GLYPHOSATE BAN - In national news, the Administrative Court has upheld a decision by which Luxembourg’s ban on glyphosate, which is used in Bayer’s plant protection products, is deemed unlawful. The pesticide has been forbidden in Luxembourg since the beginning of 2021 - the only country in the EU to ban the substance. The manufacturer Bayer therefore initiated legal action against the Luxembourg government, arguing that it was a violation of EU law. The Ministry of Agriculture has now reinstated the authorisations for the products containing glyphosate.
CORONAVIRUS MASKS - Despite the lifting of coronavirus restrictions at the weekend, people are permitted to wear face coverings if they so wish. Claude Braun, medical director of the Hôpitaux Robert Schuman group, has advised patients with coronavirus symptoms or breathing issues to continue wearing masks, while visitors and staff at the hospitals are equally advised to wear face coverings in the event of symptoms such as cough, fever, sore throat and runny nose.
SES INTELSAT MERGER - In light of the anticipated merger between Luxembourg-based satellite company SES and American Intelsat, the union OGBL has expressed concerns about job safety at the Luxembourg site in Betzdorf. The union says that mergers generally engender job losses and said it was concerned about the fate of the 650 employees at the Luxembourg site. It is unclear whether the merger will actually go through.
TRAIN DERAILMENT - One person died and 19 others were seriously injured early this morning, when a high-speed passenger train derailed in southwest Netherlands after slamming into construction equipment. Images from the scene and news reports show a front carriage derailed and ploughing into a field, while a second derailed carriage landed on its side. Ambulance services rushed to the scene en masse, including a trauma helicopter, to take the most seriously injured passengers to hospital.
TRUMP ARRAIGNMENT - Donald Trump is consulting his lawyers at his New York residence Trump Towers before he is due in court later today. He is facing criminal charges linked to a payment made to buy the silence of a porn star, just before the 2016 election. Extra security measures are in place as both Trump supporters and opponents are expected to stage protests.
FINLAND NATO - Finland will officially become the 31st member of NATO today, when the country’s blue and white flag will be raised next to those of its new allies, between those of Estonia and France, in front of NATO headquarters in Brussels. Turkey and Hungary, for different reasons of their own, delayed Finland’s bid to join the alliance -- and Sweden’s progress remains blocked. But completing the ratification in well under a year still makes this the fastest membership process in the alliance’s recent history.
FRANKFURT-HAHN AIRPORT - After a long back-and-forth, Frankfurt-Hahn Airport has a new owner. According to local press, the company, which also already manages the airport of Zweibrücken, has bought the insolvent site. Flight operations should therefore be preserved, as well as all 400 jobs. The search for a new investor for the airport has been ongoing since October 2021.
INDIANA JONES - Indiana Jones will be swinging back into action at the Cannes Film Festival in May, with Harrison Ford launching the world premiere of his final outing as the adventurous archaeologist."Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny”, which also stars Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Antonio Banderas, is the fifth installment of the action franchise and will premiere at the Cote d’Azur festival on May 18. Ford has said it will be his last appearance as the whip-cracking, fedora-wearing archaeologist, who became one of Hollywood’s most iconic characters.
FOOTBALL – in the English Premier league, a lot of emergency matches are taking place, including Chelsea playing Liverpool tonight. Both traditional clubs are in a crisis. Table wise, it’s a duel of 8th against 11th. Chelsea also fired their coach Graham Potter yesterday. Julian Nagelsmann, who was sacked as Bayern Munich boss last month, is the favourite to be the next Chelsea boss.
In the Italian Cup, it’s the semi-finals. Tonight, Juventus Turin meets Inter Milan
In the German cup, the quarter finals are today and tomorrow. At 6pm, Frankfurt plays against Union Berlin. And at quarter to 9, Bayern will face Freiburg. Tomorrow, Nuremberg will play against Stuttgart and Leipzig against Dortmund.
FOOTBALL UEFA - Aleksander Ceferin stands unopposed for a new term as president of UEFA when European football’s governing body meets in Lisbon on Wednesday. The 55-year-old Slovenian lawyer, elected in 2016 following the downfall of Michel Platini, is therefore assured of a further four years in the role despite a turbulent second term overshadowed by the breakaway European Super League project.The UEFA Congress comes just a few weeks after Gianni Infantino was re-elected as president of FIFA, also unopposed.
Today UEFA will announce where the European Women’s Championship 2025 will be played. There are 4 candidates: France, Poland, Switzerland and a Scandinavian quartet from Denmark, Finland, Sweden and Norway.
Looks like Mother Nature is feeling cheeky today, as she’s sending us a sunny spell with some mid-level clouds to keep things interesting. It’s going to be a rather sunny and dry day. Today will start off rather brisk at -2 to 0 °C, rising to highs of 9 °C in the afternoon.
--
Be sure to catch our full bulletin on the hour, every hour and headlines at half past the hour on RTL Today Radio. You can also access the news via Alexa, and on RTL Play.
