President Fernando Lugo has a second lymphoma nodule in his chest, doctors said on Saturday

Paraguayan President Fernando Lugo has a second lymphoma nodule in his chest, doctors said on Saturday, a day after revealing he had cancer.Lugo, a former Roman Catholic bishop, took office as president of the poor, soy-exporting nation two years ago.His doctors said on Friday a biopsy carried out in a gland in his groin had revealed the early stages of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a type of cancer, but that an early diagnosis meant there was a good chance the cancer could be treated successfully.

“He also has a nodule in the mediastinum, which is an area with glands in the chest. It is a lymphoma but it’s not that important because this kind of disease starts this way, in several areas,” said Alfredo Boccia, a member of the president’s medical team.Boccia told reporters Lugo’s diagnosis had not worsened despite having been found to have more than one malignant nodule and that chemotherapy can be used to treat the cancer.

Health Minister Esperanza Martinez said on Friday Lugo, 59, would be able to conduct official business as usual although he will travel to a clinic in Sao Paulo, Brazil next week for further tests.Lugo quit the church to run for president three years ago. He has been under pressure in recent months due to violence blamed on a small armed group operating in remote northern areas bordering Bolivia and Brazil.

Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma is a cancer that originates in the lymphoid tissue that makes up the lymph nodes, spleen and other organs of the immune system, with tumors developing from white blood cells. It is more common in men than women.Lugo, whose term runs out in 2013, underwent surgery earlier this year to treat a swollen prostate.(Reuters)

Fidel Castro speaks to avoid a nuclear war

Former President Fidel Castro addressed Cuba’s parliament in his first public government act in four years Saturday, and appealed to world leaders, including President Barack Obama, to avoid a nuclear war.The return of the veteran 83-year-old Cuban revolutionary to the National Assembly, transmitted live by Cuban state television, crowned a spate of recent public appearances after a long period of seclusion due to illness.

It was his first participation in a public government meeting since 2006, when intestinal surgery forced a lengthy absence. It was bound to revive speculation he might be seeking a more active role again in communist-ruled Cuba’s leadership.In 2008, he formally handed over the presidency of the Caribbean country to his younger brother Raul Castro.

The bearded leader of Cuba’s revolution, who retains his parliament seat and the post of First Secretary of the Communist Party, dressed in long-sleeved green military fatigues, but without rank insignias, for the session.After being helped to walk in and being greeted by a standing ovation and shouts of “Viva Fidel,” he used the meeting to expound again his recent warnings that U.S. pressure against Iran could push the world to a nuclear conflagration.

In a 12-minute prepared speech delivered in a firm but sometimes halting voice, he urged world leaders to persuade Obama not to unleash a nuclear strike against Iran.Castro said such an attack could occur if Iran resisted U.S. and Israeli efforts to enforce international sanctions against it for its nuclear activities.

“Obama wouldn’t give the order if we persuade him … we’re making a contribution to this positive effort,” he told the special assembly session, which had been requested by him.He said he was sure that China and “the Soviets” — an apparent reference to Russia, the former Soviet Union — did not want a world nuclear war and would work to avoid it.

Castro also referred to the case of one of five convicted Cuban spies jailed in the United States, Gerardo Hernandez, saying he hoped his wife would be allowed to visit him or that he could even be released.President Raul Castro also attended the assembly session, wearing a long-sleeved white shirt. Deputies made observations on Castro’s speech, congratulating him and agreeing with him.

But Fidel Castro later appeared to tire after exchanging views with the deputies, and Cuban parliament head Ricardo Alarcon suggested ending the session after 1-1/2 hours.”That’s what I have to say, comrades, nothing more, I hope we can meet again at another time,” Castro said in brief closing remarks in which he asked whether the parliamentarians had obtained copies of his new book, “The Strategic Victory,” on the guerrilla war that brought him to power in 1959.The session finished with applause.

“BACK IN ACTION”

“I’ve been watching Fidel, he looks the same as ever, looks well,” said Graciela Hernandez, a 67-year-old Cuban pensioner who saw Castro on television. “He’s got better and he’s back in action. Fidel’s a real (Don) Quixote,” she said.”It’s a rebirth. It’ll give us strength to continue the struggle,” Graciela Biscet, 43, an assembly deputy from Santiago de Cuba, told reporters.Following his 2006 illness, Fidel Castro disappeared from public view and was only seen occasionally in photographs and videos. But since July 7, he has emerged from four years of seclusion and has made several public appearances.

Analysts and Cuba-watchers have given varied interpretations of what the recent spate of Fidel Castro appearances might mean.Some say the legendary comandante’s influence has remained strong on the Cuban leadership, and that this has put a brake on more liberalizing reforms of Cuba’s socialist system, or on any attempts to improve relations with the United States, which maintains a trade embargo against the island.

But others argue his appearances are intended to show support for his younger brother Raul as the latter tries to revive the stagnated economy with cautious reforms and steer Cuba out of a severe economic crisis.

Others say the veteran statesman may just want to get back into the limelight.Fidel Castro, who has also predicted a U.S. clash with North Korea, urged Obama Wednesday to avoid a nuclear war, which he had described as “now virtually inevitable.”

The former president has met Cuban diplomats, economists and intellectuals over the last month, as well as visiting the national aquarium and launching his new book.

But Fidel Castro has remained mute, at least in public, on the cautious domestic reform policies of his younger brother, which included a recent announcement that more self-employed workers would be allowed in the state-dominated economy.He has, however, kept up regular commentaries since 2007 on international affairs, published by state media. These focus especially on his favorite subjects, such as his views on the threat to humanity posed by U.S.-led capitalism and by global warming.(Reuters)

Iraqi prime minister's bloc says it has started laying the groundwork to form a coalition government after preliminary election results

The Iraqi prime minister’s bloc says it has started laying the groundwork to form a coalition government after preliminary election results showed it winning in at least two southern provinces.Friday’s announcement that Nouri al-Maliki’s alliance has created a committee to open talks with other groups signals growing optimism about a strong showing in the parliamentary balloting.

Partial tallies have only been released from only five of Iraq’s 18 provinces, excluding Baghdad. They show the prime minister and his secular rival, former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, locked in a tight contest amid fraud allegations.

But Al-Maliki supporter Abbas al-Bayati says the alliance has already reached out to other parties and believes it will need at least two allies.
First results from Iraq’s parliamentary election showed the prime minister and his secular rival locked in an extremely tight contest Thursday amid fraud allegations by rival parties and a chaotic, unpredictable vote count.The partial tallies came from only five of Iraq’s 18 provinces. However, Iraqi officials who have seen results from across the country said Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s coalition appeared to have a narrow edge, though not an outright majority.

That foreshadows tough and lengthy negotiations to build a government and choose a prime minister.The partial results, posted on TV screens in Baghdad to crowds of reporters, were the first in an election that will determine who governs the country as U.S. troops go home – and whether Iraqis can put behind them deep sectarian tensions that once brought their nation to the brink of civil war.

The initial tallies from Sunday’s vote suggested an exceedingly tight contest between coalitions led by al-Maliki, who gained popularity as security improved, and former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, a secular Shiite who sharply criticized the prime minister for failing to boost reconciliation efforts between Iraq’s factions.The emerging picture was a setback to hard-line religious Shiite political leaders who saw al-Maliki make gains in two southern provinces deep on their turf. Allawi appeared to be drawing on Sunni support north of Baghdad.Results did not include the race’s big prize – Baghdad – which accounts for 70 of the parliament’s 325 seats.

Thursday’s announcement set off a wave of fraud accusations, largely from Allawi’s Iraqiya coalition which said it uncovered dozens of violations. It said these included soldiers not being allowed to vote, interference in the electoral commission’s work and some polling stations failing to post results.In a statement, the group said it found “rigging to an extent that would render the elections useless for reflecting the voice of the Iraqis.”Election commission officials did not respond specifically to the allegations, but said the commission had received more than 1,000 complaints about potential violations, all of which would be investigated.

Al-Maliki gained ground against hard-line religious parties in two southern provinces. In Babil, where about a third of the ballots had been counted, the prime minister’s State of Law coalition won some 69,000 votes. He also came out on top in Najaf, where his bloc won some 56,000 votes.The tallies were a blow to al-Maliki’s main Shiite competition, the religious Iraqi National Alliance, which includes a party led by anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.

Since rising to prominence as part of a Shiite coalition that won the 2005 elections, al-Maliki has tried to recast himself as an inclusive leader for all Iraqis.Allawi’s non-sectarian Iraqiya list, which included Sunni candidates, fared better in central Iraq, where there are more Sunni voters. In Diyala province, Iraqiya received almost 43,000 votes, more than four time’s al-Maliki’s take. In Salahuddin, Allawi’s list had more than 34,000 votes, about five times that of al-Maliki.

Analyst Joost Hilterman of the International Crisis Group said the initial results were largely what he expected. He cautioned that final calls are hard to make without knowing about Baghdad.”Who gets Baghdad is still the most important thing,” he said.

Results from a fifth province, Irbil, showed the Kurdish Alliance, representing the two main Kurdish parties, defeating the upstart Kurdish party, Gorran, in the self-rule territory.Iraqi officials who have seen wider counts from across the country said al-Maliki’s coalition appeared to be coming out on top.

Speaking to Al-Jazeera TV, Ammar al-Hakim, who heads the Shiite Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council, said al-Maliki’s bloc was ahead “by some seats.” He said the assessment was based on information supplied by 40,000 observers from his alliance.Almost all Iraqi political parties and coalitions post observers at polling stations and counting centers across the country, serving as a check against fraud.Chaos reigned through much of the day before the first results were posted on large TV screens, with election officials offering different explanations of how much information would be released and when.

The officials said they had no deadline for releasing final results and were undecided about whether they would make public more results Friday.

Leaders from competing political parties visited the counting center during the day, which officials said helped ensure the count’s transparency. Others questioned the appropriateness of candidates getting so close to the counting process.Al-Maliki underwent surgery Wednesday but was quickly released from the hospital and back at work Thursday, according to a statement from his office. An adviser, Yassin Majid, said the surgery was “simple,” but refused to say what it entailed.

JAKARTA,Indonesians bury popular former President Wahid

President Abdurrahman Wahid, center

JAKARTA, Indonesia Thousands of mourners thronged roads Thursday in Indonesia to say farewell to late President Abdurrahman Wahid, a beloved, one-eyed cleric who reached out to religious minorities in the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation.Wahid, who ruled for nearly two years of tumult as Indonesia embarked on a path to democracy in 1999 after three decades of dictatorship, died in a hospital Wednesday. He was 69.A memorial service was led by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono before the burial in Wahid’s East Java hometown of Jombang, where about 10,000 supporters prayed over his remains, which were wrapped in white sheets.The televised service began a week of national mourning during which flags will be flown at half-staff. Some official New Year’s Eve celebrations were canceled.There was a massive outpouring of sentiment for a man whose open style, impromptu joke telling and naps during his own speeches endeared him to the masses. Weeping admirers lit candles and incense and said prayers at vigils held at mosques, churches, temples, schools and landmarks.Wahid, known fondly by his nickname Gus Dur, was a democratic reformer and proponent of moderate Islam who ultimately was unable to implement his ambitious ideas amid the financial and political chaos that dominated the vast island state of 235 million people during his presidency.

A White House statement said Wahid was “a pivotal figure” in Indonesia’s transition to free government who “will be remembered for his commitment to democratic principles, inclusive politics, and religious tolerance.”During his short term, from October 1999 to July 2001, Wahid led a broad coalition of unity but was eventually impeached after firing Yudhoyono, then a Cabinet minister, for refusing to declare a state of emergency when the army positioned tanks facing the Presidential Palace.

Wahid had been in the intensive care unit of Ciptomangunkusumo Hospital in Jakarta for the past week.The former president died during surgery to remove a blood clot in his heart, said professor Yusuf Misbach, head of his medical team. Wahid’s condition had deteriorated because of complications with diabetes and kidney failure, he said.

Wahid had struggled with illness for years and was confined to a wheelchair. Nearly blind, he also suffered serious kidney problems and diabetes.Presidential spokesman Julian Pasha noted Wahid’s widespread popularity, saying “we lost one of our greatest figures, who was very much loved by people from all walks of life.”

Abdurrahman Wahid, a long-serving head of the Nahdlatul Ulama, Indonesia’s largest Islamic group, pushed for interfaith dialogue and accepted an invitation to visit Israel in October 1994.In 1997, he traveled to Tel Aviv where he jointly signed a peace charter promoted by the Simon Perez Institute, a courageous effort at diplomacy in a country that still has no formal diplomatic ties with the Jewish state.

“We have lost a true friend and a warrior for peace and mutual respect,” said Rabbi Abraham Cooper, associate dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center. “As a devout Muslim with a following of tens of millions, Mr. Wahid was unafraid to condemn unambiguously terrorism in all its forms.””He was a very open person. … All minorities, underdogs or those suffering always felt secure with him. That was very extraordinary,” said Franz Magnis-Suseno, a Catholic priest. “He was a humanist. … For people like me, he emitted a friendly Islam that made us feel safe.”

Wahid was an opponent of Suharto in the dictator’s final years in power. Wahid attempted to establish a truth and reconciliation commission to investigate political killings, disappearances and massacres during Suharto’s 32-year rule, but political opposition was too great.Wahid was elected Indonesia’s third president on Oct. 20, 1999. While in office, he worked for peaceful solutions to secessionist movements in restive provinces such as Aceh and Papua.He visited East Timor after it became a new nation and apologized for human rights abuses committed by Indonesian forces during its brutal 24-year occupation.(AP)

Miss Argentina dies after plastic surgery ( Solange Magnano )

A former Miss Argentina died Sunday after complications arising from plastic surgery, the official Telam news agency said.Solange Magnano, 37, died in a hospital after being transferred from a clinic where she underwent an elective surgery on her buttocks on Wednesday, the agency reported.Magnano ran her own modeling agency in Argentina, and had been a model and Miss Argentina in 1994. She also was the mother of 7-year-old twins.The cause of her death was under investigation, authorities said.News of her death shocked her fans. By Monday, a tribute page on the social networking site Facebook had more than 830 members.”This is a horrible day. We will miss you, Sol,” one Facebook poster wrote.You couldn’t be any more beautiful than you already were,” another person added. “You had to pay with your life.”

Magnano’s most recent project was a runway show to be held in December in her hometown of San Francisco, Argentina, according to Telam.In recent years, Argentina has become an international destination for plastic surgery. The costs of such procedures there are much lower than in other countries.

Estimates say that 1 in 30 Argentines has gone under the knife, making surgeons here some of the most experienced on the globe.Medical tourism has seen a huge jump over the past decade, and is projected to be a $100 billion global industry by 2010, according to the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions.

filariasis or elephantiasis as a disease of the legs or arms.

Jakarta, Most people only know filariasis or elephantiasis as a disease of the legs or arms. But filariasis is also pleased to attack the genitals, especially male. Swelling of the genitals caused by the entry of larvae mikrofilaria generally come from the worm Brugia timori.The larvae will enter the lymphatics (lymph nodes) in the scrotum (scrotal skin) and cause swelling of the genitals (hydrocele),” said Dr Rochani, a urology specialist surgeon from RSCM, in Iluni media gathering at the Faculty of Medicine FK UI, Salemba, Jakarta, Thursday (19/11/2009).According to Rochani, hydrocele cases was more pronounced in the eastern region of Indonesia. “Like a worm only (B. timori), hydrocele are common in NTT, Papua, Flores, and other eastern regions. But now many are also in Bekasi,” said Rochani.

According to WHO, the characteristics of the scrotum (scrotal skin) swelling is impalpable testes and genitals can be opaque because of the piles of lymph nodes in the privates.A man who has had hydrocele will experience disruption in their activities, especially sexual intercourse. But not to worry, hydrocele can be solved by surgery.”After the operation, the tool can be normal again pubic within 6 months. He was also still able to have children because during the had hydrocele, spermatogenesisnya process is not disrupted,” explained Rochani.

The principle of hydrocele surgery is changing the flow through the testicular lymphatics and lymph fluid that accumulate in the scrotum. One week after surgery, patients can be active again and within 6 months of genitals will return as before.”But if the balls are broken, then the process will be disrupted and spermatogenesisnya likely to have children so hard. It can happen if left untreated hydrocele for 10 years,” said Rochani.

For that, Rochani recommend that treatment continue to be done on an ongoing basis if someone is caught mikrofilaria infected. “The sooner the better because the caught this hydrocele occurs slowly over many years,” he said.Once a year treatment with the drug Di ethyl Carbonation (DEC) and Albendazol for 5 years can kill the worms and larvae in total mikrofilaria.According to parasitology expert, Prof. Saleha Sungkar, filaria worms can actually die alone after 6-10 years. But who wants to wait that long until swollen genitals?(detik)