UKRAINE VISIT - The Ukrainian Prime Minister is on a working visit to Luxembourg today. Denys Shmyhal will be met by Prime Minister Luc Frieden for talks at Senningen Castle. He will then see Foreign Minister Xavier Bettel to sign a technical cooperation and financial agreement. He will also have an audience with Grand Duke Henri at the palace, followed by talks with Chamber President Claude Wiseler and the President of the European Investment Bank.
AIRLINK CHANNEL ISLANDS - A new airlink between the Channel Islands and Luxembourg is set to be trialled in May. Blue Islands said it would run the four week service direct from Jersey, with connections to Guernsey. Rob Veron, the CEO of the airline, said the Luxembourg service would “provide easier access” specifically for the business community and he hoped that the trial would attract sufficient demand for a permanent service. Flights will take place every Tuesday and Thursday beginning 14 May until 11 July.
DUKE HASHTAG - The Grand Ducal couple is upping its hashtag game ahead of a State visit to Belgium. From the 16-18 April, the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess are invited to Belgium under the slogan #LU in Belgium. They will have visits and ceremonies in the capital Brussels, but also in Ghent and Liège. Belgium’s royal couple visited the Grand Duchy in 2019, but due to the pandemic, the exchange visit from Luxembourg’s side is only taking place this year.
NOISE MAPS - The latest strategic noise maps, revealing heightened noise levels from additional sources like trams, have been published by the Environment Administration, offering fresh insights into the soundscape of Luxembourg City and the country’s southern regions. The updated noise maps are available on geoportail.lu.
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR - White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan says President Biden has spoken to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the first time in a month to repeat his warning that the military operation in Rafah, in southern Gaza, would be a mistake. More than a million people have fled to the city, which Netanyahu said must be attacked if Israel is to defeat Hamas. Biden said it would lead to more innocent civilian deaths, worse than the already dire humanitarian crisis, and further isolate Israel internationally.
UKRAINE DEFENSE GROUP - US Defense secretary Lloyd Austin is hosting the 7th Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting at Ramstein airbase today, to discuss the ongoing crisis in Ukraine with ministers of defense and senior military officials from around the world. Luxembourg, together with Estonia, is helping in the IT field – specifically in communications and computing for the Ukrainian military. The Grand Duchy is represented by Defence Minister Yuriko Backes.
JAPAN INTEREST RATES - Japan has raised its key interest rate for the first time in 17 years. Since 2007, the rate has been negative - at minus 0.1%. Now it should be between 0 and plus 0.1%. It comes as wages have jumped after consumer prices rose. The hike means that there are no longer any countries left with negative interest rates.
BELGIUM SHOOTING - After a shooting yesterday, during a house search near Charleroi in Belgium, more details have now been announced. The perpetrator, a major drug dealer, was already known to the police. When a special unit stormed the house, a 36-year-old policeman was fatally shot. Two others were wounded. The perpetrator was injured during the shoot-out and has since died in hospital.
FOOTBALL – The Luxembourg national football team is flying to Tbilisi this afternoon. The day after tomorrow is a decisive match against Georgia in the play-offs in the Nations League. The winner will then face either Greece or Kazakhstan on 26 March. Should Luxembourg emerge victorious, they will participate in a European football championship for the first time in their history, qualifying for this summer’s tournament in Germany.
Lionel Messi has been ruled out of Argentina’s upcoming friendlies in the United States due to a hamstring injury. The Inter Miami superstar was due to line up for the world champions in friendlies against El Salvador in Philadelphia on Friday before facing Costa Rica in Los Angeles on March 26.
CYCLING - Outsider Nick Schultz won the opening stage of the Tour of Catalonia yesterday, edging favourite Tadej Pogacar as the peloton reacted too late to the Australian’s early sprint to the line. Today’s route will be much more mountainous and finishes at the Vallter ski resort after an 11km climb with an average gradient of almost 8 percent.
We start off the foggy morning with temperatures between 2-5°C but don’t worry! The weather warms up by the afternoon to 11-14°C. While it’ll be partly cloudy, this is the moment to head outside and enjoy a bit of sunshine (a whole 4 hours of it) before it cools down slightly to 7-10°C at night.
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