
-
Japan leads hefty global stock market losses on tariff fears
-
Yes, oui, Cannes! Glamour name eyes place in French Cup final
-
'Different energy' at Man Utd after mini-revival, says Amorim
-
Fear of aftershocks in Myanmar forces patients into hospital car park
-
Far-right leaders rally around France's Le Pen after election ban
-
Renault and Nissan shift gears on alliance
-
Hard-hitting drama 'Adolescence' to be shown in UK schools
-
Primark boss resigns after inappropriate behaviour allegation
-
Myanmar declares week of mourning as quake toll passes 2,000, hopes fade for survivors
-
Mbappe can be Real Madrid 'legend' like Ronaldo: Ancelotti
-
Saka 'ready to go' for Arsenal after long injury lay-off: Arteta
-
Aston Martin to sell stake in Formula One team
-
Three talking points ahead of clay-court season
-
French court hands Le Pen five-year election ban
-
Probe accuses ex J-pop star Nakai of sexual assault
-
Japan leads hefty global stock market losses on tariff woes
-
Saka 'ready to go' after long injury lay-off: Arteta
-
Ingebrigtsen Sr, on trial for abusing Olympic champion, says he was 'overly protective'
-
Tourists and locals enjoy 'ephemeral' Tokyo cherry blossoms
-
Khamenei warns of 'strong' response if Iran attacked
-
France fines Apple 150 million euros over privacy feature
-
UK PM urges nations to smash migrant smuggling gangs 'once and for all'
-
Thai authorities probe collapse at quake-hit construction site
-
France's Le Pen convicted in fake jobs trial
-
Chinese tech giant Huawei says profits fell 28% last year
-
Trump says confident of TikTok deal before deadline
-
Myanmar declares week of mourning as hopes fade for quake survivors
-
Japan's Nikkei leads hefty market losses, gold hits record
-
Tears in Taiwan for relatives hit by Myanmar quake
-
Venezuela says US revoked transnational oil, gas company licenses
-
'Devastated': Relatives await news from Bangkok building collapse
-
Arsenal, Tottenham to play pre-season North London derby in Hong Kong
-
Japan's Nikkei leads hefty equity market losses; gold hits record
-
Israel's Netanyahu picks new security chief, defying legal challenge
-
Trump says US tariffs to hit 'all countries'
-
Prayers and tears for Eid in quake-hit Mandalay
-
After flops, movie industry targets fresh start at CinemaCon
-
Tsunoda targets podium finish in Japan after 'unreal' Red Bull move
-
French chefs await new Michelin guide
-
UK imposes travel permit on Europeans from Wednesday
-
At his academy, Romanian legend Hagi shapes future champions
-
Referee's lunch break saved Miami winner Mensik from early exit
-
Djokovic refuses to discuss eye ailment after shock Miami loss
-
Mitchell magic as Cavs bag 60th win, Pistons and T'Wolves brawl
-
Mensik shocks Djokovic to win Miami Open
-
Duterte lawyer: 'compelling' grounds to throw case out
-
What happens on Trump's 'Liberation Day' and beyond?
-
Clock ticks on Trump's reciprocal tariffs as countries seek reprieve
-
Japan-Australia flagship hydrogen project stumbles
-
Musk deploys wealth in bid to swing Wisconsin court vote

French schools refuse dozens of girls wearing Muslim robe
French schools sent dozens of girls home for refusing to remove their abayas -- an over-garment from the shoulders to the feet worn by Muslim women -- on the first day of the school year, a government minister said Tuesday.
Defying a ban on the Muslim robe, nearly 300 girls showed up Monday morning wearing an abaya, Gabriel Attal told the BFM broadcaster.
Most agreed to change out of the robe, but 67 refused and were sent home, he said.
The government announced last month it was banning the abaya in schools, saying it broke the rules on secularism in education that have already seen Muslim headscarves banned on the grounds they constitute a display of religious affiliation.
The move gladdened the political right but the hard-left argued it represented an affront to civil liberties.
Attal said the girls refused entry were given a letter addressed to their families saying that "secularism is not a constraint, it is a liberty".
If they showed up at school again wearing the abaya there would be a "new dialogue", the minister said.
Late Monday, President Emmanuel Macron defended the controversial measure, saying there was a "minority" in France who "hijack a religion and challenge the republic and secularism", leading to the "worst consequences".
He cited the murder three years ago of teacher Samuel Paty for showing caricatures of the prophet Mohammed during a civics education class.
"We cannot act as if the terrorist attack, the murder of Samuel Paty, had not happened," he said in an interview with You Tube channel HugoDecrypte.
- 'Elevated risk of discrimination' -
An association representing Muslims has filed a motion with the State Council, France's highest court for complaints against state authorities, for an injunction against the ban on the abaya and the qamis, its equivalent dress for men.
The Action for the Rights of Muslims (ADM) motion was being examined Tuesday.
France's Council of the Muslim Faith (CFCM), established to represent Muslims before the government, warned that the banning of the abaya could create "an elevated risk of discrimination" and said it was considering putting its own complaint before the State Council.
The absence of "a clear definition of this garment creates a vague situation and legal uncertainty," it said.
It expressed fear over "arbitrary" controls and that the criteria for evaluating young girls' dress could be based on "the supposed origin, last name or skin colour" rather than what they wore.
A law introduced in March 2004 banned "the wearing of signs or outfits by which students ostensibly show a religious affiliation" in schools.
This includes large Christian crosses, Jewish kippas and Muslim headscarves.
Unlike headscarves, abayas occupied a grey area and had faced no outright ban until now.
The issue has been a dominant theme of French politics after the summer holidays, with the hard-left has accusing the government of trying with the abaya ban to compete with Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally and shifting further to the right.
The announcement late last month of the ban was the first major move by Attal, 34, since he was promoted this summer to handle the hugely contentious education portfolio.
Along with Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin, 40, he is seen as a rising star who could potentially play an important role after Macron steps down in 2027.
T.Ward--AMWN