Gideon Levy: World Must Interfere in Israel's Internal Affairs!

The new world will eventually tell Israel: Stay in the occupied territories, but give all of its residents equal rights and justice. What will Israel say then? Interference in its internal affairs? Foreign intervention? You've got to be kidding! Of all of Israel's complaints against the world, one is especially brazen: Goodness gracious, the world is 'meddling' in the Jewish state's internal affairs: When US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she understands what's happening here, and it reminds her more of Iran than Israel, the Zionist response has been: "It would be better for the public's representatives to direct their attention to what is happening in their own countries." as Environmental Affairs Minister Gilad Erdan put it. When Europe becomes outraged over hate crimes in Israel, the brazen response is the Europeans adopted the lowest of resolutions in taking Israel to task, and when the world takes an interest in Israel's policy toward refugees and migrant workers, this prompts a demand for an end to foreign interference, as Ronen Shoval,the founder of the right-wing organization Im Tirtzu said. Israel may be the last country on earth with the right to be outraged over foreign interference. Since its founding, Israel has not ceased working around the world to bring Jews here, it has clandestinely carried out underground subversive activity among shady regimes, it has openly preached abroad for Jews to leave their native lands and immigrate here, it has clandestinely carried out underground subversive activity among shady regimes, it has openly preached abroad for Jews to leave their native lands and immigrate here, or at least send financial support, and Israel has moved heaven and earth against manifestations of anti-Semitism and supports parallel alternative Jewish and Zionist educational systems around the world. It is also a country that simultaneously calls on the world to maintain the blockade of Gaza, because of Hamas' rise to power there. Israel has acted in Lebanon and elsewhere in support of one communal faction against another. It has not ceased to meddle in the internal affairs of foreign countries and entities, so of all countries, it should not be heard to complain about foreign interference.

US Engineered Sanctions No Coup De Grace For Iran!!i

In a 'dramatic move' which was apparently contrary to his desire, US President Barack Obama on Saturday signed into law tough new sanctions against Iran, targeting the country's Central Bank and financial sector in a bid to administer an economic "coup de grace' against Iran. Foreign firms are now to make a choice between doing business with the Iranian financial sector and Central Bank or the US economy and financial sector. In signing the bill, Obama harbored some secret fear that such an act would would skyrocket the oil prices, and that it would be terminally detrimental to the ailing economy of Washington as well as to the global economy. Needless to say, such a measure was encouraged and propelled by the warmongers in the White House and the powerful Zionist lobby. The UN Security Council has already imposed four rounds of sanctions against Iran for 33 years, inflicting adverse damage on the economy, albeit with no determining impact on the political approach of the country. However, decades of of anti-Iran US-engineered sanctions have failed to stall the progress of the Islamic country, which is moving towards self-sufficiency in all economic spheres. Therefore, Washington officials have been ill advised in believing that by slapping more sanctions on Iran, they will be able to bring to its knees a nation who adheres to their ideology of no submission!

Agence France-Presse: Iran Shrugs at Looming EU Oil Bant y

Iran on Thursday played down the impact of new Western sanctions targeting its vital oil sector, after European diplomats said they have reached preliminary agreement on an EU oil ban from the Islamic republic. The National Iranian Oil Company said demand was so high for Iranian oil that it would have no trouble selling it elsewhere. "We hope that Iran's oil is not sanctioned officially, but if so, we have taken the needed agreements," the company's director of international affairs, Mohsen Qamsari was quoted as saying in a report on Iran's oil ministry website. The 27-nation European Union has struck "an agreement in principle" to ban Iranian oil imports, an EU diplomat in Brussels told AFP. Negotiations were ongoing to determine when the ban should start, though France said it hoped to see it announced at an EU foreign ministers' meeting on end of January. The West's sanctions squeeze on Iran stems from fears the country is trying to develop an atomic bomb under cover of a nuclear program it insists is exclusively for peaceful, civilian use. Iran exports around 18 percent of its oil to the European Union, making the bloc the second-biggest destination after China. Oil revenues make up 80 percent of Iran's foreign currency earnings.

Pravda: CIA Infects South American Leaders With Cancer!

Over an 18 month period, four "progressive" leaders of Latin America and their fellow citizens were shocked by the diagnosis delivered by their physicians: CANCER. Fernando Lugo, Luis Inacio, Lula da Silva, Hugo Chavez, and recently Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner were given this disagnosis. The Presidents of Paraguay, Brazil, Venezuela and Argentina suspiciously turned out on the verge of survival. Chavez immediately warned that the disease may be a "new weapon of the empire to eliminate unwanted leaders." Maybe, but oddly enough, the result was the opposite. All politicians not only did not stop their political life and moved away from responsibilities, buy on the contrary, dramatically increased their rating, and rallied around there supporters. First, in August of 2010, 60-year-old Paraguayan President Fernando Luga was diagnosed with a tumor of the lymphatic system. After six sessions of chemotherapy in Sao Paulo and Asuncion, doctors reported that the tumor was gone. He was elected in 2008 with a mandate of five years. He resigned his ecclesiastical rank and became the second leftist president in the history of that country. 66-year-old former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was diagnosed with larynx cancer in October of 2011, nine months after the transfer of power to Dilma Russef. In his case, the doctors did not operate, citing that he may lose his voice forever! 

Michel Chossudovsky: The War On Iran- Deployment of US Troops to Israel!

The Islamic Republic of Iran has been threatened with military action by the US and its allies for the last eight years. Now, the US Navy has been deployed. Iran's naval exercises, which commenced on December 24th were conducted in an area which is controlled by US Fifth Fleet, based in Bahrain. Meanwhile, a new round of economic sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran have been unleashed, targeting Iran's Central Bank, leading to a dramatic plunge of Iran's currency. A the same time Iran has been involved in "war games" in the Persian Gulf: Reacting to US threats, Iran has declared that it would "consider" blocking the shipment of oil through the Strait of Hormuz. Roughly 40 % of the world's oil tanker shipments transit the strait daily, carrying 15.5 million barrels of Saudi, Iraqi, Iranian, Kuwaiti, Bahraini, Qatari and United Emirates crude oil, leading the United States Energy Information Administration to label the Strait of Hormuz "the world's most important oil checkpoint." There is a symbiotic relationship between War and the Economic Crisis. The planning of the Iran War is being carried out at the crossroads of a worldwide economic depression, which is conducive to widening social inequalities, mass unemployment and the impoverishment of large sectors of the world population. Crushing social movements on the domestic front, including all forms of resistance to America's military agenda and its neo liberal economic policies, is an integral part of the United States' hegemonic role Worldwide. Does Constitutional Government in the eyes of the Obama Administration constitute an encroachment to "The Globalization of War"?   

Arash Norouzi: "Israel Wiped off The Map"

This rumor was fabricated by the Mossadegh Project and Global Research in January 2007. The rumor was fabricated by the American media with a view to discredit Iran's head of state and providing a justification for waging an all out war against Iran. Of course, the story was placed for media manipulation and propaganda purposes. Iran is blamed for refusing to abide by the "reasonable demands" of the "international community". Realities are twisted and turned upside down: Iran is being accused of wishing to start a war, a pre-emptive attack with nuclear warheads. Of course, this scenario is absurd. It Iran were attacked, we would be in a World War III scenario. Iran does not constitute a threat to Global Security. Iran does not have a nuclear weapons program, and does not constitute a threat to Israel. A dangerous rumor has been spread that could have catastrophic implications. According to the legend, Iran's President has threatened to destroy Israel, or, to quote the misquote, "Israel must be wiped off the map". Contrary to belief, this statement was never made: On Tuesday, October 25th 2005, at the Ministry of Interior conference hall in Tehran, newly elected Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad delivered a speech, reportedly attended by thousands, titled "The World Without Zionism". Posters surrounding him displayed this comment prominently in English, for the benefit of the International Press. Two small orbs representing the United States and Israel are shown falling through the hour glass' narrow neck and crashing to the bottom.  

William A. Cook: America's Chickens Are Coming Home to Roost!n

"Violence begets violence. Hatred begets hatred, and terrorism begets terrorism. A white ambassador said y'all, not a reverend who preaches about racism. Prophets fare poorly in their own country, yet countries would do well to hearken to their prophets. Scorn, ridicule, and innuendo attend their pronouncements, as the righteous defend their actions as logical, existential and necessary. Jeremiah Wright suffered such scorn and mockery because he understood the consequences of revenge on the innocent and the defenseless, justified by whatever inane discourse. Wright spoke truth to power that Sunday after 9/11, and the righteous cried to heaven condemning him to perdition for defaming America, for even suggesting that revenge for the sake of revenge is the motivation of the arch fiend against the Almighty, the foulest, most ignorant, most amoral rational for action. Prophets anticipate truth: They review a nation's past history and can predict its future. Witness America's past as the Reverend Wright did that Sunday morning, and what America is doing now repeats its ugliness. Wright said this about America's past: He pointed out, a white man, an ambassador, he pointed out that what Malcolm X said when he was silenced by Elijah Mohammad was in fact true, he said "Americas chickens are coming home to roost." "We took this country by terror away from the Sioux, the Apache, Arikara, the Comanche, the Arapaho, the Navajo. Terrorism. "We bombed Grenada and killed innocent civilians, babies, non-military personnel." "We bombed Qaddafi's home and killed his child." "We bombed Iraq. We killed unarmed civilians trying to make a living. We bombed a plant in Sudan to pay back for the attack on our embassy, killed hundreds of hard working people, mothers and fathers who left home to go that day, not knowing that they'd never get back home.   

Dan Gainor: Why Don't we hear about Soros' Ties to Over 30 Major News Organizations? 4d

When liberal investor George Soros gave $1.8 million to National Public Radio, it became part of the firestorm of controversy that jeopardized NPR's federal funding, but that gift only hints at the widespread influence the controversial billionaire has on the mainstream media. Soros, who spent $27 million trying to defeat President Bush in 2004, has ties to more than 30 mainstream news outlets, including The New York Times, Washington Post,the Associated Press, NBC and ABC. Prominent journalists like ABC's Christiane Amanpour and former Washington Post editor, and now Vice President Len Downie serve on boards of operations that take Soros cash. This despite the Society of Professional Journalists' ethical code, stating: "avoid all conflicts, real or perceived." This information is part of an upcoming report by the Media Research Centers Business & Media Institute, which has been looking into George Soros and his influence on the media. The investigative reporting start-up ProPublica, which recently won its second Pulitzer Prize, initially was given millions of dollars from the Sandler Foundation to "strengthen the progressive infrastructure" - "progressive" being the code word for very liberal.

Alex Newman: China, Japan Agree to Reduce Reliance on US Dollar

The government of Japan and the communist dictatorship ruling mainland China announced a landmark agreement this week to facilitate trade between the two partners without using the US dollar, relying instead on the Japanese yen and the Chinese yuan. According to the terms of the deal, the two governments agreed to encourage trade directly in yen and yuan without having to use American dollars as an intermediary, the current practice. Companies in Japan and China will soon be able to convert the currencies directly, and the Japanese government also agreed to hold Chinese yuan in its foreign-reserves portfolio. It remains unclear exactly how and when the agreement will be implemented, but according to news reports, both governments have already set up a working group to iron out the details. Officials said the move was aimed at reducing risk and transaction costs. The new currency deal comes as the communist Chinese dictatorship has been taking increasingly bold steps to expand the international role of the yuan. The regime's officials have also become ever-more vocal in attacking the dollar's global reserve status, calling instead for a more international system managed by a world entity such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF). 

Syria Update: US Government Gives Green Light to MSM

This morning, I woke up to the following news headlines: I found the US media and their quasi extension reporting on stale, at least 6-month old US operations on Syria. Now, that's much better! I think it's safe to assume that the media has given the 'green light' by the White House and Pentagon to report on long-ongoing war preparations, aka 'intervention' plans, on Syria, while making it sound as fresh-new-recent. Let's read together: Obama Administration Secretly Preparing Options for Aiding the Syrian Opposition. As the violence in Syria spirals out of control, top officials in President Barack Obama's administration are quietly preparing options for how to assist the Syrian opposition, including gaming out the unlikely option of setting up a no-fly zone in Syria, and preparing for another major diplomatic initiative. After several weeks of having no top-level administration meetings to discuss the Syria crisis, the National Security Council (NSC) has begun an informal, quiet inter-agency process to create and collect options for aiding the Syrian opposition, two administration officials confirmed to The Cable. Right! According to these reporters, up until now our imperialistic hawks have been sitting on their butts and doing absolutely nothing on Syria's month-long prewar crisis.

Karl W B Schwarz: DC Politics An Un-American Fascist Scam

Often, during a person's journey through life, there will come a time when he encounters an abyss. Most will stop and gaze down into it before turning away to seek a safer place called home. Only the insane or ignorant will continue forward and step into it, and still pretend that all is rosy. Tragically, the second group characterizes most of contemporary America. That is what is happening in American political circles, where the Liberal Left has morphed into a "War Party" because they realized that the Republicans were successfully selling the message that only they would defend America from the "boogeyman". Actually, both parties excel in plundering America, and neither is worth in defending America: Yes, just give up those "freedoms" and "liberties" for no protection whatsoever. Most Americans start off in life as Southern Conservative Democrats, a moniker that is no different than being a Republican. However, in the past, a person could barely get elected in the Deep South with an "R" by there name, and the entire region controlled by Demo-thug Bubbas that could not spell Mom and Dad frontwards and backwards. Ronald Reagan was the first Republican to realize and capitalize on this conservatism when he swept the South and many Southern Conservative Democrats turned into Republicans in 1980!  

Taliban hit Bagram base, kill US forces!

The Taliban militants say they have attacked the largest American military base in Afghanistan, killing many US troops, Press TV reports. A Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said on Sunday that the fatalities had been caused after the militants hit the US Bagram Air Base, north of the Afghan capital Kabul with nine missiles. He added that they launched the attack when US forces were celebrating the start of the new year. Afghan officials also announced that the heavily-fortified airbase had been hit by a barrage of rockets, but claimed that the attack had not caused any casualties. The Taliban have intensified their attacks against the US-led foreign forces occupying Afghanistan. The heightened militancy has been interpreted as a reaction to the foreign presence. US military officials have said there are currently 91,000 US troops in Afghanistan, down from the peak of 101,000 in June 2011. The Taliban are conducting the strikes, despite the US secret talks with the militants as part of Washington's strategy to withdraw from Afghanistan by the end of 2014. In related posts, NATO forces kill four Afghan school children. Taliban shoot down US drone. Pakistan denies firing rockets into Afghanistan. Taliban spokesman claims US chopper downing. Forces of fear: US as bad as Taliban, refugees claim. US holding direct secret talks with Taliban!

Pravda.ru: Interference in Russian Affairs is an Act of War

Tomorrow, the heroes will stay home. The west, and particularly the United States, are not in a position to criticize the Russian election process, nor are they in a position to criticize the ever popular leader, Vladimir Putin. It is well known that what makes Vladimir Putin so supremely electable are all of his great deeds in restoring Russia to a decent place in the world, with much worldwide respect, fiscally sound and responsible, strong and stable. Who can compete with that in the bankrupt, hypocritical, international law breaking, war mongering west where you will find no stronger, more determined supporters of terrorism? Can even one leader be found among the lot of them that actually did something for the people of their own country? Absolutely not. Russia is a country with its own time honored traditions, a source of much pride for every Russian citizen. The history, the culture and beauty have no rivals anywhere. The west is the one who lost everything with the pseudo-conclusion of the Cold War. They can no longer be looked upon in the same manner as before. The curtain fell, the wall is down, the empire and the emperor is naked. Their Wall Street public relations firms were selling a highly defective product, the concept of "freedom and democracy" in the west. Casting a vote is no guarantee that any citizen in the west has anything to say about what their country does, be it in matters of social services to society or foreign issues. All you have to do is look at Yugoslavia, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Pakistan, Syria. Is there any end to that list?

Emma Reynolds: Migrants Flooding OUT of Europe in Search of Jobs!

Tens of thousands of Portuguese, Greek and Irish people are abandoning their homelands as job prospects look increasingly dire. Migrants used to see the EU as a top destination for work and a better lifestyle, but now a stream of Europeans are leaving the continent, figures show. In the past year, 2,500 Greeks have left Australia alone and at least 10,000 Portuguese people have moved to Angola, according to the Guardian. Ireland's official statistics predicted that 50,000 people will have deserted their home country by the end of the year, with many heading to Australia and the US. The trend could become even worse, with Britain potentially losing its pull for workers who have vital skills to contribute. With migration trends reversing, unusual routes have apparently become popular, including Lisbon to Luanda, Dublin to Perth and Barcelona to Buenos Aires. Portugal's foreign ministry reportedly said 97,616 of its people are now registered at the consulates in Benguele and Luanda, almost double the number who were there in 2005. The Portuguese are also heading in droves to former colonies such as Brazil and Mozambique, with Brazil seeing a 50 per cent rise in foreign residents in just a year. Goncalo Pires, a graphic designer who moved from Lisbon to Janeiro, told the Guardian: 'Its a pretty depressing environment in Portugal. In Brazil, by contrast, there are lots of opportunities to find work, to find clients and projects. Joy Drosis, who left her homeland of Greece for Australia,said she felt she would have been doomed if she had stayed.     

Susan Lindauer: Iraq: Legacy of Deception and Costs!t

Most Americans are astonished to discover that right up to 9/11, the CIA was developing a "Real Politik" vision of Iraq that recognized the fast approaching collapse of UN Sanctions. The CIA was preparing for Peace, with a ruthless determination that the United States would capture the lion's share of spoils from Iraqi Reconstruction contracts in any post-sanctions period. German pilots transporting medical supplies and doctors into Baghdad International Airport at the end of the Clinton Administration had blasted the myth of invincibility surrounding sanctions. To this day, those pilots are anonymous, but they changed the equation in total. Their courage honoring the Berlin Airlifts in the Cold War was quickly copied. Across Europe and the Arab world, activists began to organize humanitarian flights into Baghdad. On the Security Council, France and Russia argued strenuously that the ban on air travel had been self imposed, and the no-fly zone could not prohibit humanitarian flights. By this time, UN sanctions had killed over 1.7 million Iraqis, wiped out literacy in a single generation, and created artificial starvation in the world's second most oil-rich nation. Iraq's world-class hospitals that once rivaled London and New York had been ravaged. Sick of the misery, the global community refused to stay silent any longer. The CIA saw the writing on the wall. International loathing for "genocide by sanctions" had reached such a peak of outrage, that there was no possibility of re-crafting the hated policy. Secretary of State Colin Powell's vision of "smart sanctions" had come too late. The CIA was determined to control the agenda for the advantage of the United States, however. And so quietly through my back channel, we undertook a proactive, covert dialogue over exactly what concessions Iraq would offer the United States, in exchange for lifting the sanctions. As a long-time opponent of sanctions myself, I was eager to get results.

Julian Rose: An Open Letter to Farmers and Consumers!

Listen: do you want to survive? Do you want to have something edible on your plate? Do you seriously believe that what you currently buy from the supermarkets and hypermarkets is actually providing you with your nutritional needs? Do you even care? Or are you "too busy to think about it." Do you ever read the label on the packaging? Do you know what all those 'e' numbers mean? The synthetic preservat -ives colors and additives which form a significant part of the 'food' you eat, do you realize what they are doing to you and to your children and your grandchildren? Well I'll tell you: They are destroying your immune systems, that's what they are doing. They are eating away at your natural resistance to disease. They are hardening your arteries. They are contributing to the chances of getting cancer. Have you noticed that people are getting sick more and more frequently? If you haven't noticed you must have been asleep for the past decade. How many times have you felt "really well" recently? Not often? Have you wondered why? Do you take any interest in the quality of what you put in your belly? Yes? Then why do you still go to those huge supermarket stores that sell you junk food wrapped up in pretty packaging? Did you know that the 'fresh food' they sell you is never less than 4 days old? That it has often traveled half way around the world before it gets to you? That it is coming from huge mono-cultural fields whose soils have been soused with pesticides, herbicides, fungicides and nitrates? You don't know what nitrates are? They are toxic stimulants that force plants to grow faster and bigger than they would naturally. All large scale farmers use them. The residues from these nitrates end up in our drinking water, and therefore in your bellies, and so do the pesticides, herbicides and fungicides. So do you begin to get the picture?  

Rafi: From Israel: Vote Ron Paul and Let My People Go!

Lately, I've been having trouble sleeping. I sit here in my living room in Karnei Shomron, Israel, on the 8th night of Chanukah, wondering what other miracles lay in store on January 3rd and in the months ahead. The name Ron Paul is constantly at my fingertips. I've typed it in so many times the past month it's insane. I'm experiencing an excitement I've rarely ever felt, and I don't even live in America any -more. During the last Republican debate I woke myself up at 3am Israel time to watch an 8pm EST live stream on YouTube, with no fatigue whatsoever. I'm on overdrive, and I can't calm myself. I've only recently figured out what this excitement actually is. I first got interested in the whole freedom move -ment, when I heard that Ron Paul wanted to end all foreign aid, including my country, Israel. This seemed like a spectacular idea to me. I hate the idea of taking American taxpayer money I don't need. The only reason we take it, by the way, is not because we need it. It's that we don't want to feel alone, and Jews always always feel a deep existential isolation and loneliness. "As I see them from the mountain tops, gaze on them from the heights, this is a people that dwells alone, not counted among the Nations," says Balaam of the People of Israel in Numbers 23:9. We still feel that loneliness. So we take the money. It's shameful, it's theft, it's destructive, it's morally wrong, and it makes people hate us for tying them into a conflict they have no business trying to solve. I wanted it to end, and didn't trust any Israeli leader to give it up on his own, so I looked up more about Ron Paul.      

Pravda.ru: A Nightmare Scenario for America!

Imagine one day, that suddenly and without warning, every single vehicle in the United States built after the 1970's was totally incapable of running. No going to the grocery store, in fact no more food deliveries by truck anymore to your local store. There would be no trains, planes or buses running. Only muscle powered canoes on the waterways. Imagine that there is no longer any electricity. You cannot keep your food from spoiling in the refrigerator. There is no heat, no air conditioning. No electric tools or appliances work. There is no way to pump water to your house, so you are also without water. Imagine that there is no telephone service of any sort. You cannot communicate with anyone unless you walk to where they are, which means no more computers, no internet, no cellular phones or iPods, no television or radio. Your world would be silent, except for the occasional bird chirp or dog barking, which won't last long with no food for the dog. Perhaps there might be human screams of hunger or despair. The country has been transported back to the stone age. Your ability to grow your own food is limited to your access to seeds and whether or not you get enough rain. There are riots in the cities. The only people who have access to fresh food are those with guns, who can hunt, and those by bodies of water with edible fish.  

Nancy Atkinson: DARPA's New Spy Satellite!

"It sees you when you're sleeping and knows when you're awake" could be the new theme song for a new satellite being developed by DARPA. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's latest proof-of-concept project is called the "Membrane Optical Imager for Real-Time Exploitation (MOIRE) and would provide real-time images and video of any place on earth at any time, a capability that, so far, only exists in the realm of movies and science fiction. The details of this huge eye-in-the-sky look like something right out of science fiction, and it would be interesting to determine if it could have applications for astronomy as well. DARPA says the program aims to demonstrate the ability to manu -facture large membranes and large structures to hold the optics flat, and also to demonstrate the secondary optical elements needed to turn a diffraction-based optic into a wide bandwidth imaging device. The MOIRE program began in March 2010, and is now in the first phase of development, where DARPA is testing the concept's viability. Phase 2 would entail system design, with Ball Aerospace doing the design and building to test a 16-foot (5m) telescope for flight tests in orbit.

Jim Kirwan: Endings!!!

In two days the funeral for the United States will be complete. The gravestone should read, Born 1776, Died 2011. The cause of death was the total failure of the public to participate in any of the things that could have kept this nation alive. This is of course the same basic reason why every successful nation in the past also died - because of greed, corruption and lawlessness that in one way or another led to the death of so many billions of people, only to know that the evil which conquered each and every viable state would itself also be totally destroyed in the end, forcing the survivors to start all over again from the beginning. The causes for this funeral go back into the depths of Millennia, but since this place does not believe in real history, we have only to look back as far as the beginning of the New Millennia that began in the year 2000 A.D., when the president was appointed by the US Supreme Court on 12-12
-2000. That was very quickly followed by the coup in the White House that was run by Dirty-Dick-Cheney, who proceeded to create the US Energy Policies that have been directing virtually every decision beginning in February 2001, when the secret spying on every American began.  

Hugo Gye: US is Giving South American Leaders Cancer?

The US government could be responsible for a recent spate of cancer among South American leaders, according to Venezuela's outspoken president Hugo Chavez. He suggested that the US might have "invented technology to spread cancer", and warned other left-wing heads of state that they could be targeted next. Mr. Chavez, one of several Latin American leaders to have contracted the disease in the last year, said he had developed his theories after Fidel Castro described the CIA's repeated attempts to assassinate him. Although the Venezuelan leader insisted he was 'not accusing anyone', his controversial theory is unlikely to improve relations between the US and Venezuela. Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, president of Argentina, announced on Tuesday that she was suffering from thyroid cancer, which has a high survival rate. Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez received treatment in Cuba earlier this year for an unknown cancer. He had his fourth and final bout of chemotherapy in Cuba last month. He had surgery to remove a tumor from his pelvic region in June, and is now being evaluated by doctors, who hope he may fully recover. Argentinian leader Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner said on Dec. 22 that she has thyroid cancer. The disease was discovered during routine medical tests, but it is thought she has a good chance of survival.