Yeltsin to take a holiday

A spokesman for President Yeltsin says the Russian president could take a holiday after leaving the sanatorium where he's been recovering from a heavy cold and a chest infection.

The spokesman said the holiday meant that Mr Yeltsin would be far from cameras and official meetings but he continued to work while in hospital.

Doctors treating President Yeltsin advised him to stay in hospital for another five to seven days.

Mr Yeltsin underwent heart by-pass surgery thirteen months ago and since then there has been frequent speculation about his health.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service