Across the World: France

Sarkozy son gets board seat

The 23-year-old son of French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Friday won a seat on a powerful business district board, staying on track for a high-flying political career despite renouncing a bigger post. Jean Sarkozy had originally wanted to run the EPAD agency, which manages the La Defense area on the western fringe of Paris, but this caused such a huge outcry that on Thursday night he went on prime-time television to say he was dropping the bid.

However, he maintained his candidacy for a place on EPAD's board, and on Friday he was duly elected by his peers on a council of representatives from the Hauts-de-Seine administrative district, where La Defense is located.