Mandela ‘Doing Much Better’

Nelson Mandela is getting a good health report for Christmas. The former South African leader, 94, is “doing much better” after being admitted to the hospital 18 days ago for a recurring lung infection and gallstones, President Jacob Zuma said Tuesday. Doctors are “happy with the progress he is making,” Zuma reported in an email statement, adding that Mandela was in “good spirits.” This is the second time this year that Mandela has required an extended hospital stay, after undergoing abdominal surgery in February.