BAUSCH NATO - Minister of Defence François Bausch met NATO general secretary Jens Stoltenberg in Brussels on Monday. The two politicians took the opportunity to discuss the conflict in Ukraine, and how better to secure NATO territory in future, particularly in Eastern Europe. The cyber and space sectors were also included in the discussion, which covered Luxembourg’s involvement.
CITY WATER - Luxembourg City is improving its water supply. A new pumping station, located right next to the Cessange water tower, has been formally inaugurated. A growing population in Luxembourg City means that the capital’s water requirements are simultaneously going up. It is hoped that the expanded quarters of Gasperich and Cloche d’Or have an adequate water supply in the future.
TRIER MONOPOLY - And there’s a new city available in the Monopoly franchise, and it is none other than the neighbouring historical city of Trier, in Germany! The people responsible for the design of the game board asked the citizens of Trier to give suggestions for street names as well as hand in texts to put on the board field. It became clear quite quickly which streets, buildings and sights would have to be included in the game, such as Trier’s landmark, the Porta Nigra which dates back to Roman times.
FRANCE PROTESTS - French police have fired teargas during clashes with protesters in several cities, after the government narrowly survived a no-confidence vote in parliament over its pension reform plan. In Paris, protesters set fire to bins and rubbish. Up to 170 people have been arrested. A new round of strikes and protests have been called on Thursday and are expected to again bring public transport to a standstill in several areas.
KISHIDA UKRAINE - Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is on a surprise visit to Kyiv today. A meeting with Ukrainian President Zelensky is planned. Tokyo said it was about showing solidarity and support.
COVID ORIGIN - President Biden has signed into law a bill that calls for the release of US intelligence findings on the origin of the Covid pandemic. He said his administration would de-classify as much information as possible, including potential links to a research institute in the Chinese city of Wuhan.
AMAZON LAYOFFS - Amazon CEO Andy Jassy has said he was cutting 9,000 more jobs from the online retail giant’s workforce, following the 18,000 that were axed in January. Jassy told his workers that the extra layoffs were necessary, as the company seeks a way to downsize after years of sustained hiring.
ICC UKRAINE - The role of the International Criminal Court in the Ukrainian war was a topic of discussion at a meeting of justice ministers from 40 countries in London yesterday. The court in the Hague obtained pledges of financial and technical aid, three days after it issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin. Luxembourg’s Minister of Justice Sam Tanson agreed with the move and that statement that the Russian invasion of Ukraine was clearly illegal.
WORLD WATER DAY - Tomorrow is World Water Day, a day to celebrate water and raising awareness of the 2 billion people living without access to safe water. In the run-up to this, the UN is organising a water conference in New York today. The main issue is access to clean water, which has been a human right since 2010. Luxembourg is represented at the conference by the Environment Minister Joelle Welfring.
FOOTBALL- Kylian Mbappe has succeeded the retired Hugo Lloris as France captain, a source close to the team has told AFP. Paris Saint-Germain forward Mbappe accepted the proposal after discussions with coach Didier Deschamps earlier in the day. Tottenham goalkeeper Lloris brought an end to his international career after losing the World Cup final a month earlier.
CYCLING - Primoz Roglic has won the first stage of the Tour of Catalunya, a hilly 164km run beginning and ending on the Costa Brava.The Slovenian prevailed in the final sprint against the Belgian world champion Remco Evenepoel. Today’s second stage features a 2,135m altitude summit finish in Vallter.
ATHLETICS - World Athletics are likely to tighten rules around the participation of transgender women in female competition. Track and field’s global body has said its “preferred option” is to tighten the rules surrounding eligibility but that it wants to use limits on testosterone as the key determining factor. The proposals will be discussed and put to the vote at the meeting of World Athletics’ Council that starts in Monaco today, with any decisions published on Thursday.
Umbrellas at the ready - today is set to be grey and damp once more. We can expect overcast skies with scattered rain showers throughout the day, with temperatures remaining somewhat cool. The morning will start off at around 6-8°C, rising to highs of 11°C in the afternoon.
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