Argentina's President Has Cancer

Argentina's President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner has been diagnosed with cancer barely two weeks after she was sworn in for a second term. Routine tests uncovered papillary carcinoma in the thyroid of the 58-year-old leader, CNN reports. She is due to undergo surgery next week, and will be on medical leave until Jan. 24.

The cancer has not spread, and experts say her chances of surviving are excellent. "The thyroid gland will have to be removed," a Buenos Aires cancer specialist tells Reuters. "The prognosis is very good." The chances of being cured are as high as 98%, he added. Fernandez—who still wears black to mourn the 2010 death of her husband, former President Nestor Kirchner—was re-elected with 54% of the vote earlier this year, despite opposition from business groups. (More thyroid cancer stories.)