ROYAL BIRTHDAY - Princess Alexandra, the only daughter and fourth child of the Grand-Ducal couple, turns 32 today. The princess will be marrying Nicolas Bagory in a civil ceremony on 22 April, at the Town Hall in Luxembourg, followed by a religious wedding a week later in France.
WOLF SIGHTING - There has been another wolf sighting near Wincrange. According to the ANF, the nature and forest administration, a woman saw the animal while she was walking her dogs on January 22. Hair she collected has been analysed by a laboratory in Germany, which confirmed yesterday that the animal was indeed a wolf.
FRANCE STRIKES - There is a nationwide strike in France again today over proposed pension reforms. As it is in the middle of French school holidays, participation in the strikes is not expected to be as high as previously. The disruptions are expected to be limited in transport, with 4 out of 5 TGV trains running and normal traffic in the Paris metro. Nevertheless, 30% of flights at Paris-Orly airport will be cancelled. The police say they expect up to 650,000 people in the street, including 40,000 to 70,000 in Paris.
MUNICH SECURITY - US Vice President Kamala Harris arrives in Munich today ahead of the Munich security conference, which starts tomorrow. According to the Elysee Palace, President Emmanuel Macron is expected to discuss how to “ensure Russia’s defeat” in Ukraine as well as future “mechanisms” to uphold peace in Europe. The announcement came as Ukraine appealed to the UN and Turkey to press Russia to stop hindering Ukrainian grain shipments under the Black Sea grain deal.
RAQUEL WELCH - Tributes have been paid to the Hollywood star Raquel Welch, who has died at the age of 82. She became an international sex symbol in the 1960s after playing a bikini-clad cavewoman in the film “One Million Years B.C.” The actress Reese Witherspoon called her ‘glamorous beyond belief.”
BERLIN FILM FESTIVAL - The Berlin Film Festival starts tonight with a comedy starring Anne Hathaway, Marisa Tomei and Peter Dinklage ahead of a packed programme spotlighting Iran and Ukraine. The 73rd annual festival will mark the Russian invasion’s first anniversary as well as anti-regime protests in Iran with new feature films and documentaries. Hollywood actor Sean Penn, who was in Kyiv at the start of the Russian onslaught, will present “Superpower”, tracking Volodymyr Zelensky’s transformation from comedian to president to war hero.
FOOTBALL - In the latest Champions League, Round of 16 matches Dortmund beat Chelsea 1-0 and Benfica closed in on a place in the quarter finals after easing to a 2-0 victory over Bruges. The next matches in this round take place next week. In the English Premier League, Manchester City beat Arsenal 3-1, temporarily replacing them at the top of the table.
SKIING WC - The World Cup in alpine skiing is taking place in the French Alps, in the ski area of Courchevel-Méribel in the next few days. And from now on, Luxembourgers will also be involved. Today, Matthieu Osch and Joachim Keghian race in the giant slalom qualification. In the women’s races, the sisters Gwyneth and Joyce Ten Raa will be taking part in the main race of the giant slalom this morning.
What started out as a lovely week has turned rather grey for the next few days. Meteolux has summed up the local forecast for today in five words: Cloudy, grey and slightly rainy. Morning temperatures of 2 to 4°C will rise to a high peak of 8°C in the afternoon.
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