WW2 COMMEMORATIONS – Events will take place today to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in Europe. They include a service of thanksgiving in London and a ceremony under the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. In Luxembourg, a memorial ceremony will be held this afternoon at the Neimënster Abbey in the city, where around 3,500 people were imprisoned by the Nazis between 1940 and 1944. Grand Duke Henri, the President of the Chamber of Deputies Claude Wiseler, and the Prime Minister Luc Frieden will be attending.
SUNDAY POLL – The latest poll, conducted on behalf of Luxemburger Wort and RTL show that if elections were held this Sunday, the Christian Social People’s Party (CSV) would still lead as the strongest party. They are followed by the Democratic Party (DP) and Luxembourg Socialist Workers’ Party (LSAP). The Greens would gain 3 more seats, suggesting the so-called Gambia alliance – in reference to the African nation’s flag – could make a return to Luxembourg’s political scene.
TRAFFIC JAMS – Traffic jams are expected on the Dudelange motorway from this evening, due to work on the Gasperich and Bettembourg intersections. Detours are in place. The works will last until early Monday morning.
FIBRE OPTIC NETWORK – Post Luxembourg has announced plans to achieve nearly 100% fibre optic network coverage across the country by 2030, building on its present-day reach – approximately 90% of households. Currently, households without fibre access benefit from pricing parity, as Post Luxembourg bases its rates on connection speed rather than technology.
EUROPE DAY – Three of the EU’s top leaders – Parliament President Roberta Metsola, Council President António Costa, and Commission President Ursula von der Leyen – will gather in Luxembourg City this Friday to commemorate Europe Day with Prime Minister Luc Frieden. The visit will include a walking tour through Luxembourg City, featuring stops at key locations tied to European Union history.
UKRAINE WAR – Russian President Vladimir Putin’s order for a three-day truce with Ukraine has taken effect today, a move the Kremlin said would “test” Kyiv’s readiness for peace but that Ukraine has slammed as a farce. It is not immediately clear whether either side is observing the ceasefire, even with world leaders – including China’s Xi Jinping, Brazil’s Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Serbia’s Aleksandar Vucic – in Moscow for commemorations of the end of World War II.
GAZA WAR – UN experts have demanded action to avert the “annihilation” of Palestinians in Gaza, as rescuers said Israeli strikes across the territory killed dozens of people. A planned expanded offensive, approved by the Israeli government, amid a two-month aid blockade on Gaza, would include displacing “most” of its residents. France’s President Emmanuel Macron called the situation in Gaza “the most critical we have ever seen” while British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told parliament the situation in Gaza and the occupied West Bank was “increasingly intolerable”.
VATICAN CONCLAVE – The cardinals involved in the secretive conclave at the Vatican will return to the Sistine Chapel this morning to vote again on who should be the next Pope. The first ballot failed to reach a decision.
TRUMP TARIFFS – According to US media, Donald Trump will announce a trade deal with the United Kingdom today. Trump said he said he would announce the deal at a news conference in the Oval Office at the White House this afternoon, and touted it as the “first of many”. The Bank of England is widely expected to cut its key interest rate by a quarter point today as Trump’s planned tariffs threaten to weaken global economic growth.
ESC – The Eurovision Song Contest comes shimmering into Basel on Sunday with a glitzy parade kicking off a week of high-octane revelry building up to the May 17 grand final. Eurovision is the world’s biggest annual live televised music event, reaching around 160 million viewers. Switzerland is hosting after Swiss vocalist Nemo won Eurovision 2024 in Malmo with the highly personal song “The Code”, about discovering non-binary gender identity.
FOOTBALL – Paris Saint-Germain clinched a place in the Champions League final as goals by Fabian Ruiz and Achraf Hakimi gave them a 2-1 win over Arsenal in the second leg of their last-four tie on Wednesday, securing a 3-1 aggregate triumph. The final is on the 31 May.
In the Europa League, the second leg of the semi-finals are taking place tonight. Manchester United plays Bilbao and Tottenham are up against the Norwegian team Bodo/Glimt. Both English teams won the first legs.
CRICKET – India captain Rohit Sharma has announced his retirement from Test cricket ahead of the team’s tour of England starting next month, but will continue to play the shorter 50-over format. Rohit is currently playing the Indian Premier League T20 tournament with Mumbai Indians and has endured a patchy season so far, scoring 300 runs in 11 matches.
It’s another cloudy day – and it could even rain a bit in the early afternoon. On the positive side the sun might peek out at times and the holiday weekend is promising to bring a return to spring-like weather, with plenty of sunshine.
On the temperature front we start off with 5–7 °C, going up to a max of 14–16 °C in the afternoon.
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