Police stop Muslim woman wearing veil in Italy

A woman visiting a post office in Novara, north-western Italy, has been stopped by police for wearing an Islamic veil covering her face. A police official told the AFP news agency the woman would have to pay a 500-euro (£430) fine. It is the first such police action since Novara brought in a by-law in January banning clothing preventing immediate identification in public. The city is run by the anti-immigration Northern League. The party is a powerful junior coalition partner in Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's national government.