FOREIGNERS VOTING - The chamber has passed another amendment to the electoral law to make it easier for foreign citizens to take part in the municipal elections. Now, even people who come from countries outside the EU and working here in Luxembourg for EU institutions or international organisations are eligible to vote. Foreigers account for almost half of the cuontry’s entire population and 70% in the nation’s capital. But only 12.5% have registered to vote in June’s elections.
SCIENCE PRIZE - The 2023 ‘Science for Society’ Prize was awarded to the Covid-19 Task Force. According to the jury, the task force played a key role in coordinating the government’s Covid-19 strategy and providing the public with scientifically validated data during the pandemic. The ‘Science for Society’ Prize is an independent award given out by members of the research and technology sectors as well as leading members of the press.
TRANSPORT NORTH - Construction work, delays and poor bus line connections are causing dismay among the inhabitants of northern Luxembourg. There are currently no trains departing from Ettelbruck and the Schieburg railway tunnel remains closed, due to a seven-week delay in construction. According to residents speaking to RTL television, the replacement buses, which only run once an hour are also not reliable.
UN WATER - A United Nations report has warned of a global water crisis with scarcity becoming endemic, because of overconsumption and pollution. The document was published to coincide with the first UN water summit in over 40 years as well as World Water Day. Thousands of delegates from around the world will attend the three-day gathering in New York. Luxembourg is represented at the conference by the Environment Minister Joelle Welfring.
UK JOHNSON - Britain’s former prime minister Boris Johnson faces a televised grilling today about misleading parliament over the “Partygate” scandal. Johnson has released a 52-page dossier detailing why he denied breaking the rules over two years of Covid lockdowns, when his staff were often partying in 10 Downing Street. A guilty verdict from the cross-party privileges committee of MPs could lead to his suspension from the House of Commons.
MACRON PENSIONS - French President Emmanuel Macron, facing turmoil over his plan to raise the retirement age in France, will today try to address the crisis. He will, officials say, portray the standoff as a battle between democratic institutions and the chaos of the street. He is expected to stick with his current government and not dissolve parliament or call new elections. There were renewed protests and confrontations with the police last night. 46 people were arrested in Paris alone.
GOOGLE AI CHATBOT - Google has launched its own AI chatbot called Bard, rivalling ChatGPT which was launched late last year. Bard can answer questions in a human-like way, give up-to-date single answers, only in English and will provide access on a first-come-first served basis to users who sign up to its waiting lists in the US and the UK.
FOOTBALL - The U19 national team will play against Ukraine today for a place in the European Championship qualifications. The team will go on to play Spain on Saturday and Denmark next Tuesday.
In women’s football - Barcelona beat Rome 1-0 in the first leg of their Women’s Champions League quarter-final last night, while Bayern beat Arsenal 1-0. Tonight Lyon will take on Chelsea and Paris plays Wolfsburg.
BASEBALL - Japan defeated the United States 3-2 last night to win the World Baseball Classic for a record third time. Home runs from Munetaka Murakami and Kazuma Okamoto helped put Japan ahead, before superstar Shohei Ohtani closed out the win from the mound in the ninth inning.
Weather
Spring has sprung, bringing us...showers. The morning will start off with heavy cloud cover before the rain creeps in come afternoon. The rain is set to stick around through the evening. The morning will start off between 8-10°C, rising to highs of 12°C in the afternoon.
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