Sympathy for Sarkozy

The riots may be running out of steam in Paris, after 12 nights of unrest, but they continued unabated in other parts of France in the early hours of this morning.

One person is dead, thousands of cars have been set ablaze and France's much-vaunted social model now looks highly frayed. In an effort to get a grip on the situation, the government has introduced emergency measures to allow local authorities to impose curfews. Such powers have not been introduced since the Algerian war of 1954-1962.

For the right-leaning Le Figaro newspaper, the tough measures have not come soon enough. The paper says: "After several days when the government and the rest of French society appeared paralysed by the outbreak of violence, this reaffirmation of authority is timely."