FRENCH BAN PETROL IN CANS AMID FEAR OF NEW YEAR RIOTS

PARIS December 28, 2005 (Telegraph) - Fears of a new outbreak of street violence in France have prompted many areas to ban the sale of petrol in cans.

A state of emergency in force, more than 25,000 police on New Year patrol plus a petrol ban, that should keep order.

FRANCE RECORDS A RISE IN NEW YEAR'S UNREST

PARIS January 1, 2006 (IHT/AP) - Rowdy revelers in France torched 425 vehicles overnight in scattered New Year's unrest that has become an annual problem in troubled neighborhoods, but there were no major clashes, the national police chief said Sunday. Last year, 333 cars were burned.

Well, imagine if the gasoline had been freely available.

The police took 362 people into custody, up from 272 last year. Among the police, 27 officers were injured on the job - 15 of them hurt during what police described as a minor scuffle near the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

France's opposition Socialists accused the conservative government of trying to put a positive spin on the night's events, pointing out that this New Year's Eve was the most destructive ever in terms of damage to cars, and the most widespread.

"Despite the ineffective exceptional measures, calm and tranquillity have unfortunately not been restored, and the urban violence continues," the Socialist Party said in a statement.

Car burnings have become a barometer of unrest in France...

President Jacques Chirac spoke of the unrest during his annual New Year's Eve television address and urged the French to do more to fight racism and a lack of opportunities in poor neighborhoods - problems that fed frustrations among young rioters.

PFFT (What is this?): La Ville Lumière all lit up 3| Rayonnement français 0