France in turmoil after a weekend of riots

PARIS, Oct 20: France is counting the cost of some of its worst unrest in years at the weekend over the cost of living and under-funded public services. Here is the latest:

Authorities say 2,500 people are in custody awaiting questioning while 149 are detained awaiting trial.

Partial curfews have been imposed in parts of Paris, Bordeaux, Lille, Lyon, Nice and Marseille to keep the streets quiet in areas worst-hit by rioting. The government, which had 60,000 officers mobilised at the weekend, plans to increase police numbers on the ground.

AFP adds, France will impose new curfews in areas where needed on Tuesday, Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said, adding that the measures introduced in several cities the previous day had "helped keep the night calm".

"Targeted curfews have contributed to calm overnight," Lecornu wrote on X.

"Tonight new curfews will be decided where the situation requires it. These decisions will be made on the ground, by the prefects, in coordination with the mayors," he said.

For businesses and victims of violence, the government is implementing state-financed furlough measures to avoid layoffs, and providing funds to help companies meet cashflow needs. Insurers have promised speedy payouts to cover some of the damage, which hit more than 3,000 shops.

France's extremely strained public finances mean the government has precious little room for broader measures to address protesters' anger over the rising cost of living.

It has already hiked emergency spending this year to help certain sectors like farmers, fishermen and haulers cope with high fuel costs caused by the Iran war.

The protests began last month at high schools in Paris' working-class northern suburbs, where anger over teacher shortages and shabby facilities evolved into a broader movement.

The government has so far not committed to substantial extra funding for schools but has pledged to send some 3,000 teachers, who are qualified but not yet working, to fill staffing gaps.�" AGENCIES