PAVEL VISIT – Czech President Petr Pavel and his wife Eva Pavlova on Wednesday arrived for a two-day visit to Luxembourg. They will be officially received in front of the palace by the Grand Ducal couple today. They will then meet the President of the Chamber Claude Wiseler, Prime Minister Luc Frieden and Foreign Minister Xavier Bettel. In the afternoon there will also be an official reception in the town hall, followed by a visit to the cathedral. Then it’s off to Betzdorf to visit the company SES, before a gala dinner at the palace in the evening. Tomorrow afternoon, a press conference between Pavel and Frieden is planned.
EUROPEAN ELECTIONS – The Christian Social People’s Party, the CSV, has published its list of candidates for the European elections. It is led by the duo Isabelle Wiseler-Lima and Christophe Hansen. The current MEP Martine Kemp is also on the list, plus three new faces: Mélanie Grün, Guy Breden and Metty Steinmetz. In the last European elections, the CSV received 21.1% of the vote and had to give up one seat to the DP, which came in first at 21.4%.
HOUSING CRISIS – Yet another construction company has declared bankruptcy in Luxembourg as the sector struggles with economic woes. On Wednesday afternoon, Carvalho Constructions Générales confirmed the company would go bankrupt at the end of February. 103 employees will be affected by the latest in a string of bankruptcies afflicting the construction industry.
VIGGO MORTENSEN – Viggo Mortensen, whose long list of roles includes portraying Aragorn in the Lord of the Rings franchise, will visit Luxembourg to promote his new film ‘The Dead Don’t Hurt’ as part of the Luxembourg City Film Festival. RTL Today is asking readers to submit questions for an interview being held during the festival.
PUTIN ADDRESS – Russia’s President Vladimir Putin will deliver his annual address to members of both houses of Russia’s parliament this morning. Two years after the start of what he calls a “special military operation” in Ukraine, the current situation of the conflict is likely to be at the centre of his speech. In the last two weeks there have been tactical successes, especially in eastern Ukraine. The Presidential elections are taking place in two weeks, where Putin will be confirmed as President as there is no opposition.
NAVALNY FUNERAL – Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s funeral is planned for tomorrow in a Moscow church, two weeks after his death in an Arctic prison. His widow Yulia Navalnaya said she feared her husband’s funeral could be disrupted by arrests.
FRANCE ABORTION – France is preparing to enshrine abortion as a constitutional right at a joint session of parliament next week, after the senate voted in favour o f the motion last night. Abortion has been legal in France since 1974 but pressure has grown to cement it in law. There is concern that the right to termination is being eroded in countries like the US and other countries in Europe.
FOOTBALL – Spain has won the Women’s Nations League. In the final in Seville, Spain comfortably beat France 2-0. In the match for third place, Germany beat the Netherlands 2-0, securing a ticket to the Olympics in the summer.
FORMULA 1 – Today is the official launch of the new Formula 1 season. The first free practice of the Bahrain Grand Prix will start in the afternoon. The race itself is on Saturday. Max Verstappen has brushed aside suggestions his bid for a fourth consecutive world title may be affected by speculation around his Red Bull boss Christian Horner. Horner’s future was thrown into doubt after he was accused of controlling and improper behaviour by a female Red Bull team member. He has since been cleared of wrongdoing. Red Bull have said “the grievance has been dismissed.”
We’ve got more of that morning mist starting us off today, giving way to largely cloudy skies until night falls and the rain draws in. Temperatures start off a little chilly at 0–2°C, rising to highs of 10°C by the afternoon.
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