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'Typical' French New Year's Eve, 425 cars torched

Paris: Fears that French New Year's celebrations could turn into a repeat of the urban violence that swept through the country in November proved unfounded as youths set "only" 425 cars on fire overnight, National Police Chief Michel Gaudin said Sunday.

The figure is only slightly above the average for the last night of the year in France, where the sight of minority youths from disadvantaged suburban ghettoes torching cars has become a unique New Year's tradition.

Last New Year's Eve, for example, 333 cars went up in flames. In 2003, 324 vehicles were burned and in 2002 the number was 379.