A FORMER French prime minister, Michel Debre, the father of his country's constitution and one of Gen Charles de Gaulle's closest aides, died yesterday at his home in central France.
Debre, who was 84, was the first prime minister under the Fifth Republic, serving from 1958 to 1962 after holding the post of justice minister. He had been one of Dc Gaulle's most faithful lieutenants after joining the resistance movement during the Nazi occupation of France.
He is survived by four sons, including the current interior minister Jean Louis Debre, and former minister of co operation Bernard Debre.
Russian President Boris Yeltsin is worn out after his election victory and needs two months of peace and quiet to recover, an aide said yesterday.
Intellectually he is, of course, in very strong form. But physically ... he needs, probably, about two months to recover from such overwork," Georgy Satarov said.
Britain's Queen Mother turns 96 tomorrow, full of life in spite of her health problems, and more popular than ever, despite the damage to the royal family's reputation from the antics of her grandchildren.
The widow of King George VI and mother of Queen Elizabeth has occupied a special place in British hearts ever since she refused to leave London during the Luftwaffe blitz during the second World War. She will celebrate her birthday in the royal residence at Sandringham.
Suffering from arthritis and still recuperating from a hip replacement operation last November, the Queen Mother has difficulty moving and relics on a walking stick.