The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Paris - French cabinet ministers on Wednesday adopted a bill to ban all conspicuous religious symbols in public schools - the first step to a law banning Islamic head scarves in the classroom. The law would forbid Islamic head scarves called hijabs, Jewish skullcaps and Christian crosses. The legislation culminates 15 years of often bitter debate over the wearing of Islamic head scarves in classes, perceived as an affront to the constitutional principle of secularism that underpins French society. Washington - New Hampshire voters selected Senator John Kerry on Tuesday as the Democratic presidential candidate they hope can beat President George W. Bush this fall. Kerry's easy win followed his surprise victory in the Iowa caucuses last week and cemented his front-runner status in a race that's still got a long way to go. Bangkok, Thailand - Two sisters in Vietnam became the latest fatalities in Asia's bird flu crisis Wednesday, as ministers from across the region held an emergency meeting with international health experts to head off what one said was a potential global pandemic. The bird flu has raced through Asia's poultry farms and killed at least 10 people in as many countries. Participants agreed during their three-hour meeting that urgent action was needed and pledged to step up surveillance of the virus across Asia.
