Brazil's ex-president Lula released from hospital

Former Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who is undergoing radiation therapy for larynx cancer, was released from hospital Sunday following treatment for a lung infection. "He will continue to take antibiotics until March 16 but he is tending to get better and better," one of his doctors, Roberto Kalil Filho, told Brazil's G1 news website. Lula should be back for a checkup later in the month, Kalil Filho said. Doctors say that Lula's lung infection is common for someone whose defenses are weak after going through three cycles of chemotherapy and 33 radiation therapy sessions. Lula, Brazil's first leftist president, led the country from January 2003 to December 2010. He left office with a soaring 80 percent approval rating after two consecutive terms. An ex-smoker known for his raspy voice, the 66 year-old Lula was diagnosed with cancer in October. He underwent months of chemotherapy and doctors have said his cancer is in remission.