France's worst rioting since the 1960s seems to be nearing an end, the national police chief said Sunday, AP reported. In scattered attacks, youths rammed a burning car into a center for retirees in Provence and pelted police with stones in the historic heart of Lyon. A firebomb was tossed at a Lyon mosque but did not explode. The regional government responded by banning potentially disruptive public gatherings in parts of central Lyon on Sunday afternoon. The nationwide storm of arson attacks, rioting and other violence has lost steam since Wednesday, when France declared a state of emergency. Youths set fire to 374 parked vehicles Saturday-Sunday, police said, compared to 502 the previous night. A week ago, 1,400 cars were incinerated in a single night. If the downward trend continues, «things could return to normal very quickly,» National Police Chief Michel Gaudin said. On an average Saturday night in France, he said, youths burn about 100 cars.
