French PM says targeted curfews helped bring calm to cities overnight

French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said on Tuesday, 20 October, that targeted curfews in Paris and other major cities contributed to a calm night. The measures followed a weekend of violent protests sparked by soaring living costs in France. Lecornu suggested more curfews could be introduced today if needed.

According to the AFP news agency, the restrictions in Paris initially covered only the night from Monday to Tuesday, while those in Bordeaux and Nice were due to stay in place for several days. A police helicopter flew over the Place de la République, one of the centres of the unrest, sweeping the square with a powerful searchlight.

Limoges town hall fire

French media reported that a 40-year-old man was arrested on Tuesday on suspicion of involvement in the arson attack on Limoges town hall over the weekend. Le Figaro said he is reportedly a "far-left activist" with a prior record who was on the security services' watchlist.

Macron seeks fuel supplies

President Emmanuel Macron is touring key energy suppliers in the Gulf to secure oil and diesel and bring down prices at home. The French presidency said he obtained an extra 200,000 tonnes of diesel per month from the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. Together with deliveries from Saudi Arabia, France now has commitments for 295,000 tonnes per month, just over 10 percent of its consumption.

Unrest in Italy

Italy's government decided to send 500 army troops to Milan after two days of unrest in the city. Shops in the city centre were hit by riots and looting.

Elsewhere in Europe, the European Parliament in Strasbourg will debate EU-UK relations this morning, and NATO's Mark Rutte will host the Turkish foreign minister for talks. Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda is in Poland to discuss regional security.