BACKES UKRAINE – Luxembourg’s Minister of Defence, Yuriko Backes, accompanied by General Steve Thull, has paid a working visit to Kyiv. During her meeting with the Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov, Backes was briefed on Ukraine’s current priorities for military support. The discussions also covered the digital transformation of the Ukrainian army, particularly the impact of the IT Coalition, a joint initiative led by Luxembourg and Estonia.
TAX PROTEST - Traffic disruptions are anticipated on the Franco-Luxembourg border in Audun-le-Tiche this morning due to a planned protest. The demonstration is in response to a new tax measure introduced this year, which particularly affects cross-border workers. The measure has significant implications for couples living in the same household but working in different countries.
SAHARAN DUST – According to current weather models, a plume of Saharan dust is travelling via France, with some of it expected to reach our region in the coming days. Weather models suggest that the highest dust concentrations will be over France today, particularly at ground level. Luxembourg and parts of the UK are expected to be only lightly affected.
EU DEFENCE – EU leaders have backed plans to ramp up Europe’s defence readiness. At a summit in Brussels, EU leaders called for swift action while measures, including relaxing EU fiscal rules on deficit and debt which would facilitate hundreds of billions of euros in extra defence spending.
Speaking to the German TV station ZDF yesterday, Prime Minister Luc Frieden indicated that European leaders are not preparing for war, but that they want Europe to once again become a strong sign of peace and prosperity.
HEATHROW CLOSURE – Europe’s busiest airport, Heathrow, will be closed today because of a power cut caused by a major fire at an electrical sub-station nearby. Airport authorities said they “expect significant disruption” over the coming days, with hundreds of flights and thousands of passengers affected.
GAZA WAR – Israel is expanding its operation on the ground in Gaza, as Hamas militants said they fired rockets at Tel Aviv. The Health Ministry in Gaza said the new Israeli offensive killed 90 Palestinians on Thursday but nearly 600 killed since Tuesday and left about 1000 people injured. The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for an end to the hostilities.
TRUMP EDUCATION – US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order, aimed at “eliminating” the Department of Education. It fulfils a long-standing conservative goal to transfer control of schools to individual states and is considered among the most drastic steps yet in the overhaul of the government that Trump is carrying out with the help of tech tycoon Elon Musk.
UN GLACIERS – The UN has named 2025 the International Year of Glacier Preservation, hoping to highlight the critical role of glaciers and address the urgent challenges by glacier melt. The UN is warning that saving the planet’s glaciers is now a matter of “survival”.
ATHLETICS – The World Indoor Athletics Championships are taking place in Nanjing, China this weekend. Today at noon, the Luxembourgish runner Charel Grethen will compete in the 1500m heats and early tomorrow morning, Patrizia van der Weken will compete in the 60m. Of the sprinters who have registered, van der Weken, the newly-minted bronze medal winner at the European Championships has the third-fastest time this season.
FORMULA 1 – Lando Norris was fastest in practice earlier today for the Chinese Grand Prix, the championship leader lapping almost half a second quicker than Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, with McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri third. Races qualifying for tomorrow’s sprint begin this morning and the actual race will be on Sunday.
FOOTBALL – The first matches in the UEFA Nations League quarterfinals took place last night. Germany beat Italy 2-1, Portugal lost to Denmark 1-0, Croatia beat France 2-0 and the Netherlands drew 2-2 with Spain. The return matches are on Sunday.
The Luxembourg national men’s football team is set to kick off its new season with two friendly matches. They face Sweden at the Stade de Luxembourg on Saturday 22 March, followed by a match against Switzerland in St Gallen three days later. Speaking on Today Radio’s Letz Talk Sport, Luxembourg football international Sebastian Thill spoke about his career, memorable moments on the pitch, and shared his thoughts ahead of this weekend’s big international clash between Luxembourg and Sweden.
OLYMPICS - Zimbabwean Kirsty Coventry has become the first woman and African to be elected president of the International Olympic Committee, declaring it to be an “extraordinary moment”. At 41, the two-time Olympic swimming champion is also the youngest person ever to be elected to the most powerful position in sports governance.
Spring has arrived – until Saturday at least. Despite a modest start, the day will gradually heat up to T-shirt weather.
Temperatures will start off at 5-7°C but will climb to very respectable 20-22°C by the afternoon.
However, the sunshine may not last. The longer range forecast predicts lower temperatures and showers from Saturday to Monday.
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