Violent protests raged for days in several French cities after a 17-year-old of North African descent was shot dead by police in Paris on June 26 after failing to obey an order to stop his car.

Rioters have torched cars, looted stores and targeted town halls and police stations – including the home of the mayor of a Paris suburb.

This is the second time this year that unrest in France has forced Macron to postpone high-profile encounters with a head of state.

The violence has plunged President Emmanuel Macron into the gravest crisis of his leadership since the Yellow Vest protests that started in 2018.

Some 421 people have been arrested throughout France.

The raids represent the tenth phase of an operation launched in mid-January to identify people who participated in, funded or fostered the riots.

Demonstrations have swept Iran since the death of Mahsa Amini, after her arrest in Tehran for allegedly failing to adhere to the dress rules which demand women wear hijab headscarves.

Iran says the US is supporting rioters and seeking to destabilise the Islamic Republic.

Police say four civilians and three soldiers were wounded when the army opened fire for the first time to quell unrest linked to the worsening economic crisis.

The new premier, Ranil Wickremesinghe, has already served in the office five times – but it remains to be seen whether he will be able to get any legislation through parliament.

Reprisals carried on late into the night and through the next day, with mobs setting alight dozens of homes belonging to ruling-party politicians around the country.

Sri Lankan police have been ordered to use live ammunition to prevent 'anarchy', a top official says.