SCHOOL CLOSURE – The City of Luxembourg has decided to close the primary school on Rue Michel Welter after the summer holidays and merge it with the school on Rue du Commerce, prompting concern among parents over the short notice and local conditions. According to city authorities, the merger of the two buildings has been long overdue. However, parents’ representatives are not happy with the decision, saying they were not consulted.
LUNAR ROVER – Luxembourg’s lunar rover is set for a historic moon landing in early June. The space robot Resilience, developed by Japanese company ispace, is scheduled to land on the Moon, carrying with it a small Luxembourg-built rover named Tenacious, aiming to explore the lunar surface and collect samples of regolith, the Moon’s loose surface material.
EUROPE DAY CELEBRATIONS – While 9 May – Europe Day – is an official public holiday only in Luxembourg, this year a large public celebration was held the following day in Echternach to allow neighbouring countries to join in the festivities, bringing together not only Grand Duke Henri, but also numerous Luxembourgish and European politicians. Both European Commissioner of Agriculture and Food, Christophe Hansen, and Foreign Minister, Xavier Bettel, made speeches to mark 75 years since the Schuman Declaration, 40 years of Schengen, and 30 years since Austria, Finland and Sweden joined the EU.
US CHINA TRADE – Asian markets have reacted positively to news that the US and China are due to make a joint statement about substantial progress on averting a damaging trade war. Senior financial officials from both countries say they have reached agreement at talks in Geneva.
UKRAINE WAR – President Zelensky of Ukraine says he is ready to meet Vladimir Putin in person and can be in Istanbul on Thursday, the venue and date suggested on Sunday by the Russian President for direct talks. Putin did not say he would himself attend. Meanwhile the UK is hosting European ministers for “critical” talks on “repelling Russian aggression”, two days after Ukraine’s allies demanded that Moscow accept a ceasefire. Representatives from France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, and the EU will join Foreign Secretary David Lammy in London for a meeting of the so-called “Weimar+" group.
GAZA WAR – Hamas says it will release an Israeli-American hostage, Edan Alexander, as part of efforts to reach a ceasefire in Gaza and allow humanitarian aid into the territory. The announcement follows direct between the group and the US administration in Qatar.
ESC – The Eurovision Song Contest burst into Basel yesterday, but a parade launching a week of build-up to the grand final was marked by protests over Israel’s participation. Israel’s public broadcaster Kan said it had filed a complaint to the Swiss police, saying a protester made a “throat-slitting gesture” and spat at members of the country’s delegation during the opening ceremony.
KARATE – Luxembourg’s sporting world turned its attention to Armenia, where Jenny Warling won silver at the European Karate Championships in Yerevan after a closely contested final against world number three Mia Bitsch. She is now setting her sights on the World Championships. https://today.rtl.lu/sport/international/a/2301097.html
FOOTBALL – Arsenal fought back from two goals down to rescue a valuable 2-2 draw against Liverpool as the Gunners moved a step closer to qualifying for the Champions League on Sunday. Meanwhile Ruben Amorim said he feared his Manchester United side were forgetting their responsibilities as players at one of the world’s major clubs, while casting doubt on his own future following a 2-0 loss at home to West Ham on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Tottenham has booked a Europa League final with Manchester United on May 21 after they sealed a 5-1 aggregate victory over Bodo/Glimt on Thursday.
In Spain, Barcelona mounted a spectacular comeback to beat Real Madrid 4-3 in La Liga on Sunday and move to the brink of the title after overcoming a hat-trick from Kylian Mbappe.
Today should be an almost carbon copy of yesterday – a warm, pleasant day and cool evening. There is a chance of one or two scattered showers in the French border regions this afternoon, but if you live in the North you might even escape the rain altogether. In terms of temperature, we begin with a nice 11–13 °C, cropping up to 23°C in the afternoon.
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