ITALY is set to push a sweeping new law to ban burkas and virginity testing as part of a drive against what Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni calls “Islamic separatism.”

The conservative leader’s Brothers of Italy party unveiled the bill in parliament on Wednesday.

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Italy proposes a new law to ban burkas and virginity testing[/caption]

Susannah Ireland - The Times

The bill includes fines up to £2,600 for wearing face coverings in public[/caption]

It proposes fines of up to £2,600 (€3,000) for anyone wearing a burka or niqab in public spaces — from schools and shops to offices and universities.

The proposed law also goes further than face-covering bans in other European countries.

It introduces criminal penalties for “cultural crimes” including virginity testing, and raises the maximum punishment for forced marriages to 10 years in prison, with “religious coercion” grounds for prosecution.

“The spread of Islamic fundamentalism… undeniably constitutes the breeding ground for Islamist terrorism,” the draft legislation states.

It also aims to tighten control over mosque funding and Islamic educational institutions.

It will force any religious organisation not formally recognised by the state — currently all Muslim groups — to disclose every source of funding.

Those deemed a threat to state security will be barred from providing money.

Brothers of Italy lawmaker Andrea Delmastro: “Religious freedom is sacred, but it must be exercised in the open, in full respect of our constitution and the principles of the Italian state.”

“We have taken inspiration for this law from staunchly secular France, with the deep conviction that no foreign funding should ever undermine our sovereignty or our civilisation.”

Burkas — full-body garments with a mesh screen over the eyes — and niqabs, which leave only the eyes visible, are already restricted in parts of Italy.

Lombardy banned face coverings in public buildings in 2015.

The new bill would extend that ban nationwide.

Galeazzo Bignami, parliamentary leader of Brothers of Italy, said the proposal was intended to defend Italy from “all forms of extremism and any attempt to create parallel societies on Italian soil.”

Sara Kelany, a co-sponsor of the bill and the party’s head of immigration, said Italy could not tolerate “the creation of enclaves where sharia law prevails over Italian law.”

But she promised a “model of society based on integration, legality and the defence of western values.”

Shutterstock Editorial

Around two million Muslims currently live in Italy[/caption]

Getty - Contributor

The country’s Lombardy region had already banned face coverings in public buildings in 2015[/caption]

Around two million Muslims live in Italy, and several groups have criticised the move as alienating and divisive.

France became the first European country to introduce a nationwide burka ban in 2011.

It was followed by Austria, Belgium, Denmark and the Netherlands.

The European Court of Human Rights has repeatedly upheld such bans, while figures like Nigel Farage have branded the veils “anti-British.”

Meloni’s coalition, which includes Matteo Salvini’s League party, holds a strong parliamentary majority — making the bill likely to pass.

Getty - Contributor

France became the first European country to introduce a nationwide burka ban in 2011[/caption]

Style queen Nicky Hambleton-Jones, former presenter of the Channel 4 show, 10 Years Younger, and author of a new book, Bolder Not Older, tells Natalie Clarke that the celebrity fad for hanging Labubus off designer bags is not only childish, but a style crime…

The latest must-have fashion item among A-listers isn’t a Hermes Birkin handbag, Gucci belt or Cartier watch. No, it’s a tacky little monster that you can buy for 20 quid.

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The celebrity fad for hanging Labubus off designer bags is not only childish, but a style crime, says Nicky Hambleton-Jones[/caption]

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Nicky is former presenter of the Channel 4 show, 10 Years Younger, and author of a new book, Bolder Not Older[/caption]

I’m talking about Labubus. If you haven’t heard of them, prepare to find them on your child’s Christmas wish list.

And when I say child, I mean grown-up child, as it’s adults who are jumping on this weird, ­juvenile trend.

I’ll say it, I hate Labubus. Of all the bag charms out there, they’ve got to be the worst. I think they are ugly, really, really ugly. And because they’re so ugly they’re noticeable, right?

It’s a fad, of course, feeding the demand for plastic tat.

Like with most trends, celebrities are fuelling it.

The celebrity who seems to have started it all is Lisa, one of the band members from South Korean girl group Blackpink.

She has a Labubu hanging off her Louis Vuitton bag.

She recently wore a Labubu-themed outfit on stage and is so mad on Labubus it’s been said she has become Labubu — whatever that means.

Then we’ve got Rihanna, who has also been seen with Labubus on her Louis ­Vuitton bag.

Dua Lipa has put grey and pink Labubus on a designer red bag.

Ghastly charms

Lady Gaga had one custom made, a Labubu with a red outfit that matched her outfit from her Abracadabra music video.

She put the Labubu on her black Hermes bag.

Even Cher has been seen out and about with the childish charm hanging off her bag.

Reality TV stars love them too — from Kim Kardashian to Gemma Collins and Olivia Attwood.

Olivia had a Labubu-themed birthday party in May where she bought the dolls for each of her 100 guests.

They’re everywhere — hanging off designer bags which are meant to be discreet and understated, quiet luxury.

Labubus are juvenile and gauche.

Putting these ghastly charms on covetable luxury goes against everything designer labels represent.

My kids find their faces quite scary, it’s not something they want in their bedroom

Natalie

The Labubu is the complete opposite of the aesthetic a designer bag represents.

It kills the luxury element, and some of these celebrities have so many Labubus you can’t even see the handbag due to the visual clutter.

I beg, please take them off!

Labubus are for kids — and if your child is under the age of 18 and asking for one for Christmas, then fair play, I guess.

But children don’t seem to be jumping on this bandwagon as much as adults.

Goff

Singer Dua Lipa with a Labubu strapped to her bag[/caption]

BackGrid

Lady Gaga has a red Labubu[/caption]

My kids find their faces quite scary, it’s not something they want in their bedroom.

These things are menacing-looking plushy toys with strange, pointy teeth and rabbit ears.

The character was created by Kasing Lung, a Hong Kong-born illustrator, in 2015.

It was one of a number of characters called The Monsters who featured in his graphic novels.

Labubu is a kind but mischievous elf who lives in a mythical forest.

She is well-meaning but has an unfortunate habit of getting into trouble.

In 2019 the Chinese company Pop Mart began selling Labubu and the other Monsters online, but it was Labubu who, for some reason, grabbed everyone’s attention.

There are lots of versions, sold as a series, such as the Big Into Energy, Coca-Cola and Lazy Yoga series.

Often, you don’t know which Labubu is inside the box when you buy it, so there is an element of surprise.

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Paris Hilton with her many Labubus[/caption]

And, of course, they have become collectables.

You can pick one up from Pop Mart from around £16, with prices ranging up to about £80 or so, but they sell out quickly and people will resell them for hundreds of pounds.

It’s trendy, it’s the new hot thing. It’s very clever. People go crazy for them.

In May, a fight broke out among customers at Pop Mart’s store at Westfield shopping centre in Stratford, East London, and the retailer removed the toys from all 16 of its shops until June “to prevent any potential safety issues”.

There’s nothing charming about these little gremlins

Natalie

My issue with celebrities wearing them as part of their outfits is that they are doing it to jump on the hype — possibly for social media likes — and they are fuelling this frenzy around cheap plastic tat.

The socialite Paris Hilton was photographed giving Labubus to her children.

Even Paris’s mum Kathy has one! And David Beckham posted a picture of a brown Labubu which his daughter Harper bought him.

Now ordinary people who can’t afford a Birkin are buying a Labubu to get a piece of the ­celebrity lifestyle — it’s a statement accessory that most people can afford.

But it kills the idea of quality, of good fabric and conscious shopping.

If you can’t get hold of a Labubu, you can easily buy a counterfeit, a Lafufu, for as little as £2.50.

These dupes are almost as popular as the real thing, but can be dangerous for kids, as they might not have been through the same safety checks.

There’s no escaping them. They should be locked up in kids’ bedrooms, not displayed on the bags of grown adults.

The clue is in the name — bag charm.

But there’s nothing charming about these little gremlins.

I give it a year before all these Labubus are filling up landfill sites.

Goff

Rihanna snapped with a pink Labubu[/caption]

instagram/lalalalisa_m

Blackpink’s Lisa with her Labubu-clad bag[/caption]

Threads

Gemma Collins shows off a grey Labubu[/caption]

Dezi Freeman remains on the run from police with members of his family believing the father is likely dead.

During a private audience with the Pope at the Vatican, representatives of Australian Associated Press heard the Pontiff speak about the value of newswires.

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