winning more than 75% of the vote in the first round, the mayor-elect of the southwestern town of Vibrac, Philipe Sauty, commits suicide before taking office. 31 March – Jean-Marc Ayrault resigns as Prime Minister following the disappointing municipal election results for the Socialists. The Interior Minister Manuel Valls is announced as his replacement. April 7 April – A magnitude 5 earthquake is felt in parts of southeastern France, close to the Italian border. No injuries or damage is reported. 12 April – An estimated 25,000 people on the far-left turn out to protest in Paris against the austerity measures imposed by the Hollande government. A recent poll places Hollande's popularity at its lowest to date, with just 18% approving of his role as president. 14 April – Following the rape of a 16-year-old girl at a private Catholic school in La Rochelle the previous September, police begin a mass DNA test of the school's 527 male pupils and staff to attempt to identify the perpetrator. 24 April – Shares in engineering company Alstom climb 11% following a report of a $13bn takeover bid by American company General Electric. The following week Alstom's board of directors approve of a $12.4bn offer, despite the government's successful attempt at persuading Siemens to offer a counter-bid. 25 April – The Corsican Assembly passes a law restricting the purchase of homes to only those who have maintained residence on the island for a minimum of five years. May 5 May – The Senate approves a ban on the cultivation of MON810, a type of genetically modified corn developed by American agribusiness firm Monsanto. 6 May – The $12.4bn takeover bid of Alstom by General Electric is rejected by François Hollande, citing "national interest" grounds. 7 May – Paris St. Germain secure the Ligue 1 title for the second consecutive season. 13 May – The International Organisation of Vine and Wine announces that the United States has overtaken France as the world's largest consumer of wine. France however remains the leader on consumption per capita. 17 May – Leaders of West African nations gather in Paris for discussions on the threat posed by the Nigerian militant group Boko Haram. The summit follows the Chibok schoolgirl kidnapping orchestrated by Boko Haram in northern Nigeria the previous month. 21 May – A new specification of train designed by SNCF is revealed to be too wide for some