SWEDEN VISIT – Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and European Union Affairs Minister Jessica Rosencrantz are visiting Luxembourg today. Discussions will focus on bilateral relations as well as major current European and international political issues. The Swedish prime minister also has an audience with Grand Duke Henri at the palace. A meeting between Minister Rosencrantz and Foreign Minister Xavier Bettel, as well as a meeting with the European Investment Bank are also on the agenda.
LIFE EXPECTANCY – According to Eurostat, life expectancy in Luxembourg is among the highest in the EU at 83.8 years. Women can now expect to live an average of over 85 years, while across the EU, life expectancy at birth rose to 81.4 years last year.
MEDICAL EVACUATION – Luxembourg has supported the international medical evacuation of nightclub fire victims from North Macedonia through its emergency relief system. Four patients have been evacuated – two were flown to Hungary and two to Croatia for specialised medical treatment. At least 59 people were killed and over 150 injured on Sunday in the blaze, prompting an international emergency response.
SCHOOL LEAVERS – According to the Education Minister Claude Meisch, the number of early school leavers in Luxembourg has increased to over 8% during the 2023/2024 academic year. The figure was published in the yearly report on early school leavers and inactive youth. The number still falls within the EU Commission’s stated goal of under 9% early school leavers for each EU country with the European average currently standing at 9.8%.
TRUMP PUTIN TALKS – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says civilian infrastructure has been hit by Russian drones, hours after a phone call between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. The Russian President agreed to not target energy sites but said a full ceasefire would only work if Ukraine’s allies agreed to stop all military assistance. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron vowed after the Kremlin statement that they would keep sending military aid to Ukraine.
GAZA WAR – There has been a fresh wave of Israeli airstrikes in Gaza as bombardments on Monday night reportedly killed more than 400 people. Earlier the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Hamas of rejecting proposals to extend the first phase of a ceasefire.
GERMANY DEFENCE – German lawmakers have voted for a colossal defence and infrastructure spending package proposed by chancellor-in-waiting Friedrich Merz following concern over the US stance on the Ukraine war and Europe’s security. Local media have labelled the plans – which could pave the way for more than €1 trillion in spending over the next decade – as a fiscal “bazooka” for Europe’s top economy.
STRANDED ASTRONAUTS – NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams have returned to earth in a SpaceX capsule with a soft splashdown off Florida’s coast, nine months after their faulty craft upended what was meant to be a week long stay on the International Space Station.
OLYMPICS – Thomas Bach’s successor as president of the International Olympic Committee will be elected on Thursday at the Greek coastal resort of Costa Navarino. Juan Antonio Samaranch Junior, Sebastian Coe, and Kirsty Coventry are the front runners among the seven candidates to replace Bach. Whoever succeeds as president of the IOC will need to be “cool under fire” with some members believing the very existence of the Olympic Movement is at stake.
TENNIS – Teenage star Mirra Andreeva says she is staying off social media and ignoring the hype after her triumph at Indian Wells on Sunday. The 17-year-old Russian beat world number one Aryna Sabalenka to win the WTA 1000 title in California to confirm her status as the rising star in the sport. Andreeva has had little time to savour her success, flying to Miami yesterday for this week’s tournament where four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka rallied to beat Ukrainian qualifier Yuliia Starodubtseva – 3-6, 6-4, and 6-3 – to reach the second round of the Miami Open.
ATHLETICS – Armand ‘Mondo’ Duplantis will headline a stellar cast in the Chinese city of Nanjing for a world indoor athletics championships delayed three times by the Covid-19 pandemic. Nanjing’s Cube will play host to 576 athletes from 127 countries competing in 26 events over three days of action from 21–23 March. That number includes 11 individual defending champions – notably world record holders Duplantis (pole vault), Devynne Charlton, and Grant Holloway (both 60m hurdles) – and 20 medalists from the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
The sun is out again and temperatures will be higher than yesterday. We should have uninterrupted sun as well, except for the east of the country which will see some clouds emerge in the evening. Temperatures will start off cold at -2 to 0°C but will steadily climb to a comfortable 14°C by the afternoon.
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