Chirac denies Alzheimer's claim

The former president Jacques Chirac yesterday denied rumours that he is suffering from Alzheimer's disease.

"Do I give the impression of not doing well? I'm doing fine," Mr Chirac, 78, told BFM-TV.

Earlier, his wife, Bernadette, said that a report in the Le Journal du Dimanche newspaper at the weekend was "a lie". She told Europe 1 radio that her husband has occasional memory problems and some hearing and walking difficulties. Mr Chirac will stand trial on 7 March over corruption charges regarding his tenure as Paris mayor. ap