Lula's leap

THE press says he's shed 14 kilos (30lb). His aides confirm more than ten. But there is no doubt about the improvement in the political fitness of Brazil's president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Last year, Brazil's worst scandal in a dozen years nearly finished him. The polls now predict his victory over likely rivals in next October's presidential elections. Lula does not admit to being a candidate: he may wait until June to declare himself, while his main rivals must leave their current jobs by next month. Yet his frenetic trips around the country inaugurating crowd-pleasing public works make his intentions plain.