French riots winding down, says police chief

FRANCE’S worst rioting since the 1960s seems to be nearing an end, the national police chief said last night, with fewer cars torched nationwide and Paris calm despite an alert that sent thousands of riot police into the capital’s streets.

In scattered attacks, youths rammed a burning car into a centre for retirees in Provence and pelted police with stones in the historic heart of Lyon.

A firebomb was tossed at a Lyon mosque but did not explode. The regional government responded by banning potentially disruptive public gatherings in parts of central Lyon this afternoon.