chavez's cancer has 'entered the end stage' A special report from Dan Rather, anchor and managing editor of HDNet's Dan Rather Report
This reporter has been told that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has metastatic rhabdomyosarcoma, an aggressive cancer that has "entered the end stage". The information and the quote come from a highly respected source close to Chavez and who is in a position to know his medical condition and history. This source says the prognosis is dire and that Chavez is now not expected to live "more than a couple of months at most." Chavez is running for re-elec tion in Venezuela but several sources--including the one who revealed the exact kind of cancer-- have told me that they believe it is doubtful the dictator will live to see the results.
Voting is scheduled for October 7th. Chavez has been treated three times in Cuba but the exact kind of cancer has been a closely guarded state secret.
Reporter's note: There is only one source for identifying the cancer and for the prognosis quoted in the first part of the above story. This is a person whom your reporter has very good reason to trust, but you should know that there is only one source so far; no other immediate confirmation. All sources asked for and were granted anonymity because to reveal their names could place them in danger or, at the very least cost them their positions."
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Post by artemis on Jun 13, 2012 5:20:27 GMT -5
"Factbox: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez
(Reuters) - Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez will formally register as the ruling Socialist Party's candidate for the October 7 presidential election on Monday in a bid to extend his 13-year rule.
The former soldier has vowed to win a new six-year term despite undergoing cancer surgery last June and is leading in the polls.
Here are some key facts about Chavez:
* Born to a poor family in the Venezuelan plains, or "llanos," on July 28, 1954, Chavez once aspired to be a painter and then a professional baseball player. He often explains politics using baseball metaphors and the folksy language of the llanos he learned during his childhood.
* A former lieutenant colonel, Chavez spent much of his later military career conspiring with other leftist officers to overthrow the traditional political order. He led a 1992 coup that failed but made his reputation and propelled him toward the presidency as a populist leader.
* Chavez won a 1998 presidential election and took office early the following year. Opposition politicians and dissident troops led a coup against him in 2002, but supporters and loyal soldiers swept him back to power in less than two days. Chavez accuses the U.S. government of backing the putsch.
* Chavez has enjoyed wide backing among Venezuela's poor majority with massive social spending to expand health and education programs, financed by income from oil exports. He has also cultivated support by confronting the United States, which he denounces as a decadent empire.
* He first warned in 2004 that he would shut off oil supplies to the United States if it tried to invade the Andean nation or impose a trade blockade against his country -- after he accused then U.S. President George W. Bush of backing the short-lived 2002 coup attempt. The following month, he backed away from the threat and said he did not have any intention of damaging relations with Washington.
* Inspired by his friend and mentor, Cuba's Fidel Castro, Chavez has taken Venezuela down an increasingly radical path, nationalizing large swathes of the economy and running the government with a personalized -- many say autocratic -- style. Opponents say he has become an old-style Latin American "caudillo," or dictator, repressing critics, squandering the nation's oil wealth and ruining its economy.
* Chavez has a deliberately populist style and is famous for his strong language and long-winded speeches that often drag on late into the night. He recently broke his own record to give a speech for 9 1/2 hours.
* Chavez announced in June that he was being treated for cancer. He had an initial operation in Cuba to remove a pelvic abscess on June 10. That was followed by the more serious cancer tumor surgery.
* Since then he has had three chemotherapy sessions in Cuba and one in Venezuela. He says he is feeling better than ever and that his doctors have found no new cancer cells.
* While still combative and dismissive of his political rivals, the cancer treatment has made Chavez change his habits and diet, his governing style and even his outlook on life. He is more philosophical, frequently invokes God and has toned down his punishing lifestyle and work schedule."
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