In a move that sparked fierce debate, a group of parliamentarians called for an inquiry into the wearing of the head-to-toe Islamic veil in France and whether Muslim women who cover themselves completely in public constitute an assault on French secularism and women's rights. In a call that won support from senior figures in Mr Sarkozy's government, they demanded that a parliamentary commission consider the fate in France of the burka, where the eyes are covered by a fabric mesh, and the niqab, which has an eye slit.
Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to march through the streets of France today as the traditional May Day rallies become a focus point for anger over factory closures, job cuts and Nicolas Sarkozy's handling of the economic crisis.
German leaders, meanwhile, cannot see why their taxpayers' money should go into encouraging precisely the kind of behaviour - reckless lending, careless borrowing and overconsumption - that precipitated the financial crisis.
France has denied citizenship to a veiled Moroccan woman on the grounds that her "radical" practice of Islam is incompatible with basic French values such as equality of the sexes.
Swiss public radio cited an unidentified source “close to the events, reliable and tested many times in recent years" as saying the operation had in fact been staged to cover up the fact that the US and Colombians had paid $20 million for their freedom.
The sex-as-rent phenomenon looks to be on the rise in France. Some link it to the French housing crisis. Property prices in Paris have soared in recent years, making it impossible for many people to afford accommodation.
Amongst those hardest hit are students. They are targeted by these sorts of proposals.
We see other towers of the same kind being hit by planes. Are they burned? There was a tower, I believe it was in Spain, which burned for 24 hours. It never collapsed. None of these towers collapsed.
If you've visited Paris recently, you will have noticed the streets teeming with people, all kinds of people, riding bicycles. Pensioners with baguettes wedged into the handlebar basket.
