Banning the burqa isn't easy
"How should France go about banning the burqa?" According to Libération, the country's right-wing government is increasingly divided over the issue. On 12 January, to put an end to ongoing squabbles, Prime Minister François Fillon proposed a non-binding text indicating the parliament's opposition to the burqa – an initiative that will subsequently pave the way for a law to impose an outright ban on wearing the garment in public. If such a law is passed, the daily notes that "France will be the only country in the world to instruct police to arrest young women, who will be victims rather than criminals." Worse still, many legal experts believe that such a law cannot be sanctioned because it fails to respect the principle of freedom of religion, "enshrined in the French constitution and international law," most notably by the European Convention on Human Rights. Attempts to introduce a similar ban in Denmark had to be abandoned for this reason.
Two camps, two theories, and two visions of France: 18 years after the massacre of 800,000 Tutsis, the precise role played by Paris is still the subject of heated debate, fueled by the findings of successive criminal investigations. 
Agree to new austerity measures or risk being kicked out of the eurozone: that’s the alternative presented to Athens on the day the euro group is meeting. It’s a situation Greek politicians have failed to avoid, regrets To Vima. 
At a time when Athens is still involved in debt restructuring negotiations with its private creditors, Neelie Kroes’ recent allusions to a Greek exit from the euro are a sign that European leaders are intent on preparing the terrain for such an eventuality.