World news roundup: In France, shooting by police sparks riot in south

FRANCE

Shooting by police sparks riot in south

Rioters burned cars, attacked a tramway and shot at police in the southeastern city of Grenoble on Friday night to protest the death of a local man fleeing police after allegedly holding up a casino.

The violence began about midnight and lasted through the night in the impoverished suburban neighborhood of Villeneuve, home to the alleged thief. No casualties were reported.

The riot in Grenoble recalled civil unrest that exploded across France in 2005 after two teenagers from a Paris suburb died as they were fleeing police.

The deaths touched off weeks of riots across the country, often in the rough suburbs that ring France's major cities. These high-rise neighborhoods, built in the 1950s and 1960s to house a growing population of industrial workers and immigrants, have become near-ghettos where unemployment is high and public services are poor.

Since then, unrest has flared often after clashes between residents and police.

-- Reuters

AFGHANISTAN

Roadside bombs kill 5 NATO troops

Five NATO troops died in roadside bombings in Afghanistan, the alliance said Saturday, as international forces announced they had foiled an attack on an upcoming conference in Kabul.

Security is being tightened across the capital for Tuesday's conference, which is attracting the heads of NATO, the United Nations and top diplomats, including Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.