1. Chirac to stand trial

    After years of claiming presidential immunity* to avoid legal proceedings*, Jacques Chirac on March 6 became France’s first former head of state to go on trial since its Nazi-era leader was exiled.

    If the trial goes ahead as planned, Chirac, 78, faces a month in court on charges that he masterminded* a scheme to have Paris City Hall pay for work that benefited his political party when he was mayor — before he became president in 1995.

    2. Libya forces fight rebels

    Libyan helicopter gunships fired on a rebel force advancing west toward the capital Tripoli along the country’s Mediterranean coastline yesterday and forces loyal to leader Moammar Gadhafi engaged in intense ground battles with the rival fighters.

    The opposition force pushed out of the rebel-held eastern half of Libya late last week for the first time and has been cutting a path west toward Tripoli. On the way, they secured control of two important oil ports at Brega and Ras Lanouf and the rebels were advancing further west when they were hit by helicopter fire and confrontations with ground forces.

    3. German defense minister quits

    German Defense Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg quit on March 1 after admitting to copying part of a doctoral dissertation*, seeking to end a scandal that has shaken Angela Merkel’s conservative government. Guttenberg had been accused of copying parts of the dissertation without correct attribution, and was stripped of his doctorate after admitting last week that his dissertation was flawed, although he has not admitted to plagiarism*.

    4. London halts aid to Russia, China

    London on March 2 slashed* 16 countries including Russia and China from the list of nations it gives financial aid to and said it would no longer fund four “irrelevant” U.N. aid organizations.

    Angola and Vietnam are also among countries that will see their aid budgets phased out* between now and 2016. Under the new aid policy, Britain will spend more in war-torn* countries like Afghanistan and Somalia to provide greater security for British interests.

    5. Seiji Maehara resigns

    Japanese Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara resigned on March 6 to take responsibility for accepting donations from a foreign national, adding to unpopular Prime Minister Naoto Kan’s troubles as he battles to keep his own job.

    Maehara’s resignation deepens the impression of a government in disarray* as Kan fights to keep his own Democratic Party from splintering* and avoid calling a snap* election while trying to enact budget bills in a deeply divided parliament.

    6. Mubarak banned from leaving

    Egypt’s top prosecutor barred former President Hosni Mubarak and his family from leaving the country and seized control of Mubarak’s assets as the new government moved ahead with an investigation into charges of corruption.

    After Mubarak was forced out, Switzerland sent notices to banks with a list of Mubarak family names and asked that their assets be seized. But specialists said it is likely that many, if not most, accounts are not in the family name.

    7. Pakistan minister killed

    Gunmen shot and killed the Christian Pakistani minister for religious minorities on March 2, the latest attack on a high-profile figure threatened by Muslim militants for urging reform of harsh blasphemy laws that impose the death penalty for insulting Islam.

    The killing of Shahbaz Bhatti further undermines* Pakistan’s shaky image as a moderate Islamic state and could deepen the political turmoil* in this nuclear-armed, U.S.-allied nation whose economy subsists* on international loans and where militants frequently stage suicide attacks. (SD-Agencies)