Excerpt:
A divisive debate over burkinis has reignited in France after a mayor authorised Muslim women to wear the body-covering swimsuits in council pools.
The decision of Nathalie Appéré, the Socialist mayor of Rennes in Brittany, has infuriated right-wingers who denounce the burkini as a threat to the French way of life.
The row began when a 23-year-old woman with a five-month-old daughter asked for permission to swim in a burkini in Gayeulles pool in Rennes last week and was told that it was allowed. Other swimmers expressed anger and contacted local politicians.