1295 automobiles burnt in France
France has suffered its heaviest riot damage yet as warnings of tough prison sentences failed to deter arsonists.
Police reported 1,295 vehicle burnings and made 312 arrests as unrest in African and Arab communities spread to Strasbourg, Toulouse and Nantes.
On the 10th consecutive night of riots, the violence reached central Paris, with four cars torched on Place de la Republique and the 17th District. In some areas of Paris, night buses were cancelled as a precaution.
Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy had warned of stiff jail sentences. Police helicopters patrolled the skies over the capital, attempting to pursue and identify those responsible for the attacks.
In the northern town of Evreux in Normandy, at least 50 cars were burned at a shopping centre, and a post office and two schools were also set alight.
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