Markets in Asia have opened the week down in the wake of the deal.
UKRAINE PUTIN - Ukraine has condemned Vladimir Putin’s visit to the devastated city of Mariupol, the south-eastern port that Russian troops captured after months of fighting. It was the first time that the Russian President had been to a newly-occupied Russian territory in Ukraine, since ordering the invasion last year and came only days after international prosecutors accused him of war crimes. Chinese President Xi Jinping is on a 3-day state visit to Russia, in an important sign of support for President Putin. China has not condemned the Russian invasion and claims to be committed to peace negotiations.
EU ARMS - European Union ministers are looking to sign off on a 2-billion-euro plan to raid their stockpiles and jointly purchase desperately needed artillery shells for Ukraine today. Luxembourg is represented by the ministers Jean Asselborn and Francois Bausch. And EU agriculture ministers, with Luxembourg’s Minister Claude Haagen are meeting to discuss the impact of the Russian invasion in Ukraine on the agricultural sector.
QUAKE CONFERENCE - The EU is also hosting a conference in Brussels today, aimed at ramping up funds from international donors to help the victims of the devastating earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria last month. The catastrophic quake flattened entire cities and killed more than 50,000 people. A preliminary estimate from the United Nations says the damage in Turkey alone could amount to over $100 billion.
FRANCE NO-CONFIDENCE VOTE - In France, the government is facing a vote of no-confidence today. The background is the controversial pension reform, which President Macron forced through without a vote in parliament last week. It resulted in nationwide angry protests and a vote of no-confidence. If the government gets through this vote, the pension reform will go through as well. If not, it’s the end for Macron and his government, barely a year into his second term.
CLIMATE REPORT - The United Nations is releasing it 6th evaluation report today, distilling nearly a decade of published science on the impacts and trajectory of global warming, and the tools available to prevent climate catastrophe. UN chief Antonio Guterres said “We are nearing a point of no return” ahead of the publication of the report which covers almost 10,000 pages on climate change, authored by more than 1,000 scientists.
POSTAL VOTES - From today you can register for the postal ballot for the municipal elections. You have to make an application to your municipality in writing or at myguichet.lu. The elections are on the 11 June 2023.
HOUSING CRISIS - Luxembourgish developers have sounded the alarm about the construction sector, warning that “political decision-makers are not aware” of the urgency of the situation. According to the developer Marc Giorgetti rising interest rates have changed the face of the Luxembourg property market. Whereas a little over twelve months ago, people were rushing to buy as soon as a property was put up for sale, the housing market is now “in a complete gridlock”. The developers argue that if nothing is done, the crisis will not stop at the construction sector.
FORMULA 1 - It was a double victory for Red Bull at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Sergio Perez stormed to victory ahead of team-mate Max Verstappen, coming home 5.355 seconds clear of the defending world champion.
FOOTBALL
In local football, Hesperange remains first in the table, after a 1-0 win against Fola Esch.
In international football, in the Bundesliga, Leverkusen shocked Bayern Munich, winning 2-1. Mainz and Freiburg drew 1-1 and Union Berlin won 2-0 against Frankfurt.
In Spain, Barcelona won the Classico against Real Madrid 2-1.
And in France, Marseille beat Reims 2-1 andParis St German lost 0-2 against Rennes.
TENNIS - Carlos Alcaraz has won the Indian Wells final, beating Daniil Medvedev 6-3, 6-2 and has regained the world No. 1 ranking. The 19-year-old Spaniard will displace Novak Djokovic in the rankings.
Today’s weather forecast is looking rather grey, with clouds covering our skies throughout most of the day. But on the bright side, it will be relatively warm. The sun will peak out every now and then throughout the morning and afternoon, but don’t expect it to hang around for all too long. Morning temperatures of 5-8°C will rise to highs of 10°C in the afternoon.
Be sure to catch our full bulletin on the hour, every hour and headlines at half past the hour on RTL Today Radio. You can also access the news via Alexa, and on RTL Play.
