The French news agency, Agence France Presse, has appointed a native English-speaker as editor-in-chief for the first time.

Eric Wishart, a Scotsman who's been AFP's regional head in Asia, takes over from Yves de Saint Jacob.

The agency says the appointment is part of the development of its English service in order for AFP to remain globally competitive.

Correspondents say the appointment marks a definitive end to the French authorities' attempts to use the agency to promote French as an international lingua franca.