French rioting spreads to 300 towns

Rioting by French youths spread to 300 towns overnight and a man hurt in the violence died of his wounds – the first fatality in 11 days of unrest, police said today. Governments worldwide urged their citizens to be careful in France.

As urban violence spread to neighbouring Belgium and possibly Germany, the French government faced growing criticism for its inability to stop the violence, despite massive police deployment and continued calls for calm.