■ United States
Gorilla demands medical aid
When Koko the gorilla used the American Sign Language gesture for pain and pointed to her mouth, 12 specialists sprang into action. The result? Her first full medical examination in about 20 years, an extracted tooth and a clean bill of health. About a month ago, Koko, a 135kg ape who became famous for mastering more than 1,000 signs, told her handlers at the Gorilla Foundation in Woodside, California, that she was in pain. And because anesthesia would be needed, her handlers used the opportunity to give Koko, 33, a head-to-toe exam. When Koko asked to meet her specialists, they crowded around her, and Koko asked one woman wearing red to come closer. The woman handed her a business card, which Koko promptly ate.
■ Russia
Reforms end elderly benefits
The upper legislative house yesterday approved a controversial bill that would end an array of Soviet-era benefits, including free transportation and medicine, for some of Russia's most impoverished and vulnerable people. The 179-seat Federation Council, which usually rubber-stamps legislation for the Kremlin, approved the government-backed legislation by a vote of 156-5 with one abstention. The measure now goes to President Vladimir Putin for his signature. The bill eliminates free provision of artificial limbs, job guarantees for the disabled and, for many, free medicine. In return, they'll get monthly cash payments ranging from 150 rubles (US$5.10).
■ United States
Thirty rare dolphins put down
Thirty rare rough-toothed dolphins were euthanized after beaching themselves on Florida's eastern coast, news reports said on Sunday. The animals beached themselves on Friday about 90km north of West Palm Beach. Volunteers tried to save them by pushing them to deeper waters, but their efforts failed when the dolphins beached themselves a second time. Many of them were in the process of dying, said Gregory Bossart of Harbor Branch Oceano-graphic Institution. Six dolphins were saved and taken to Harbor Branch, where they were being given fluid as scientists fought dehydration. Strandings of rough-toothed dolphin, which prefer deep water, are extremely rare, Bossart said.
■ Belarus
UK scientist kicked out
A scientist who has studied the Chernobyl nuclear disaster for more than 10 years has been placed on the Belarussian "forbidden persons list" and banned from the country for five years. Alan Flowers, a professor at Kingston University, was expelled weeks after arriving for a lecture tour on an invitation from the the state university. He had regularly conducted his studies, testing radioactive content in soil, and had his visa renewed in March. He said the move was an attempt to gag him by the government, led by President Aleksandr Lukashenko.
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