Paris  - Up to 21 illegal immigrants drowned when the small boat
in which they were travelling sank off the French overseas territory of
Mayotte, in the Indian Ocean, the island's police said on Friday.

According to the 12 people rescued by fishermen and taken to
hospital, the boat was carrying 26 adults and seven children when it
apparently struck a coral reef and sank shortly after midnight local
time.

Two bodies have been found in the sea and another 19, five of them

Paris - The alleged head of the military wing of the Basque separatist group ETA has been placed under investigation by a Paris court on charges of terrorism, French radio reported on Friday.

The step initiates a judicial phase that could end with Mikel Garikoitz Aspiazu Rubina being tried on several charges, including leading a terrorist group and possession of stolen goods.

If convicted on the charges, the man also known as Txeroki faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

Paris - The losing Socialist Party candidate in the 2007 French presidential election, Segolene Royal, will be standing later Friday in a run-off election to become party leader.

If she beats her opponent, Lille Mayor Martine Aubry, she will take a large step to securing her party's nomination to face President Nicolas Sarkozy in the 2012 presidential election.

In 2007, Royal became the first French woman to make it to the second round of the presidential election, but she was soundly beaten by Sarkozy.

In Thursday's first round of balloting for the party leadership, the 55-year-old Royal garnered 43.1 per cent of the vote, compared to Aubry's 35.4 per cent and 22.8 per cent for European Parliament deputy Benoit Hamon.

Paris  - Former French presidential candidate Segolene Royal beat out two other candidates in Thursday's election to head the Socialist Party but fell short of gaining a winning majority, French media reported early Friday.

Royal will face off later on Friday in a run-off against the mayor of Lille, Martine Aubry, as party members go to the polls again to decide who will succeed Royal's former partner, Francois Hollande, as Socialist leader.

Paris - The French government will establish an investment fund of 20 billion euros (25 billion dollars) to support French companies and protect them from foreign takeovers, President Nicolas Sarkozy announced on Thursday.

Speaking to workers in the central French city of Saint-Julien de Chedon, Sarkozy said the fund is to be managed by the Caisse des Depots, a government financial institution under the control of parliament.

The amount of money committed to the fund was smaller than expected. Originally, the talk was of at least 100 million euros.

Paris - The French government will establish an investment fund of 20 billion euros (25 billion dollars) to support French companies and protect them from foreign takeovers, President Nicolas Sarkozy announced on Thursday.

Speaking to workers in the central French city of Saint-Julien de Chedon, Sarkozy said the "strategic investment fund in the national interest" is to be managed by the Caisse des Depots, a government financial institution under the control of parliament.