VOTING POLL - If legislative elections were to be held this Sunday, the coalition government would lose ground to the CSV and the Pirate Party, while maintaining a 31-seat majority. According to the latest poll, the government coalition would effectively retain its majority with 31 out of 60 available seats. In terms of who voters want as prime minister, Xavier Bettel remains a solid leader, with 30% of respondents saying they would like him to continue in his current role. In comparison, his challengers Paulette Lenert and Luc Frieden are 7 and 10 points behind Bettel.
BETTEL SPEECH - Meanwhile Prime Minister Bettel delivered an impassioned speech at the European Parliament yesterday, condemning an anti-LGBT law that was recently passed by Hungary. He said he was ashamed that some of his colleagues want to win votes at the expense of minorities. Hungary passed a law in June 2021 banning the “representation or promotion” of homosexuality and gender reassignment among minors.
VOTER REGISTRATION - Nearly 20% of foreign residents have registered to elect their local representatives in the municipal elections on 11 June. In total, that is 50,084 non-Luxembourg nationals. The Ministry of Family Affairs released these figures on Wednesday morning, after the registration deadline expired on Monday.
CRIME RISE - At a press conference on Wednesday, the police presented the figures for offences recorded by various services. Last year, the police handled 7,651 cases, which represents an increase of 28% compared to 2021. Property crime accounts for 66% of recorded offences. Internet scams have also risen sharply, as has petty theft, which includes pickpocketing, for instance. Offences against individuals account for 17% of the total.
World
YEMEN STAMPEDE - More than 80 people have been killed and hundreds injured in a crush at a charity distribution event in Yemen. The latest tragedy to strike the war-torn country came days ahead of Eid al-Fitr, a Muslim holiday celebrated around the world by feasting to mark the end of Ramadan.
UNICEF VACCINES - According to the Unicef, 67 million children have missed routine vaccines globally between 2019 and 2021 because of lockdowns and health care disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Because of this, there are twice as many cases of ringworm and child paralysis has increased by 16%.
EU GRAIN - Brussels has offered an extra 100 million euros of support for EU farmers to ease a standoff over Ukrainian grain, after Bulgaria has become the latest country to approve a temporary ban on food products from the war-hit nation. In recent days, Poland, Hungary and Slovakia temporarily banned the import of grain and other food items from Ukraine after a slump in prices triggered protests from local farmers.
AI SCHUMACHER INTERVIEW - A spokesperson for the family of Michael Schumacher has said that they are planning to take legal action against a German magazine that used Artificial Intelligence to generate a fake interview with the Formula One legend. “Die Aktuelle” ran a front cover spread promising an exclusive interview with Schumacher, who has not been seen in public since suffering a serious brain injury in a skiing accident in 2013.
FOOTBALL - In football, the semi-finals in the Champions League will see Real Madrid take on Manchester City and Inter Milan against AC Milan. City drew 1-1 against Bayern, and Inter drew 3-3 against Benfica last night.
CYCLING - Tadej Pogacar has been hailed as a “once in a century” talent who can become cycling’s greatest star after the two-time Tour de France champion claimed his 12th win of the season in the Fleche Wallonne. Luxembourger Kevin Geniets came in 124th place in 8 minutes.
It looks a cloudy, cold day interspersed with showers in the afternoon. The morning starts off cloudy and cold before welcoming in a stormy afternoon with potential for thunder and lightening. Morning temperatures will start off at 1-4°C, rising to highs of around 6°C in the afternoon.
--
Be sure to catch our full bulletin on the hour, every hour and headlines at half past the hour on RTL Today Radio. You can also access the news via Alexa, and on RTL Play.
