Evening Update Wednesday 20 January 2021

A French government spokesperson has said that there will be no changes in national restrictions this week. Speaking after a government meeting this morning, Gabriel Attal said that "we are giving the curfew a chance". As regards any possible reopening of ski lifts, he said that the Minister of the Economy would be making an announcement to the ski sector by the end of the week.

There have been calls for a national ceremony to remember those who have lost their lives to Covi-19. In an open letter published in Le Parisien, Sabrina Sellami, who lost her father and brother to the virus last year, requests President Macron to hold a national tribute to "rehabilitate the dignity" of those who have died. Over 71,000 people have so far died in France from Covid-19.

The World Health Organization has said that the so-called British variant of the coronavirus is now present in at least sixty countries, ten more than on January 12. The South African variant is present in 23 countries, up 3 from 12 January.

The Prefect of the Var has said that there have been attempts at identity theft detected by Public Finance France. Fraudulent e-mails have been received by people relating to SEPA direct debits which have attempted to obtain sensitive information. The government reminds people to be extremely cautious and that the General Directorate of Public Finance never ask for details such as bank or personal information, invoices or financial details by email, SMS or phone.

Antibes Juan-les-Pins is hiring seasonal workers for the summer. Various positions need to be filled, such as in museums, the nautical stadium, maintenance and cleaning. The deadline for applications is 31 March and you can find full details and application forms on the website https://www.antibes-juanlespins.com

BUSINESS

Inflation in the UK rose in December. The CPI measure of inflation rose to 0.6%, up from 0.3% in November. Meanwhile, EU statistics body Eurostat said that inflation in the Eurozone stood at minus 0.3% in December on a year on year basis, with falling energy prices being largely responsible for keeping the rate below zero.

The governor of the French central bank, the Banque de France, has said that Brexit resulted in at least 170 billion euros in assets and almost 2,500 jobs being transferred to France by the end of 2020. Francois Villeroy de Galhau also said that further relocations are expected during the course of this year.

SPORT
Rugby Union... The RFU have said that England head coach Eddie Jones is self-isolating. Jones and attack coach Simon Amor have been identified as close contacts of Matthew Proudfoot who has tested positive. They therefore have to self-isolate for 10 days.

Four uncapped players have been named in Scotland's 35-man squad for the Six Nations. They include Cameron Redpath, the son of former Scotland captain Bryan Redpath, who has played for England at Under-20's level. David Cherry, Ewan Ashman, and Alex Craig are the other three uncapped players. Stuart McInally, who is suffering from a neck injury, is likely to miss the entire Championship.

Cricket... Bangladesh have beaten West Indies by six wickets in the first one day international in Mirpur. West Indies were all out for 122.

Olympics.. the organizers of the Tokyo Olympics have said that that the Games "will take place this summer". A spokesperson for the organizers in Japan said that they are not willing to see the event held behind closed doors. Speaking to the BBC, the spokesperson said that a decision on how many fans will be allowed inside venues in the light of the Covid-19 pandemic will be taken in March.

Cycling.... Urgent repairs to the Manchester Velodrome have been approved. The Velodrome is the headquarters of Team GB's cycling team. In November, architects said parts of the 26-year-old National Cycling Centre were "approaching end of life". Manchester City council said they would bring the velodrome up to modern standards and protect its long-term future.