Roma people in France, and Sharia law in Mali

Roma communities are moved on from one place to another – with little sign of the "rupture" signalled by the new French government. We also get a glimpse into why Ivorian soldiers are being attacked, and the latest on the increasingly bizarre situation in the north of Mali, where authorities are applying Sharia law – or trying to.

IN THE PAPERS

By Kyle G. Brown

Liberation leads with a story on a group of Roma – 200 people, most of them children – who are moved from one area of Paris’ outlying suburbs to another. Support groups say the new government is pursuing the same hostile policies as its predecessor.

We get some insight from Libération into the latest violence in Ivory Coast, where soldiers were shot dead – it’s thought by forces loyal to former president Laurent Gbagbo. And further north, L'Humanité reports on Islamist militants in control of the north of Mali - they're rebuffed as they try to implement Sharia law.

01/12/2009 - IN THE PAPERS

Lisbon Treaty comes into force today

Today sees the Lisbon Treaty coming into force and interviews with EU big wigs abound in papers across the continent to mark the occasion.

01/12/2009 - IN THE PAPERS

French Muslims react to ban of minarets in Switzerland

Muslims in France are shocked by Switzerland’s decision to ban construction of minarets, says Le Parisien. The paper says they are worried about a stigmatizing of their religion but are still confident that tolerance remains in France.

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