Assange a free man, Palestine debate in parliament, and Grand Duke to reveal his favourite sport

Luxembourg 

PALESTINE DEBATE – A public debate on the petition calling for Luxembourg to officially recognise Palestine as an independent state is taking place in the Chamber of Deputies this morning. The petition was signed by over 5,000 people, meaning it has to be debated in parliament. Of the 193 UN member states, 145 have meanwhile recognised Palestine. This does not include Luxembourg. In a recent discussion on the formal recognition, Foreign Minister Xavier Bettel advised against the motion, arguing that the timing was not right.

JOB LOSSES – Layoffs at UBS and Crédit Suisse in Luxembourg have been confirmed as part of a signed social plan at the Swiss banks.The restructuring will occur in two phases: an initial wave in July will affect 70 to 80 employees, followed by an additional 65 to 75 job losses at the beginning of 2025. Currently, approximately 900 people are employed across both UBS and Crédit Suisse in Luxembourg.

GRAND DUKE INTERVIEW – RTL has conducted an interview with Grand Duke Henri in the run up to the Olympics. The head of state has been a member of the International Olympic Committee since 1998 and took the time to watch a training session of the table tennis players Sarah De Nutte, Ni Xia Lian, and Luka Mladenovic at the Coque yesterday. The full interview will be shown on television tonight. He speaks about the value of sport in our society, youth sports, and the ambitions of Luxembourg athletes. In addition, the Grand Duke also reveals what his favourite sports are.

World

ASSANGE FREE – The Wikileaks founder Julian Assange has walked out of court a free man for the first time in 14 years, after reaching a plea deal with the US government. Assange faced espionage charges for leaking secret US military information. At a court hearing in Saipan, he pleaded guilty to one charge and will fly back to Australia later this morning. His lawyer Jen Robinson said the deal was a victory for freedom of speech.

RUSSIA TRIAL – The American journalist Evan Gershkovich will face the start of a closed-door trial on espionage charges in Russia today. The Wall Street Journal correspondent, who along with his employer and the White House has denied the charges, was arrested 15 months ago while on a reporting trip to the city of Yekaterinburg. Russian prosecutors accuse Gershkovich "collecting secret information" about the country's main tank manufacturer on behalf of the CIA.

NATO CHIEF – NATO will formally appoint Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte as its next boss today. He will succeed Jens Stoltenberg on the first of October.

EU TOP JOBS – Ursula Von der Leyen will in all likelihood remain EU Commission President. Yesterday, various international media reported that the heads of state and government of the major European parties agreed on a deal. It will be formally decided at an EU summit in Brussels tomorrow and Friday. The former Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa is the favourite to become the next EU Council President. And Estonia’s Prime Minister, Kaja Kallas, should get the post of the next EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs. Kallas is also on an official work visit here in Luxembourg today. She will meet Prime Minister Luc Frieden for talks, as well as Grand Duke Henri for an an audience at the palace.

Sport

FOOTBALL – England ground out a 0-0 draw with Slovenia to claim top spot in Group C and avoid a last-16 meeting with hosts Germany, but France face a complicated path to the final after failing to beat Poland in a 1-1 draw.  Denmark and Serbia also drew 0-0.  Earlier in Group D, Austria won 3-2 against the Netherlands, and have come top in their group. Today are the last four group matches. Belgium takes on Ukraine and Romania will play off against Slovakia. Then at 9pm, we have Portugal against Georgia and Turkey lining up against the Czech Republic.

OLYMPICS2024 – The Olympic torch is due to arrive in Schengen tomorrow, en route to Paris. From Perl, the torch bearers will turn onto the Schengen bridge, handing it on to the former Luxembourg tennis player and three-time Olympian Anne Kremer. A ceremony will take place in the presence of sports minister Georges Mischo, Foreign Minister Xavier Bettel and the Grand Ducal couple. The torch will then cross back into France.

Weather

Sunny and dry weather from dawn till dusk, with the odd cloud drifting across blue skies in the afternoon - what else could we want? The morning starts off warm at 17–19°C and temperatures are only going to soar from there, with highs of up to 29°C forecast by the afternoon.

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