CAPE VERDE VISIT - The president of Cape Verde is on an official visit to Luxembourg today and tomorrow. José Maria Neves and his wife will be received in the palace by the Grand Duke. Neves will then hold talks with Prime Minister Bettel, Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn as well as with the President of the Chamber, Fernand Etgen. He will visit Belval, the Stock Exchange and the Chamber of Commerce. Grand Duchess Maria-Theresa cannot attend the state visit, as she is in isolation, having contracted Covid-19.
KEROSENE AIRPORT - The kerosene depot at Findel airport is to be expanded. The current depot will be replaced with 6 new reservoirs with a total capacity of 30,000 cubic meters. It will cost close to 86 million euros. Findel will also continue to be connected to the NATO pipeline from Bitburg.
MARATHON MEDALS - Several crates containing medals for semi-marathon runners at the ING Night Marathon were stolen on Saturday. Despite ordering, producing and delivering plenty of medals in the run-up to the marathon, around 300 medals were missing from the event. Furthermore, 100 runners did not receive the right medal. The organiser Step by Step is currently checking CCTV footage of cameras installed in the halls.
PETROL PRICES - Diesel prices will go up by 1.2 cents per litre from today, while super unleaded petrol will increase by 3.1 cents. From midnight last night super unleaded 98 petrol costs €1.79 per litre while Diesel will cost €1.41 per litre.
AUCHAN FIRE - Traffic jams built up around Kirchberg on Monday afternoon following a fire in the underground car park at the Auchan shopping centre. Reports suggested a car caught fire in the underground car park, leading management to close all access to the lower levels. A number of police patrols and fire engines attended the scene, from four different stations, closing off Rue Alphonse Weicker.
EU UKRAINE - EU defence ministers are meeting in Brussels today. The main discussion will be the joint EU military support to Ukraine. Meanwhile the situation in Ukraine is unclear, especially in Bakhmut. Russia’s Wagner mercenaries claim to have captured Bakhmut after months of intense attacks -- while Ukraine insists it is still fighting in the destroyed city. And Russian authorities claim an armed group has crossed from Ukraine into the Russian border area, injuring a number of people. It is not clear whether Ukrainian saboteurs or pro-Ukrainian Russians are responsible.
MADELEINE McCANN CASE - Police investigating the disappearance of British toddler Madeleine McCann will carry out a new search in Portugal based on a recent tip. The new search will take place near the Arade reservoir, around 50km from the resort area where McCann disappeared in 2007. Madeleine was three years old when she vanished from her bedroom during a family holiday and last April, Portuguese and German officials named Christian Brueckner, a German national who lived in the area at the time as an official suspect.
SUDAN CEASEFIRE - Witnesses in the Sudanese capital have reported clashes and air strikes minutes after a one-week humanitarian ceasefire took effect last night. The witnesses reported combat in north Khartoum, and air strikes in the east of the capital shortly after 9:45 pm (1945 GMT) when the truce was to take effect. The United States and Saudi Arabia -- which brokered the deal -- had said this ceasefire was different because it was “signed by the parties” and will be supported by a “ceasefire monitoring mechanism”.
FOOTBALL - The financial scandal surrounding Juventus Turin continues. The Italian Football Federation’s appeals court announced yesterday evening that Juventus will be deducted 10 points over illicit transfer activity. The new sanction severely dents Juventus’ hopes of qualifying for next season’s Champions League, pushing them out of the top four with two matches remaining this season. Newcastle on the other hand, has qualified for next season’s Champions League for the first time in 20 years, following a 0-0 draw against Leicester last night.
CYCLING - After the 2nd rest day yesterday, the Giro d’Italia continues today with the 16th stage. 203 tough kilometers ahead, with a finish at Monte Bondone in Trentino. The general leader is the Frenchman Bruno Arimirail, who will find it difficult to defend his pink jersey today. Meanwhile Mark Cavendish has announced he will retire at the end of the season, bringing the curtain down on the career of one of cycling’s all-time great sprinters. The British rider, who has 34 Tour de France stage wins to his name, will have one final chance to claim the record outright in July when he takes part in the race one last time.
BASKETBALL - The Denver Nuggets are the first team in the NBA Finals. For the first time in its 47-year history, the team around Serbian superstar Nikola Jokic won the Western Conference championship with an impressive 4-0 win over the Los Angeles Lakers. In the finals, they will either play against Miami Heat or the Boston Celtics. Miami is leading the series 3-0.
Today will be largely cloudy and dry, with a gentle breeze. The odd ray of sunshine might even peek out from behind the clouds. Temperatures will start off at 10-12°C in the morning, rising to a balmy 19-21°C in the afternoon.
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