“As mayor of Les Sables d’Olonne in 1992, I wondered if I had made a decision which meant that I was sending people to their deaths.”

Ex-French president's campaign finances are being probed and he is not getting an easy ride. By John Lichfield

The Leveson Inquiry has exploded the myth of Britain as a beacon of transparency

The director of one of France's most prestigious colleges has been found dead in a New York City hotel room.

France may recently have suffered a credit agency downgrade, but President Nicolas Sarkozy's triple-A lifestyle in the Elysée Palace has been skewered in a new book.

After 17 years in politics, including two years as Prime Minister, Dominique de Villepin has finally decided to run for election. And not just any election. Once a contemptuous centre-right rival of President Nicolas Sarkozy, Mr Villepin has infuriated his old enemy by entering next spring's presidential race.

A man in a crowd grabbed French President Nicolas Sarkozy by the shoulder today and nearly knocked him to the ground before being tackled by security officers.

Former French President Jacques Chirac will go back on trial in September on corruption charges linked to his time as mayor of Paris.

Vodun:African Voodoo is an exhibition of the amazing private collection of Voodoo art collated by African and tribal art expert Jacques Kerchache.

The trial of former President Jacques Chirac on corruption charges was suspended for at least three months today – raising doubts about whether the case will ever come to court.

The trial of the former French president Jacques Chirac for misuse of public funds began yesterday, but proceedings were promptly delayed by an appeal from a co-defendant, which could see the trial postponed for months.

A long-awaited French corruption trial has opened with former President Jacques Chirac as the star defendant.