France, Investigation | featured news

French ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy has been placed under formal investigation over claims his 2007 election campaign received illegal donations from France's richest woman. Mr Sarkozy is accused of accepting thousands of euros from L'Oreal heiress Liliane Bettencourt, now aged 90.

French prosecutors have reportedly launched a preliminary investigation against the Astana cycling team, following the discovery of syringes belonging to the squad during this year's Tour de France.

The Air France plane that crashed last month with 228 people aboard "did not break up or become destroyed in flight," the French air investigation agency announced today.

French investigators say more than 400 pieces of Flight 447 have been recovered in the Atlantic.