Hugo Chavez declares recovery from cancer

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez Thursday said he has recovered from cancer, ending a four-month battle he had with the malignant tumor, according to Xinhua.

"I'm free of illness," Chavez said during a visit to the southeastern state of Tachira, citing the medical tests that he had gone through in Cuba, which showed no signs of any malignant cells. "It's a new Chavez who has come back to Venezuela... a Chavez who once again will be with the people," he said.

Chavez had a surgery in Cuba in June to remove the cancerous tumor, and later received four rounds of chemotherapy from July to September, which his Cuban doctors declared "successful."