Protests against fuel prices, the cost of living and public services turned violent in Paris and other French cities, with shops ransacked and buildings set on fire.
A clock tower spire at a town hall in the French city of Limoges collapsed in flames amid nationwide protests. Fire crews were still fighting the blaze late into the night.
A bus carrying lorry drivers hit a stationary freight train at the French entrance to the Channel Tunnel. The driver and 18 passengers were injured, and rail traffic was only briefly halted.
