Curfew imposed in parts of central Paris and other cities after rioting across France

French authorities have imposed overnight curfews in parts of central Paris and other cities after a weekend of riots and looting across the country.

Police in Paris said a curfew would be in force between 23:00 local time (21:00 GMT) and 06:00 in Place de la République, where protesters had gathered over the weekend, and the Les Halles shopping area, while a ban on unauthorised gatherings would apply to several other parts of the city centre.

Partial curfews variously restricting the movement of young people and gatherings were announced for cities including Marseille, Nice and Lyon in the south as well as Lille and other towns in the north.

Earlier Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez, whose resignation was rejected by President Emmanuel Macron, admitted police had "lost control" in some cities.

The disorder began last month with students demanding better school conditions, but protests have since escalated to take in a broader range of concerns.

More than 2,500 people had been arrested, officials said. One demonstrator's hand blown off by a police crowd-control grenade, according to the AFP news agency. About 1,000 police officers were injured.

Following a crisis meeting on Monday, the prime minister said local mayors were being given the power to implement curfews "where they need", without specifying which cities would be impacted.

Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu, who did not rule out imposing a state of emergency in the country, said the government would also set aside money to help affected areas recover from the damage, and the funding would be recovered from those behind the violence.

"There will be a law that will be put in place to find ways of making sure that those who have damaged properties will have to pay," Lecornu said.

He also announced a partial unemployment fund for those who could not work as a result of the riots and looting.