I've got a busy day ahead, so little time for posts until later tonight. In the meantime, the latest from France:

French Cabinet has approved emergency measures giving police more powers and allowing local officials to impose curfews in communities at risk of rioting after the nation endured a 12th night of unrest.

President Jacques Chirac said the new powers were "necessary to accelerate the return to calm."

The government decree authorizing curfews will take effect at midnight Tuesday, The Associated Press reported. Other measures include allowing police to carry out raids for suspected stockpiling of weapons.

I will refrain from stating the obvious here, but one would hope that at some point in time we'll get an account of the decisionmaking process at work here.