Former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is expected to begin chemotherapy Monday after a cancerous tumor was discovered in his larynx this weekend. One doctor treating the 66-year-old Silva said he is in “very good condition,” that the tumor in his throat is not very big, and that his chances of a full recovery are excellent. A former metalworker and Brazil’s first working-class president, “Lula” left office Jan. 1 after eight years during which Brazil grew solidly, 20 million people were lifted out of poverty, unemployment hit a record low, and the soccer-mad country won the right to host the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who was treated for cancer himself, sent a message of solidarity to Lula on Sunday.
