The 76th commemoration of the Second World War allied landings in France was cut to a strict minimum on Saturday owing to restrictions stemming from the coronavirus.
Celebrations that normally draw big crowds were held without veterans and were intentionally "simple, sombre and strong" in the words of French junior armed forces minister Genevieve Darrieussecq.
The fighting involved more than 200,000 soldiers from both sides by the end of June 6, 1944, and while a precise death toll has not been established, the BBC cites as many as 4,400 among the Allies, and an estimated 4,000 - 9,000 Germans.
At Vierville-sur-Mer, known to many as Omaha Beach and the site of some of the heaviest fighting in the landings, the Patrouille de France air display team made two passes on Saturday, trailing blue, white and red smoke to open a ceremony attended by around 100 people, including ambassadors from eight allied countries and Germany.
Representatives from Belgium, Britain, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland and the United States marked the military operation comprised of "soldiers who fought for the values of our republic, our freedom, our democracy", Ms Darrieussecq told media.
After their nation's flags were raised and wreaths were laid, the shortened ceremony ended as US F-15 jets and a refuelling tanker flew overhead.
French President Emmanuel Macron said in a message posted on Twitter: "I am thinking of those who, thousands of kilometres from home, fought to liberate France alongside our resistance fighters.
"Let us come together, in the name of freedom. Never forget our heroes."
Marie-Christine Costy, president of a local association, told AFP: "Unfortunately this year we cannot attend the ceremony, which I never miss, it's a shame."
She said many people had cancelled trips to the area, which was "a bit of a catastrophe" for those who depended on tourism.
While many ceremonies were also cancelled, a few were held at the British cemetery in Bayeux, at Juno Beach, where Canadian soldiers landed, and at the US cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer, where Charles Norman Shay, 96, was the sole US veteran in attendance.
French commemorations also took place in Arromanches and Ouistreham to honour 177 French marines who were the only uniformed French troops to take part in the landings.
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Will the pound fall to parity with the dollar?
The idea of pound parity now seems less far-fetched as the risk grows that Britain may split away from the European Union without a deal.
Rupert Harrison, a fund manager at BlackRock, sees the risk of it falling to trade level with the dollar on a no-deal Brexit. The view echoes Morgan Stanley’s recent forecast that the currency can plunge toward $1 (Dh3.67) on such an outcome. That isn’t the majority view yet – a Bloomberg survey this month estimated the pound will slide to $1.10 should the UK exit the bloc without an agreement.
New Prime Minister Boris Johnson has repeatedly said that Britain will leave the EU on the October 31 deadline with or without an agreement, fuelling concern the nation is headed for a disorderly departure and fanning pessimism toward the pound. Sterling has fallen more than 7 per cent in the past three months, the worst performance among major developed-market currencies.
“The pound is at a much lower level now but I still think a no-deal exit would lead to significant volatility and we could be testing parity on a really bad outcome,” said Mr Harrison, who manages more than $10 billion in assets at BlackRock. “We will see this game of chicken continue through August and that’s likely negative for sterling,” he said about the deadlocked Brexit talks.
The pound fell 0.8 per cent to $1.2033 on Friday, its weakest closing level since the 1980s, after a report on the second quarter showed the UK economy shrank for the first time in six years. The data means it is likely the Bank of England will cut interest rates, according to Mizuho Bank.
The BOE said in November that the currency could fall even below $1 in an analysis on possible worst-case Brexit scenarios. Options-based calculations showed around a 6.4 per cent chance of pound-dollar parity in the next one year, markedly higher than 0.2 per cent in early March when prospects of a no-deal outcome were seemingly off the table.
Bloomberg
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