MANSLAUGHTER TRIAL – The prosecution is demanding a sentence of 18 years in prison for the former youth coach of the Jeunesse Esch football club. The coach is facing manslaughter charges following a fatal knife attack that occurred during a football training session in Esch-sur-Alzette in January 2023. The incident involved a man who arrived, armed with two knives at a training session for the U13 team. He was fatally wounded during the altercation.The trial continues this morning.
POLICE ACCIDENT – A 12-year-old child was struck by a police car on Boulevard Royal in Luxembourg City yesterday afternoon. Authorities confirmed to our colleagues from RTL.lu that the child was struck by the police vehicle but was not seriously injured. The child was taken to hospital as a precaution. At the time of the accident, the officers were reportedly on active duty. Further details about the incident are expected to be released by the police soon.
BETTEL ASIA – Foreign Minister Xavier Bettel is on an official visit to Bhutan and India from today until next Tuesday. According to the government Bettel is seeking to strengthen bilateral relations with both countries and will attend a conference on global geopolitical and economic challenges in New Delhi.
PRODUCT RECALL – Free-range and barn eggs from Depo-Ei CV have been recalled in Luxembourg over concerns of salmonella contamination. According to Luxembourg authorities, these eggs were likely distributed to various points of sale across the Grand Duchy.
UKRAINE TALKS – Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has described Vladimir Putin’s response to a 30-day ceasefire proposed by the US as manipulative. President Putin said he agreed with the idea of a pause in the fighting in Ukraine but said questions remain about the nature of a truce. Putin said a ceasefire should lead to an enduring peace and remove the root causes of the conflict.
DUTERTE ICC Rodrigo Duterte’s first appearance at the International Criminal Court has been set for this afternoon. The former Philippines president will appear before judges for a hearing, where he will be informed of the crimes he is alleged to have committed, as well as his rights as a defendant. Duterte stands accused of the crime against humanity of murder over his years-long campaign against drug users and dealers that rights groups said killed tens of thousands of people.
US TARIFFS – US President Trump has threatened to impose 200 percent tariffs on European wine, champagne and other alcoholic drinks if the EU does not drop its planned whiskey tariffs. The EU unveiled tariffs on $28 billion in US goods this week – including a 50 percent tariff on American whiskey -- a tit-for-tat measure against Trump’s levies on steel and aluminum imports that took effect on Wednesday.
AUSTRALIA OUTRAGE – An American influencer who outraged Australians by snatching a baby wombat from its apparently distressed mother has left the country. In a now-deleted video posted to Instagram this week, the woman can be seen picking up and running with the hissing wild animal before declaring to the camera: “I caught a baby wombat.” Commenting on the influencer’s departure, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said there had never been a better day to be a wombat in Australia.
FOOTBALL – Following last night’s matches, the quarterfinals in the Europa League have now been decided: Lyon will face Manchester United, Glasgow Rangers will play Athletic Bilbao, Tottenham play against Eintracht Frankfurt and Lazio will take on Norway’s Bodo/Glimt.
The Luxembourg national men’s football team is set to kick off its new season with two friendly matches next week, as part of their preparations for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers in September. The Red Lions will first face Sweden at the Stade de Luxembourg on 22 March, followed by a match against Switzerland in St Gallen three days later. Head coach Luc Holtz has announced the squad for these matches – welcoming back Yvandro Borges and Vincent Thill, who have recovered from injuries. Additionally, Vahid Selimovic and Eric Veiga have been called up, while Enzo De Pina Duarte and Brian Madjo will make their debut appearances for the national team. A small number of tickets for the home game in Luxembourg City are still available.
FORMULA 1 – Lando Norris has fired a warning shot to outpace world champion Max Verstappen and top the timesheets in first practice for the season-opening Australian Grand Prix earlier today, with Lewis Hamilton 12th on his Ferrari debut. The race takes place on Sunday 5am our time.
CYCLING - French rider Lenny Martinez sprinted to an uphill victory in the fifth stage of the Paris-Nice race yesterday, with Jonas Vingegaard losing the overall lead to US teammate Matteo Jorgenson after a nasty fall. The rest of the race is likely to be influenced by the weather, as there are serious doubts surrounding Saturday’s queen stage to the Auron ski resort, with snowfall expected in the region. The final stage is around Nice on Sunday.
We’re in for another gloomy, overcast and cloudy, day but the forecast does say it should stay dry with no rain at all and there is a chance of the sun breaking through in the afternoon for a whole 3 hours. After a cold start at -2 to 0°C, temperatures should rise to to 4-6 °C in the afternoon.
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