France's highest administrative court has suspended a ban on full-body "burkini" swimsuits that was imposed in a town on the Mediterranean coast.
The ban in Villeneuve-Loubet "seriously and clearly illegally breached fundamental freedoms", it found.
The ruling could set a precedent for up to 30 other towns that imposed bans on their beaches, chiefly on the Riviera.
At least three mayors have already said they will keep the bans in their towns.
The court will make a final decision later on the bans' legality.
Correspondents in France say the court's decision means that all the bans on burkinis are likely now to be overturned,
But town hall authorities in Nice and Frejus, as well as in the Corsican village of Sisco, have vowed to keep the bans in place. [BBC] Read more
