French prime minister Sébastien Lecornu announced Tuesday that targeted curfews in parts of Paris and other major cities “have contributed to calm overnight,” a finding that will no doubt shock anyone who has ever observed that people tend to stay indoors when legally required to do so. Lecornu suggested more curfews could be introduced if needed today, because if a thing works, you might as well keep doing it.
In a particularly cinematic symbol of stepped-up security, a helicopter flew over Paris’s Place de la Republique - one of the epicentres of the unrest - sweeping a powerful searchlight across the square, AFP reported. Some restrictions, such as those in Paris, initially applied only for the night from Monday to Tuesday; others, particularly in Bordeaux and Nice, were set to remain in force for several days.
Meanwhile, Italy’s government decided to dispatch 500 army troops to Milan after two days of unrest in the city, with shops in the city centre affected by riots and looting. Because nothing says “we’ve got this under control” like 500 soldiers.
Back in France, economy minister Roland Lescure announced that the government will offer no-interest loans of up to €50,000 to businesses affected by the weekend’s riots and looting. The scheme is expected to open on Friday and should help traders with cash flow issues as they seek insurance payouts. Justice minister Gérald Darmanin confirmed that 149 people have been put in provisional detention or imprisoned as part of ongoing trials - a number expected to rise, with BFMTV reporting that some 40 people are expected in Parisian courts this afternoon.
France may have another problem coming its way: heavy rainfall in the south. Parts of Corsica are under a red alert for rain and flooding, with local flooding observed last night in several towns and villages. An all-time rainfall record was broken in Salon-de-Provence, BFMTV reported. The Gard department is on orange alert, coastal areas on yellow, and some flooding was also reported near Marseille. Because when it rains, it pours - literally.
In Oslo, US envoy Steve Witkoff arrived for talks with Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the leaders of Norway and Finland. Norway’s PM Jonas Gahr Støre and Finland’s Alexander Stubb joined the discussion, and Jared Kushner is scheduled to attend digitally. Televised images from Norwegian public broadcaster NRK showed Witkoff’s private jet landing just before noon at Oslo’s Gardermoen airport. Zelenskyy also met Norwegian PM Støre, Finnish president Stubb, and Norway’s new King Haakon during his visit, and is due to meet the Speaker and other members of the Norwegian parliament. Ahead of the talks, Støre said Zelenskyy had asked Norway and Finland to arrange the meeting at a critical time for Ukraine: “Together with president Stubb, I am pleased to have such a meeting here in Oslo.”
Before meeting Witkoff, Zelenskyy spoke with US secretary of state Marco Rubio and said the pair had “a substantive conversation.” Zelenskyy listed his priorities: “First, ballistic missile interceptors, which are needed to protect lives. Second, early warning of Russian ballistic missile attacks, which is vital. Third, the situation with Starlink/Starshield, which needs to be restored. Of course, all of this comes against the backdrop of our diplomatic efforts to end this horrific war and the constant killing of people.” Rubio insisted that “nothing is being deliberately denied to Ukraine,” AFP reported.
More than a month after going to the polls, Sweden is still without a government. The Centre party’s Elisabeth Thand Ringqvist this week became the second party leader tasked with attempting to form a new coalition, after the Social Democrats’ Magdalena Andersson tried and failed to get left-leaning parties to agree and lost a prime minister vote in parliament. The biggest stumbling block has been the Centre party’s refusal to govern with the Left party. Thand Ringqvist said she is not ruling out anything but wants to form a “middle government,” and has until Monday to report back to the speaker. “I have booked in meetings with all party leaders but it will primarily be those who I have said can be part of a middle government,” she told SVT. “I am not ruling out anything beforehand.” She said she is not prepared to drop her “redlines” regarding the Left party and the Sweden Democrats, both of whom she has ruled out governing with. “That is why I am looking at the possibility of a middle alternative,” she said. Left party spokesperson Ida Gabrielsson said: “Then it will be possible to sort out whether there are other alternatives. We want to have a government with S, V, C and MP (the Social Democrats, Left, Centre and Green parties). But the Centre party wants to have one in the middle. In which case it is good to find out whether it is possible or not.” Social Democrat Mikael Damberg said his party will have “constructive discussions” with the Centre party if she wants to speak with them but that “you don’t get away from the maths of the Swedish parliament.”
The French parliament will look into formally opening an inquiry into the recent protests and violence, including law enforcement measures used in response, after a political agreement was reached, BFMTV reported. Facing growing political pressure, PM Lecornu will convene political parties for a meeting on Thursday - likely to touch upon policing, with critics saying the initial response was too heavy-handed - and will meet trade unions on Wednesday. The government has come under criticism from across the spectrum, with far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen describing the unrest as a “wake-up call” exposing a “profound crisis” of authority.
Meanwhile, president Emmanuel Macron has secured the delivery of an additional 200,000 tonnes of diesel per month from the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain during a tour of the Gulf, the French presidency said. With the addition of deliveries from Saudi Arabia, France has commitments for 295,000 tonnes per month, representing just over 10 percent of its consumption. Macron is touring key energy suppliers in the Gulf to secure oil and diesel supplies and bring down prices after a weekend of violent protests sparked by soaring living costs.
A 40-year-old man was arrested on Tuesday on suspicion of involvement in the arson attack that ravaged Limoges town hall over the weekend. He is reportedly a “far-left activist” with a prior record that saw him placed on the security services’ watchlist, according to Le Figaro.
In Strasbourg, the European parliament debated EU-UK relations. EU trade commissioner Maroš Šefčovič said the relationship is of “vital importance in the current geopolitical, security and economic context,” setting out three priorities ahead of the 20 November EU-UK summit: fully implementing existing agreements - including protection of six million EU citizens in the UK and about a million UK nationals in the EU (“We must ensure they can fully enjoy their rights now and in the future”); continuing work on the Windsor framework; and addressing sectoral issues, pointing to last year’s progress on fisheries, energy and Erasmus+. “We aim to complete negotiations on a common sanitary and phytosanitary area, a linkage between our emissions trading systems and the creation of a youth experience scheme as a package for the summit,” he said. He also mentioned ongoing talks about the UK’s participation in the EU’s internal electricity market and “an appropriate financial contribution from the UK towards the reducing economic, social and territorial disparities between regions in the union.” The summit will also cover foreign policy, given continued support for Ukraine, and “given the geopolitical context, which is much changed since the withdrawal of the UK from the EU,” there is scope for more work on integrated value chains.
Nato’s Mark Rutte hosted the Turkish foreign minister for talks, and Lithuania’s president Gitanas Nausėda is in Poland to discuss regional security. For a good summary of the French protests, see Jon Henley’s commentary: “What we saw on Saturday was really an exceptional level of violence, even by French standards. In several towns and cities, there were attacks on those institutional targets. … If this kind of violence continues, then that’s clearly a message that’s going to start appealing to more and more French voters.”
It’s Tuesday, 20 October 2026. This is Europe Live.