Fewer arrests in France as riots ease

Clashes between French police and rioters de-escalated again overnight, the government said yesterday, eight days after the killing of a teenager by police sparked the worst urban violence in years.

The police remained highly mobilised with 45,000 officers patrolling the streets, the interior ministry said.

Police counted 16 arrests in the night to yesterday nationwide, it said, of which seven were in or around Paris.

At the weekend peak of rioting, 1,300 arrests were made in a single night.