RUTTE VISIT - At the invitation of Luc Frieden, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte is on an official working visit to the country today. The two leaders are meeting for discussions at the State Ministry. Afterwards, Rutte will be received in the palace for an audience with Grand Duke Henri.
MOTORWAY CLOSED - The motorway from Arlon to Luxembourg will be party closed this weekend. The section from the Belgian border to the Mamer interchange is being re-surfaced and will therefore be shut in the direction of the city from this evening until early Monday morning. The traffic is one-lane on the other side and the speed is limited to 70k/h.
DUKE RIDING - In anticipation of the Paris Olympics, set to kick off in late July, Grand Duke Henri mounted a horse for the first time in 20 years. The Maison du Grand-Duc released photos and videos on social media, documenting the Grand Duke’s visit to a horse stable in Elvange. There, Luxembourg’s Head of State met with dressage rider Nicolas Wagner-Ehlinger and his horse, Quarter Back Junior. Wagner-Ehlinger is preparing for the upcoming Paris Games.
RENERT STATUE - After months of meticulous restoration, Luxembourg City’s beloved ‘Renert’ monument, celebrating Michel Rodange’s fable of the same name, has returned to its pedestal at Place Guillaume II. After having been forced to leave its pedestal on Place Guillaume II in 2022 due to renovation works on the square and the underground car park below, the ‘Renert’ monument has now returned to its rightful place.
FRANCE UKRAINE - France will transfer Mirage-2000 fighter jets to Ukraine and train their Ukrainian pilots as part of a new military cooperation with Kyiv as it fights the Russian invasion. French President Macron said he would offer Ukrainian President Zelensky, when the two meet for talks in Paris today, that the pilots be trained from this summer. He said France would equip and train an entire brigade of 4,500 Ukrainian soldiers so they can defend themselves when they return to Ukraine from training. Kyiv has been pushing Europe to increase its military support, with Russia in recent months gaining the upper hand on the battlefield.
TRUMP CAMPAIGN - Donald Trump has been speaking to crowds at a rally in the US for the first time since being convicted for fraud last week. He took questions from voters in Arizona, a key battleground state, as people queued up in a heatwave to see him. Trump criticised the US election campaign, saying it was not honest.
EU ELECTIONS - Dutch voters have chosen their representatives to the European Parliament with exit polls suggesting a tight race between a left-green alliance and the party of the anti-Islam populist Geert Wilders. Today, voters in Ireland and the Czech Republic go to the polls. Most of the EU’s 27 countries will cast their votes on Sunday for the bloc’s parliament, making the Dutch ballot a closely watched barometer of voter sentiment.
GERMANY BORDERS - Starting today, German border authorities are authorised to perform temporary checks at all German borders for the European Football Championships. This includes the borders with Denmark, France and Benelux countries, where no border controls were previously implemented. According to the German Interior Minister, the move is to secure the championships from the threat of Islamic terrorism, hooligans and cyber attacks. The Euros start next Friday.
UN SECURITY COUNCIL - The UN General Assembly has elected Denmark, Greece, Pakistan, Panama and Somalia to serve as non-permanent members on the Security Council for two-year terms, beginning on 1 January next year. In return, the mandates of Switzerland, Japan, Malta, Ecuador and Mozambique have expired.
CRICKET - The USA have stunned the cricket world with a shock win over Pakistan. The thrilling Super Over triumph in Dallas by the T20 World Cup debutants over the 2022 finalists and 2009 winners was the biggest upset in the history of the competition. But while the victory was heralded across the cricketing world, few but the hardcore fans of what is a very niche sport in the USA, witnessed it.
TENNIS - This year’s women’s final in the French Open will see Iga Swiatek against Jasmine Paolini. Both won their semi-finals in straight sets yesterday. The final takes place tomorrow. The men’s semi-finals are today. The new number 1 in the world Jannik Sinner will play against Carlos Alcaraz at 2:30pm this afternoon. Then Alexander Zverez is taking on Casper Ruud.
FORMULA 1 - The Canadian Grand Prix is taking place on Sunday. Meanwhile the FIA has presented a set of new regulations aimed at creating closer racing, more excitement and greater sustainability. From 2026, the cars will be smaller and lighter by 30 kilos, more nimble and greener.
There will be a few clouds here and there but it looks like summer has finally arrived and we can enjoy a mostly sunny day. The low end of the temperature scale will point towards 8 to 10°C in the morning, but with a big jump to 20 to 22°C range in the afternoon.
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