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France to Ban Abaya Dress in Schools

Education Minister Gabriel Attal - AFP
Education Minister Gabriel Attal - AFP
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France to Ban Abaya Dress in Schools

Education Minister Gabriel Attal - AFP
Education Minister Gabriel Attal - AFP

France will ban children from wearing the abaya, the loose-fitting, full-length robes worn by some Muslim women, in state-run schools, its education minister said on Sunday ahead of the back-to-school season.

In 2004, France banned headscarves in schools and passed a ban on full face veils in public in 2010, angering some in its five million-strong Muslim community.

"I have decided that the abaya could no longer be worn in schools," Education Minister Gabriel Attal said in an interview with TV channel TF1.

"When you walk into a classroom, you shouldn't be able to identify the pupils' religion just by looking at them," he said.

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Philippines and China Reach a Deal to Avoid Clashes at Fiercely Disputed South China Sea Shoal

(FILES) This file photo taken on August 22, 2023 shows Chinese coast guard ships (L and R) corralling a Philippine civilian boat chartered by the Philippine navy to deliver supplies to the Philippine navy ship BRP Sierra Madre, in disputed waters of the South China Sea. (Photo by Ted ALJIBE / AFP)
(FILES) This file photo taken on August 22, 2023 shows Chinese coast guard ships (L and R) corralling a Philippine civilian boat chartered by the Philippine navy to deliver supplies to the Philippine navy ship BRP Sierra Madre, in disputed waters of the South China Sea. (Photo by Ted ALJIBE / AFP)
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Philippines and China Reach a Deal to Avoid Clashes at Fiercely Disputed South China Sea Shoal

(FILES) This file photo taken on August 22, 2023 shows Chinese coast guard ships (L and R) corralling a Philippine civilian boat chartered by the Philippine navy to deliver supplies to the Philippine navy ship BRP Sierra Madre, in disputed waters of the South China Sea. (Photo by Ted ALJIBE / AFP)
(FILES) This file photo taken on August 22, 2023 shows Chinese coast guard ships (L and R) corralling a Philippine civilian boat chartered by the Philippine navy to deliver supplies to the Philippine navy ship BRP Sierra Madre, in disputed waters of the South China Sea. (Photo by Ted ALJIBE / AFP)

Two Philippine officials said Sunday that Manila and Beijing have reached a deal to avoid confrontations at a fiercely disputed shoal in the South China Sea, where recent clashes have sparked fears of larger conflicts that could involve the United States.
The deal was forged after a series of closed-door meetings between Philippine and Chinese diplomats in Manila and exchanges of diplomatic notes that aimed to establish a mutually acceptable arrangement at the Philippine-occupied Second Thomas Shoal, which China also claims.
The Philippine officials who confirmed the deal to The Associated Press on Sunday spoke on condition of anonymity ahead of a public announcement of the pact.
Chinese coast guard and other forces have used powerful water cannons and dangerous blocking maneuvers to prevent food and other supplies from reaching Filipino navy personnel at Manila’s outpost at the shoal.