France to extend state of emergency

Damage: Up to $234 million
The French Federation of Insurance Companies gave a preliminary estimate for the total damage from the rioting — up to $234 million, including more than $23 million for torched cars.

Violence has decreased steadily since France declared a 12-day state of emergency Wednesday.

In the Paris suburb of Draveil, the mayor said he would cut off municipal aid — such as vouchers for cafeterias or daycare centers — for the families of those convicted of rioting or arson.

“I’ll tell them that if they want their children to eat at the cafeteria, the first step is not to set it on fire,” said Georges Tron, a politician from Chirac’s center-right party.

Government spokesman Jean-Francois Cope said the bill approved by the Cabinet on Monday would leave open the possibility of ending the emergency measures before three months are up, if order is restored.

Recovery, deportation
Officials already are turning their attention to helping riot-hit towns recover: European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso proposed Sunday that the EU give $58 million to France and said it could make up to $1.17 billion available in longer-term support for suburban jobs and social cohesion.

In the next few days, France is expected to start deporting foreigners implicated in the violence, a plan by law-and-order Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy that has raised concerns among human rights groups.

Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said he agreed that illegal immigrants could be sent home, but not foreigners with permission to live in France.

“A French person who carried out a crime or a misdemeanor in France cannot be treated in one way while a foreigner with papers in order is treated in another,” he told Europe-1 radio. “It’s not possible.”

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