The French Prime Minister Francois Fillon has
admit
ted that Egypt’s President Hosni Mubarak lent him and his family a plane during a holiday in Egypt last Christmas. France’s Foreign Minister Michele Alliot-Marie had already been criticised for using a plane belonging to a Tunisian tycoon while holidaying in that country during the unrest. Sam Wilson reports on Mr Fillon’s case.
This admission will be
acutely
embarrassing for Francois Fillon. As Nicolas Sarkozy’s prime minister, he’s been seen as a safe pair of hands, a calming influence on the
impetuous
president. But now, his judgement will be called into question. With Mr Mubarak facing
unprecedented
popular protests, western leaders have tried to distance themselves from him. But this affair demonstrates how he’s long been treated as a friend and ally by western politicians.
A US government investigation into safety in Toyota cars has found no problems with the electronics in the company’s vehicles. The US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood spelled out the inquiry’s findings.
“So let’s be clear. The jury is back. The verdict is in. There is no electronic-based cause for unintended high-speed acceleration in Toyotas. Period.”
Since 2009, the Japanese company had
recall
ed more than 12 million cars and vans across the world to deal with problems such as sticking accelerator pedals.