Free Republic

HAVANA - The first photographs of Fidel Castro since his illness two weeks ago were published Sunday in Cuba's Communist Youth newspaper with a statement by the Cuban leader saying on his 80th birthday "I feel very happy." "For all those who care about my health, I promise to fight for it," said the statement attributed to Castro in Juventud Rebelde newspaper. "To the people of Cuba, infinite gratitude for your loving support. The country is marching on and will continue marching on perfectly well." The online edition of the newspaper also published four photographs of Castro wearing what looked...

Brazil -- Cuba’s leader Fidel Castro has cancer, N-TV TV station announced citing Brazilian newspaper Folha de São Paulo considered to be well informed about Castro’s health. According to the newspaper Brazil’s President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva has been informed by Havana that Fidel Castro has a cancer formation in his stomach. “It looks like we are losing our friend,” the Brazilian newspaper reads citing Luis Inacio Lula da Silva. Even if he recovers from the stomach operation Cuba’s leader most probably won’t be able to run the country again, Folha de São Paulo comments.

Surgeons fought for hours to save Castro's life By Phil Hart in Havana (Filed: 06/08/2006) Doctors at the exclusive Cimeq hospital in western Havana are accustomed to handling the delicate health problems of Cuba's communist elite. It was here last weekend, The Sunday Telegraph has learnt, that they battled for several hours to save the life of the regime's most important patient, Fidel Castro. Unable to stem intestinal bleeding with drugs, the country's top surgeons performed an emergency operation on the veteran leader. To all but a handful of trusted doctors and his closest lieutenants, President Castro's medical condition has...

Three weeks before his 80th birthday, Cuban President Fidel Castro has joked that he has no plans to be in power when he is 100 years old. He was addressing 100,000 people who were marking the anniversary of the start of the 1953 Cuban Revolution. Mr. Castro used his speech to make fun of the US, which has set up a fund of $80 million to "boost democracy" when the communist leader dies. In power since 1959, Mr. Castro has so far outlasted nine US presidents. Mr. Castro said more Cubans were reaching 100 thanks to his government's social services....

Cuban President Fidel Castro is transferring power provisionally to brother Raul while he undergoes an operation, Cuban TV announces.

HAVANA - Fidel Castro temporarily relinquished his presidential powers to his brother Raul on Monday night and told Cubans that he had undergone surgery. The Cuban leader said he had suffered intestinal bleeding, apparently due to stress from recent public appearances in Argentina and Cuba, according to the letter read live on television by his secretary, Carlos Valenciaga.

<p>If someone can get me the address, this will be sent from my card service, SendOutCards.com. Hmmmm, should this be an eBay item?</p>

Meanwhile, Cuban revolutionaries opened 10,000 new schools, erased illiteracy, and built a universal health care system. Castro backed revolutionary movements in Latin America and Africa...

One of the most virulent anti-Castro radio station's in Miami is WRMI. YOU CAN LISTEN LIVE ONLINE in Spanish. For those who speak Spanish and want to translate and get the latest, please listen and give us the reports. Unfortunately, my Spanish is really far to rusty to understand. I guess I should be working on it since it will soon be the official language in California.