Excerpt:
The French parliament on Tuesday began debating a ban on the full Islamic veil that is all but certain to be adopted despite fears of renewed tensions in the country with Europe's biggest Muslim minority.
Security was tightened at the parliament building in central Paris ahead of the debate, with guards using sniffer dogs as they secured the main assembly hall, nearby meeting rooms, rooftop and hallways.
Justice Minister Michele Alliot-Marie told deputies that wearing a face-covering veil "amounted to being cut off from society and rejecting the very spirit of the French republic that is founded on a desire to live together."