A lawyer says he helped arrange milllion-dollar "kickbacks" for French leaders in exchange for turning a blind eye "to abuses of power in Africa".

African leaders gave former French president Jacques Chirac briefcases full of cash, notably to finance election campaigns, a former aide has alleged.

The prospect of France returning to Nato’s military command after more than four decades of estrangement is tilting the balance of transatlantic relations. The United States is…