DIPLOMATIC SHAKE-UP – The US embassy in Luxembourg is among ten diplomatic missions recommended for permanent closure, according to a confidential State Department proposal obtained by Politico. The plan, attributed to the office of the Under Secretary for Management, is part of a broader initiative to reduce the State Department’s budget by nearly 50%.
ROAD ACCIDENTS – Two serious road accidents on Tuesday evening – one near Hoscheid and another in Rosport – left five people injured and temporarily disrupted traffic in both areas. At around 5pm, two cars collided head-on near the Sport Hotel Leweck. The exact circumstances of the accident have yet to be determined, but the rescue services have confirmed that four people were taken to the hospital after the crash. A collision involving a car and a lorry occurred on in Rosport shortly after. One person was injured in the accident and transported to a nearby hospital via air ambulance.
WOLF SIGHTING – Luxembourg’s Nature and Forest Agency (ANF) has confirmed a wolf sighting in the Kiischpelt-Clervaux region, with photographic evidence verifying the predator’s presence. While the ANF confirmed the wolf’s presence on Friday, its current whereabouts remain unknown.
FATAL ACCIDENT – A 27-year-old worker has died after falling from a roof on a construction site in Berbourg. The tragedy occurred on Monday afternoon when the victim sustained severe injuries as a result of the fall. Authorities are investigating the cause of the fatal accident.
WINTER SHELTER – Luxembourg’s annual ‘Wanteraktioun’ winter shelter programme has ended after providing overnight accommodations for homeless people during the winter months. The programme operated at increased capacity this year, with 300 beds at its Findel Airport-area facility, plus an additional 30 beds in army-supplied tents.
ROYAL BIRTHDAYS – There are two birthdays at the royal court today: Grand Duke Henri and Prince Sébastien. Grand Duke Henri is celebrating his 70th birthday this year, his last as Head of State, as he is abdicating in October and passing the torch to his son Guillaume. Prince Sébastien is the youngest son of the Grand Ducal couple and celebrates his 33rd birthday this year.
PANDEMIC AGREEMENT – After more than three years of negotiations, countries have agreed the text of a landmark accord on how to tackle future pandemics, aimed at avoiding a repeat of the mistakes made during the Covid-19 crisis. The WHO has called the deal, which was sealed at around 2am this morning, a “historic” step toward global cooperation.
US HARVARD – US President Donald Trump has threatened to strip Harvard of its tax-exempt status and said the university should apologise, a day after it rejected what it called unlawful demands to overhaul academic programmes or lose federal grants.
RUSSIA SENTENCES – Russia has sentenced four journalists it said were associated with late opposition leader Alexei Navalny to five and a half years in a penal colony, intensifying a crackdown on press freedom and Kremlin critics. The reporters – Antonina Kravtsova, Konstantin Gabov, Sergei Karelin, and Artem Kriger – all covered Navalny, who was declared an “extremist” by Russian authorities. The ruling remains in force despite his death in an Arctic penal colony on 16 February 2024.
FOOTBALL – In the quarter final return matches of the Champions League, Paris Saint-Germain clung on to reach the semi-finals with a 5-4 aggregate win over Aston Villa, surviving a dramatic 3-2 defeat and a furious second-half comeback from the Premier League side. Barcelona has survived a Dortmund comeback to reach the semi-finals with a 5-3 aggregate win, despite a 3-1 loss in Germany.
In tonight’s games, Real Madrid play against Arsenal and Inter Milan take on Bayern Munich at home. You can watch this match live on RTL Today with a live ticker starting at 9pm.
https://today.rtl.lu/sport/international/a/2294381.htmlTENNIS – World number two Carlos Alcaraz came back from a break down in the second set to defeat Ethan Quinn 6-2, 7-6 (8/6) and reach the Barcelona Open last 16 yesterday.
OLYMPICS – An iconic Hollywood studio lot and the golden sands of Venice Beach are among an array of Los Angeles landmarks that will stage events for the 2028 Olympic Games. In an updated list of venues for the Games, LA28 confirmed venues for surfing, triathlon, baseball, cricket, and squash among other sports.
It’s going to be a grey and rainy middle of the week, with lower temperatures to boot. The thermometer will show us something around 6–8°C on the lower end, going slightly up to the 10–12ºC range later in the day.
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