Updated

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced plans to ban burqas and niqabs in the country's schools, a move framed as part of broader efforts to assert secular and cultural norms in public institutions. The announcement comes as Meloni, who leads Italy's longest-serving government since World War Two, faces mounting pressure from a resurgent far-right rival party ahead of future elections. The proposed ban is likely to reignite debate in Italy over religious expression, immigration, and integration policy. Critics are expected to argue the move targets Muslim women disproportionately, while supporters frame it as consistent with similar restrictions already in place in other European countries.