France rounds up hundreds of Roma
Some 700 people have been removed from more than 40 illegal Roma (Gypsy) camps in France as part of a police crackdown backed by President Nicolas Sarkozy.
The country’s Interior Minister, Brice Hortefeux, said the Roma would be returned to their country of origin on "specially chartered flights".
Meanwhile, members of a committee of UN experts sharply criticised France’s treatment of Roma.
They said racism and xenophobia were undergoing a "significant resurgence".
The UN’s Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is investigating how traveller communities, including the Roma, are treated.
Some of the experts on the panel issued sharp criticism about the tone of political discourse in France, including its recent debate on national identity and immigration.
The committee is expected to make final recommendations by the end of the month.
