Category: news

French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s party, the UMP, is preparing to host a controversial debate on the role of Islam in secular France.

The debate has provoked protests from Islamic and other religious groups, and even from some members of the governing conservative UMP itself.

Critics have accused the party of pandering to a resurgent far-right.

The debate is being held a week before a law banning the Islamic full-face veil in public comes into force.

The three-hour, round-table discussion is being held in a mid-range Paris hotel with a guest list not fully specified.

The BBC’s Hugh Schofield in Paris says the political atmosphere in France in recent days has been poisonous, with accusations flying between left and right.

The UMP said it would be irresponsible not to debate the great changes posed to French society by its growing numbers of Muslims. France has the biggest Muslim population in Europe.

Since 1905, French law has guaranteed the separation of state and religion – posing modern-day quandaries about issues such as halal food being served in schools, Muslims praying in the street when mosques are too crowded, and the wearing of the face veil.

“In 1905, there were very few Muslims in France, today they are between five and six million,” Interior Minister Claude Gueant said.

“This growth in the number of faithful and some behaviours pose a problem. It’s obvious that the street prayers are shocking to a number of our compatriots.”

But the leaders of France’s six largest religious groups issued a joint warning against stigmatising any one religion.

And the left has accused President Nicolas Sarkozy of trying to court far-right sympathisers by taking a hard line on Islam, and thereby rebuild his flagging popularity figures.

Our correspondent, Hugh Schofield, says the controversy has prompted the UMP to trim the debate – once scheduled to last a week – down to just three hours.

Some senior figures – including Prime Minister Francois Fillon of the UMP – have declined to take part.

Our correspondent says the discussion is expected to result in a number of agreed principles, but no major policy announcements.

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Cricket Ireland chief Warren Deutrom vows to fight the country’s exclusion from the 2015 World Cup and is not ruling out legal action.

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A thief who climbed into a Bristol clothes recycling skip had to be rescued by firefighters after his exploits were caught on CCTV.

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David Cameron has begun a visit to Pakistan in which he is expected to call for a fresh start in the UK’s relationship with the country.

Last year Mr Cameron caused anger in Pakistan when he said elements in the country should not be allowed to “promote the export of terror”.

Later, in an Islamabad speech, he is expected to say it is time to clear up the misunderstandings of the past.

It is Mr Cameron’s first visit to Pakistan since becoming prime minister.

He is expected to use a speech later on Tuesday to admit that tensions remain over security and relations with India, while stressing that these are challenges that can be overcome through a fresh start.

The prime minister will also talk of improved trade and education links between Pakistan and the UK.

It comes after he caused anger in Pakistan last July when, during a trip to India, he accused Pakistan of trying to look “both ways” on terrorism, adding that elements in Pakistan should not be allowed to “promote the export of terror whether to India, whether to Afghanistan or to anywhere else in the world”.

BBC deputy diplomatic editor James Landale said Mr Cameron will use his visit to “try to repair Britain’s relationship with Pakistan”.

Our correspondent said: “The focus of the trip is building a new security dialogue with Pakistan to combat terror acts in Afghanistan and at home.”

Mr Cameron has been accompanied on his trip by the head of the armed forces, Gen Sir David Richards, and the head of MI6, Sir John Sawers.

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A 1,000-strong flotilla will sail along the River Thames in a celebration of the Queen’s diamond jubilee next year, it has been announced.

The Diamond Jubilee River Pageant, on 3 June 2012, will be one of the main events of a four-day bank holiday weekend marking her 60-year reign.

The Queen will head the fleet, which will include vessels from the UK, Commonwealth, and around the world.

The pageant will be funded by private donations and sponsorship.

Crowds will be invited to line the Thames to watch the pageant, which is the first major public event marking the jubilee to be announced.

It is being organised by the Thames Diamond Jubilee Foundation, chaired by Lord Salisbury.

London Mayor Boris Johnson said the pageant would not only provide a “terrific focal point” for the commemorations, but would “demonstrate to the world London’s pride in its heritage and traditions”.

“I cannot conceive of a more fitting celebration of Her Majesty’s 60 years on the throne than a majestic flotilla of vessels, large and small, winding their way along the iconic River Thames and showcasing our proud maritime history,” he said.

The Queen will reach her 60th anniversary on the throne on 6 February 2012.

The celebrations will be focused around an extended weekend, from 2-5 June.

The flotilla is expected to be seven-and-a-half miles long and will feature a mix of private and commercially owned historic and modern boats – ranging from rowing boats and sailing ships to steamers, wooden launches and larger motorised craft.

The public will also be invited to take part with their own vessels.

It will be made up of five sections each separated by a “herald barge”, the first of which will be a floating belfry of eight new bells cast by the Whitechapel Bell foundry in east London and commissioned by the 17th Century City Church of St James Garlickhythe.

Their peals will be answered and echoed by chimes from riverbank churches along the route.

Other barges will feature water jets and sprays – reminiscent of the old Thames firefighting boats. There will be live entertainment and music from the six decades of the Queen’s reign, while a pyrotechnic barge hosts daytime fireworks and a mechanical flame-spitting dragon.

The parade will include representatives from the armed forces and the emergency services, plus passenger boats carrying up to 30,000 people.

The government has designated Tuesday 5 June 2012 as a bank holiday for the jubilee, while the late May bank holiday has been moved to Monday 4 June, to enable a four-day weekend of events.

Lord Salisbury said it would be the “greatest Thames flotilla for 350 years”.

“I believe that we should recognise [the Queen’s] 60 years of selfless public service with an event that can properly express our admiration and gratitude. The pageant is just that.”

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Doctor Who boss Steven Moffat has said the new season of the sci-fi show kicks off in a darker style than usual.

Launching the first two episodes at London’s Olympia, Moffat pleaded with journalists to keep the show’s secrets under wraps.

The opener sees Matt Smith’s Doctor reunited with Karen Gillan’s Amy Pond, Arthur Darvill’s Rory and Alex Kingston’s River Song in 1960s America.

The quartet team up with President Nixon to fight a new alien threat.

The aliens – partly inspired by Edvard Munch’s The Scream – are introduced in the two opening episodes, The Impossible Astronaut and Day of the Moon.

The programmes, which feature scenes shot in the Utah desert last year, will be shown on BBC One later this month.

“To be honest, it’s darker than any other opener of a season,” said Moffat, who wrote both episodes.

“We’ve been pretty dark before in Doctor Who. But we’re coming in from the dark side just because we haven’t done it that way before.”

Yet Moffat, who took over as lead writer and executive producer, said he did not think the shows were too scary for children.

“First of all, you make Doctor Who frightening to appeal to children. It’s the children who find it frightening, not the adults.

“Children absolutely rank Doctor Who stories in order of frightening-ness – that’s what it’s about.

“You put the jokes in and the silly bits in for the adults and you put the scares in for the kids. I’ve got two kids of my own and I’d never do anything I didn’t think was acceptable for them.

“Having said that, one of them does tend to sleep on our bedroom floor.”

Future episodes will feature such guest stars as model Lily Cole, Downton Abbey’s Hugh Bonneville as a pirate and ex-Coronation Street actress Suranne Jones.

The latter will appear in a story called The Doctor’s Wife, written by fantasy author Neil Gaiman.

‘Tease, don’t tell’

For the first time this year’s season is being split in two. The first seven episodes will air from 23 April, with the final block of six broadcast in the autumn.

“If you run for 13 weeks you can start to feel as though you can miss one episode and it’ll be okay,” Moffat said.

“We don’t want that feeling. We stop for a few weeks and let you all worry about what’s happening and then come back.”

Moffat went on to ask journalists to avoid spoilers, saying it would be “a lot more fun for the kids” if nothing was given away. “Tease them but don’t tell them,” he pleaded.

And asked about plans for Doctor Who’s 50th anniversary in 2013, he would only say: “Yes, there are thoughts…”

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.