More than 600 arrested in France after third night of violence

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More than 600 people were arrested in France overnight after a third night of riots sparked by the shooting of a teenager by police in a Paris suburb earlier this week.

President Emmanuel Macron was due to hold a second crisis meeting on Friday to tackle the growing protests, authorities said.

The unrest has spread nationwide, with reports of people starting fires and torching cars and buses in Marseille, protesters clashing with police in the north of the country, near Lille, and a Nike store being looted in central Paris.

About 40,000 police had been deployed across the country to stem the violence, authorities said. French media reported that heavily armoured military-style police vehicles and specialised units that usually deal with counter-terrorism had been deployed in some areas including in Lyon.