Evening Update Thursday 22 November

The Mayor of Grasse has visited a group of Yellow Vest protesters this morning. The mayor said he was sympathetic to the spirit of the demonstrations but said that a balance must be maintained.  He said that he had to guarantee the proper functioning of the municipality. He said that traffic jams are not appreciated by the municipality and cited an example of a funeral procession which he had to manage when it was blocked by protesters.
 
Lawyers are on strike today in Marseille and Avignon.  They are protesting at proposed reforms. The lawyers gathered in front of their respective courthouses.  All hearings in those courts have been cancelled today.
 
One person has died and four have been seriously injured after shots were fired in Toulon on Wednesday night. Several armed individuals entered a housing estate at around 9pm in the Sainte Musse district of Toulon. Police were deployed to the area and have opened a criminal investigation.
 
 
 
BUSNESS
 
French oil and gas firm Total has said that product deliveries from three of its refineries in France have been hit by a strike. The strike by CGT trade union members is over pay and bonuses. The union said production at Total's fourth French refinery had also been affected. The company runs four out of France's seven refineries.
 
Nissan has removed chairman Carlos Ghosn following his arrest and detention on charges of financial misconduct. The company’s 19 year alliance with Renault of France has been rocked following Mr Ghosn’s arrest. The French and Japanese finance ministers are meeting in Paris today to discuss the crisis.
 
SPORT
 
Golf...England's Tyrrell Hatton and Ian Poulter hold a share of the lead after the first round of the World Cup of Golf in Australia. In the opening round of fourballs, the pair shot a bogey-free 10-under par round of 62 in Melbourne.
 
Football... former Chelsea striker Didier Drogba has announced his retirement from the game. The Ivory Coast star had two spells at Chelsea scoring 164 goals in 381 games and winning 4 Premier League titles and the 2012 Champions League. He’d spent the last 18 months of his career at Phoenix Rising in the US but at the age of 40 said that it was time to call it a day.