Evening Update Monday 13 May

Authorities in Draugignan have said that a dozen Muslim graves have been desecrated in the landscaped cemetery in Draugignan. It’s thought that the damage happened last night.  The public prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation and forensic evidence is being obtained at the site.

The mayor of Nice Christian Estrosi has again asked President Macron to build the memorial museum dedicated to the victims of the terrorism in Nice. Estrosi had previousle made the request last September following the announcement that the memorial would be built in Paris.

A motorcycle pillion passenger has been airlifted to hospital after an accident in Saint-Cezaire-sur-Siagne at the weekend. The 50 year old woman suffered serious fractures and is being treated in the Pasteur II hospital in Nice.

A 30 year old man from the Yvelines department has appeared in court to face charges of making threatening remarks against several public figures. The remarks were allegedly made via an anonymous Twitter account. The prosecutor has called for a fine of 6,000 euros and a two month suspended prison sentence.  The court’s decision is expected by the end of this week.

A dozen Ferraris have reportedly been destroyed by fire at a dealership in Aix-en-Provence. 80 firefighters brought the blaze under control and limited it to the dealership without it spreading to neighbouring premises. An investigation has been launched to establish the cause of the blaze.

Air France has announced plans for 465 redundancies amongst its ground staff in France. Management of the company presented the draft plan to staff representatives today. 

If karaoke is your thing, there’s good news from Cannes.  It’s been announced that there will be two nights of karaoke on the Macé beach, on the Croisette, to coincide with the beginning and end of the Film Festival. A range of films will also be shown on the beach during the festival, starting at 9.30 in the evening. Meanwhile, over 4,000 residents of Cannes entered a draw for free tickets to the festival.  The 1,500 winners of the draw were selected at the town hall today in the presence of the Mayor of Cannes, David Lisnard.

BUSINESS

China has said it will impose tariffs on $60bn worth of US goods from 1 June. The move comes three days after the US more than doubled tariffs on $200bn of Chinese imports.

The price of oil has risen after Saudi Arabia said two of its oil tankers were targeted by what it called a "sabotage attack" while sailing toward the Persian Gulf.  The incident has increased regional tensions as the US increases pressure on Iran. 

The world's largest beer company, AB InBev, has been fined €200m by the European Commission for breaching EU competition rules. The Commission said AB InBev had abused its dominant position in the Belgian beer market by hindering cheaper imports of a particular brand of its beer from the Netherlands into Belgium. 

Pakistan has secured a $6bn bailout from the IMF as the country battles to stave off an economic crisis. The funding, which still needs approval from the IMF's management, would be provided over three years.

SPORT

Motorsports… According to reports, The Dutch Grand Prix is set to return to the historic Zandvoort circuit in 2020. It’s 35 years since a Formula 1 race has been held at the circuit. The race is apparently set to be held on the weekend of 8-10 May, effectively taking the place of the Spanish Grand Prix.

Football...Brighton have sacked manager Chris Hughton after the Seagulls finished 17th in the Premier League. They won just three of their last 23 league games and none of their final nine.