A round-up of today's other world news in brief
UK should not try burka ban says minister
LONDON – Britain’s parliament should not try to ban full-length veils in public after France’s lower house passed a Bill which could see Muslim women fined for wearing burkas, immigration minister Damian Green said.
“It’s very unlikely, and it would be undesirable for the British Parliament to try and pass a law dictating what people wore,” Mr Green said.
“I stand personally on the feeling that telling people what they can and can’t wear, if theyre just walking down the street, is a rather un-British thing to do. We’re a tolerant and mutually respectful society.” His views came as fellow Conservative MP Philip Hollobone said he would refuse meetings with Muslim women unless they removed veils. – (Reuters)
Blow for Merkel as mayor quits
BERLIN – Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered another setback yesterday when Hamburg’s popular mayor Ole von Beust resigned abruptly, the sixth state leader in her conservative party to abandon ship within the last year.
The charismatic 55-year-old has been a pillar of strength for Ms Merkel and her Christian Democrats (CDU) for the last decade in the left-leaning northern port of Hamburg.
The loss of another CDU state leader is a blow to Ms Merkel at a time when opinion polls have tracked a steep erosion in support for her.