Mystery illness hits former Russian PM (in Ireland)

[RamboLiberal]

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/1bc23f9c-7f21-11db-b193-0000779e2340.html

Yegor Gaidar, Russia’s former prime minister and the architect of the country’s market reforms, last week suffered a sudden, unexplained and violent illness on a visit to Ireland, a day after Alexander Litvinenko, a former KGB spy, died in London from an apparent radiation poisoning.

Mr Gaidar is now in a stable condition at an undisclosed Moscow hospital, undergoing tests. In a telephone interview with the FT, Mr Gaidar said the doctors had so far been unable to identify the cause of the violent vomiting and bleeding that he suffered during a conference in Ireland.

Anatoly Chubais, his former associate and the head of Russia’s electricity monopoly, said he suspected Mr Gaidar may have been poisoned. However, he strongly ruled out that either Russia’s security services or the Kremlin could have had any involvement. There is no indication of radiation being the cause of his illness.

Mr Gaidar is one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s softer critics and his daughter is a leader of an opposition movement. Mr Gaidar, who heads an economic think-tank in Moscow, has close connections with the government and occasionally advises them on economic matters.

“I have suffered sudden problems with my health on November 24 which posed a threat to my life. This threat has not been realised. After a few hours the situation stabilised,” Mr Gaidar said.

[rurallib]

1. Seems to be going around, especially in Russia

The question is how can our politicians turn this into a fear opportunity and big Pharma make some bucks on it?

[AlamoDemoc]

2. I have a feeling every Russian oldie that dies from natural circumstance would be linked to poison

[whistle]

3. Like the 1950 movie D.O.A.

D.O.A. is a 1950 movie considered a classic of the film noir genre. The frantically-paced plot revolves around a doomed man's quest to find out who has murdered him – and why – before he dies.

[Monkeyman]

4. Does anybody remember the KGB useing a cane with a tip

On it that killed in the 50's

[No Exit]

5. I remember hearing of it. Wasn't it an umbrella? Thought it was in the 60's.

The sharpened tip supposedly had ricin on it.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

6. It was more recent than that

A Bulgarian exile in London was stabbed with a poison umbrella in the 1970s or 1980s. The Bulgarian government was angry at him because he had been fairly famous before he defected, and he was making broadcasts for the BBC World Service.

[originalpckelly]

8. Here y'all, I always remember because of ricin:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricin#Assassination_of_Bulgarian_Dissident_Georgi_Markov.2C_London_1978

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgi_Markov

[woodsprite]

7. Sounds like Putin is doing some holiday "cleaning". n/t

[aquart]

9. And he seems to be having fun with it.

[BrightKnight]

10. Vladimir Soprano needs to keep that $h!@ on his own turf.

We don't want Junior's Family to get any new ideas.