NATO UKRAINE - “This is not the time to discuss fighter planes.” This is what Luxembourg’s Defence Minister François Bausch said yesterday evening in an RTL interview, as part of the NATO Council in Brussels. The Minister of Defence and his counterparts are of the opinion that there are other priorities at the moment. Ukraine should now receive the weapons it has been promised, such as the first tanks and ammunition. The NATO meeting concludes today.
In Ukraine itself, the new Russian offensive is coming slowly, in particular around the area of Bakhmut. Ukrainian President Zelensky emphasised in his latest video message that without Western support, soldiers will soon run out of weapons.
TURKEY/SYRIA EARTHQUAKE - Officials in Syria have vowed that aid sent to the country will be distributed fairly, among those who need it, regardless whether they are government or rebel supporters. The first convoy of supplies has entered opposition-held areas of the north through one of two newly reopened border crossings with Turkey.GERMANY STRIKES - The German trade union Verdi has called for a one-day strike at airports across the country on Friday. The strike will see the airports in the major cities of Frankfurt, Munich, Hamburg, as well as a number of smaller airports such as Dortmund, Hanover and Bremen come to a standstill for the whole day. The warning strike comes ahead of a second round of negotiations between the union and public sector employers, set to take place next week.MALE PILL - Scientists in the US say they may have developed a drug which could be used as a contraceptive pill for men. Researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York have been testing a process on mice, which stops sperm from being able to swim. Results show the effect is short-lived with normal function restored within 24 hours.
TRIPARTITE DATE - Luxembourg’s government has confirmed that the next tripartite meeting will take place on March 3. The government, employers and unions will meet in two weeks time in Senningerberg, where the tripartite measures that were taken last year will be in focus.
BIRD FLU - Since October last year, European authorities have been concerned about an outbreak of bird flu. 37 countries are affected, including the Grand Duchy. The virus was last detected in Lellingen in January. 7,000 outbreaks were registered last year, a third of which occurred on farms while the rest affected wild birds. The virus usually only spreads from bird to bird, but in a concerning development, it was recently also detected in minks in Spain that had not been in contact with any birds. There is no risk for humans at present.
Sport
FOOTBALL - In the Champions League Round of 16, AC Milan beat Tottenham 1-0 and Bayern Munich won 1-0 against Paris St Germain. The fun continues tonight with Club Bruges meeting Benfica and Chelsea against Dortmund.
There is also a top match taking place in the English Premier League tonight as top-of-the-table Arsenal take on second-placed Manchester City.
F1 FERRARI - Ferrari has unveiled their new SF-23 car for the upcoming Formula One season. Charles Leclerc, who finished second to Red Bull’s Max Verstappen last year, said he believed Ferrari had done a “great job” on their new car, the Scuderia. “The goal is to win, clearly,” he said, after taking the car for spin around the Maranello track in front of some of the team’s passionate supporters.
Weather
Just like the other days when the morning fog has lifted, the afternoon will be sunny. We do have some clouds coming in and out, but there is no risk of rain. Morning temperatures of -3 to 1°C will rise to a high peak of 12°C in the afternoon.
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