ING ACCOUNTS – Minister of Finance Gilles Roth has posted on the social network X, that he had spoken to the CEO of ING, in reaction to recent reports of account closures by the bank. Roth said he expected clear communication from the bank and a decent solution for the affected customers. In an earlier interview on RTL radio, the president of the Luxembourg Consumer Protection Association (ULC), Nico Hoffmann said that the reality is, that banks are not obligated to provide justification when closing accounts, as stipulated in their terms and conditions. Calling on the government to intervene, Hoffmann emphasised the need for legislation to prevent such occurrences in the future.
ROYAL UK VISIT – Luxembourg’s Head of State Grand Duke Henri met King Charles III during a royal visit to Windsor Castle this week. According to the official account from the Grand Ducal Court, Grand Duke Henri was received by King Charles for dinner during his brief stay in England. In related news, Buckingham Palace announced that King Charles III and Queen Camilla are scheduled to travel to France on 6 June to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Normandy landings. This significant journey marks King Charles III’s first international trip since revealing his cancer diagnosis earlier this year.
ASYLUM SEEKERS – In April, a total of 119 applications for international protection were submitted in Luxembourg, contributing to a year-to-date total of 574 asylum seekers. This figure marks a decrease compared to the previous year.The majority of applications were from people coming from Eritrea and Syria. Meanwhile, 54 individuals sought temporary protection, with 46 applicants originating from Ukraine.
CACTUS HOBBI CLOSURE – The staff at Cactus Hobbi in Howald have been informed that that the store will close at the end of the year. However, management assured the staff delegation that no one would lose their jobs; instead, all employees will be reassigned to other stores under the Cactus brand.
EUROPE UKRAINE – France and Germany’s leaders, Emmanuel Macron and Olaf Scholz emphasised their support for Ukraine at a news conference, held yesterday at the end of Macron’s official state visit to Germany. They both spoke in favour of allowing Ukraine to attack Russian positions inside Russia with Western weapons. In response, Russian President Putin warned there would be “serious consequences” if this took place.
SOUTH AFRICA ELECTION – South Africans vote today in what may be the most consequential election in decades. More than 27 million registered voters have been called to elect a new parliament, which then chooses a president. For the first time since the advent of democracy in 1994, the African National Congress is at risk of losing its outright majority and could be forced to negotiate a coalition. Under the leadership of the late Nelson Mandela, the ANC won freedom for black South Africans after decades of apartheid.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR – Israel has carried out fresh strikes in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, even after the UN Security Council met to discuss a deadly attack that sparked global outcry. Despite mounting concern over the civilian toll of its war on Hamas, Israel has shown no sign of changing course and international efforts aimed at securing a ceasefire remain stalled. US President Joe Biden has warned Israel against launching a major military operation in Rafah, but his administration insists that Israel has not yet crossed its red lines.
FOOTBALL – Tonight is the final of the Conference League. In Athens, Olympiakos Piraeus and AC Florence face each other. Kick off is at 9pm.
There are still tickets available for the international match between France and Luxembourg, one week from now in Metz. The French Football Federation made a limited number of Category 1 tickets available to the FLF yesterday. You can buy tickets for €120 each and a maximum of four per head on the FLF website from 10am this morning.
TENNIS – At the French Open, the first round has already ended. Yesterday evening, Novak Djokovic easily won in three sets against the Frenchman Pierre-Hugues Herbert. In the women’s matches today, among others Iga Swiatek will play against the American Naomi Osaka, who has already won four Grand Slam titles.
Expect the rain to be more prevalent, as the day starts off cloudy and will not let up. Rain should be a constant throughout the day, with wind gusts up to 50 km/h. Minimum temperature should be slightly higher today, around 12°C in the morning. On the other hand, the max will drop by a couple degrees to the 15-ish°C mark.
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