EUROPEAN ELECTIONS - It is 60 days until the European elections. This means that by 6pm the latest, the lists must be submitted by those parties who are eager to kick off their campaigns. So far there are 78 candidates running for the 6 Luxembourg mandates in the European Parliament. EU citizens in Luxembourg are able to cast their vote in the Grand Duchy, or in their home country, depending on their preference. Luxembourg sends a total of six MEPs to the European Parliament, which is made up of 720 representatives from across the bloc, allocated according to each country’s size and population.
SCIENCE OLYMPIAD - Luxembourg hosted the European Olympiad of Experimental Science yesterday. Around 140 students from across the EU convened in Limpertsberg to showcase their talents in biology, chemistry, and physics, engaging in friendly competition. An international jury comprising 13 teachers convened last night to evaluate the projects submitted by participants. While the top-performing team was honoured with a medal, the competition holds mostly sentimental significance for participants.
SPEEDING MOTORIST - A motorist was forced to surrender their driving licence after being caught driving 150km/hour between Niederfeulen and Heiderscheid yesterday, far surpassing the permissible limit of 90 km/h. The patrol intercepted the speeding driver and confiscated their driving licence.
STING TOUR - Luxembourg-born drummer Chris Maas, known for his musical collaborations with The Pierces, Maggie Rodgers, and Mumford & Sons, now adds another illustrious name to his repertoire: Sting. Maas took to Instagram on 11 March to announce his upcoming tour with the renowned English artist Sting. The tour, slated to kick off at the end of May in Dresden, will take Maas and Sting across Europe before crossing the Atlantic for shows in the USA in September.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR - US President Joe Biden has criticised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s policy on Gaza as a “mistake” and called for a ceasefire. Speaking in an interview on a US Spanish-language TV network, Biden urged the Israelis to allow total access to all food and medicine going into the country for the next six - eight weeks, . His remarks on a ceasefire marked a shift from his previous comments, in which he has said the burden lies with Hamas to agree to a truce and hostage release deal.
SOUTH KOREA ELECTIONS - South Korea is voting in key legislative elections today that will determine control of the country’s parliament -- and whether President Yoon Suk Yeol can advance his socially conservative agenda. The election is widely seen as a referendum on Yoon, who won a 2022 election by the narrowest margin in South Korean history.
EU MIGRATION - The EU is voting today on a vast overhaul of its immigration policies that would notably harden entry procedures for asylum-seekers and require all the bloc’s countries to share responsibility. The overhaul was reached only after overcoming years of tensions and divisions among EU member countries. Asylum applications reached 1.14 million last year, the highest level since 2016. NGOs and migrant charities have come out against the reform, especially its provision for creating border facilities to accommodate asylum-seekers and quickly send back those deemed ineligible, which they fear will lead to systematic detentions.
BOEING WHISTLEBLOWER - Federal aviation authorities are investigating allegations by a Boeing engineer, Sam Salehpour, claiming serious assembly defects in the 787 Dreamliner, amidst accusations from attorneys that Boeing prioritised profit over safety and retaliated against Salehpour for his safety concerns. The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed the investigation after the claims were outlined in a New York Times article describing charges from Salehpour, who has been at Boeing more than 10 years.
FOOTBALL - Last night saw the start of the quarter finals in the Champions League. Real Madrid and Manchester City drew 3-3 and Arsenal and Bayern also finished with a draw - 2-2. Tonight, Paris St Germain is playing Barcelona and Atletico Madrid plays against Dortmund.
TENNIS - World number one Novak Djokovic said his “feeling was great” as he flew past Roman Safiullin in straight sets at the Monte Carlo Masters yesterday, after third seed Carlos Alcaraz withdrew from the event due to injury.
GOLF - Tiger Woods will resume talks about being the 2025 US Ryder Cup captain next week after the 15-time major winner struggles through aches and pains simply to walk 72 holes at the Masters. Woods said yesterday he has delayed talks with the PGA of America about being captain next year at Bethpage because he hasn’t lost confidence that he can win another green jacket.
We can look forward to dry conditions and partly cloudy skies today, with what Meteolux tells us will be ‘often sunny weather’. But it’s a cold start: near-freezing temperatures are expected in the morning (1–4°C) before the mercury makes a leap to 13–16°C in the afternoon
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