TERROR THREAT - There is currently no heightened terror warning for Luxembourg. Yesterday, at the request of Prime Minister Luc Frieden, the relevant coordination group met, and it was stated that there are currently no concrete threats to the Grand Duchy. The alert level therefore remains at level 2 out of 4.
HOSPITALITY SECTOR - The hospitality sector sits 20% below pre-pandemic levels, and while employment numbers have remained rather stable in the sector over the last years, 2024 may not look as rosy. Data by Statec, Luxembourg’s statistics agency, shows that revenue in the hospitality sector fell by 40% in 2020, mirroring other European countries (with the notable exception of Cyprus and Malta, where revenue declined by 70%).
TOURISM UP - The Luxembourg City Tourist Office has reported over one million stays in the capital in 2023, a 5% increase compared to the previous year. One of the highlights remains the Casemates with close to 120,000 visitors. A third of visitors came from Germany, 19% from France and 16% from the Netherlands.
FRANCE TERROR - The French Interior Minister, Gérald Darmanin, told France 2 last night that the threat of terrorism is very high at the moment, and that France is increasing the numbers of soldiers for its ‘Operation Sentinelle’ unit, which deals with handling terrorist threats. An extra 4,000 members of the military are on standby, on top of the 3,000 military staff already on deployment, guarding sites such as railway stations, places of worship, schools and theatres across the country.
In the French border area, schools are back to normal today. Several school buildings were evacuated yesterday, after receiving terrorist threats. Among others, schools in Thionville, Metz, Fameck and Lonnglaville, close to the Luxembourg border, were affected.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reacted angrily to the US decision to allow the UN Security Council to pass a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. The resolution also demands an immediate and unconditional release of all the hostages being held by Hamas, but it doesn’t make the ceasefire conditional on the release.
WIKILEAKS JUDGEMENT - WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will find out today whether he can mount a final UK legal bid to challenge his extradition from Britain to the United States. Assange is facing trial on espionage charges, and a potentially lengthy jail term, after Wikileaks published classified US documents relating to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Today’s judgement is expected at 11:30 this morning. If it again goes against him, he could be extradited within weeks.
EU FARMERS - EU agriculture ministers are meeting in Brussels again today. Luxembourg’s Minister of Agriculture Martine Hansen and her counterparts will exchange views on rapid responses to the situation in the agricultural sector. Meanwhile another large farmers’ demonstration is expected today, affecting traffic in the capital.
FOOTBALL - The national football team are playing against Kazakhstan in a friendly match tonight. Kick-off is at 8:45 pm at the Stade de Luxembourg. There are still some tickets available or you can watch the livestream on RTL Today.
The U21s are playing England for the EURO qualification tonight, three days after a 1-1 draw at home against Serbia.
Gareth Southgate says said that an “incredible” spate of injuries has opened up opportunities for fringe players as England prepare for their final match before the manager names his Euro 2024 squad. England face Belgium at Wembley tonight hampered by a long list of absentees including captain Harry Kane, Bukayo Saka, Kyle Walker and Harry Maguire.
TENNIS - World number one Iga Swiatek has been knocked out of the Miami Open after inspired Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova triumphed 6-4, 6-2 in their fourth round match. The 16th seed Alexandrova played brilliant attacking tennis from the outset and leave the WTA tournament without any of the top three seeds in the quarter-finals with Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff also out.
Not much to report on the weather front today. Clouds. There might be the odd drop of rain towards the evening, but otherwise it’s just an overcast Tuesday in Luxembourg. Morning temperatures of 2-4°C will head towards 11-13°C in the afternoon.
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