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| Brazil's President Lula taken ill | Brazil's President Lula taken ill |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has spent the night in hospital after being taken ill with high blood pressure, Brazilian media report. | Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has spent the night in hospital after being taken ill with high blood pressure, Brazilian media report. |
| Lula, 64, became ill after boarding a plane in the north-eastern city of Recife to fly to Davos in Switzerland for the World Economic Forum. | Lula, 64, became ill after boarding a plane in the north-eastern city of Recife to fly to Davos in Switzerland for the World Economic Forum. |
| Presidency officials said he had felt "tired and indisposed". | Presidency officials said he had felt "tired and indisposed". |
| Local media say Lula is expected to be discharged later in the day but may still require more medical tests. | Local media say Lula is expected to be discharged later in the day but may still require more medical tests. |
| Central Bank President Henrique Meirelles will travel to Davos to represent Brazil. | Central Bank President Henrique Meirelles will travel to Davos to represent Brazil. |
| President Lula had spent Wednesday in Recife, following a busy agenda. | President Lula had spent Wednesday in Recife, following a busy agenda. |
| The president had complained of a sore throat and a pain in his chest during the day and showed signs of high blood pressure as he was about to depart. | The president had complained of a sore throat and a pain in his chest during the day and showed signs of high blood pressure as he was about to depart. |
| Mr Lula's personal doctor, Cleber Ferreira, who advised that he be taken to hospital, said: "I took the president off the plane. He didn't fly on doctors' orders, but right until the last minute he wanted to travel." | Mr Lula's personal doctor, Cleber Ferreira, who advised that he be taken to hospital, said: "I took the president off the plane. He didn't fly on doctors' orders, but right until the last minute he wanted to travel." |
| Mr Lula was due to become the first head of state to receive the World Economic Forum's new Global Statesmanship Award. | Mr Lula was due to become the first head of state to receive the World Economic Forum's new Global Statesmanship Award. |
| Peanut seller | |
| President Lula is in the final year of his second four-year term - but despite high approval ratings has ruled out standing for a second re-election, which is anyway prohibited under the Brazilian constitution. | |
| Following a landslide victory in 2002, he became the first leftist to hold the country's highest office in nearly half a century. | |
| The son of an illiterate peasant family, he had worked as a peanut seller and shoe-shine boy, only learning to read when he was 10 years old, before training as a metal worker and becoming a trade union activist. | |
| Mr Lula then helped found the Workers Party (PT) in 1980. |