UNIVERSAL CHARGERS - Luxembourg’s parliament has unanimously adopted an EU bill making universal chargers mandatory. This means it will no longer be necessary to buy a different charger every time you purchase a new mobile phone, tablet or headphones. All of them can be recharged using the same charger.
WHOOPING COUGH - Amid a surge in whooping cough cases across Luxembourg, the Ermesinde secondary school is bracing for a visit from the Health Inspectorate this week, with vaccinations offered to mitigate the spread of the highly contagious bacterial respiratory disease. Cases of whooping cough have increased significantly in Luxembourg since the beginning of the year.
SHORT-TIME WORK - 118 Luxembourg companies have been granted authorisation for short-time working, potentially affecting over 7000 employees, who will experience partial unemployment. Within the approved applications, 45 companies belong to the construction sector, which is presently recognised as being in a state of crisis.
PEDESTRIAN KILLED - A 61-year-old man has died after being struck by a car in Soleuvre on Monday evening. The pedestrian, was seriously injured and hospitalized, and died of his injuries during the night. The public prosecutor’s office has instructed forensic police to carry out an investigation in order to shed light on the accident. Another pedestrian was injured after being struck by a car on Tuesday, prompting emergency response teams from Luxembourg City and Steinsel-Walferdange to rush to the scene.
SALMON RETURN - Efforts are underway to facilitate the return of salmon to Luxembourg in the foreseeable future. Despite the natural migration route from the Atlantic to Luxembourg’s rivers, the presence of numerous dams, particularly between Wasserbillig and Koblenz, has posed a substantial barrier to the salmon’s upstream journey. In addition to clearing migratory pathways, Luxembourg’s Water Management authority plans to enhance aquatic habitats to support fish populations sustainably.
UKRAINE WAR - The White House has rejected a suggestion by the French that Western countries could send ground troops to fight in Ukraine. The US, UK, Germany and Italy distanced themselves from the idea, floated by French president Macron. Luxembourg’s Prime Minister Luc Frieden also said that deploying Western ground troops is not a feasible option in response to the conflict in Ukraine. He went on to say that the Grand Duchy has so far spent 0.6% of its GDP on humanitarian and military aid for Ukraine and that this will no longer suffice in the future.
US ELECTIONS - Both Joe Biden and Donald Trump are projected to win their party’s respective primary nominations in Michigan. The outcome of the Democrats and Republican polls raises the likelihood they will face each other in November’s Presidential elections.
SWITZERLAND EARTHQUAKE - An earthquake measuring 3.4 on the Richter scale was recorded by the Swiss Seismological Service (SED) in the Jura mountain range on Monday night. The tremor was felt as far away as Alsace, according to the French media, with local authorities confirming the 3.4 rate. The earthquake caused no damage in either Switzerland or France.
FOOTBALL - Manchester City are through to the finals of the FA Cup after a 6-2 victory over Luton. City’s Erling Haaland scored five times, completing a treble inside the first 40 minutes.
Jenni Hermoso has given a pre-international press conference for the first time since she was kissed by former Spanish football chief Luis Rubiales after winning the World Cup. She said that football continues to give her life. The world champions face France in Sevilla today in the first Women’s Nations League final.
RUGBY - Canada and the United States will rejoin the Pacific Nations Cup this year in a rejigged two-stage six-team competition that will end with finals in Japan. The cup will start with two three-team groups in August with Fiji, Samoa and Tonga in one and Japan, the United States and Canada in the other.Each will play one home game and one away game as they face the other two teams in their group once each.
Low-lying mist is expected throughout the morning, before giving way to high clouds, and some sunshine from late morning until the end of the afternoon. The morning starts off with a distinct chill, with temperatures sitting between -1 and 1°C, rising to 7-9°C as the day wears on.
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