10 News Friday, January 8, 2010 D By Fred Attewill 750 fine for wearing a burkha in the street Veiled threat? A woman in a burkha A visitor looks at an artwork by British artist Richard Wilson called 20:50, a reservoir containing 8,000 litres of recycled engine oil at the Saatchi Gallery in London Picture: AFP An oily impression WOMEN who wear burkhas in public face a fine of 750 under new laws being drafted in France. The penalty will be doubled for men who force wives or other female relatives to dress in the Islamic veils. The proposal aims to protect the dignity and security of women, said Jean-Francois Cope, president of the ruling Union for Pop- ular Movement party. The fine will apply to all people on the public street whose face is entirely covered and also include people in public buildings, he added. We want a ban in public areas, said Mr Cope, making clear that the veil would not be allowed as it encourages extremism. French president Nicolas Sarkozy had ear- lier said the veils were not welcome in secular countries such as France because they intimidate and alienate non-Muslim people. He also described them as a sign of subservience and debasement that imprison women. In earlier debates Mr Cope said: Perma- nently masking ones face in public spaces is not an expression of individual liberty. Its a negation of oneself, a negation of others, a negation of social life. However, he conceded a complete ban on burkhas in France faced legal obstacles, in- cluding a possible challenge before the Euro- pean Court of Human Rights on the grounds that it would limit religious freedom. France has more than 5million Muslims the highest number of any European country and in 2004 passed a law forbidding veils and other religious symbols in schools. However, a recent police report said only about 400 women in the country dress in Muslim veils. They are worn widely in countries such as Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia but not in north African nations, where many of Frances Muslim immigrants are originally from. A draft law on the proposal to ban the veils in public is due to go before Frances Na- tional Assembly. AfghAnistAn: Sgt Jonpaul Greenwood, 30, of 3rd Battalion The Rifles, cleaning his rifle after a prolonged firefight with insurgents near the Kajaki Dam in Northern Helmand. The British soldier was lucky to escape with his life after he rushed into the line of enemy fire to help two stranded comrades Picture: PA worlddigestFRANCE: internet giants such as google, Msn and Yahoo, could see advertising revenues taxed. the extra cash may be used to support creative industries that have been hit by the digital revolution, a report commissioned by the government claimed. the levy would put an end to enrichment without any limit or compensation. Online ads to be taxed and finally... INDIA: A man declared dead after being hit by a car woke up when coroners began his autopsy. Doctors in Jaipur signed 44-year-old Manas Deos death certificate after finding no pulse. he is now recovering. Presidents signature forged nigeriA: Opposition politicians claim allies of ailing president Umaru YarAdua (pictured) have forged his signature on the new budget. Police will investigate the claims by an umbrella group of parties known as the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties. ENGLAND: Medics at a southampton hospital had to call in the fire and rescue service after a man came into casualty with his penis stuck in a steel pipe. it took seven firefighters using a metal grinder to free the man in what was described as a delicate operation. the patients penis was left bruised and swollen but unharmed. Penis in pipe poses problem CHINA: A tibetan film-maker has been jailed for six years after making a documentary in which his compatriots criticised the country. Dhondup Wangchen, 35, spoke to tibetans for his film Leaving fear Behind, in which they praised their leader, the Dalai Lama and said China had trampled on their culture. China has ruled tibet since 1950. Film-maker jailed for 6yrs Silvio snaps up nude statues itALY: Prime minister Silvio Berlusconi spent more than 50,000 on naked statues while recovering from being hit in the face, it was revealed yesterday. The premier (pictured) bought the four risqu figures in the south of France after being attacked in Milan last month. Al Qaeda drafted failed bomber YeMen: Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the 23-year-old Nigerian man (pictured) accused of the attempted bombing of a US-bound plane on Christmas Day was recruited by al Qaeda in London and met a radical American Muslim cleric in Yemen, an official said yesterday. Sudan war set to erupt again FIGHTING could erupt in southern Sudan unless world leaders do more to strengthen the 2005 peace deal, aid agencies have warned. The first multi-party elections in more than two decades in April and a referendum on independence for the south in January 2011 could re-ignite the civil war that killed 2million, a new report claims. It is not yet too late to avert disaster but the next 12 months are a crossroads, said Maya Mailer, an Oxfam adviser and co-author of the report Rescuing the Peace in Southern Sudan, which warns the international community must help mediate between the parties before the elections and referendum are held. Tenants spitting at points plan RESIDENTS living in a government-sponsored housing scheme in a Chinese province may be evicted if caught repeatedly spitting in public. A draft plan, on the Guangzhou Land and House Management Bureaus website, also includes littering, making too much noise and gambling among the misdeeds that would lead to eviction, based on a points system. Spitting once carries three points, and people will be evicted if they accumulate 20 points. The idea has upset Chinas online community, some of whom have criticised the plan as discrimination against the poor. index.html2.html3.html4.html5.html6.html7.html8.html9.html10.html11.html12.html13.html14.html15.html16.html17.html18.html19.html20.html21.html22.html23.html24.html25.html26.html27.html