Heads Of State

The Algerian military regime Thursday named a 64-year-old diplomat and leader of a war veterans' association as the new head of state to replace Mohammed Boudiaf, who was assassinated four days ago, apparently by an officer assigned to the presidential security guard.

State Sen. Bob Huff of Diamond Bar was elected Wednesday as leader of the Republican caucus in California's upper house, replacing Sen. Bob Dutton of Rancho Cucamonga. Huff, 58, was unanimously approved for the post as the Legislature heads into another difficult year. Lawmakers will have to work with Gov. Jerry Brown to address an expected $13-billion budget shortfall. "The governor has indicated that he will work with Republicans when possible, and Senate Republicans are open to compromise and crafting true, bipartisan solutions," Huff said in a statement.

As the world's attention began to turn toward this placid suburban community, mourners and Secret Service agents alike descended Sunday on the grounds of the site where Richard Nixon was born 81 years ago, and where he will be buried this week. Law enforcement officials met throughout the day to plan security for a funeral that will draw the President of the United States, the four living former chief executives and a galaxy of international representatives.

Good news for the daughter of Britain's Prince William and Catherine Middleton (if they have one): One day she can be queen. Leaders of the 16 countries that recognize the British monarch as head of state have agreed that a firstborn daughter ought to be able to ascend the throne even if she has younger brothers. The proposed change to the rule of royal succession that has prevailed for centuries will now make its way through the legal process of all the countries ruled by Queen Elizabeth II, among them Australia, Canada and a number of small island nations (Britain included)

Former President Boris N. Yeltsin, putting an end to Soviet practices in death as he did in life, was buried Wednesday with Russian Orthodox rites. The service marked the first time in more than a century that Russia bid a religious farewell to a deceased head of state. Former Presidents Clinton and George H. W. Bush were among the dignitaries who gathered for a memorial at central Moscow's Christ the Savior Cathedral, which was followed by burial at Novodevichy cemetery.

Invoking the spirit of Eva Peron and the mothers who confronted the former dictatorship, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner was sworn in here Monday as Argentina's first elected female president. "I know that it will be more difficult for me because I am a woman," the longtime senator and former first lady told assembled lawmakers in the ornate congressional palace downtown. "But I believe I have the strength to be able to do it."

Worldwide reaction to Margaret Thatcher's resignation reflected admiration for her fierce determination and stunning achievements. Even her foes tempered scorn with praise for a formidable adversary. In resignation, as at the peak of her powers, the British prime minister left nobody speechless. The "Iron Lady" has long been described as stubborn, exasperating and often amusing, but never boring.

Saddam Hussein rules by fear, but he is also ruled by his fears. The Iraqi president spends ever more time in the many bunkers beneath his ornate palaces. He rarely sleeps more than one night in the same place. He receives visitors only after they have been thoroughly searched and had their hands disinfected in up to three liquids. He uses food tasters, and special teams test everything the president might touch: bed linens, toiletries, clothes, ink.

An insidious force is threatening the collective peace of mind in Lomas de Chapultepec, the Beverly Hills of this capital city. The 10-foot walls and the electrified fences that are de rigueur for most homes can't keep the force out, nor can the neighborhood's ubiquitous private security guards. It seeps in, like a noxious vapor: the possibility that a certain leftist politician with a tropical accent might be elected the next president of Mexico in July.

For weeks, Egyptians have been frantic with speculation: the dress, the diamond and, of course, the nickname. After Bennifer, Tomkat and Brangelina, "now there is ... Gaga?" mused one blogger. "Gaga" would be Gamal Mubarak, son of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, and Khadija Gamal, daughter of a well-known business tycoon. The couple held a wedding reception Friday at this exclusive Red Sea resort.

Manfred Gerlach Last East German head of state Manfred Gerlach, 83, who was the last head of state of East Germany, died Monday in a Berlin hospital after a long illness, his family and friends told the German media. When the once-monolithic East German power structure began crumbling before the fall of the Berlin Wall in late 1989, Gerlach won the support of ordinary East Germans for speaking out against the ruling party and the oppression of anti-communist activists.

British Prime Minister David Cameron and French President Nicolas Sarkozy paid a historic visit Thursday to the Libyan capital, praising the nation's revolution, urging fugitive former leader Moammar Kadafi to surrender and sending a not-so-subtle message to Syria that room for autocratic rule was shrinking in the region. Both nations played a leading role in the withering NATO air campaign that was essential in toppling Kadafi's rule after more than four decades in power. The two leaders were the first foreign heads of state to visit Libya since Kadafi was ousted from the capital last month and went on the run. "This does go beyond Libya; this is a moment when the Arab spring can become an Arab summer," Cameron told a news conference with Sarkozy and leaders of Libya's transitional government.

The countdown clock ran out, the flag ascended over the fledgling capital and a new nation born from Africa's longest civil war and the deaths of 2 million people joined the world. The mood in Juba was euphoric Saturday as the Republic of South Sudan formally declared its independence from the north, its bitter antagonist for generations. For the day, at least, a people weary of conflict were willing to ignore that their nation came into being as one the world's most troubled states.

If things continue as they are and Britain's Prince Charles succeeds his mother to reign as king until his death at a ripe old age, then sometime around 2040 the young couple getting married in Westminster Abbey on Friday will be King William V and Queen Catherine. By sheer accident of birth, William will then be the head of state of whatever is left of today's United Kingdom. Would that be all right? My answer is: In theory, no; in practice, probably yes. If William and Kate behave themselves, unlike some of the gamier members of Britain's royal family, and contribute to the development of a modernized, slimmed-down constitutional monarchy, this can actually be better than the likely alternatives.

Ivory Coast's longtime leader Laurent Gbagbo, who refused to relinquish power despite his defeat in a presidential election in November and a bloody battle with opposition forces, was seized from his compound in Abidjan on Monday and placed in the custody of United Nations peacekeeping forces, officials said. The former president was shown on television being led into a room wearing an unbuttoned shirt and sleeveless white undershirt. Looking tired and wary, Gbagbo wiped his face with a towel before changing into a green-and-yellow shirt.

The chairman of the state tax board violated campaign finance rules when he didn't disclose his involvement in a contentious Inglewood school board race and faces fines of $13,000, according to state ethics officials. Jerome Horton, who is chairman of the state Board of Equalization, has admitted to several violations — including diverting his unused campaign money to an aborted state Senate run — in an agreement he signed with the director of the state Fair Political Practices Commission.

Stylish in tiny black dresses and tailored suits, the mourners gathered in the lobby of an upscale downtown hotel. They filled the air with expensive perfume and cologne, their handbags and sunglasses gilded with the logos of Chanel, Armani and Dolce & Gabbana.

For Queen Elizabeth II, it's oysters and raw shellfish. If you're inviting her to dinner, keep them off the menu. "The Queen doesn't eat oysters or uncooked shellfish--it is something that can upset so many people," sniffs a spokeswoman at Buckingham Palace. For Yitzhak Shamir, prime minister of Israel, kosher dietary laws rule out pork and shellfish, as well as any meal that includes both meat and dairy products. And of course, as everyone now knows, President Bush isn't too fond of broccoli.

Flying home from Michigan on Air Force One, President Obama sat in front of a television and watched Hosni Mubarak deliver a surprising speech: He would not quit. Earlier in the day, Obama had told an audience that "we are witnessing history unfold," a sign that he understood the Egyptian president would resign. Now Obama was watching a defiant Mubarak announce that he was transferring some presidential powers but would remain in office. Returning to the White House, Obama summoned Vice President Joe Biden and top foreign policy aides to the Oval Office.

Helen Chaplin, a sprightly senior executive at the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel for more than 40 years who won the hearts of European royalty, heads of state, political pundits and A-list celebrities by attending to their whims as guests, has died. She was 97. FOR THE RECORD: Helen Chaplin obituary: A news obituary of hotel executive Helen Chaplin in Tuesday's LATExtra section quoted Bill Wilkinson, the former president of Ayala Hotels who hired Chaplin to work at the Checkers Hotel in downtown Los Angeles, but failed to note that Wilkinson died in July.