The French prime minister has admitted that the Egyptian government gave his family free accommodation, transport in a private plane and a trip down the Nile during the Christmas holidays.

Francois Fillon may have been trying to head off criticism, after news of the perks were printed in a French satirical magazine.

Fillon met under-fire President Hosni Mubarak during the trip. French Foreign Minister Mich?le Alliot-Marie has also faced probing questions about her Christmas holiday, this time in Tunisia.

She accepted the offer of transport in a Tunisian businessman's private plane and has faced intense scrutiny over how close he was to the Ben Ali regime. ...

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